What Makes the Gospel So Irreplaceable

What Makes the Gospel So Irreplaceable
Author: Hendry Ongkowidjojo
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 85
Release: 2016-06-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1498289282

Every Christian must not be ashamed to affirm that Jesus is the only Savior of the world. Here are the difficulties: How we can say that, when we do not even know how many other existing religions there are? And besides, isn't God all-loving? Isn't love all that matters in salvation? What hinders God from saving as many people through as many ways as possible? We will find the answers in Romans 1:16-17, when we are exploring what Paul has said about the Gospel and its three unique qualities: it is powerful, it displays God's righteousness, and it is received by faith alone. Once we grasp these, and once we put love and righteousness hand in hand, we will understand why our salvation can be so firm and why the Gospel is so irreplaceable no matter what.

God's Favorite Place on Earth

God's Favorite Place on Earth
Author: Frank Viola
Publisher: David C Cook
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2013-05-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1434705587

When He came to earth, Jesus Christ was rejected in every quarter in which He stepped. The Creator was rejected by His own creation. “He came to His own and His own received Him not,” said John. For this reason, Jesus Christ had “no where to lay His head.” There was one exception, however. A little village just outside of Jerusalem named Bethany. Bethany was the only place on earth where Jesus was completely received. God’s Favorite Place on Earth is a retelling of Jesus’ many visits to Bethany and a relaying of the message it holds for us today. Frank Viola presents a beautifully crafted narrative from the viewpoint of Lazarus, one of the people who lived in Bethany with his two sisters. This incomparable story not only brings the Gospel narratives to life, but it addresses the struggle against doubt, discouragement, fear, guilt, rejection, and spiritual apathy that challenges countless Christians today. In profoundly moving prose, God’s Favorite Place on Earth will captivate your heart with its beauty, charm, and depth. In this book you will discover how to live as a “Bethany” in our world today, being set free to love and follow Jesus like never before.

No Silver Bullets

No Silver Bullets
Author: Daniel Im
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2017-09-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433651556

What if I told you that you were only one step away from unlocking new levels of maturity and growth in your church? The myth of the silver bullet still exists because we desperately want it to. We all prefer quick fixes and bandage solutions to the long, hard, slow work that produces real change. So the moment we learn about a new ministry or strategy and see its effect in another church, we run to implement it in our own. Unfortunately, this impulse is usually met by opposition, skepticism, and ultimately, rejection. What if the solution isn't a new model or a complicated strategy, but a shift in perspective? What if you could keep your church's current vision, values, and model, and simply make a few micro-shifts...leading to macro-changes? This book explores five micro-shifts that have the potential to produce macro-changes in your church. As you read, you will discover how to integrate these micro-shifts into the life of your church, starting with the way you disciple. You will finish by developing a plan to structure, communicate, and evaluate these changes to ensure that they take root and pave the way for lasting change and kingdom impact.

Making Christian History

Making Christian History
Author: Michael Hollerich
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 331
Release: 2021-06-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 0520295366

Known as the “Father of Church History,” Eusebius was bishop of Caesarea in Palestine and the leading Christian scholar of his day. His Ecclesiastical History is an irreplaceable chronicle of Christianity’s early development, from its origin in Judaism, through two and a half centuries of illegality and occasional persecution, to a new era of tolerance and favor under the Emperor Constantine. In this book, Michael J. Hollerich recovers the reception of this text across time. As he shows, Eusebius adapted classical historical writing for a new “nation,” the Christians, with a distinctive theo-political vision. Eusebius’s text left its mark on Christian historical writing from late antiquity to the early modern period—across linguistic, cultural, political, and religious boundaries—until its encounter with modern historicism and postmodernism. Making Christian History demonstrates Eusebius’s vast influence throughout history, not simply in shaping Christian culture but also when falling under scrutiny as that culture has been reevaluated, reformed, and resisted over the past 1,700 years.

Deacons

Deacons
Author: Matt Smethurst
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 167
Release: 2021-03-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 143357165X

How Can Deacons Mobilize Service in the Church? Deacons are essential to a church's health—yet confusion abounds regarding their biblical job description. What's their God-given role in a local congregation and how do they relate to the church's overall mission? In this short book, Matt Smethurst makes the case that deacons are model servants called to meet tangible needs, organize and mobilize acts of service, preserve the unity of the flock, and support the ministry of the elders. Clearing away common misconceptions, Smethurst offers practical guidance for deploying deacons and helping churches to flourish.

One Assembly

One Assembly
Author: Jonathan Leeman
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 118
Release: 2020-03-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433559625

Many churches are switching to the multisite or multiservice models to manage crowded sanctuaries due to growing attendance. This solution seems sensible in the short term, but too often churches adopt this model without taking into consideration what the Bible says about it. Illuminating the importance of physical togetherness as a way to protect the gospel, this book argues that maintaining a single assembly best embodies the unity the church possesses in Jesus Christ. Jonathan Leeman considers a series of biblical, theological, and pastoral arguments that ask us to stop and examine intuitions or assumptions about what a church is. He reorients our minds to a biblical definition of church, offering examples of churches that have thrived with a single service at a single site and compelling alternatives for those looking to solve the complications that come with a growing church.

Captivating

Captivating
Author: John Eldredge
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2022-08-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1400200385

What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating is doing for women. Setting their hearts free. This groundbreaking book shows readers the glorious design of women before the fall, describes how the feminine heart can be restored, and casts a vision for the power, freedom, and beauty of a woman released to be all she was meant to be.

Rich Wounds

Rich Wounds
Author: David Mathis
Publisher: The Good Book Company
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2022-02-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1784986887

Profound reflections on the cross that help you to meditate on and marvel at the sacrificial love of Jesus. This book can be used as a devotional, especially during Lent and Easter. These profound reflections on the cross from David Mathis, author of The Christmas We Didn’t Expect, will help you to meditate on and marvel at Jesus’ life, sacrificial death, and spectacular resurrection-enabling you to treasure anew who Jesus is and what he has done. Many of us are so familiar with the Easter story that it becomes easy to miss subtle details and difficult to really enjoy its meaning. This book will help you to pause and marvel at Jesus, whose now-glorified wounds are a sign of his unfailing love and the decisive victory that he has won: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) This book can be used as a devotional. The chapters on Holy Week make it especially helpful during the Lent season and at Easter.

The Gospel at Work

The Gospel at Work
Author: Sebastian Traeger
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2018-04-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310565642

Reclaim God's vision for your life. Many Christians fall victim to one of two main problems when it comes to work: either they are idle in their work, or they have made an idol of it. Both of these mindsets are deadly misunderstandings of how God intends for us to think about our employment. In The Gospel at Work, Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert unpack the powerful ways in which the gospel can transform how we do what we do, releasing us from the cultural pressures of both an all-consuming devotion and a punch-in, punch-out mentality - in order to find the freedom of a work ethic rooted in serving Christ. You'll find answers to some of the tough questions that Christians in the workplace often ask: What factors should matter most in choosing a job? What gospel principles should shape my thinking about how to treat my boss, my co-workers, and my employees? Is full-time Christian work more valuable than my job? Is it okay to be motivated by money? How do you prioritize - or balance - work, family and church responsibilities? Solidly grounded in the gospel, The Gospel at Work confronts both our idleness at work and our idolatry of work with a challenge of its own - to remember that whom we work for is infinitely more important than what we do.

Candid Conversations

Candid Conversations
Author: Heather Hart
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2018-08-06
Genre:
ISBN: 9781721630547

Life isn't always sunshine and chocolate. It's hard. Being a Christian doesn't change that.In Candid Conversations you'll read real life stories from real Christian women, and how God has used their struggles to either refine their faith or used their faith to help them weather the storm. From struggling with doubts to dealing with the loss of a loved one, these women lay it all out. They aren't afraid to get real, because they know God can use their struggles to inspire, encourage, and reach others all for His glory.Heather Hart, founder of the #CandidlyChristian movement, encourages readers to be honest and look for ways they can relate to each story. Then take that mentality into their everyday lives and start having candid conversations with those around them. Because when we share our struggles, when we are real, that's when we truly point others to Jesus.So what are you waiting for? It's time to get Candid.