Vine work is the Great Commission.And there is trellis work: creating and maintaining the physical and organizational structures and programs that support vine work and its growth.What’s the state of the trellis and the vine in your part of the world? Has trellis work taken over, as it has a habit of doing? Is the vine work being done by very few (perhaps only the pastor and only on Sundays)? And is the vine starting to wilt as a result?The image of the trellis and the vine raises all the fundamental questions of Christian ministry: * What is the vine for? * How does the vine grow? * How does the vine relate to my church? * What is vine work and what is trellis work, and how can we tell the difference? * What part do different people play in growing the vine? * How can we get more people involved in vine work? In The Trellis and the Vine, Colin Marshall and Tony Payne answer these urgent questions afresh. They dig back into the Bible’s view of Christian ministry, and argue that a major mind-shift is required if we are to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ, and see the vine flourish again.

    Many churches have adopted this mind-set in their practice of membership and discipline-if they have not done away with such structures entirely. "Yet God's love and God's gospel are different than what the world expects," writes Jonathan Leeman. They're centered in his character, which draws a clear boundary between what is holy and what is not. It's this line that the local church should represent in its member practices, because the careful exercise of such authority "is God's means for guarding the gospel, marking off a people, and thereby defining his love for the world."So how should churches receive and dismiss members? How should Christians view their submission to the church? Are there dangers in such submission? The Church and the Surprising Offense of God's Love responds with biblical, theological, and practical guidance-from both corporate and individual perspectives. It's a resource that will help pastors and their congregations upend worldly conceptions and recover a biblical understanding and practice of church authority.

    At the council Ratzinger worked on the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei verbum), the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen gentium), and the Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church (Ad gentes). Topics he treats in detail in the book include the debate on the liturgy schema, the early debate on divine revelation, the questions of Mariology and ecumenism, the decree on the bishops' office in the Church, religious liberty, the Church and the Jews, and the schemas on the missions and on priestly ministry and life. He gives special attention to the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church and to the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.

    

    Smith continues to reveal how Rick Warren and other Christian leaders-wittingly or unwittingly-are leading the church into a spiritual trap. A "Wonderful" Deception examines church metaphors, concepts, and beliefs that are essentially the same as those being used in today's New Age teachings. And while biblical prophecy is being minimized and explained away, the "New Science" is being used to prepare the world-and the church-to accept a new spirituality and a false New Age Christ. This book explains how all the puzzle pieces are in place for the "strong delusion" described in 2 Thessalonians. A "Wonderful" Deception pierces right into the heart of this deception while preparing believers in Jesus Christ to effectively stand against it.

    First time ever available in English, this basically served as the "reformation handbook of pastoral theology," for Calvin and others, setting out in a vivid and persuasive way, biblical principles for church life, ministry, and discipline.

    They were appointed by the British parliament to restructure the Church of England. Their recommendations were adopted in England and Scotland but later revoked in England. These documents form the basis of the Presbyterian system of church government and practice. Here it is discussed by Sinclair Ferguson and Mark Dever. They write with clarity making it palatable even to modern readers beset by busyness & multiple distractions.

    It implies that for 1900 years the Bible has been insufficient for the woes of God's people, or for their sanctification, but that now we have the 'insights' of anti-Christian psychologists to make good the deficit. In this book medical doctor Ted Williams challenges these claims, giving the most clear-cut and interesting overview of the counselling movement and of the giants of secular psychology who are pillars of its 'faith'.

    Suitable for anyone who works with children.

    This book reveals the innate sinfulness of problem-centered counseling, shows how it leads Christians into feeding the flesh and quenching the Spirit, and gives reasons why Christians must abandon the problem-centered approach.In person to person soul care, we urge believers to do three things: (1) abandon problem-centeredness; (2) embrace the biblical truth about the role of problems; (3) encourage one another to become Christ-centered on a daily basis.We pray that this book will encourage those in the church who are maturing in the faith through the trials of life and walking daily in the Lord to minister to others as needs and opportunities arise.

    It bears close study by elders, seminarians (and seminaries!), and by all others who sincerely desire to honor Christ, the only King and Head of the Church." - Pastor Bill Shishko, "James Bannerman's 'The Church of Christ' is the most extensive, standard, solid, Reformed treatment of the doctrine of the church that has ever been written. It is indisputably the classic in its field. Every minister and elder should own a copy, and church members would also be much better informed if they perused it carefully. How many church problems would be alleviated if churches used Bannerman as their primary textbook for their understanding of what the church is and for their modus operandi! -Joel R. Beeke

    It bears close study by elders, seminarians (and seminaries!), and by all others who sincerely desire to honor Christ, the only King and Head of the Church." -Pastor Bill Shishko, "James Bannerman's 'The Church of Christ' is the most extensive, standard, solid, Reformed treatment of the doctrine of the church that has ever been written. It is indisputably the classic in its field. Every minister and elder should own a copy, and church members would also be much better informed if they perused it carefully. How many church problems would be alleviated if churches used Bannerman as their primary textbook for their understanding of what the church is and for their modus operandi! - Joel R. Beeke

    But as Frances Taylor Gench reminds us in this book, conflict over scriptural interpretation has been with the church since its earliest days. Gench reflects on those early experiences of conflict, presenting substantive studies of biblical texts showing that discord (such as Romans 14-15; Matthew 14; Jeremiah 28; 1 Corinthians 12-14; John 13-17) and drawing lessons from each about how it informs current conflicts in the church. In the process, she provides a constructive resource to help Christians wrestle with Scripture in the midst of their disagreements. This innovative book can be used by individuals and in groups. Numerous study questions conclude each chapter.