Download or read book Sojourners and Strangers written by Gregg R. Allison and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2012-11-30 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is a church? This can be a difficult question to answer and Christians have offered a variety of perspectives. Gregg Allison thus explores and synthesizes all that Scripture affirms about the new covenant people of God, capturing a full picture of the biblical church. He covers the topics of the church's identity and characteristics; its growth through purity, unity, and discipline; its offices and leadership structures; its ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper; and its ministries. Here is a rich approach to ecclesiology consisting of sustained doctrinal reflection and wise, practical application. Part of the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series.
Download or read book Revelation written by and published by Canongate Books. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.
Download or read book There Are Save Two Churches Only Volume II written by D. Christian Markham and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2015-11-09 with total page 574 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A journey through disturbing yet crucial matters that must be considered prior to End Times and Christ's return. This second volume takes a different approach from the first. It is a journey, not a pick-and-choose buffet. It begins by taking the reader where the first volume left off, "down the rabbit hole." The journey concludes in confronting the LDS reader with a crucible, wherewith one's faith and trust in Christ (and in Christ alone) will be put to the ultimate test. There are save two churches only: Which one does your everyday mindset, and your personal and professional choices, testify that you are a member of? What is the foundation upon which you anchor your sacred testimony? How close, how intimate, how cherished is your relationship with Jesus Christ? If you are not prepared to answer these questions with full conviction of heart, then you are not ready to contemplate the contents of this book.
Download or read book 52 Churches written by Peter DeHaan and published by Rock Rooster Books. This book was released on 2018-12-04 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: They say there’s no such thing as a perfect church. Well, one author decided to test that theory out for himself. Peter DeHaan spent an entire year roaming from one church to another, visiting 52 different Christian congregations. In the process he learned what makes these places of worship unique, what makes newcomers feel like they belong, and what cringe-worthy shenanigans are guaranteed to keep visitors from ever coming back. In his travels, Peter learned about different denominations and worship styles as well as what happens when imperfect humans gather together in the name of a perfect God. What he discovered was occasionally funny, always interesting, and at times absurd. So absurd that he wrote a book about his experiences. 52 Churches is part religious exposé, part travel memoir, and 100% authentic. Peter refuses to hold back his punches. You’ll cringe when this Christian author is singled out by a fire-and-brimstone preacher, unnecessarily determined to save his soul out of hell. You’ll find yourself thankful that you weren’t in Peter’s shoes when the pastor told his congregation to greet one another with a holy kiss. You’ll read about Christian practices that are far different from your own, and in the process gain a deeper understanding of believers from all walks of life and denominational backgrounds: Protestant mainline, evangelical, and charismatic, Roman Catholic, and more. If you’re a pastor trying to engage newcomers, a seasoned church member looking for some chuckles, or a spiritual lurker curious about what goes on beneath the steeples of America’s churches today, this book was written for you. Read 52 Churches now for an insightful, unforgettable read about the strange and mysterious believers who meet together behind closed doors each and every Sunday.
Download or read book Two Churches Only written by Steven Sego and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2020-09-01 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is written for the purpose of being a road map for someone wanting to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Charts as visual aids, are entitled: “The Church of Jesus Christ Illustrated”, for the purpose of letting the reader see exactly what the “Gospel of Jesus Christ” is, and not just getting a little here and a little there, but being able to see the whole picture of what Christ is about. The book is written in a systematic approach, beginning with, “who God is”, “who are we?”, “where did we come from?”, “why are we here?”, “is there life after this?”, and “how do we fit into the scheme of things?” These are all basic questions that have often crossed people's minds, and now you do not need to wonder anymore. This book is here to answer fundamental questions, and look into some of the mysteries about God. The scriptures are explained to the point, that when the reader starts to grasp what is contained herein, will look up at the ceiling, and say WOW. It all has been right in front of me the whole time, and I could not understand it. Too many people depend on a minister, preacher, prophet, pope, bishop, doctor of divinity, pastor and other leaders, who supposedly go to college and get a degree in religion, but yet when they teach, they are those who “are ever learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth”. This book is designed to help the reader understand that the title of it, “TWO CHURCHES ONLY”, means just that. It shows everything is in one system or the other, even the Christian Churches. It talks about God, government, those who are in government, agencies, churches etc., and shows how everything is all tied together. The main purpose of this book is to show the reader what Slavery, and Freedom look like. Once a reader finishes this book, the reader will have great knowledge, and will never be the same again. They will begin to look at life much differently. To read the book, and understand the pearls contained therein, will take the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, bearing witness that it is true. The author is only a man who loves God first, and then loves his brother/sister second. He has no glamorous titles, nor college degrees, but he is just another everyday person who works for a living to feed his family. The difference is that the author has fought “the good fight”. And because of this, God has granted him knowledge, and allows him to see, because he exercises his faith in God. The information contained in this book are things the reader will not learn in church, especially those 501(c)(3) charter churches. They would much rather be politically correct, charismatic, and avoid being controversial, as if they are ashamed to learn the truth. Anyway, the reader needs to be the judge, may God bless you who are proclaimed Christian, and may he also bless you who are not, that you will have a burning desire to take upon yourself the Name of Jesus Christ, and receive his gospel.
Download or read book Jesus Death and Heavenly Offering in Hebrews written by R. B. Jamieson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-12-06 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines Hebrews' exposition of Jesus' death, his self-offering in heaven at his ascension, and the link between them.
Download or read book Changing Churches written by Mickey L. Mattox and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2012-02-27 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sharp controversies -- about biblical authority, the ordination of women, evangelical "worship styles," and the struggle for homosexual "inclusion" -- have rocked the Lutheran church in recent decades. In Changing Churches two men who once communed at the same Lutheran Eucharistic table explain their similar but different decisions to leave the Lutheran faith tradition -- one for Orthodoxy, the other for Roman Catholicism. Here Mickey L. Mattox and A. G. Roeber address the most difficult questions Protestants face when considering such a conversion, including views on justification, grace, divinization, the church and its authority, women and ministry, papal infallibility, the role of Mary, and homosexuality. They also discuss the long-standing ecumenical division between Rome and the Orthodox patriarchates, acknowledging the difficult issues that still confront those traditions from within and divide them from one another.
Download or read book Catechism of the Catholic Church written by U.S. Catholic Church and published by Image. This book was released on 2012-11-28 with total page 849 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over 3 million copies sold! Essential reading for Catholics of all walks of life. Here it is - the first new Catechism of the Catholic Church in more than 400 years, a complete summary of what Catholics around the world commonly believe. The Catechism draws on the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, Church tradition and teaching, and the lives of saints. It comes with a complete index, footnotes and cross-references for a fuller understanding of every subject. The word catechism means "instruction" - this book will serve as the standard for all future catechisms. Using the tradition of explaining what the Church believes (the Creed), what she celebrates (the Sacraments), what she lives (the Commandments), and what she prays (the Lord's Prayer), the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers challenges for believers and answers for all those interested in learning about the mystery of the Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a positive, coherent and contemporary map for our spiritual journey toward transformation.
Download or read book Churches Partnering Together written by Chris Bruno and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2014-08-31 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How to Work Together for the Sake of the Gospel Most churches in the U. S. have less than 75 members. Many of these congregations barely have enough money to pay their pastor’s salary, much less launch a movement or host a conference. How can they hope to make an impact beyond their own walls? In Churches Partnering Together, Chris Bruno and Matt Dirks show how all churches—big andsmall—can do more together than they can do apart. Looking to the New Testament for guidance, this practical book will help pastors, church leaders, and laypeople alike think creatively about gospel-driven church partnerships in their own communities and around the world.
Download or read book Two Churches written by Robert Brentano and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1988-02-10 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is not meant to be a definitive exploration of the whole of the two churches in any case. The attempt would be absurd. But the book is not meant, either, to be an intense exploration of "certain aspects" of the two churches. It is meant rather to be an extended essay about the connected differences between the two churches, to use "aspects" as touchstones for comparison. It is meant to be a comparison of two total styles. These are not architectural styles, although there is a marked and significant difference between English and Italian ecclesiastical architecture in the thirteenth century. The nonarchitectural style of the thirteenth-century Italian church might in fact be called sustained Romanesque, or perhaps sustained Burgundian. Comparing England (or Britain) with Italy in order to expose more fully one or both is not a new idea. Historians, like Tacitus and Collingwood, have made the comparison, and so have poets, like Browning and, with superb intellectuality, Clough. This is, at least locally, where angels feared to tread. The famous Venetian Anonymous wrote from the other side in his Relation (of about 1500), and condensed for us his comparison in the observation that unlike the Italians the English felt no real love, only lust. The spring bough and the melon-flower, Collingwood's city and field—the long continuity of the difference is startlingly apparent. Explaining the continuity (and perhaps there is no more difficult sort of historical explanation—its difficulty is painful to the mind) is not the job that this book sets itself. But it would be dull and dishonest to ignore the fact that the continuity exists. All that this book has to say may be no more than that the thirteenthcentury Italian church was in fact, as Browning warned, a melon-flower. The book may be only a gloss on amore. The symbol is more inclusive, more evocative, less guilty of excluding the essential but undefined, than detailed description can be. Melon-flower and amore, however, fortunately for the purpose of this book, say very little about the intricate, connected detail of administrative history. Collingwood's (after Tacitus's) city against field presses less deeply but says more. The general difference between the styles of the English and Italian churches has a great deal to do, and very directly, with the fact that the inhabitants of Italy were continually city-dwellers and the inhabitants of Britain were essentially not. Although this book is about both England and Italy, it approaches them differently. The thirteenth-century Italian church is, particularly in English and French, practically unknown. Before it can be explained or analyzed, it must be recreated, formed again in detail. The job is in part really archaeological. The outline of past existence must be uncovered. This is not at all true of the thirteenth-century English church. It has been well explored. This disparity in past observation forces my book to talk much more of Italy than of England; but, if it is a book about one church rather than the other, it is a book about England. England is meant to be seen, for a change, against what it was not. In this sort of profile it has a different look. England may no longer seem a country in the frozen North, incapable, in the distance, of responding fully to Lateran enthusiasm. Its full response to ecclesiastical government may seem clearly connected with its, of course relatively, full response to secular government.
Download or read book Oh Ye Mighty written by Shane Michael Jones and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2021-03-08 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thomas Belson’s name has grown heavy with glory and honor. By his leadership, the nations of Thyro weathered Emperor Thaniel’s dread conquest. By his holy vows, humanity finally deadened the sorcerous shriek of the Old Religion. He walked through the World Below to arm the righteous with knowledge against it. Those who count themselves allies of goodness and grace owe Constable Thomas Belson the debt of their remembrance. But perhaps there are things worth forgetting too. How Thomas rages against the gods to whom he swore his Constable’s oath. How he laments nothing more than outliving his triumph. How he’s killed enough men to make a hard winter blush and not all of them guilty. Come to think of it, not all of them men either. Perhaps what Belson the Blessed learned in the World Below should stay between him and Hell. It was that secret that made him nail children to pillars as all the allies of goodness and grace averted their righteous gaze. Thomas Belson won his war, but he hasn’t stopped fighting in the decade since. Guilt and paranoia make him see Thaniel in every tin-pot tyrant, apocalypse in every shadow. His increasingly erratic behavior is a growing concern for the governments of Thyro. They’ve heard the rumors. They know he cries out in his sleep. The Matriarch of the New Church calls it a kindness when she absolves him of his oaths. After fifteen years of fighting, he can finally return to his family in The Confederacy to find peace. However, the powers that be have grown complacent in peace. Perhaps they watch apocalypse loom and dismiss it as shadows. Thomas Belson saw something in the World Below that drove him to atrocity, and Hell is nothing if not patient.
Download or read book What Is a Healthy Church written by Mark Dever and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2007-06-19 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is an ideal church, and how can you tell? How does it look different from other churches? More importantly, how does it act differently, especially in society? Many of us aren't sure how to answer those questions, even though we probably have some preconceived idea. But with this book, you don't have to wonder any more. Author Mark Dever seeks to help believers recognize the key characteristics of a healthy church: expositional preaching, biblical theology, and a right understanding of the gospel. Dever then calls us to develop those characteristics in our own churches. By following the example of New Testament authors and addressing church members from pastors to pew sitters, Dever challenges all believers to do their part in maintaining the local church. What Is a Healthy Church? offers timeless truths and practical principles to help each of us fulfill our God-given roles in the body of Christ.
Download or read book Mystery of the Magi written by Dwight Longenecker and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-11-06 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The perfect Christmas gift for anyone interested in the historical background behind the birth of Jesus of Nazareth." — Robert J. Hutchinson, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible, The Dawn of Christianity, and Searching for Jesus. "Utterly refreshing and encouraging." — Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and Martin Luther "The best book I know about the Magi." — Sir Colin John Humphreys, Ph.D., author of The Mystery of the Last Supper Modern biblical scholars tend to dismiss the Christmas story of the “wise men from the East” as pious legend. Matthew’s gospel offers few details, but imaginative Christians filled out the story early on, giving us the three kings guided by a magical star who join the adoring shepherds in every Christmas crèche. For many scholars, then, there is no reason to take the gospel story seriously. But are they right? Are the wise men no more than a poetic fancy? In an astonishing feat of detective work, Dwight Longenecker makes a powerful case that the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem really happened. Piecing together the evidence from biblical studies, history, archeology, and astronomy, he goes further, uncovering where they came from, why they came, and what might have happened to them after eluding the murderous King Herod. In the process, he provides a new and fascinating view of the time and place in which Jesus Christ chose to enter the world. The evidence is clear and compelling. The mysterious Magi from the East were in all likelihood astrologers and counselors from the court of the Nabatean king at Petra, where the Hebrew messianic prophecies were well known. The “star” that inspired their journey was a particular planetary alignment—confirmed by computer models—that in the astrological lore of the time portended the birth of a Jewish king. The visitors whose arrival troubled Herod “and all Jerusalem with him” may not have been the turbaned oriental kings of the Christmas carol, but they were real, and by demonstrating that the wise men were no fairy tale, Mystery of the Magi demands a new level of respect for the historical claims of the gospel.
Download or read book Who s on First written by Lloyd Schwartz and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2021-08-27 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "There is no one quite like Lloyd Schwartz, whose unique combination of comedy and pathos is rare in contemporary American poetry. Over the years and books, Schwartz has developed a pitch-perfect ear for dialogue, producing poems that are hilarious in their depiction of unsettling social situations, while still managing to find the kernel of poignancy buried in everyday encounters. He is a master of the speech-driven style of verse, which is based on overheard, interrupted, or invented conversations that are by turns humorous and deeply unsettling, intimate yet decorous. In the new poems section, Schwartz brings his broad experience across the arts (including his many years as a music critic and commentator) to bear, with poems that recall the feeling of both performing and apprehending a piece of music, say, or a painting, a film, or a poem; he explores the figures depicted within these artworks, their fears and desires, revealing whole unexplored, interior worlds, a universe in a pack of tarot cards. This collection, which gathers the very best of Schwartz's work over his long, distinguished career, amply displays the tenderness and delicacy of feeling that we've come to rely on in his poetry. "Who's on First?" is a fitting capstone to a long life lived in the arts"--
Download or read book The Gifts of the Small Church written by Dr. Jason Byassee and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2010-09-01 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dizzying changes have taken place in American religious life in the last half century. Yet in spite of that fact, taking a snapshot of a “typical” Christian church in America would reveal a surprising number of small-to-mid-sized congregations, rooted in a local neighborhood or community, tied to a specific denomination, where most of the members know each others’ names, and hence are blessed (and cursed) with being the church together. In this clear-eyed, humorous appraisal, Jason Byassee contends that the “church around the corner” occupies a particular place in the divine economy, that it is especially capable of forming us in the virtues, perspectives, and habits that make up the Christian life. Not that he romanticizes these churches, however. Having been a rural, small membership church pastor, Byassee knows too well the particular vices and temptations to which they are subject. But he also knows the particular graces they’ve been given, graces like the “prayer ladies,” those pillars of the congregation who, “when one told you she was praying for you it meant something. When one hugged you, you remembered all week. When one cooked for you the casserole tasted like love. And when you were around them you were in the presence of Jesus.” Anyone who serves, or belongs to, a “church around the corner” will find their ministry strengthened by this enlivening, inspiring book.
Download or read book Jesus Only Churches written by E. Calvin Beisner and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2016-09-06 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unlike Jehovah's Witnesses, who deny the Trinity by demoting Jesus to a mere man, the "Jesus Only" churches deny the Trinity by claiming that there is only one God, and that Jesus is the Father and the Holy Spirit. "Jesus Only" churches not only require baptism for salvation, but also stipulate that it must be baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ only, and not in the name of the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. Thus, these churches distort the gospel and the historic, orthodox understanding of Jesus. Why this series? This is an age when countless groups and movements, old and new, mark the religious landscape in our culture, leaving many people confused or uncertain in their search for spiritual truth and meaning. Because you may not have the time or opportunity to research these movements fully, these books provide essential and reliable information and insights for their spiritual journeys. The second wave of books in this series addresses a broad range of spiritual beliefs, from non-Trinitarian Christian sects to witchcraft and neo-paganism to classic non-Christian religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. All books but the summary volume, Truth and Error, contain five sections: -A concise introduction to the group being surveyed -An overview of the group’s theology — in its own words -Tips for witnessing effectively to members of the group -A bibliography with sources for further study -A comparison chart that shows the essential differences between biblical Christianity and the group -Truth and Error, the last book in the series, consists of parallel doctrinal charts compiled from all the other volumes. Three distinctives make this series especially useful to readers: -Information is carefully distilled to bring out truly essential points, rather than requiring readers to sift their way through a sea of secondary details. -Information is presented in a clear, easy-to-follow outline form with “menu bar” running heads. This format greatly assists the reader in quickly locating topics and details of interest. -Each book meets the needs and skill levels of both nontechnical and technical readers, providing an elementary level of refutation and progressing to a more advanced level using arguments based on the biblical text. The writers of these volumes are well qualified to present clear and reliable information and help readers to discern truth from falsehood.
Download or read book Glimpses of Lehi s Jerusalem written by John Woodland Welch and published by Maxwell Institute. This book was released on 2004 with total page 698 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagine Jerusalem around 600 BC, the world of Lehi, Sariah, Laban, Zoram, Josiah, and Jeremiah. How did people live? What motivated them? And what eventually destroyed their city? The answers to such questions foster better understanding of the prophetic words of Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob in the Book of Mormon. Much of that era was lost forever when Jerusalem met its prophesied fate and was destroyed by the Babylonians. The Temple of Solomon and the city walls were torn down, buildings burned, treasuries looted, people killed or deported, records lost or destroyed, and certain religious beliefs changed or extinguished. Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem offers modern readers a vivid look at revealing events in a crucial quarter century in world history.
