The Christian life is a wonderful life and has many benefits. The most important of these benefits is being reconciled to God the Father through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Yet the Christian life can be difficult and arduous. For this reason it is crucial that we fellowship with other believers for worship, discipleship, and mutual edification. This too can present difficulties and various questions about the church and church life must be answered. The Lord has gifted the church with pastors and other leaders to help guide the congregation, especially new believers, through such questions. There are many resources that can help shed light on questions that arise in church life. One such series of resources, the Church Questions series, are produced by 9Marks in partnership with Crossway.
The Church Questions series comes in the form of booklets, no longer than 50-60 pages on various topics faced within church life. Several booklets in the series have been released thus far. What follows is a short description of a sampling of booklets that are currently available. An updated version of this article will be published as new books in the series are released.
- What Should I Do Now That I’m A Christian? (Sam Emadi) – Being a brand new Christian can be disorienting. This resource provides practical ‘next steps’ for new believers, such as baptism, joining a church, etc.
- Why Should I Join A Church? (Mark Dever) – In an individualistic society, this resource provides a biblical exhortation regarding the importance of being a member of a local congregation.
- How Can I Be Sure I’m Saved? (Jeremy Pierre) – A practical guide for having a biblical focus regarding assurance of salvation.
- Is Hell Real? (Dane Ortlund) – A biblical discussion on the reality of hell and the overwhelming offer of grace to those who would trust in Jesus.
- How Can I Find Someone To Disciple Me? (J. Garrett Kell) – A very helpful resource on how to seek out intentional discipleship. This is a crucial part of the Christian life, especially for new believers.
- Why Should I Be Baptized? (Bobby Jamieson) – A brief study on what the Bible teaches about baptism and why it is important for all believers.
- Why is the Lord’s Supper So Important? (Aubrey Sequeira) – A beautiful and practical study on the significance and importance of the Lord’s Supper in the life of the local church.
- How Can I Get More Out of My Bible Reading? (Jeremy Kimble) – A practical guide on how Bible reading is not a chore, but a means of communing with our Heavenly Father.
- Who’s in Charge of the Church? (Sam Emadi) – A brief, yet biblical discussion on the model for church leadership. Many churches and denominations have differing ideas. This book discusses the biblical model leadership within the church.
- What is the Church’s Mission? (Jonathan Leeman) – A brief, yet practical discussion of what the mission of the local church. There are many ideas out there on this subject. This discusses what the Bible says about that mission.
- What Should I Look For in a Church? (Alex Duke) – A brief, but practical guide on how to prayerful consider joining a local church. In short, be biblical not a consumer.
- How Can I Support International Missions? (Mark Collins) – A practical guide on how to be involved with international missions. Even if a person does not have a call to go and serve overseas, does not mean that they cannot support international missions efforts. This book discusses that biblically.
- Am I Called to Ministry? (Brad Wheeler) – A helpful discussion on what it means to be called to ministry and how a person can explore their calling within the context of the local church.
The 9Marks Church Questions series is a excellent resource for pastors, church leaders, and even church members. The short length of the booklets prove to helpful in getting these into the hands of church members. They are meant to serve as resource guides for churches to giveaway. Crossway has even made available a merchandising case that can fit several copies of the booklets that a church can put in their lobby or resource area. The booklets would make excellent Sunday school or small group material. They would also be helpful in one on one discipleship. RFTG highly recommends these resources for use in your church. May the Lord be glorified and his church edified through these small, but helpful resources.
Editor’s note: This series of books was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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