Grounded in the Gospel

Author: J. I. Packer
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 9781441207593
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Book Description
Historically, the church's ministry of grounding new believers in the essentials of the faith has been known as catechesis--systematic instruction in faith foundations, including what we believe, how we pray and worship, and how we conduct our lives. For most evangelicals today, however, this very idea is an alien concept. Packer and Parrett, concerned for the state of the church, seek to inspire a much needed evangelical course correction. This new book makes the case for a recovery of significant catechesis as a nonnegotiable practice of churches, showing the practice to be complementary to, and of no less value than, Bible study, expository preaching, and other formational ministries, and urging evangelical churches to find room for this biblical ministry for the sake of their spiritual health and vitality.

The Old Fashioned Way

Author: Ginger Kolbaba
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
ISBN: 1414382561
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Book Description
Contrary to popular opinion, being “old fashioned” doesn’t mean you’re dull or unromantic. In fact, a true old-fashioned relationship can be more exciting and romantic than anything you’ve ever experienced! So what does it mean to do things The Old Fashioned Way? Sure, it means opening doors, holding out chairs, and taking things slow. But a true old-fashioned romance goes much deeper than that. Inspired by the motion picture Old Fashioned, this book will show you how to reclaim the lost art of romance by introducing you to romantic love as God intended it—for all of us. Regardless of your past experiences, where you’ve been, or where you are now, you can find and create a love that will last a lifetime. As you work your way through this 40-day journey of inspiring readings and questions for reflection, you’ll discover all the unique and amazing benefits of doing things the old-fashioned way and be well on your way to creating a love story for the ages.

Jesus, the Only Way to God

Author: John Piper
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1441211977
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 128

Book Description
If the evangelical church at large was ever too confrontational in its evangelism, those days are gone. In our shrinking, pluralistic world, the belief that Jesus is the only way of salvation is increasingly called arrogant and even hateful. In the face of this criticism, many shrink back from affirming the global necessity of knowing and believing in Jesus. In Jesus, the Only Way to God, John Piper offers a timely plea for the evangelical church to consider what is at stake in surrendering the unique, universal place of Jesus in salvation.

Lead. Serve. Love.

Author: Gregory Lang
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1400317630
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Book Description
Part inspiration–part application, Lead. Serve. Love. engages and challenges believers to put the gospel into action. In Lead. Serve. Love., Gregory Lang provides a simple guide for helping the everyday person embark (or continue) their journey to live as Christ lived. There are 100 easy-to-remember, easy-to-follow three-word action sentences followed by a short, thought-provoking description of how to apply and live out the gospel message in today’s world. These practical ideas and supporting scriptures will inspire believers to become true followers of Christ.

Revelation of the Magi

Author: Brent Landau
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0061947032
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Book Description
Each Christmas, adults and children alike delight at the story of the kings from the East who followed the star to Bethlehem to offer gifts to the newborn Christ. While this familiar tale is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, another little-known version later emerged that claimed to be the eyewitness account of the wise men. This ancient manuscript has lain hidden for centuries in the vaults of the Vatican Library, but through the determined persistence of a young scholar, Brent Landau, this astonishing discovery has been translated into English for the very first time as the Revelation of the Magi. Everything we know about the wise men is based on only a few verses from the Bible. With the Revelation of the Magi, we can now read the story from the Magi's perspective. Readers will learn of the Magi's prophecies of God's incarnation from the beginning of time, their startling visitation in the form of a star, the teachings they receive from the baby Jesus, and the wise men's joyous return to their homeland to spread the good news. This ancient version of the Christmas story is guaranteed to astonish and delight. It will also raise larger questions of the significance and meaning of Christ's birth, and the mission to spread the good news to every corner of the globe. All the drama and intrigue of the brief description of Jesus's birth in the Bible is filled out in greater, more colorful detail, offering for the first time the complete story of these beloved characters.

Teaching the Faith, Forming the Faithful

Author: Gary A. Parrett
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830884351
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 463

Book Description
With the decline of traditional Sunday school and education programs in recent years, many Christians have not learned the fundamental doctrinal content of the faith. In this text Gary Parrett and Steve Kang set forth a thoroughly biblical vision for intentional teaching of the Christian faith that attends to both the content and process of educational and formational ministries.

"I Come Away Stronger"

Author: Robert Wuthnow
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780802807373
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 416

Book Description
These portraits are powerful and highly personal because they tell the stories. both collective and personal, of each group, revealing agreement and dissension, closeness and alienation, growth and stagnation. The result is an intimate inside look at the dynamics of small groups.

Almost Christian

Author: Kenda Creasy Dean
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199758662
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 266

Book Description
Based on the National Study of Youth and Religion--the same invaluable data as its predecessor, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers--Kenda Creasy Dean's compelling new book, Almost Christian, investigates why American teenagers are at once so positive about Christianity and at the same time so apathetic about genuine religious practice. In Soul Searching, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton found that American teenagers have embraced a "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"--a hodgepodge of banal, self-serving, feel-good beliefs that bears little resemblance to traditional Christianity. But far from faulting teens, Dean places the blame for this theological watering down squarely on the churches themselves. Instead of proclaiming a God who calls believers to lives of love, service and sacrifice, churches offer instead a bargain religion, easy to use, easy to forget, offering little and demanding less. But what is to be done? In order to produce ardent young Christians, Dean argues, churches must rediscover their sense of mission and model an understanding of being Christian as not something you do for yourself, but something that calls you to share God's love, in word and deed, with others. Dean found that the most committed young Christians shared four important traits: they could tell a personal and powerful story about God; they belonged to a significant faith community; they exhibited a sense of vocation; and they possessed a profound sense of hope. Based on these findings, Dean proposes an approach to Christian education that places the idea of mission at its core and offers a wealth of concrete suggestions for inspiring teens to live more authentically engaged Christian lives. Persuasively and accessibly written, Almost Christian is a wake up call no one concerned about the future of Christianity in America can afford to ignore.

#Occupy the Bible

Author: Susan Thistlethwaite
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1625644728
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 155

Book Description
Jesus of Nazareth said and did a lot about money and power in his own time. But Jesus wasn't a "free market capitalist," despite what some conservative Christians would like us to believe in the twenty-first century.--Jesus occupied the Temple in Jerusalem--effectively the national bank of his time--and threw out those who were exploiting the poor.--Jesus organized fishermen whose industry had been wrecked by the Roman Empire.--His followers included powerful "women of means," who were last at the cross, first at the tomb, and who went on to become missionaries.--Jesus taught "in the streets," preaching that God's "side" is not that of the wealthy and powerful and that all believers need to confront inequality now.#Occupy the Bible is an eye-opening, no-holds barred look at the real message of Jesus, using the Scriptures that are foundational for the Christian faith. #Occupy the Bible is also a practical "how to" guide for potential Christian "occupiers"--people sincerely committed to confronting the rising poverty and economic inequality in the United States using the powerful, unvarnished message of Jesus of Nazareth.

The People of God

Author: Trevor Joy
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
ISBN: 1433683717
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 184

Book Description
The most powerful asset a church has is it’s people. People of God is a challenge to the men and women of the church. It is a challenge to believe what God says about his people still applies to the church today. It is a challenge not to settle for church as just a program. It is a challenge to return the ministry of God to the people of God. People of God lays out the theology and practice of community. Authors Spence Shelton and Trevor Joy seek to show why community is central to the Christian life, and how to practice it in the 21st century church. Whether you are a pastor or a volunteer leader, People of God aims to equip and encourage congregations as they build a culture of discipleship in the life of their church. The authors draw on experiences and learnings from their time leading two of the fastest growing congregations in America to give you principles that can apply in a church of 50 or 15,000.