9Marks

9Marks Helping pastors build healthy churches.

The better a pastor teaches his congregation to rightly interpret Scripture, the better they’ll be able to understand bi...
07/28/2025

The better a pastor teaches his congregation to rightly interpret Scripture, the better they’ll be able to understand biblical church leadership and desire the change themselves.

Rather than a healthy, robust congregationalism, this church practiced congregational micromanagement.

Listen and watch how older Christians work, rest, raise a family, deal with conflict, evangelize their neighbors, persev...
07/25/2025

Listen and watch how older Christians work, rest, raise a family, deal with conflict, evangelize their neighbors, persevere through trials, serve in the church, or fight against sin.

Discipleship works most essentially through instruction and imitation. Discipleship works best through love. As we lovingly instruct younger believers in the way of godliness and live commendable lives, they grow in Christlikeness by imitating our life and doctrine (see 1 Tim. 4:16).

Many years ago, I was excommunicated from my church, and I’m thankful to God for it.
07/24/2025

Many years ago, I was excommunicated from my church, and I’m thankful to God for it.

To this day, I don’t know if I was a backslidden convert or if I was a deceived non-Christian. Either way, church discipline served to expose my hypocrisy.

Every member of a church should recognize, “It’s my responsibility to protect the gospel, and it’s my responsibility to ...
07/23/2025

Every member of a church should recognize, “It’s my responsibility to protect the gospel, and it’s my responsibility to receive and dismiss members. Jesus has given it to me.”

Church membership is an office, too. It’s a job that comes with authority and responsibility.

It’s far better to live without a spouse and within the company of the church, than with someone who is living for a lif...
07/21/2025

It’s far better to live without a spouse and within the company of the church, than with someone who is living for a life that’s not eternal.

When you're married to a non-Christian, you sing: “I want this song to be about Jesus,” while your spouse sings, “It’s just you and me.” There can be no ultimate harmony.

The attempt to measure results is often an attempt to live by sight. Defining success as “faithfulness” is hard to embra...
07/17/2025

The attempt to measure results is often an attempt to live by sight. Defining success as “faithfulness” is hard to embrace because it requires total dependence on God.

The Bible teaches several points with unavoidable clarity.

Ask yourself: What would I be missing out on if I use AI to exegete my sermon passage week after week for my entire mini...
07/16/2025

Ask yourself: What would I be missing out on if I use AI to exegete my sermon passage week after week for my entire ministry? What spiritual formation would I personally be sacrificing if I delegate to AI the responsibility to “meditate” on and apply God’s Word to my congregation?

Be thankful for technology, but resist believing that it can fundamentally change your task as a pastor.

Last night at 6:17 p.m. Pacific time, July 14, 2025, Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church entered into the pr...
07/15/2025

Last night at 6:17 p.m. Pacific time, July 14, 2025, Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church entered into the presence and joy of his Master. Several long-time friends and gospel partners offer tributes.

Last night at 6:17 p.m. Pacific time, July 14, 2025, Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church entered into the presence and joy of his Master. Several long-time friends and gospel partners offer tributes.

Using Scriptural titles demonstrates that we are following God’s directions, not taking it upon ourselves to decide what...
07/14/2025

Using Scriptural titles demonstrates that we are following God’s directions, not taking it upon ourselves to decide what the church’s leadership structure should be.

While the titles “elder” and “deacon” are not essential to the church’s ministry, there are several good reasons why churches should use these biblical titles:

When we join a local church, we are choosing to love others with clarity, not ambiguity, based on commitment, not conven...
07/10/2025

When we join a local church, we are choosing to love others with clarity, not ambiguity, based on commitment, not convenience.

When we join a local church, we are choosing to love others with clarity, not ambiguity, based on commitment, not convenience.

Try to make sure that every member is in regular conversation with an elder or a mature Christian in the congregation. T...
07/09/2025

Try to make sure that every member is in regular conversation with an elder or a mature Christian in the congregation. Take initiative in getting to know what’s going on in the members’ lives.

Proclaim the gospel. Preach about God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, Christ’s substitutionary atonement and resurrection, and our need to repent of our sins and trust in him. And make it clear that those who are not committed to one another in love have no reason to think that they have committ...

Some of our most obvious evangelistic opportunities are with the people who are members of our churches.
07/08/2025

Some of our most obvious evangelistic opportunities are with the people who are members of our churches.

Some of pastors’ most obvious evangelistic opportunities are with members of our churches. But how can we reach them?

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