Review of Omaha Bible Church
This review of Omaha Bible Church, Omaha, Nebraska, is based on two years of personal experience and organized around The 9 Marks of a Healthy Church.
Expositional Preaching
Omaha Bible Church (OBC) is unique in the modern evangelical community in its commitment to the lordship of Jesus Christ in the Church as taught in Holy Scripture without respect of other interests. It doesn't observe market trends or pop psychology. It doesn't pander to felt needs for self-esteem or positive thinking but unblushingly treats the matters of sin and separation from God answered only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures to the glory of God. It is committed to preaching—not conversation or vignettes or entertainment, but sound teaching (2 Tim. 4:2)—which is expositional and systematic, being faithful to proclaim "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). It doesn't try to be "cute" or original but only to expound what the Apostles and prophets long ago taught.
Biblical Theology
Its theology is Reformed, or Calvinistic. It doesn't shy away from "offensive" truths, as the gospel itself in its purity is naturally offensive to the unconverted (1 Cor. 1:23). This does not mean the church is deliberately obnoxious. (An assembly of more winsome and humble individuals I have hardly encountered anywhere.) What it does mean is that it is not ashamed to teach, for example, the difficult doctrines of the wrath of God and Hell, or election, or the substitutionary atonement, or gender complementarity, in proportion to their biblical emphases. And therein is its justification for any such teaching—the Scripture rather than the traditions of men (Mark 7:8)—it is as opposed to legalism as it is libertarianism.
Biblical Understanding of the Good News
Its understanding of the gospel—that being the touchstone of basic orthodoxy—is also distinctly biblical. It finds man's greatest need, not in self-esteem (psychology), nor in worldly prosperity (materialism), nor even in the alleviation of temporal suffering (humanism); but along with the Apostle Paul, in salvation from the eternal wrath of a holy God against sin (Rom. 1:18). This salvation, OBC teaches, is the gracious, unmerited gift of God realized through confession of sin and guilt, repentance from dead works, and faith in Jesus Christ in His sacrificial, atoning death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave (Rom. 10:9-10; Heb. 6:1; Matt. 3:8; Mark 1:15). Precluded by this gospel is any salvation of works (Semi-Pelagianism), which heresy OBC boldly (if somberly) declares to fall under the curse of Galatians 1:8-9.
Biblical Understanding of Conversion
OBC teaches that conversion is the work of God, and that men are easily deceived in regard to their own souls (Jer. 17:9; Matt. 7:21-23), so that it is necessary for each one to examine himself (2 Cor. 13:5), the truth of any profession being evidenced by its fruit (Matt. 7:20). True salvation is accompanied by true repentance (John 3:36; Luke 13:3), and OBC endeavors in no way to give undue assurance to the "convert" without radical life transformation (2 Cor. 5:17).
Biblical Understanding of Evangelism
OBC is committed to and rightly understands evangelism. It does not confuse it with uncontextualized expressions of God's love or with social reform. It does not employ common tactics of emotional manipulation to coerce "decisions" but clearly articulates the gospel message in its purity and entirety from Scripture, trusting God to interact with His Word proclaimed to generate faith and grant salvation (Rom. 1:16, 10:17; Isa. 55:10-11). It has evangelism classes to train the saints how "always [to be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks [them] to give an account for the hope that is in [them]" (1 Pet. 3:15). It conducts organized street evangelism downtown, teaching simultaneously that evangelism is a lifestyle commitment to be observed responsibly by all Christians in every arena of life and sphere of influence.
Biblical Understanding of Membership
Membership at OBC, being fairly informal, is considered to be conferred on anyone in regular attendance there with a plausible profession of faith and a commitment to the local body to mutual love and edification. Since there is no membership class, per se, probably many people are unaware they are considered members. The spirit of belonging in this context is nevertheless strong. Relationships are closely knit and practical, without the pettiness and exclusivity common to other social affiliations. Also fellowship there is no aimless assemblage, but has meaning for mutual edification grounded in God's Word. As OBC has no category for believers who bear no fruit, neither members who don't serve the body.
Biblical Church Discipline
OBC practices biblical church discipline. While it welcomes anyone without qualification to come listen to the gospel, on its membership it does impose biblical standards of holiness after the pattern of Matthew 18: "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector" (vv. 15-17). This tends greatly to the purity of the community, as 1 Timothy 5:20 says, "Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning." Discipline is always exercised with the utmost respect and sobriety, emphasizing its design for restoration, and only seldom escalates to the third step. (In about two years I have witnessed it twice.)
Promotion of Christian Discipleship and Growth
OBC promotes Christian growth and discipleship after the pattern of Ephesians 4, as "[Christ] gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ" (vv. 11-13). OBC understands the point of discipleship as the conformity of every child of God to the likeness of Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:29) accomplished by the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23) through the agency of God's Word in its teaching and application (John 17:17). In this it devotes nothing to the tide of modern church growth fads but opts always for simple obedience to God's timeless Word. "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls" (Jer. 6:16).
Biblical Understanding of Leadership
OBC is governed by a plurality of mature and godly men who are both chaste in behavior and competent in doctrine, capable teachers (1 Tim. 3:2-10). These exercise authority over the congregation for its building up and protection from false teaching and deceit (Heb. 13:17). They and their wives are most accessible and heavily invested in the lives of their people. Truly they rule well, working hard at preaching and teaching (1 Tim. 5:17).
Conclusion
Omaha Bible Church is, in my estimation, a healthy, faithful church, bearing the clear marks of the grace of God. I heartily commend it to all who love the Bride and would situate themselves under God's ordained means of grace.