When asked by his son why some churches have smoke machines, worship pastor Manuel Luz found himself responding, "e;Well, technically, you need smoke machines to see the lasers."e; But when you take down the smokescreen, what do you have left? Where do we encounter the Holy in the midst of all this? Where can we worship with our full selves-heart, soul, mind, and body-in Spirit and truth?Drawing from his own experience leading worship in a large congregation and feeling the pull of performance, Manuel Luz guides us on a journey through worship that takes us far beyond style and deep into our own souls. He calls us back to an honest worship that moves past facades and pulls us inward toward the true self that God is forming within each of us. Each chapter ends with a spiritual practice designed to help us set aside pretense and enter into the very presence of God.
2018 WORLD Magazine Book of the Year - Accessible Theology 2018 ECPA Top Shelf Book Cover Award
"e;God had not just sent his Messiah into the world. He had sent him to them. They were known. In all their guilt-intended and unintended-they were known and invited to find refuge in the grace of God, accomplished through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son. And the church continued to grow."e;Jesus sent his followers into the world. Russ Ramsey's dynamic narrative traces the journey of the early church with thirty-one daily readings through the book of Acts, as the people of God carried out Jesus' mission as his ambassadors. This unlikely band of believers faced enormous challenges yet experienced God's power and grace as they moved forward in the Spirit. Through this new community, a movement spread around the world that continues to this day. Come discover the transformation that energized the early church. And you too can play your part in the unfolding story. Also including The Advent of the Lamb of God and The Passion of the King of Glory, the Retelling the Story series explores the narrative arc of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation in compelling language that is faithful to the text of Scripture. The stories are told afresh to help readers hide God's word in their hearts by way of their imaginations.
"e;His was a ministry of incarnation-touching the infected, dining with sinners, defending the defenseless. The sick needed a physician, and the Physician had come."e;Enter into the greatest story ever told. In this carefully researched retelling of the story of Jesus, pastor Russ Ramsey invites us to rediscover our wonder at Jesus' sinless life, brutal death, and glorious resurrection. Featuring forty short chapters recounting key episodes from Jesus' time on earth, this book expands on the biblical narrative in a fresh and creative way-giving us a taste of what it would have been like to walk next to Jesus and experience his earthly ministry firsthand. Also including The Advent of the Lamb of God and The Mission of the Body of Christ, the Retelling the Story series explores the narrative arc of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation in compelling language that is faithful to the text of Scripture. The stories are told afresh to help readers hide God's word in their hearts by way of their imaginations.
"e;A page in history was about to turn. Though Israel's world was in the throes of upheaval, it was only a matter of time before the sun of righteousness would rise. These people needed rescue, but they weren't waiting for the stars to align or for the political climate to change. They were waiting for God. They were on his timetable. He was sending his Messiah-Immanuel, God with us."e;For centuries God's people awaited the coming of a Savior. In the midst of a world of trouble, they hoped for one who would deliver them from evil and restore them to true life. Would God be faithful to his promises? Pastor Russ Ramsey narrates anew the greatest story ever told-the true tale of the coming of the Christ. It's more than the story of a baby born in Bethlehem; the story encompasses the whole of the Old Testament and all of human history, unveiling God's longsuffering, loving pursuit of his people. Rediscover how the purposes of God culminated in the coming of Jesus, in twenty-five readings ideal for Christmas or any season of meeting the Savior. Also including The Passion of the King of Glory and The Mission of the Body of Christ, the Retelling the Story series explores the narrative arc of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation in compelling language that is faithful to the text of Scripture. The stories are told afresh to help readers hide God's word in their hearts by way of their imaginations.
16th Annual Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year - Social Issues/Justice
Stanley J. Grenz and Jay T. Smith define more than 300 terms related to Christian ethics, including ideas, issues, positions, thinkers, schools and specialties.
Leading thinkers in Christian philosophy and apologetics take on the problem of evil and suffering. Essays from Gregory Ganssle, Yena Lee, Bruce Little, Garry DeWeese, R. Douglas Geivett and others provide critical engagement with the New Atheists and offer grounds for renewed confidence in the God who is "acquainted with grief."
"e;These who have turned the world upside down have come here too."e; (Acts 17:6)When Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica, they changed the community. How? By collaborating with God to bring his kingdom on earth. Will you collaborate on God's kingdom work in your community? If you're ready to see God move in all areas-business, education, media, arts, healthcare, spiritual growth, andmore-this is the book for you. Leadership expert Reggie McNeal offers eight signature practices for leaders who want to partner with God and others for kingdom growth. Readers will gain practical advice to help people experience life as God intends.
The Lord's SupperReconciliationProclaiming the gospelBeing with the "e;least of these"e; Being with childrenFivefold ministry giftingKingdom prayer
In 2004 philosopher Antony Flew, one of the world's most prominent atheists, publicly acknowledged that he had become persuaded of the existence of God. Not long before that, in 2003, Flew and Christian philosopher Gary Habermas debated at a Veritas Forum at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Habermas, perhaps the world's leading expert on the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus, made the case for rational belief on the basis of the reliability of the evidence. Flew argued for alternative understandings of the evidence presented. For two-and-a-half decades Flew and Habermas have been in friendly dialogue about the plausibility of the resurrection and the existence of God. This book presents the full content of their third and final debate, as well as transcripts of the Q A session with the audience afterward. Also included are a 2004 conversation between Habermas and Flew shortly after Flew's much-publicized change of position, as well as editor David Baggett's assessment and analysis of the full history of Habermas and Flew's interactions. Here is your opportunity to listen in on a conversation with two of the greatest thinkers of our era about one of the most pivotal events in human history. Follow the evidence wherever it leads. And decide for yourself whether it's believable that a man could rise from the dead.
In this third volume of the Biblical Imagination Series, Michael Card leads us to see the unique purpose of Matthew's Gospel both in the lives of the early Christians and for us today. Using the language of fulfillment, Matthew calls his readers to see their former identity confirmed even as it is recast in the dazzling image of Christ.
Are we ready for the opportunities and challenges facing the aging church?Now is the time for the church to offer ministry to its increasing numbers of seniors and to benefit from ministry they can offer. In this book James M. Houston and Michael Parker issue an urgent call to reconceive the place and part of the elderly and seniors in the local church congregation. Confronting the idea that the aging are mostly a burden on the church, they boldly address the moral issues related to caring for them, provide examples of successful care-giving programs and challenge the church to restore broken connections across the generations. Cowritten by a noted theologian and an expert in the fields of social work and gerontology, this interdisciplinary book assesses our current cultural context and the challenges and opportunities we face. The authors show us that seniors aren't the problem. They are the solution.
Ever wonder why people fall asleep in church?It happens. We?ve all seen it. We shuffle into rows of seats that grow more comfortable with every new fundraising campaign. We slouch down and settle in for an hour or so, as singers and storytellers and preachers and teachers take their turns filling our ears. And almost without fail, at least one of us nods off while listening to the greatest story ever told. The church was not meant to be like this. The church was meant to be on its feet, in the world, making all things new. The church was meant to be sent. Kim Hammond and Darren Cronshaw want to help us,,,all of us,,,rediscover our sentness. Dive into Sentness, and explore the six postures of a church that?s keeping pace with God?s work in the world. Rediscover the gospel that first quickened your pulse and got you up on your feet, ready to go wherever Jesus called you. Get Sentness, and prepare to get sent.
The creation narrative in the early chapters of Genesis proved irresistible to the church fathers. Following the apostle Paul, they explored the six days of creation and the profound significance of Adam as a type of Christ, the second Adam. With comment from Basil the Great, Ambrose, and Augustine, this ACCS volume on Genesis 1-11 opens up a treasure house of ancient wisdom.
All mission is local-the people of God joining the work of God in a particular place. In Starting Missional Churches Mark Lau Branson and Nicholas Warnes introduce us to seven missional churches while examining common challenges regarding church planting.
Outreach Resource of the Year RecommendationBest World Missions Book, from Byron Borger, Hearts and Minds BookstoreWe are more than the businesses we have become. Much of Christian ministry has been shaped to operate not according to the witness of the Scriptures, but according to the values of the free market. We adopt metrics of success that have nothing to do with the state of people's souls or the seeding of the earth with the kingdom of God. We have borrowed our paradigms uncritically from the for-profit corporate sector. The mission of the Church is being held back by the business container into which we have placed the gospel. Every year Scott Bessenecker travels the world with thousands of college students, ministering to those in need and learning from the global church about what God is doing in the world. In Overturning Tables he shows, through stories and analysis, that the mission of God reaches well beyond the grasp of the free market, and if we are willing to reach as well, we will see God do amazing things, even as the world sees the gospel in its fullest sense.
In this latest volume in the highly regarded Reformation Commentary on Scripture series, volume editor Beth Kreitzer introduces us to the wisdom and insight of familiar and unfamiliar reformers alike as they unpack the riches of Luke's inspired "narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us" (1:1, ESV).
Does it matter how Christians in other times and places thought? For many contemporary Christians, questions about the role and value of church history can be difficult to tackle. Veteran teacher Bob Rea addresses these barriers, skillfully explaining not only why church history matters, but the difference it makes for life and ministry.
Throughout Scripture and church history, women have been central to the mission of God. But all too often women have lacked opportunities to minister fully. Many churches lack visible examples of women in ministry and leadership. Pastor Tara Beth Leach issues a stirring call for a new generation of women in ministry: to teach, to preach, to shepherd, and to lead. God not only permits women to minister-he emboldens, empowers, and unleashes women to lead out of the fullness of who they are. The church cannot reach its full potential without women using their God-given gifts. Leach provides practical expertise for how women can find their place at the table, escape impostor syndrome, face opposition, mentor others, and much more. When women teach, preach, lead, evangelize, pastor, and disciple, and when men partner to embolden the women in their lives, the church's imagination expands to better reflect God's story and hope for the world.
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