Download or read book 5 Marks of Christian Resolve written by C. Matthew McMahon and published by Puritan Publications. This book was released on 2020-12-01 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is no real commendability in a mere resolve. If Christians resolve to do something, and never actually get around to doing it, what good is that? A weak and wobbling resolution in this way, holds in it nothing of real value. But if Christians desire to glorify the living Christ in their kingdom service, then such service does, truly, come in light of biblical resolution. For a true and Spirit-guided resolution to take place, the Christian mind considers many things. All Spirit-filled Christians turn all resolving powers into execution. Having a resolve to do something is a wonderful beginning. It ties two parts of a duty together for the Christian; to resolve and to do. Being resolved as a Christian, sets forth a deliberation of the mind about the thing to be resolved on. No wise Christian will ever resolve to do anything until he has considered the action, and weighed it in the balance of Scripture with himself, and fully debated its necessity and expedience. How might a Christian be resolved in the work of doing good always before God? And in what main categories might resolution take place? In considering a holy resolve, a fixed determination of serving King Jesus, this book will cover five marks: Mark 1: resolved to do great works for the glory of God in everything. Mark 2: resolved to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. Mark 3: resolved to reject all earthlimindedness. Mark 4: resolved to righteously use the means of grace for further sanctification as Christ prescribes. Mark 5: resolved to continue to do good without growing weary.
Download or read book Lost Virtue of Happiness written by J.P. Moreland and published by Tyndale House. This book was released on 2014-03-20 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We are only happy when we pursue a transcendent purpose, something larger than ourselves. This pursuit involves a deeply meaningful relationship with God by committed participation in the spiritual disciplines. The Lost Virtue of Happiness takes a fresh, meaningful look at the spiritual disciplines, offering concrete examples of ways you can make them practical and life-transforming.
Download or read book Ordinary written by Michael Horton and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2014-10-07 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Radical. Crazy. Transformative and restless. Every word we read these days seems to suggest there’s a “next-best-thing,” if only we would change our comfortable, compromising lives. In fact, the greatest fear most Christians have is boredom—the sense that they are missing out on the radical life Jesus promised. One thing is certain. No one wants to be “ordinary.” Yet pastor and author Michael Horton believes that our attempts to measure our spiritual growth by our experiences, constantly seeking after the next big breakthrough, have left many Christians disillusioned and disappointed. There’s nothing wrong with an energetic faith; the danger is that we can burn ourselves out on restless anxieties and unrealistic expectations. What’s needed is not another program or a fresh approach to spiritual growth; it’s a renewed appreciation for the commonplace. Far from a call to low expectations and passivity, Horton invites readers to recover their sense of joy in the ordinary. He provides a guide to a sustainable discipleship that happens over the long haul—not a quick fix that leaves readers empty with unfulfilled promises. Convicting and ultimately empowering, Ordinary is not a call to do less; it’s an invitation to experience the elusive joy of the ordinary Christian life.
Download or read book The Christian Man written by Patrick Morley and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2019-05-21 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Christian Man, Patrick Morley--bestselling author of The Man in the Mirror--offers men practical ways to deal with life's problems and become the men of God they aspire to be. No man fails on purpose. Quite the opposite. When our feet hit the floor every morning, we're looking for a win. But these are turbulent times to be a man. In gathering material for this book, Morley interviewed many men. Their input was powerful. And transparent. They agreed that it's increasingly difficult to juggle all their responsibilities as men, husbands, fathers, friends, workers, churchmen, and citizens. No one understands what you're going through more than men's expert Patrick Morley, author of the landmark bestseller The Man in the Mirror, which has sold over 4 million copies. And now, Morley has put together a game plan so you can get that win you're looking for. The Christian Man is filled with powerful stories and refreshingly practical answers to questions like: How can I lead a more balanced life? How can I have a deeper walk with God? What makes a great husband? How can I become a dad who makes a difference? How should I think about my work? What's the right way to deal with lust? By the end of this must-read book, you will know how to intentionally release the power of God on the issues that matter most to you. You'll be able to walk with confidence in the one identity that matters most: The Christian Man.
Download or read book Your Best Life Now written by Joel Osteen and published by FaithWords. This book was released on 2007-09-03 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this remarkable New York Times bestseller, Joel Osteen offers unique insights and encouragement that will help readers overcome every obstacle in their lives.
Download or read book Real Faith Answers to the Top 100 Questions about Christianity written by Mark Driscoll and published by . This book was released on 2021-03-10 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Christ the Apple Tree and the Joy of True Religion written by C. Matthew McMahon and published by Puritan Publications. This book was released on 2023-01-16 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: God delights in the infinite purity of his holiness. Consequently, he desires his people to delight in those things which he delights in. A holy disposition relishes and delights in holiness. God, being infinite in his delight, has an infinite desire and will to experience infinite happiness and joy and he does so by delighting in his own holiness. His people, in this, are to love what he loves. God supplies his people with word-pictures that are often used in similitude or type. Jesus Christ is typified by things like the ark, the temple, the mercy seat, etc. One of the most disregarded types found in Scripture is set in the greatest song of all time, inspired by the Spirit, which speaks directly to the sweetness, delight and sustenance of that which Christ ministers in his covenant to the believing soul – the picture of an Apple Tree among the trees of the forest (Song 2:3). God desires them to find special delight and singular pleasure in this tree of trees; to have a love and liking to it in such a way that it is not only pleasant to their sight, but pleasing to their taste. In this tree they are to find comfort, sustenance and refreshment. Song 2:3 supplies God’s people with a grand picture of Jesus Christ to be seen as an Apple Tree among the trees of the woods. What? Is this word-picture not so grand in your eyes? Have you not thought about the nature of the Apple Tree for your comfort, sustenance and refreshment in furthering your walk in holiness? Have you not considered him as an Apple Tree, sweet to the taste, comforting from the scorching sun of wickedness, an ever present help to the starving soul for that which is pleasant? Well, then, this study is for you.
Download or read book A Watchman Over Christ s Church written by C. Matthew McMahon and published by Puritan Publications. This book was released on 2021-08-20 with total page 105 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The watchman’s life is a life of consecration; a life on the wall dividing the world and church, to watch and take heed, to sound the alarm, and bring God’s message to his people boldly, faithfully and plainly. The watchman acts in the name of another, that is, of God, who has called him to the task of watching which includes praying (power) and preaching (guidance and direction). He is commissioned by God with supernatural gifts (given by the effectual work of the Spirit on behalf of Christ) which allows him to discern, speak and work in the ministry by the word God has given him to preach. He officiates in that office as one commissioned of God on behalf of God’s people. He is not sent of his own accord, but sent of God to minister the words of Christ to his beloved church. In this work on the watchman of Ezekiel 33, McMahon explains the nature of the watchman, the work of the watchman, the watched of the watchman and the faithful exercise of his duty on behalf of Jesus Christ, who has commissioned him to serve his sheep as a faithful steward of the glory of Gospel.
Download or read book Psalm 96 A Theology of Praise written by C. Matthew McMahon and published by Puritan Publications. This book was released on 2014-02-04 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work is a simple theological look at the praise the church offers to God. God requires that his people have a theology of praise. Psalm 96 delivers to them the directives they need in order to praise God rightly. It is, in and of itself, a condensed theology of praise for the Church of Jesus Christ. God has called his people to praise him. Psalm 96 shows the church what should fill their theology of praise so that they praise God in holiness and truth. This is only possible through Jesus Christ and his work on the cross for them, as the one and only Messiah; the Messiah David was looking forward to and the Messiah the church looks back to who has already come. This Psalm is a call to all people to praise God correctly, and then demonstrates God’s government and judgment over the whole earth in response to those who praise him rightly, and those who do not. God, as the glorious Savior of his covenant people, has redeemed a people of praise; those whose theology of praise extends from the word of God into their mind, then to their regenerated heart, to their mouth and finally seen in their actions. Such a people will be a community of those who offer testimony and witness to the great acts and wonders of God’s being and grace to a fallen world; from being a witness to their children, to their next door neighbor, their cities and country, to all those across the world. While such work is going on, this covenant community will also be watchful as a community of believers knowing that Christ may choose to return and judge the world in righteousness at any time, where Christ will finally usher them into an eternity of praise; a place where creation and the church will praise Christ forever, the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world.
Download or read book The Five Principles of the Gospel written by C. Matthew McMahon and published by Puritan Publications. This book was released on 2021-03-09 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are the basic principles of the Gospel that cannot be taken from Christ’s Gospel and make the Gospel not the Gospel? That is a very important question to answer, for, on a very basic level, what people believe in will determine where they will spend eternity. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is bound up in eternal realities that cannot be undone after death if people “get the Gospel wrong.” Do you believe the Gospel? This work sets down and summarizes the sum and substance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What is the sum and substance of the Gospel? How would you summarize it? Is it simply John 3:16? Is it what the penitent thief said to Jesus on the cross? What is the Scriptural data that shows forth enough of the “Gospel of Jesus Christ” to make it truly Christ’s Gospel? McMahon answers this question by drawing mainly from the book of Isaiah. The Gospel in its sum and substance, or the way God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, actually contains a great amount of information (the Bible is a very big book). However, in distilling the Gospel down to its essentials, he covers the five principles of the Gospel: Principle 1: God exists. Principle 2: that God is man’s Maker and has made humankind in his image. Principle 3: the bad news that all men have sinned in Adam and are under the curse of God. Principle 4: God has not left all sinners to perish under Adam’s curse, but has given sinners the righteousness of Jesus Christ as a garment to cover them. Principle 5: God calls and draws thirsty sinners to himself through Jesus Christ freely. His five main texts from Isaiah are 40:9, 54:5, 24:5-6, 61:10 and 55:1-3.
Download or read book Battling Unbelief written by John Piper and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2009-01-16 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pastor John Piper shows how to sever the clinging roots of sin that ensnare us, including anxiety, pride, shame, impatience, covetousness, bitterness, despondency, and lust in Battling Unbelief. When faith flickers, stoke the fire. No one sins out of duty. We sin because it offers some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us, until we believe that God is more desirable than life itself (Psalm 63:3). Only the power of God’s superior promises in the gospel can emancipate our hearts from servitude to the shallow promises and fleeting pleasures of sin. Delighting in the bounty of God’s glorious gospel promises will free us for a less sin-encumbered life, to the glory of Christ. Rooted in solid biblical reflection, this book aims to help guide you through the battles to the joys of victory by the power of the gospel and its superior pleasure.
Download or read book Unmasking Self Flattery in the Church written by C. Matthew McMahon and published by Puritan Publications. This book was released on 2024-02-02 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Self-deception is inherent in everyone, even born-again Christians, those who have much biblical light and knowledge. And whatever degree of holiness they are currently at, they are satisfied with where they are. In this satisfaction, they often flatter themselves, believing that God is as pleased with them as they are of themselves. Many people in the church flatter themselves, believing they have discovered an easier path in the Christian walk, and in the eternal salvation which brings them to heaven, than Paul was aware of. They assume they will achieve victory and receive the crown not by battling and mortifying their own sins, but by deluding themselves into thinking they are something rather than nothing and engaging in cleverly crafted self-talk full of gracious words and empty persuasiveness. This only serves to disguise their own hypocrisy and unfaithfulness to Christ’s covenant, leading to the deception and ruin of themselves, and even other people they infect. The Christian church is filled with people like this. Are you one of them? Self-flattery is a sin against the ninth commandment which must be unmasked. In this work, McMahon seeks to uncover this very pervasive sin, showing what self-flattery is, how one comes to flatter themselves in their daily walk, and the motives to shun self-flattery in order to mortify it by the power of the Spirit. People often like to hear from the preacher, just tell me Jesus loves me and leave it at that. This delusion is the cornerstone of a self-flattering person. People always say, “I’m a Christian!” The question revolves around whether they act like it as well; do they have a life answerable to the profession they make when they say it? Or are they hiding behind the mask of smooth words they tell themselves about their spiritual condition?
Download or read book The Ten Commandments in the Life of the Christian written by C. Matthew McMahon and published by Puritan Publications. This book was released on 2022-05-02 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the contemporary church biblical teaching revolving around the Ten Commandments is inconsistent at best. Paul’s statement, misunderstood, is often what Christians will run to, “for ye are not under the law, but under grace,” (Rom. 6:14). Christians often want to divorce themselves from God’s holiness. They frequently do not understand how holiness in life is attached to both God’s character, and God’s commandments. Today's church is very happy to take Christ as Savior, in some instances, as prophet, but not so much as King. Christ says, “If a man love me, he will keep my words.” The man who loves Jesus as he ought, what will the outcome be for him in this act of loving? “…and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him,” (John 14:23). Union and communion with Christ are set on keeping his words. The King commands his people and he expects them to obey. This is not legalism, as if one would work for their justification, but rather, it is obedience, that one would be made more like the King in holiness. Christ says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments,” (John 14:15). This work takes Christ’s Ten Commandments, the commands of King Jesus, and not only expounds their basic teachings, but also how those commands apply to the life of the Christian. First considered is the relationship between the Law and the Gospel. Then each command will be considered, in both their positive and negative aspects (i.e. do not lie, also means, tell the truth). Then three concluding chapters will cover, 1) those people who count the Law of God as a “strange thing;” 2) those people who turn away from the Law and reject it; and 3) how Christ is the “end” of the Law for all believers, and what that actually means in light of his covenant work and merit. This is a practical study of how the “law of Christ” applies to every Christian both in obedience and submission to Christ the King, and for the good of their growth in holiness.
Download or read book I Am for You God s Power in Supporting His People written by C. Matthew McMahon and published by Puritan Publications. This book was released on 2021-07-19 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is a spiritual journey through five important Scriptures: Jeremiah 3:1, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 16:4, 1 Samuel 17:34-35, and Ezekiel 36:9. It demonstrates the cultivation of true assurance that Christians can sincerely have as believing Christians, if they trust in the work of Jesus Christ. In these pages, the Christian will find a spiritual feast in God’s love to the soul (that God is for you if you are a believer), and the soul reciprocates this to him, in service before Christ, to love him back, even into eternity. This coming of Christ to be near to his redeemed people is, in its highest and transcendent nature, seen in the incarnation of the Son of God. In this drawing near to them, he shows, by action, that he is God with us. And, he testifies that he is God for us, as Ezekiel, 36:9 says, “For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown.” God draws near to his people in Christ, to turn to them, to be for them, to till them and sow into them the glorious Kingdom of God. “What shall we say then to these things?” In the Father’s ordination of the work of redemption through Christ, even from before the foundation of the world, we find that the saint’s infirmities cannot wholly remove Christ’s love for them in their present weaknesses and fallen state, if they are truly redeemed. He does this as the great Shepherd of the sheep, the Shepherd of his people, whom he loved before the foundation of the world. Christ is the Spiritual David who was planned before the beginning of time to work and merit salvation in rescuing his lambs from the mouth of the lion and the paw of the bear. Sinners find that drawing near is to believe in him by faith, to draw great virtue from him in the Spirit. They come to understand that the way to receive the virtue of Jesus Christ is by touching him in faith, and in this they are resolved to follow Christ the King without reservation casting themselves on his infinite mercy in everything.
Download or read book A Call to Resurgence written by Mark A. Driscoll and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2013 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It’s tempting to believe that the Christian faith is alive and well in our country today. Our politicians talk about God. Our mega-churches are filled. Christian schools dot our landscape. Brace yourself. It’s an illusion. Believe it or not, only 8 percent of Americans profess and practice true evangelical Christian faith. There are more left-handed people than evangelical Christians in America. In this book, Mark Driscoll delivers a wake-up call for every believer: We are living in a post-Christian culture—a culture fundamentally at odds with faith in Jesus. This is good and bad news. The good news is that God is still working, redeeming people from this spiritual wasteland and inspiring a resurgence of faithful believers. The bad news is that many believers just don’t get it. They continue to gather exclusively into insular tribes, lobbing e-bombs at each other in cyberspace. Mark’s book is a clarion call for Christians. It’s time to get to work. We can only do this if we unite around Jesus and the essentials found in his Word, while at the same time, appreciating the distinctives within each Christian tribe. Mark shows us how to do just that. This isn’t the time to wait or debate. Join the resurgence.
Download or read book Reformation of the Heart Soul and Mind written by C. Matthew McMahon and published by Puritan Publications. This book was released on 2021-09-26 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this study, McMahon considers the universal and perpetual teaching of loving God and loving one’s neighbor, as it pertains to the heart, soul and mind of a Christian. His main text is taken from Christ’s words in Matt. 22:37-39, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” The love that Christians ought to have in light of biblical reformation, consist in loving God with all the heart, soul and mind, and loving one’s neighbor. Though this is often thought of as a nice “religious” sentiment, many Christians have no idea how that works out in the life of the Christian. Where did Jesus get such a notion, and what was he teaching? Biblical reformation is set within this “love to God” and that without it, no one can ever be reformed, and no revival will ever take place in the whole world. In this, Jesus’ words are far reaching, and they are a basic fundamental tenant of the Christian religion. Jesus did mean what he in fact said, to love God in heart, soul and mind is loving him in a superlative degree, the highest degree. Does this seem impossible? How does reformation and loving God fit together? And how does reformation of the heart, soul and mind for God’s glory and our good work itself out in light of Scripture? This is the substance of this work.
Download or read book Practical Observations on the Lord s Supper written by C. Matthew McMahon and published by Puritan Publications. This book was released on 2024-05-20 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Practical Observations on the Lord's Supper" offers an in-depth exploration into the significant spiritual act of participating in the Lord’s Supper, going beyond mere ritual to reveal a deep, spiritual communion with Christ. This book does not engage in theological debates or critique differing perspectives; instead, it focuses on the experiential aspects of the Supper, emphasizing the personal and communal relationship with Christ that is nurtured through this sacred practice. McMahon explores the essence of the Lord's Supper, presenting it as more than just a ceremonial partaking of bread and wine; more than a memorial. It is depicted as an intimate dialogue with Christ, a moment of joyful and comforting communion that has the potential to elevate the believer's spiritual life. McMahon explains the Apostle Paul’s concept of "worthy participation," drawing from 1 Corinthians 11, to highlight how such engagement with the Supper can lead to a spiritual exchange of divine grace and blessings. Through participation in the Lord's Supper, believers are invited to a deeper understanding and connection with Christ. It is an occasion for Christ to impart His spiritual grace, fostering the believer's sanctification and growth in faith. The Supper is portrayed as a pivotal expression of fellowship with Christ, allowing believers to partake in His benefits and merits and by faith, grow in their walk before him. This work encourages readers to reflect on their personal approach to the Lord's Supper, urging them to seek a more meaningful and enriching experience that strengthens their bond with Christ. It is a call to recognize the Supper as a vital expression of spiritual fellowship, a sacred sign of unity with Christ that demands reverence and thoughtful engagement. "Practical Observations on the Lord's Supper" is an essential read for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of this central Christian sacrament and to enhance their spiritual journey through a more purposeful and fulfilling participation in the Lord’s Supper.
