In our preaching, teaching, and witnessing, we often separate salvation from the Savior.Looking to the Scriptures and church history, Marcus Johnson reveals the true riches of our salvation by reintroducing us to the foundation of our redemption--our mysterious union with the living Christ.

    The study is divided under four headings - 1. The terminology connected to the Lord's Supper in the New Testament. 2. The Biblical data that supports the Lord's Supper as a means of grace. 3. The confessional formulation of the Lord's Supper as a means of grace in the reformed tradition and 4. Final Thoughts.

    In contrast, J. Stephen Yuille reorients our understanding of pastoral ministry by presenting a standard of excellence measured by faithfulness, humility, and submission to God—even when the results look unsuccessful in the eyes of the world. Drawing from the Puritan minister George Swinnock, Yuille expands on a list of sixteen heartfelt desires that Swinnock expressed for his own pastoral ministry. Yuille’s reflections on these timeless priorities are full of biblical insights and pastoral wisdom. The book ends with Swinnock’s farewell sermon to his congregation, which serves as an encouraging example for all pastors who desire to love their people in Christ. This book is a valuable guide for pastors as they seek to labor and love in the service of Christ.Table of Contents:IntroductionPart 1 A Royal Ambassador A True Vessel A Sincere Suitor A Wise Builder A Skilled Physician A Diligent Student A Tender Mother A Courageous Soldier A Prudent Preacher A Ceaseless Intercessor A Patient Instructor A Discerning Judge A Faithful Shepherd A Powerful Example A Humble Instrument A Watchful OverseerPart 2A Pastor’s FarewellConclusionBibliographyAuthor J. Stephen Yuille is the pastor of Grace Community Church, Glen Rose, Texas.Endorsement “This book is an accessible and challenging introduction to the pastoral office and its duties as understood by the Puritans. In an age when the notion of office is either downplayed or understood in a confused manner, the Puritans still have the power to speak with force and clarity. Dr. Yuille has done us a great service in producing such a work.” — Carl R. Trueman, Paul Woolley Professor of Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary, Pa."Rare it is to find a book that pulls together the pastoral wisdom of a Puritan divine like Swinnock and distills it down into manageable units that are easily digestible. But this is precisely what Yuile has done in this volume. He has surveyed one of the best from the golden age of the Puritans, Swinnock, and has extracted he core teaching from this classic writing on pastoral duty. To learn from this divine is to be well-taught in ministerial responsibilities. By reading this work and implementing it in your life, I believe that you will be better equipped for your service for Jesus Christ." - Steven J. Lawson, senior pastor, Christ Fellowship

    Now she brings together twelve spiritual habitseach illuminated by the story of a Catholic saintthat help administrators find spiritual meaning in their work.

    Both exist for the glory of God and the spreading of the Gospel. Limited Church: Unlimited Kingdom seeks to reclaim the simple, transformational, and global mission revealed in Scripture for both the church and the family. Rob Rienow shares from a heart for ministry and gives significant insight based on his ministry experience as well as the experiences of others. His motivation for writing this books is to see churches and families have a lasting impact on future generations. He begin the work by setting a solid foundation on the sufficiency of Scripture followed by another vital section on the lost doctrine of jurisdiction. Rienow continues by sharing God's mission for the local church and the family followed by an excellent section on uniting the church and family in the Great Commission. Each chapter ends with discussion questions, making this an ideal read for a ministry team, small group study, or seminary class.

    Breaking the Silence of Spiritual Abuse provides the first sustained examination of spiritual abuse within the Christian faith, exploring the definitions and historical context of spiritual abuse while giving voice to survivors' stories of their personal experiences. Providing a balance of empirical research and practical concerns, this ground-breaking book outlines a process model for the different stages of spiritual abuse and includes strategies for therapists working with survivors of spiritual abuse.

    He concludes by laying out the case for the church. This isn't contradictory, though—the only way to be effectually for the church is to master the case against it. After all, God Himself is the ultimate iconoclast.

    It's much easier to simply close the doors and windows than it is to deal with the wind (John 3:8). After all, they've seen the wind blow out the candles, disarrange the altar vestments, and send a chill through the congregants.Author, pastor, and church historian Bob Cornwall has experienced all of this for himself. He has seen traditional churches and worship. He has seen Pentecostal worship. He has led congregations in difficult times. For more than 30 years, he has studied, practiced, prayed, and lived the work of the Holy Spirit in the church.The result is Unfettered Spirit: Spiritual Gifts for the New Great Awakening. Here he avoids both the errors of replacing the freedom of the Spirit with human whim and of trying to tame or confine the Spirit that will not be fettered.He asks: “Do you truly believe that God is present in the world? And, do you believe that God is working through us to break down the walls that divide us from God, from each other, and from the world? And if you do, do you believe that you have been gifted and empowered to participate in this ministry that takes down the walls of egoism, suspicion, greed, self-interest, and hatred?”If you can say “yes” to these questions, jump right in! This is the book for you. If you are hesitant, or if the idea of the Holy Spirit working unfettered in your congregation and community frightens you, read the first four chapters carefully as Bob lays the theological foundation. You may find your “maybe” or even your “no” turned into a “yes.”Whether you are a Pentecostal, an evangelical, a mainliner, a progressive, or any other label you might find for yourself or your church, you will profit from reading this book.

    

    

    Blum brings John Howard Yoder to the same table with Nietzsche, Michel Foucault, and Jacques Derrida, and provides a provocative glimpse of what the resulting conversation might look like.As Anne Lamott and others have recently insisted, faith is not the opposite of doubt, but of certainty. Blum’s essays explore some of our commonly held ways of talking about knowledge, meaning, commitment, and action. He suggests that some postmodern theoretical work, often dismissed or assumed to be anti-Christian, is well worth bringing into contemporary Anabaptist-Mennonite conversations about discipleship and corporate life.Part of the Polyglossia series, this book is intended for conversation among academics, ministers, and laypersons regarding knowledge, beliefs, and practices of the Christian faith.

    Faith in God. Faith in his Word. And such faith is not natural, even for the Christian. It’s super-natural. God must give it. “Is not my word like fire,” he says to us, “and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces” (Jer. 23:39).In this issue of the 9Marks Journal we take up the topic of Scripture’s sufficiency for the life of the church. Bobby Jamieson’s piece on the prescriptive nature of New Testament polity anchors the whole issue. Start here. The interview with Ed Roberts asks the inevitable follow up question to Jamieson: shouldn’t our context affect how we lead and build our churches?From there we plunge into several discussions about what the sufficiency of Scripture means for our philosophy of ministry, with pieces by Jeramie Rinne, Carl Trueman, Jamie Dunlop, Benjamin Wright, and myself. Let me especially commend Rinne’s first-hand testimony, “I Was a Pragmatist.”Several articles on the sufficiency of Scripture for our church gatherings follow. Hello, regulative principle. I argue that the regulative principle may seem more restrictive to churches, but it actually frees Christians. Trip Lee and Aaron Menikoff consider what the principle looks like practically in the life of a church. And Robert Letham answers a somewhat common question about whether or not churches should only sing the psalms.I’ll admit upfront that this issue frustrates me. So many topics remain untouched; so many conversations cut short. But I hope it offers us all a good start. - Jonathan Leeman