Best of
Evangelism

2017

Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global


Andy Johnson - 2017
    The local church is the engine of world missions. But where should a church begin?Churches don't need a complicated missions program. They need the Bible and the wisdom to know how to apply it. This book points to Scripture and offers practical steps for training and supporting missionaries, forming international partnerships, sending short-term teams, and engaging the nations both at home and abroad.Part of the 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches series.

Gospel Fluency: Speaking the Truths of Jesus Into the Everyday Stuff of Life


Jeff Vanderstelt - 2017
    Is it possible this difficulty is because we're trying to speak a language we haven't actually spent time practicing?To become fluent in a new language, you must immerse yourself in it until you actually start to think about life through it. Becoming fluent in the gospel happens the same way--after believing it, we have to intentionally rehearse it (to ourselves and to others) and immerse ourselves in its truths. Only then will we start to see how everything in our lives, from the mundane to the magnificent, is transformed by the hope of the gospel.

Reunion: The Good News of Jesus for Seekers, Saints, and Sinners


Bruxy Cavey - 2017
    Dig into Scripture with Bruxy as he unfolds God’s message for the world in one word, three words, and thirty words. Learn why you shouldn’t follow the Bible (but why you’ll want to read it to learn how to follow Jesus). Scout out the real definitions of sin and salvation, which might surprise you. Discover your true citizenship in the Jesus nation, where you might be ready to die for a cause but never willing to kill for one. Glimpse a God who is Love itself and who, like it or not, just can’t stop thinking about you. If you’ve heard about Jesus so often that he makes you yawn, give him one more chance. If you think the gospel has something to do with religious rules or rituals, think again. Whether you are a restless seeker, struggling sinner, or sanctimonious saint, get ready for a reunion: with your true self, with others, and with the God who longs to welcome you home. One of Missio Alliance’s Top 15 Essential Reads of 2017.

Holy Spirit Are We Flammable or Fireproof?


Reinhard Bonnke - 2017
    Bonnke has compiled some of the greatest uncompromising truths about the Holy Spirit that have been at the cornerstone of his ministry for over 50 years.

The Cost


Steven J. Lawson - 2017
    He did not try to save people's feelings. This was because the things He was saying were too important and His love for people too strong to allow Him room to tread softly. Steven Lawson unpacks these few verses, looking at the unashamed honesty, passion, and urgency with which Jesus explains the incredible cost involved in following Him. It is undoubtedly the biggest sacrifice any person ever makes - but it is for the most abundantly glorious prize imaginable.

Reaching the Unreached: Becoming Raiders of the Lost Art


Peyton Jones - 2017
    The result? Church life becomes a predictable set of routines with predictable results. Church members struggle to reach the neighborhoods they drive through on their way to church programs, unable to penetrate their surrounding communities in a meaningful way. Reaching the Unreached recounts the stories, struggles, and triumphs of individuals and churches that have reinvented themselves to meet the world where it is, working to reach the ones that no one else is reaching.The search for the “silver bullet” of success has diverted us from tapping into the timeless principles found in the book of Acts, says author, pastor, and front-line church planter Peyton Jones. Yet the spiritual climate that Paul and the Apostles stepped into is not all that different from the brave new world the church faces today.From accidentally planting a church in a Starbucks in Europe, to baptizing members of the Mexican mafia in Long Beach Harbor, Jones has been on the frontlines of today’s missional movement and has lived to tell the tale. In Reaching the Unreached, he teaches church planters, pastors, and church leaders how to convert pew jockeys into missionaries and awake the sleeping giant of Christ’s church, one person at a time.Today there are two types of churches: those who put their proverbial heads in the sand, and those who champion 1st century principles, meet the challenges head on, and embrace the adventure of mission in community. Tomorrow, only one type of church will survive—those that accept the challenge to reach the unreached.

ESV Reader's Letters of Paul


Anonymous - 2017
    He solidified his theology in letters to early churches--texts that remain as challenging and relevant today as they were to their original recipients. The ESV Reader's Letters of Paul was produced in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation--a period of time in which the reformers rediscovered the vital theological truths within Paul's epistles that have shaped Christian theology ever since. The text of Paul's thirteen letters is presented without verse and chapter numbers in a clean, single-column format on thick, cream-colored paper to encourage extended reading. An introductory article explains how the letters fit within the rest of the Bible as well as the important role they have played in the history of the church.Features: 5.25" x 7.75" 12 pt, Trinite 244 pages Black letter text 2-color printing Introduction to the 13 Pauline epistles Thick, cream-colored paper Single-column, paragraph format Presentation page Smyth-sewn binding Packaging: Permanent slipcase

Rebuilding the Altar: A Bold Call for a Fresh Encounter With God


Pat Schatzline - 2017
      Many long for a closer walk with God, but He seems far away. They go to church. They read the Bible. But they don’t experience His presence. Why? Because many have forsaken the altar—the place where God is found. When we truly encounter Him again, the light and power of God will flow to our homes, then to our houses of worship, then to the nation, and we will never be the same.   In Rebuilding the Altar authors Pat and Karen Schatzline passionately challenge you to return to the altar. You see, the altar is not just a physical location or an instrument in a church or synagogue. Through Christ we can experience a daily encounter with Jesus, who became our altar. We must declare this truth to the deceived. We must raise a standard of holiness and no compromise. We must bring hope to the hurting.   It’s time for change. It’s time to return to the altar...and encounter God.

A Grander Story: An Invitation to Christian Professors


Rick Hove Hove - 2017
    Whether serving at institutions public or private, research or teaching, two-year or four-year-as tenure-line professors, adjuncts, lecturers, or visiting scholars-our hope is that God will use this book to encourage each professor in his or her calling and help usher in the day when movements of Christ-following professors on every campus will be used by God to bless those around them and the world. About the Authors: Two Faculty Commons (A Ministry of Cru) staff members wrote this book together and compiled the six faculty stories. Faculty Commons serves professors and graduate students across the country. Begun as Christian Leadership Ministries in 1980, more than two thousand professors are currently involved with Faculty Commons on more than two hundred campuses across the country. Rick Hove has served as a Cru staff member since 1979 and as the executive director of Faculty Commons since 2005. He studied civil engineering at Georgia Tech, graduating with highest honors, and earned his master’s of divinity at Trinity International University (summa cum laude). He and his wife, Sonya, live between Duke University and the University of North Carolina in Durham, North Carolina. Heather Holleman is likewise on the staff of Faculty Commons. She completed her undergrad work at the University of Virginia, graduating with highest distinction and earning the Wagenheim Prize for the best essay written by an undergraduate for her work on Emily Dickinson. She earned her PhD at the University of Michigan (2002), studying shame and guilt in nineteenth-century British poetry, and currently serves as a faculty lecturer in the English Department of Penn State, teaching freshmen composition and serving as the program director for Advanced Writing in the Humanities. She publishes books in the Christian living genre for women and regularly speaks at Christian conferences.

Ekklesia: Rediscovering God's Instrument for Global Transformation


Ed Silvoso - 2017
    We hardly ever think of it as world-changing--and neither does society. Yet this is exactly what the first-century ekklesia was.In these vital, eye-opening pages, bestselling author Ed Silvoso takes you back to the first days of the church. Digging into Scripture, he shows how the New Testament church--devoid of buildings, professional clergy, and religious freedom--was able to transform the hostile, pagan places into which it was born and set in motion a process that changed the world forever.Even more, Silvoso offers a roadmap back to becoming the ekklesia Jesus called his church to be. In the midst of the social, economic, political, and moral chaos in our world today, we possess the hope that people and nations so desperately need--and we can become the revolutionary, transformational, life-giving voice Jesus called us to be.A new, in-depth curriculum kit--which features a DVD with 12 brand-new teaching sessions, a group guide for both leaders and participants, and a copy of the book--is also available. Expounding on the book's dynamic teachings, each kit contains everything you need to equip your group to transform the world around them.

Gospel Witness: Defending & Extending the Kingdom of God (Cornerstones Book 2)


Joseph Boot - 2017
    Dr. Boot considers some of the prevailing worldviews in the West today, demonstrating that their foundational problem is a refusal to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and King. As we engage in witnessing to the gospel of the Kingdom, the heart and its attachment to cherished lies must be taken into account. Gospel Witness is part of the Cornerstones series of short books for Christians wishing to strengthen their understanding of the scope and implications of the gospel in the twenty-first century.

Welcome to Dinner, Church


Verlon Fosner - 2017
    There was a time when Christians gathered around tables, included the strangers and the poor, ate together, and talked about Jesus. This form of church occurred mostly during the first three hundred years of Christianity, and was highly effective in bringing lost people to Jesus. While the church of today is very meaningful to Christfollowers, it is failing to help our lost neighbors find their way to the Savior. That is no small concern for Jesus’ churches, all of which are called to be in the rescue business.This little book examines what it might be like for a traditional church to plant a dinner church in a nearby hurting neighborhood. Revelation 3:20 makes it clear that Jesus still wants to have dinner with sinners. That likely means he wants his church to set the table.

Winsome Persuasion: Christian Influence in a Post-Christian World


Tim Muehlhoff - 2017
    Brainwashed fanatics? Out-of-touch dogmatists? Buffoons? The task of bearing faithful witness to Jesus is complicated by persistent--and not altogether baseless--cultural stereotypes. In our post-Christian society, thoughtful Christians are considering again how to engage the dominant culture as a minority, a counterpublic, amid varying perceptions and misperceptions. In this timely book, Timothy Muehlhoff and Rick Langer ask what our interactions with the dominant cultural ethos should look like. How might we be persuasive and civil at the same time? How should we respond to those who ridicule and caricature us? How can we challenge the beliefs of other communities with love and respect? Muehlhoff and Langer present a model for cultural engagement that integrates communication theory, theology, and Scripture. Penetrating, wise, and relentlessly practical, it includes test cases and examples from history, such as William Wilberforce and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Now more than ever, Christians need what Winsome Persuasion offers: a compelling vision of public engagement that is both shrewd and gracious.

The Debate and Its Prelude


Jeffrey L. Romine - 2017
    He instantly organizesa debate in order to squelch this anachronistic religiousinfluence in his classroom. The only problem was that inhis haste, he failed to identify someone to square up withhis pro-evolution candidate, a power-hitting, man-eating,societally accomplished intellectual, skilled in debatingtactics. Ironically, it’s Herb who saves the day by suggestingthat Ralph follow up on his one and only lead—the fatherof the very student, Heidi, who provoked the wholecampaign in the first place. Left with no other choice,Ralph concedes to Herb’s suggestion. Heidi’s father, JimBritton, on the other hand, is a man with no aspirationsfor public exposure, a scientist working in the confines ofa quiet laboratory, who genuinely loves God and the Bible,but is faced with a “crisis of faith” when he learns that hisdaughter nominated him to occupy the other podium.

Love Story - The Myth that really Happened


Glen Scrivener - 2017
    We can't help it. They fill our vision and capture our heart. And these stories all follow familiar patterns: rags to riches; the monster defeated; love lost and then found again. Across the ages and down through history these themes have resonated with people. Is it possible that these themes go deeper than the story books? Could it be that we tell such stories because we are in such a story. And might the ultimate Hero have shown up, turning it all from fiction to fact. That's the claim of this book. In Love Story we explore Jesus as the true Hero and Easter as the 'myth that really happened'.

There is Still Much to Do


Andy Banton - 2017
    Because the Lord has ordained that Christians are to be involved in finding those sheep, the work of evangelism is not yet done, and won t be until the Lord returns. So there is still much to do! The question for us is simple: are we willing to be involved in doing it? This book is aimed at individual Christians and at churches to both encourage and challenge us all to be involved. There is surely no greater work we could ever be doing than sharing the gospel with those who are still without a Shepherd!

The Chappo Collection: Life, laughter, leadership, love in the Lord Jesus Christ


David Mansfield - 2017
    

Stubborn Perseverance: How to Launch Multiplying Movements of Disciples and Churches Among Muslims and Others


James Nyman - 2017
    This book illustrates and details biblical principles by which YOU can pursue God for a disciple-making movement in your own context. David Garrison, author of A Wind in the House of Islam writes: “ Stubborn Perseverance isn’t just a manual, it’s a record of the inner workings of a real church-planting movement that invites readers to join the exciting adventure of launching such movements.” Movements happen where believers intentionally: go where the lost are comfortable (but we may not be), involve pre-existing groups with natural affinity (that live, work or play together), engage these groups in “discovery” of Jesus’ teachings and commands, then equip new believers to do the same in their other relational networks. Stubborn Perseverance  illustrates how to build on a foundation of prayer, fasting and prayer-walking with several approaches for finding “Persons of Peace” (POPs) who will engage others in discussing Jesus’ teachings. Stubborn Perseverance models these universal methods for finding such POPs: salting conversation with thanksgiving to God, sharing personal salvation stories, offering prayer for deliverance from sickness, demonization, and “storms of life,” and sharing a Creation to Christ gospel presentation. Stubborn Perseverance also illustrates two methods for finding POPs especially appropriate with Muslims: asking, “Do you know anyone who has had a dream from God?,” and using verses from the Qur’an as a bridge to lead Muslims into the Bible. While nearly all the material in Stubborn Perseverance is universally applicable, believers interested in loving Muslims to Jesus will find extensive, specialized resources for guiding Muslims to discover: what the Qur’an itself says about Jesus (their “Isa”) and the Bible (their “former books”), and Jesus as the “Straight Path” to which the Qur'an calls Muslims. Those who find a mentor and gather others to read and apply Stubborn Perseverance will find this manual a true catalyst for greater fruitfulness. Endorsed by: — Greg Livingstone, founder of Frontiers — George Patterson, Come Quickly Dawn — Kevin Greeson, The Camel Method — Steve Smith, T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution and the No Place Left saga: (Hastening and Rebirth) — Steve Addison, Movements That Change the World, What Jesus Started, and Pioneering Movements &