Practical, Biblical Advice for Encouraging Fellow Believers and Helping Them Grow in Spiritual Maturity If you are a believer in Christ, you are a disciple. Now, it's time to disciple others. The thought of leading someone else on their faith journey may seem daunting—after all, no one can be a perfect example. But God uses the imperfect faith of faithful believers to help others become more like Jesus. In this addition to the Church Questions series, J. Garrett Kell equips readers to intentionally invest in the lives of fellow church members and family. Through Scripture and personal examples, he emphasizes why biblical discipleship is essential and challenges the obstacles that may discourage Christians from initiating these relationships. This concise and engaging guide also explains how to find someone to disciple, healthy discipleship practices and posture, and pitfalls to avoid—empowering church members to cultivate spiritual growth in their communities. For Individual or Small-Group Study: An excellent resource for churches, this brief guide equips readers to intentionally invest in the spiritual lives of fellow believers Accessible: Written for laypeople, students, and church leaders of all levels Part of the 9Marks Church Questions Series: Other titles include How Can I Find Someone to Disciple Me?; How Can I Be Sure I'm Saved?; and How Do I Fight Sin and Temptation?

Experience Freedom from Sexual Sin through the Power of the Savior Many women and men trapped in sexual sin believe willpower is the key to overcoming temptation, but your shaky self-discipline doesn't have to be the source of your strength. Sharing from his personal struggles, J. Garrett Kell explains that life-long transformation rests in the supernatural power of the Savior and the support of a local church. He offers profound insights into Jesus's teachings on purity and provides you with long-term strategies for your own pathway to freedom. Written for both men and women struggling with temptation, this book is a vital resource for the church, encouraging a healthy, empathetic community to help brothers and sisters in Christ resist sin. The goal isn't purity for purity's sake, but delighting in God and trusting him for ultimate victory.

"I eagerly commend this series." — R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Many new believers have questions about what it means to live as a Christian in the context of a local church, and pastors are looking for resources to pass along to their congregations to help them think biblically about the Christian life. Church Questions is a series by 9Marks that seeks to provide Christians with sound and accessible biblical teaching by answering common questions about church life. Each booklet offers biblical answers and practical applications with the goal of nurturing healthy church practice and commitment. Discipleship is an important part of the Christian life. As we follow Jesus, we learn the importance of pointing unbelievers to Jesus and helping believers grow in their relationship with him. But how do you know where to start? In this addition to the Church Questions series, Garrett Kell explores the Bible's teaching on discipleship and how that plays out practically in the context of the local church.

Biblical Encouragement for the Lifelong Pursuit of Freedom from Sin Temptation is unrelenting. Whether it sneaks up in a social-media post, a relationship, or a bout of anger, there will always be an invitation to sin. But sin isn't just an inevitable misstep; it's a personal rejection of God and his commands. And it's a battle every Christian must fight. Through biblical wisdom and engaging stories, Garrett Kell confronts the spiritual weight and consequences of rebellion and offers 7 gospel-centered ways to fight sin. Reminding believers that God always provides a way out of temptation, Kell highlights several steps to fight sin—including grace, community, and confession—guiding readers away from destruction and toward freedom in Christ. A Great Resource for Church Leadership Teams: Concise, biblical guidance on sin, temptation, and God's grace 7 Keys to Fighting Sin: Explains why it's important to avoid temptation and offers helpful, gospel-centered advice on confessing sin, avoiding temptation, prayer and fasting, and more Short, Accessible Format: A convenient, valuable discussion tool for groups Written by Garrett Kell: Author of Pure in Heart: Sexual Sin and the Promises of God

Churches kick adult Sundayschool to the curb for ahost of reasons: they don'thave enough teachers; they don'twant to burden Sunday schedules;they believe it's a relic of the past.Basically, adult Sunday school isa dinosaur, right? That's why youngchurches often don't have them,and mature churches let them carryon as they've always done.But wait! Do you know whatyou might be missing? What if wecould use it to pack gospel-centeredbiblical content into our congregations?And equip the saintsfor the work of ministry? Andchange our church cultures in everythingfrom dating, to evangelism,to knowing God's will?If we content ourselves with a45 minute Sunday sermon for instructingthe saints, we're lettingthe Friday night movie beat outour time investment into themby double.That's why we wantto push the retro envelope andencourage you to reclaim adultSunday school. If you don't haveit, get it. If you have it, considerhow you might make more of it.

Discipling is not a program.It is not a podcastpreacher. It is not a one size-fits-all information transfer.It is life-on-life loving in wordand deed.Jesus told us to make disciples,which means it is a basicpart of the Christian life. But weare not always sure how to get ahandle on it, or what it looks like.

"Scripture is the only document our church needs!" Have you ever thought that?Okay, fine. But I have a few questions for you. First, who exactly would you say Jesus is, and can I get baptized in your church if I, like, totally disagree with you on his divinity?Also, is it okay for me to call myself a member of your church and-you know-never, ever attend?And-last question-who in your church, generally speaking, decides who the pastors are? I mean, does the church just kinda know? The Spirit tells them? Or, maybe, you personally speak for the Spirit!Yes, Scripture should be a church's sole authority. But the confessions, covenants, and constitutions of a church articulate what the members agree the Scripture teaches on what they should believe, how they should live, and how they should be governed.Church documents are a prosaic topic, to be sure. But they facilitate unity. They protect a church from being governed by the passions of the moment. And they force a congregation and its leaders to be careful, deliberate, reflective, and, hopefully, biblical. Not bad, for a boring old administrator's job.To put it another way, church documents are kind. It is kind to tell people what you think up front. It is kind say what you will expect from them or how disagreements will be resolved.Imagine a husband and wife, a year into marriage, realizing they have dramatically different views about commitment and faithfulness because they never bothered with vows. "Ah, that's just paperwork!" Or, imagine your boss asking you to do one thing when you thought your job was something else because you never had a job description.This is what church documents are for-letting everyone know what their job is, and what covenant faithfulness looks like.Believe it or not, we at 9Marks get questions about church documents perhaps as much as any other topic. And my guess is that a lot of our pastor-readers are not surprised. They know how crucial good documents are.For reasons like these, we offer this edition of the 9Marks Journal to help you think through different aspects of confessions, covenants, and constitutions, as well as a couple of other documents. If you have follow up questions, try the 9Marks Mailbag, or just ask an older, wiser pastor! We pray this is useful.

En ocasiones, la iglesia puede ser algo intimidante. Puede parecer un edificio lleno de personas perfectas que tienen vidas perfectas, no un lugar al que pertenece alguien que se ha equivocado. No hay nada más lejos de la verdad. La iglesia es el pueblo de Dios que se reúne porque ama y necesita a Dios, y se aman y se necesitan unos a otros. Garrett Kell explica qué es la iglesia y por qué es importante si acudimos o no. There are times where the church can seem rather intimidating. It can look like a building full of perfect people with perfect lives, not a place where someone who has sinned would belong. There is nothing further from the truth. The church is the people of God that gathers because they love and need God, and they love and need each other. Garrett Kell explains what is the church and why it is important if we attend or not.

Part of the First Steps series For new Christians What Church is and why it matters

Many new believers have questions about what it means to live as a Christian in the context of a local church, and pastors are looking for resources to pass along to their congregations to help them think biblically about the Christian life. Church Questions is a series by 9Marks that seeks to provide Christians with sound and accessible biblical teaching by answering common questions about church life. Each booklet offers biblical answers and practical applications with the goal of nurturing healthy church practice and commitment. Discipleship is an important part of the Christian life. As we follow Jesus, we learn the importance of pointing unbelievers to Jesus and helping believers grow in their relationship with him. But how do you know where to start? In this addition to the Church Questions series, Garrett Kell explores the Bible's teaching on discipleship and how that plays out practically in the context of the local church.