Download or read book Set an Example written by Tim Challies and published by Cruciform Quick. This book was released on 2017-10 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you are 16 or 18 or in your 20s, in school or just moving into marriage and career, there are many ways to invest your time. But the Bible is clear that none is better than the pursuit of godliness: in your speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. As Paul told Timothy, set an example, be an example. Make your life a beautiful work of art.

Download or read book Not by Sight written by Jon Bloom and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2013-04-30 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Trusting Jesus is hard. It requires following the unseen into an unknown, and believing Jesus's words over and against the threats we see or the fears we feel. Through the imaginative retelling of 35 Bible stories, Not by Sight gives us glimpses of what it means to walk by faith and counsel for how to trust God's promises more than our perceptions and to find rest in the faithfulness of God.

Download or read book Things Not Seen written by Jon Bloom and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2015-07-15 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: True faith is hard. More than mere sentimentalism, faith often calls for a deep and resilient trust in God—especially when the going gets tough and the road is dark. In Things Not Seen, author Jon Bloom encourages readers with 35 imaginative retellings of stories from the Bible that illustrate the importance of living by faith. A follow-up to the author's previous book, Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith, this inspiring volume explores the lives of Abraham, Moses, Saul, John the Baptist, and more—helping readers remember God's promises, rely on his grace, and follow his leading regardless of the circumstances. The book includes a foreword by popular author and blogger Ann Voskamp.

Download or read book Remaining Faithful in Ministry written by John MacArthur and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2019-03-14 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perhaps no one else has ever faced as much hardship, opposition, or relentless suffering as the apostle Paul. And yet, through it all, Paul stood firm in Christ and remained faithful—to the very end. The power of Paul's example has captivated veteran pastor John MacArthur for years, and here he outlines nine unwavering convictions that contributed to this remarkable perseverance. In an age when pastoral failure and burnout are increasingly common, this book is a call to endurance in ministry, encouraging pastors to stand strong in their role and not lose heart, regardless of what God sends their way.

Download or read book Revelation written by Ian Paul and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2021-05-18 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fascinating six-session guide on Revelation with its blend of insightful mini-features, timely notes and skilful questions will help you approach this book with fresh eyes. You’ll gain a richer understanding of God’s world and a fresh confidence to reimagine your place in it.

Download or read book How to Be a Christian without Going to Church written by Kelly Bean and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2014-06-24 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As many--young people especially--leave the traditional church in droves, they often still long for a genuine Christian community in which to practice their faith and share their spiritual journeys with others. They want to be faithful but struggle to find a place where they flourish. Whether they've already left the church behind or are merely considering it, readers will find here both heartfelt encouragement and practical steps for finding or creating a community of faith that honors God and offers rest, love, and communion with other believers. Author Kelly Bean broadens our definition of church to include many alternative forms of Christian community. With true stories of those who have given up on church and what they're doing now, this book is also helpful for pastors and churchgoers to help them understand why people leave the church--and what might be done to help them stay.

Download or read book Faithful Theology written by Graham A. Cole and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Everyone has thoughts about God. But how do we know if our thoughts are true? If we want to know the truth about God, we need a sound approach to incorporating what the whole Bible teaches. In this concise introduction to systematic theology, theologian Graham A. Cole explores how we move from Scripture to doctrine in order to shape what we believe, what we value, and how we live. He shows us the importance of having the right method: rooted in the word of God, consistent with church history, in the context of a broken world, dependent on divine wisdom, and ultimately aiming at pure worship.

Download or read book Love Worth Finding Pack Of 25 written by Adrian Rogers and published by . This book was released on 1998-11-23 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Psychologists have long known that every person has two great longings and inward needs. The first is to be loved, and the second is to love. But when pressures and heartaches come into our lives, many give up any hope of ever finding love. The tragedy is that we often look in the wrong places to fill this deep, deep need and longing. Some substitute lust for love. Others pursue material things or superficial relationships-all in the futile attempt to fill a God-shaped vacuum in the human heart. But there is good news! There is a love worth finding and a love worth sharing. The Bible says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). On the cross of Christ, God's mighty love was revealed and offered unconditionally to all who would be saved. Do you long to know this mighty love? Then I need to ask you the most important question you'll ever be asked: Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loves you, that your sins are forgiven, and that you are saved and on your way to heaven? The great news is, you can know! Let me share with you how to discover the greatest love worth finding. Admit Your Sin. First, you must admit that you are a sinner. The Bible says, "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). It is our sin that separates us from God and from fulfilling our deepest needs and longings. Sin is an offense against God that carries a serious penalty. According to Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death [eternal separation from the love and mercy of God]." Abandon Your Efforts. Second, you must abandon any efforts to save yourself. If we could save ourselves, Jesus' death would have been unnecessary! Even "getting religion" cannot get you to heaven. The Bible says it is "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His [God's] mercy He saved us" (Titus 3:5). Salvation is by God's grace, "not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Acknowledge Christ's Payment. What you cannot do for yourself, Jesus Christ has done for you! "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He died on the cross for you, and then rose from the dead to prove that His payment was acceptable to God. But you must acknowledge and believe this fact. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). Accept Christ as Your Savior. Salvation is God's gift to you. "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). When someone offers you a priceless gift, the wisest thing you can do is accept it! This very moment, you can receive Christ's gift of salvation by sincerely praying this simple prayer from your heart: Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I know that You love me and want to save me. Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God, who died on the cross to pay for my sins. I believe God raised You from the dead. I now turn from my sin and, by faith, receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Come into my heart, forgive my sins, and save me, Lord Jesus. In Your name I pray. Amen. Friend, if you have not yet made a decision for Christ, I urge you to receive Him today. You'll be eternally glad to know the love worth finding!

Download or read book A Hunger for God written by John Piper and published by Inter-Varsity Press. This book was released on 2013-04-23 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is an appetite for God. And it can be awakened. I invite you to turn from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry, and to say with some simple fast: "This much, O God, I want you." Our appetites dictate the direction of our lives - whether it be the cravings of our stomachs, the passionate desire for possessions or power, or the longings of our spirits for God. But for the Christian, the hunger for anything besides God can be an arch-enemy. While our hunger for God - and Him alone - is the only thing that will bring victory. Do you have that hunger for Him? As John Piper puts it: "If we don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great." If we are full of what the world offers, then perhaps a fast might express, or even increase, our soul's appetite for God. Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence is this path of pleasant pain called fasting. It is the path John Piper invites you to travel in this book. For when God is the supreme hunger of your heart, He will be supreme in everything. And when you are most satisfied in Him, He will be most glorified in you.

Download or read book Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome written by R. Kent Hughes and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2008-01-07 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every year thousands of God's servants leave the ministry convinced they are failures. Years ago, in the midst of a crisis of faith, Kent Hughes almost became one of them. But instead he and his wife Barbara turned to God's Word, determined to learn what God had to say about success and to evaluate their ministry from a biblical point of view. This book describes their journey and their liberation from the "success syndrome"-the misguided belief that success in ministry means increased numbers. In today's world it is easy to be seduced by the secular thinking that places a number on everything. But the authors teach that true success in ministry lies not in numbers but in several key areas: faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness, and a Christlike attitude. Their thoughts will encourage readers who grapple with feelings of failure and lead them to a deeper, fuller understanding of success in Christian ministry. This book was originally published by Tyndale in 1987 and includes a new preface.

Download or read book Faithful to Christ A Challenge to Truly Live for Christ written by Charles H. Spurgeon and published by Aneko Press. This book was released on 2019-11-30 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. - 1 Samuel 12:24 If there is a true faith, there must be a declaration of it. If you are a candle, and God has lit you, then let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens (Matthew 5:16). Soldiers of Christ must, like soldiers of our nation, wear their uniforms; and if they are ashamed of their uniforms, they ought to be drummed out of the army. I believe that many Christians get into a lot of trouble by not being honest in their convictions. For instance, if a person goes into a workshop, or a soldier into a barracks, and if he does not fly his flag from the beginning, it will be very difficult for him to run it up afterwards. But if he immediately and boldly lets them know, “I am a Christian, and there are certain things that I cannot do to please you, and certain other things that I cannot help doing even though they might displease you” – when that is clearly understood, after a while the peculiarity of the thing will be gone, and the person will be let alone. However, if he is a little dishonest and thinks that he is going to please the world and please Christ too, he can depend on it that he is in for a rough time. If he tries the way of compromise, his life will be like that of a toad under a harrow or a fox in a dog kennel. That will never do. Come out. Show your colors. Let it be known who you are and what you are. Although your course will not be smooth, it will certainly not be half as rough as if you tried to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, which is a very difficult piece of business. - Charles H. Spurgeon List of Chapters Ch. 1: Pride Ch. 2: Broken Keys Ch. 3: Double-Mindedness Ch. 4: Labor that Doesn’t Satisfy Ch. 5: The Table of the Reprobate Ch. 6: The Self-Righteous Guests Ch. 7: Drunk with the World Ch. 8: Going through the Fire Ch. 9: Laziness Ch. 10: Faith Ch. 11: Awaken, Oh Sleeper! Ch. 12: An Innkeeper’s Prayer Ch. 13: Punishment of Evildoers Ch. 14: Priceless Life Ch. 15: No Excuse for Ignorance Ch. 16: We Must Pray Ch. 17: Popular Errors Ch. 18: Don’t Wait Until You’re Dying Ch. 19: Our Days Are Numbered Ch. 20: How the World Gives Ch. 21: Have Courage Ch. 22: Be Faithful Ch. 23: The Light of Evening Ch. 24: Beds That Are Too Short Ch. 25: Mistaken Zeal Ch. 26: Selfish Ease Ch. 27: Be Sober Ch. 28: Through Floods and Flames Ch. 29: Show Your Colors Ch. 30: Keep Your Own Garden Ch. 31: A Talk about Death Charles H. Spurgeon – A Brief Biography

Download or read book Church of the Small Things written by Melanie Shankle and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2017-10-03 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is my ordinary, everyday life actually significant? Is it okay to be fulfilled by the simple acts of raising kids, working in an office, and cooking chicken for dinner? It’s been said, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.” The pressure of that can be staggering as we spend our days looking for that big thing that promises to take our breath away. Meanwhile, we lose sight of the small significance of fully living with every breath we take. Melanie Shankle, New York Times bestselling author and writer at The Big Mama Blog tackles these questions head on in her fourth book, Church of the Small Things. Easygoing and relatable, she speaks directly to the heart of women of all ages who are longing to find significance and meaning in the normal, sometimes mundane world of driving carpool to soccer practice, attending class on their college campus, cooking meals for their family, or taking care of a sick loved one. The million little pieces that make a life aren’t necessarily glamorous or far-reaching. But God uses some of the smallest, most ordinary acts of faithfulness—and sometimes they look a whole lot like packing lunch. Through humorous stories told in her signature style, full of Frito pie, best friends, the love of her Me-Ma and Pa-Pa, the unexpected grace that comes when we quit trying to measure up, and a little of the best TV has to offer, Melanie helps women embrace what it means to live a simple, yet incredibly meaningful life and how to find all the beauty and laughter that lies right beneath the surface of every moment.

Download or read book Permanent Faithful Stable written by Jeffrey John and published by Darton Longman and Todd. This book was released on 2012-08-01 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘I am writing this because I believe we have an absolute duty in the Church to offer homosexual couples not only practical support, but the same theological understanding of their relationship that we offer to heterosexual couples, to help them fulfil the same hope, the same ideal – of permanent, faithful, stable love.’Drawing on many years’ personal and pastoral experience, Jeffrey John explores the meaning and context of the mentions of homosexuality in the Bible and also considers the moral arguments, before offering guidance to same-sex couples on forming a lasting, covenanted, monogamous relationship.Earlier editions of this book have become essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the theology of same-sex relationships in a Christian context. It has been cited by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, as one of the most helpful books on the subject. This new edition has been updated to take account of the latest thinking on the issue.In a brand new Preface and Postscript, Jeffrey John speaks forthrightly about the Church of England’s failure to move positively in support of same-sex marriage.

Download or read book Resurrecting Excellence written by L. Gregory Jones and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2006-03-09 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Resurrecting Excellence aims to rekindle and encourage among Christian leaders an unselfish ambition for the gospel that shuns both competition and mediocrity and rightly focuses on the beauty, power, and excellence of living as faithful disciples of the crucified and risen Christ. Drawing on ancient traditions and on contemporary voices, L. Gregory Jones offer both a theology of excellence and portraits of pastors, lay leaders, and congregations that embody "a more excellent way."--Publisher's description.

Download or read book Jesus A Very Short Introduction written by Richard Bauckham and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2011-07-28 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two billion people today identify as Christians, with the implication that Jesus is the focus of their relationship with God, and their way of living in the world. Such followers of Jesus are now more numerous and make up a greater proportion of the world's population than ever before. Despite its decline in the West, Christianity is rapidly increasing in areas such as Africa and China. Richard Bauckham explores the historical figure of Jesus, evaluating the sources and concluding that they provide us with good historical evidence for his life and teaching. In order to place Jesus in his proper historical context, as a Jew from Galilee in the early first century of our era, Bauckham looks at Jewish religion and society in the land of Israel under Roman rule. He explores Jesus' symbolic practices as well as his teachings, looks at his public career and emphasises how his actions, such as healing and his association with notorious sinners, were just as important as his words. Bauckham shows that Jesus was devoted to the God of Israel, with a special focus on God's fatherly love and compassion, and like every Jewish teacher he expounded the Torah, but did so in his own distinctive way. With a discussion about the way Jesus understood himself and what finally led to his death as a criminal on a Roman cross, he concludes by considering the significance Jesus has come to have for Christian faith worldwide. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Download or read book Assured written by Greg Gilbert and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2019-03-19 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite our professions of belief, our baptisms, and our membership in the church, many of us secretly wonder, Am I truly saved? We worry that our love for Jesus isn't fervent enough (or isn't as fervent as someone else's). We worry that our faith isn't strong enough. We struggle through the continuing presence of sin in our lives. All this steals the joy of our salvation and can lead us into a life characterized by legalism, perfectionism, and works righteousness--the very life Jesus freed us from at the cross! But Greg Gilbert has a message for the anxious believer--be assured. Assured that your salvation experience was real. Assured that your sins--past, present, and future--are forgiven. Assured that everyone stumbles. Assured that Jesus is not your judge but your advocate. With deep compassion, Gilbert comforts readers, encouraging them to release their guilt, shame, and anxiety to rejoice in and follow hard after the One who set them free.

Download or read book Simply Christian written by N. T. Wright and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2010-02-09 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is justice fair? Why are so many people pursuing spirituality? Why do we crave relationship? And why is beauty so beautiful? N. T. Wright argues that each of these questions takes us into the mystery of who God is and what he wants from us. For two thousand years Christianity has claimed to answer these mysteries, and this renowned biblical scholar and Anglican bishop shows that it still does today. Like C. S. Lewis did in his classic Mere Christianity, Wright makes the case for Christian faith from the ground up, assuming that the reader is starting from ground zero with no predisposition to and perhaps even some negativity toward religion in general and Christianity in particular. His goal is to describe Christianity in as simple and accessible, yet hopefully attractive and exciting, a way as possible, both to say to outsides ÔYou might want to look at this further,Ö and to say to insiders ÔYou may not have quite understood this bit clearly yet.Ö