#9marks.org

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Dear Pastor, Know Your Theology of Sanctification

There’s a push in evangelical circles to understand justification. This is good. But let’s make sure we haven’t neglected sanctification.

by Mike Christ | The exact moment when I sensed the inadequacy of my understanding of sanctification is engraved in my mind. It occurred in a small-group meeting, while discussing the dynamic between our actions and the work of the Spirit in the process of becoming holy. As these conversations often go, people were sharing what helped them grow—or at least what they learned in church about what ought to help them grow—you know, reading the Bible, praying, etc. At the same time, everyone steadfastly maintained that the Holy Spirit actually did the work of sanctification. Finally an honest woman blurted out...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

“Whatsoever Is True”: Reflecting on the Growth of Conspiracy Theories Among Christians

You probably have encountered a friend or family member convinced of a conspiracy. Why is this happening? And what should Christians do about it?

by Dan Darling | Well, that’s what they want you to think,” a friend insisted, with particular emphasis on the they and want, after the end of a long and fruitless argument about whether or not a group of secretive bankers was plotting in smoke-filled rooms to destroy the world. I tried, in vain, to convince him that Donald Trump’s election, a natural disaster in Indonesia, and the rise of the price of plastics were not, in fact, tied to a central, evil, dark conspiracy...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

What Is a Church?

What is a church? How might we answer that question? Where should we start?

by Chris Hutchinson | What is a church? How might we answer that question? Where should we start? We could start with the word itself. In the New Testament, the word “church” is translated from the Greek word ekklēsia. An old idea which still gets passed around today is that ekklēsia means “called out ones,” given that ek means...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Why Calvin Thought Church Discipline is Essential to the Health of the Church

Why did John Calvin believe church discipline to be essential to the health of the church?

by Matthew Tuininga | Soon after John Calvin was appointed as a pastor of the Genevan church, having only recently arrived as a refugee fleeing persecution in his native France, one of his first actions was to petition the city government for the establishment of church discipline. It was a hard sell. In no other Reformed city had the civil magistrates given clergy such authority. The reformers Zwingli and Bullinger maintained...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

5 Effects of Expository Preaching on a Church

How does sitting under expository preaching 52 Sundays a year change a church?

by Anand Samuel | By regularly sitting under expository preaching, our members learn important interpretive skills. They hear the pastor say things like this: “Beloved, look at the text. What does this word mean?” “Does the context help us?” “What is the...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

How to Disagree Theologically

How well do you treat other Christians with whom you disagree theologically?

by Jonathan Leeman | How well do you treat other Christians with whom you disagree theologically? Here’s an example of how J. L. Reynolds, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, and stalwart defender of Baptist convictions, treated his disagreements with Presbyterians on a secondary matter...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Preachers Talk Podcast | On Preaching During the Holidays

Should the preaching calendar make room for holidays? If so, for which? If not, how should the preacher interact with the holiday in the normal course of preaching?

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The New Testament’s First Administrators

Acts 6 offers a paradigm for the “how” and “why” of church administration.

by Brad Thayer | Pastoral ministry comes with many hardships, including administrative challenges. It’s part of the calling to be “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1; cf. 2 Cor. 11:23–33)...