Irresistible

Irresistible
Author: Andy Stanley
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2018-09-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310536995

A fresh look at the earliest Christian movement reveals what made the new faith so compelling...and what we need to change today to make it so again. Once upon a time there was a version of the Christian faith that was practically irresistible. After all, what could be more so than the gospel that Jesus ushered in? Why, then, isn't it the same with Christianity today? Author and pastor Andy Stanley is deeply concerned with the present-day church and its future. He believes that many of the solutions to our issues can be found by investigating our roots. In Irresistible, Andy chronicles what made the early Jesus Movement so compelling, resilient, and irresistible by answering these questions: What did first-century Christians know that we don't—about God's Word, about their lives, about love? What did they do that we're not doing? What makes Christianity so resistible in today's culture? What needs to change in order to repeat the growth our faith had at its beginning? Many people who leave or disparage the faith cite reasons that have less to do with Jesus than with the conduct of his followers. It's time to hit pause and consider the faith modeled by our first-century brothers and sisters who had no official Bible, no status, and little chance of survival. It's time to embrace the version of faith that initiated—against all human odds—a chain of events resulting in the most significant and extensive cultural transformation the world has ever seen. This is a version of Christianity we must remember and re-embrace if we want to be salt and light in an increasingly savorless and dark world.

Infant Baptism God's Ordinance

Infant Baptism God's Ordinance
Author: Michael Harrison
Publisher: Puritan Publications
Total Pages: 86
Release: 2016-05-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1626631808

Is this just another book on infant baptism? No. It is possibly the best succinct, yet comprehensive work on the subject ever written by a puritan. It was originally a longer series of sermons that Harrison preached to his congregation, many of whom were Baptist at the time. At their request, he placed his thoughts into a concise treatise that covers all the main points needful in understanding the biblical position of infant inclusion in the Covenant of Grace, and infant baptism. Harrison’s work is so acute in its biblical presentation of the truth of Scripture that the reader cannot be but left in awe of his masterful exactitude to God’s mind on the issue of infant inclusion in the Covenant of Grace, and the application of the sign of the covenant to every visible member in the church. He gives the reader an introductory lesson on the Covenant of Grace and those parties involved by way of its membership, and then proceeds to teach the reader why infants are to be baptized. Harrison deals hermeneutically with 9 biblical arguments on the issue; two of which are his most important foundational chapters setting the stage for the rest of the book. He also shows the danger of shutting infants out of the kingdom of heaven, and answers all the main objections to Antipaedobaptist theology on the issue. He ends the work with a chapter on the right mode in which baptism should take place, along with a chapter on applying the truths of the study to the life of the members of the covenant community. Without sounding clichéd, this work is among the top works ever written on the subject, and in my estimation is irrefutable. The unbiased reader will have no issues with Harrison’s biblical exposition and logic driven inference. It is a powerhouse puritan work that every Paedobaptist ought to read for support, and every Antipaedobaptist ought to read to untangle their dispensational theology. Harrison says that Antipaedobaptism is “to be justly abhorred as false doctrine,” and proves this to the reader beyond a reasonable doubt. This is not a scan or facsimile, has been updated in modern English for easy reading and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young
Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Publisher: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Total Pages: 470
Release:
Genre:
ISBN: 1465103074

The prophet Brigham Young taught the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in a basic, practical way that gave inspiration and hope to the Saints struggling to build a home in the wilderness. Though more than a century has now passed, his words are still fresh and appropriate for us today as we continue the work of building the kingdom of God. President Young declared that as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we possess the “doctrine of life and salvation for all the honest-in-heart” (DBY, 7). He promised that those who receive the gospel in their hearts will have awakened “within them a desire to know and understand the things of God more than they ever did before in their lives” and will begin to “inquire, read and search and when they go to their Father in the name of Jesus he will not leave them without a witness” (DBY, 450). This book reflects the desire of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to deepen the doctrinal understanding of Church members and to awaken within them a greater desire to know the things of God. It will inspire and motivate individuals, priesthood quorums, and Relief Society classes to inquire, read, search, and then go to their Father in Heaven for a witness of the truth of these teachings. Each chapter contains two sections—“Teachings of Brigham Young” and “Suggestions for Study.” The first section consists of extracts from Brigham Young’s sermons to the early Saints. Each statement has been referenced, and the original spelling and punctuation have been preserved; however, the sources cited will not be readily available to most members. These original sources are not necessary to have in order to effectively study or teach from this book. Members need not purchase additional references and commentaries to study or teach these chapters. The text provided in this book, accompanied by the scriptures, is sufficient for instruction. Members should prayerfully read and study President Young’s teachings in order to gain new insights into gospel principles and discover how those principles apply to their everyday lives. By faithfully and prayerfully studying these selections, Latter-day Saints will have a greater understanding of gospel principles and will more fully appreciate the profound and inspired teachings of this great prophet. The second section of each chapter offers a series of questions that will encourage thoughtful contemplation, personal application, and discussion of President Young’s teachings. Members should refer to and carefully reread his words on the principle being discussed. Deep and prayerful study of these teachings will inspire members to greater personal commitment and will help them resolve to follow the teachings of the Savior, Jesus Christ. If individuals and families prayerfully follow the principles in this book, they will be blessed and inspired to greater dedication and spirituality, as were the early Saints who heard these words directly from the lips of the “Lion of the Lord” (HC, 7:434)—the prophet, seer, and revelator, President Brigham Young.

The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Ordinance of Covenanting
Author: John Cunningham
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2015-04-14
Genre:
ISBN: 9781505347722

"[...] But such a covenant is not distinct from the Covenant of Redemption, nor from the Covenant of Grace. It is dependent on that covenant as made with the Mediator, and consistent with it as established with men. In all the three cases, the God of grace is one of the contracting parties. In the Covenant of Redemption, the Redeemer himself, as the surety of the elect, was the other. In the Covenant of Grace, the people of God united to Christ, and drawing near to God through him, are the other party. And in the case of personal or social covenanting, that party may be an [...]".

The Christ of the Covenants

The Christ of the Covenants
Author: O. Palmer Robertson
Publisher: P & R Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1980
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780875524184

Presents the richness of a covenantal approach to understanding the Bible. Treats the OT covenants from a successive standpoint.