Book picks similar to
Preaching for Conversions by Jeffery Smith


evangelism
ministry-reading
pastoral-preaching
preaching

Uneclipsing the Son


Rick Holland - 2011
    Escape the twilight of tepid religiosity to step into the broad daylight of the living Christ! Christianity is the worship of Jesus Christ. If He is who the Bible says He is, and if He did what the Bible says He did, He is worthy of the exclusive, attention and focus pf our lives. Sadly, though, the Son gets crowded out by earthly things. Our hearts grow slack, our love runs cool, our worship is distracted. Even the treadmill of Christian activity can keep us ever unable to focus on the Author and Finisher of the race. We sip at puddles of sin a stone's throw from the Well of the water of life. Uneclipsing the Son aims at ending all this, bringing you face to face with the Christ of Scripture, the only one who can transform you just by knowing Him. Clear, biblical, compelling, Holland will drive you relentlessly to the conclusion that you must give yourself to the worship of this Jesus or forever stumble in the half-light of spiritual uncertainty and disaffection."

If I Were God, I'd End All the Pain


John Dickson - 2001
    If God loves me, why does He allow me to feel lonely, hurt or afraid? There are no easy answers to the question of suffering and we are not served by glib responses to very real and troubling issues.The If I Were God, I'd End All The Pain is well suited for Christian Studies classes and other contexts where the important issue of suffering must come up. The six studies contained within the student workbook on Job and the cross are designed to complement the corresponding chapter of John Dickson's book.

Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up


Francis Chan - 2011
    They've asked the same questions. Like you, sometimes they just don't want to believe in hell. But as they write, "We cannot afford to be wrong on this issue."This is not a book about who is saying what. It's a book about what God says. It's not a book about impersonal theological issues. It's a book about people who God loves. It's not a book about arguments, doctrine, or being right. It's a book about the character of God.Erasing Hell will immerse you in the truth of Scripture as, together with the authors, you find not only the truth but the courage to live it out.

Mixed Blessings


Barbara Brown Taylor - 1986
    Originally preached for the congregation of All Saints' Episcopal Church in downtown Atlanta, the topics of these sermons range from conversations with Abraham and Moses in the texts of the Hebrew scriptures to our awareness of the communion of saints and how to recognize a miracle when one comes our way.

The Priority of Preaching


Christopher Ash - 2009
    Have you ever gone to a conference as a preacher of a local church and come away jaded because you felt that you couldnt live up to impressive conference speaker in your week to week Sunday ministry? This book is for the preacher; prospective preacher or the listener.From the words of Deuteronomy & Moses this is a call to make the proclamation of Gods word a priority each week.

Heaven on Earth: What the Bible Teaches about Life to Come


Derek W.H. Thomas - 2018
    Do you know with any certainty where your conscious, thinking, self-aware, communicative self will be? And does it matter, as long as you are in 'heaven'? But the importance of 'heaven' does not consist only in it being the alternative to 'hell'. It is not just an abstract future state into which we will slip, it is a physical reality which can give us joy and hope even now as we look toward it.Derek Thomas examines how the Christian can and should think about heaven:1. We Die ... Then what?2. Are You Ready?3. Falling Asleep4. The Trumpet Shall Sound5. The New Heaven and New Earth6. What Will Heaven be Like?7. Like the Angels

The Word of God for the People of God: An Entryway to the Theological Interpretation of Scripture


J. Todd Billings - 2010
    Though there is currently a large body of material on the theological interpretation of Scripture, most of it is highly specific and extremely technical. J. Todd Billings here provides a straightforward entryway for students and pastors to understand why theological interpretation matters and how it can be done. / A solid, constructive theological work, The Word of God for the People of God presents a distinctive Trinitarian, participatory approach toward reading Scripture as the church. Billings's accessible yet substantial argument for a theological hermeneutic is rooted in a historic vision of the practice of scriptural interpretation even as it engages a wide range of contemporary issues and includes several exegetical examples that apply to concrete Christian ministry situations.

Jesus the Evangelist: Learning to Share the Gospel from the Book of John


Richard D. Phillips - 2007
    Richard D. Phillips digs into the early chapters of the Gospel of John to discover principles for Christian outreach that were modeled by witnesses for Jesus and by Jesus Himself. Phillips unfolds biblical principles for evangelism by examining the ministry of John the Baptist and the calling of the first of Jesus disciples. Then, through a brief study of the Lord's encounter with the Pharisee Nicodemus, he presents us with a theology of the gospel. Finally, he focuses on Jesus stirring encounter with the Samaritan woman to show exactly how Christ shared the good news. Phillips clear and concise handling of these key stories will both motivate and instruct believers in their witness on behalf of Christ.

What's Wrong With Religion


Skye Jethani - 2017
    Figuring Out Faith?1- Everyone is Religion2- How Religion Ruins the World3- Getting Rid of Religion Doesn't Help4- God Doesn't Exist to Be Used5- ...& Neither Do You6- THE SOLUTION: Living WITH God7- The "Radical" Life Isn't What You Think8- The World Is A Perfectly Safe Place (Really)9- All You Need Is Love

Gashmu Saith It: How to Build Christian Communities that Save the World


Douglas Wilson - 2021
    6:6).Today we see a culture that is increasingly hostile to Christians, and Christians are increasingly aware that they need to form strong communities to do for them what the culture no longer can. This is a good thing, but it will only work if like Nehemiah and his men we are committed to resisting the dictates of our culture. If we are at all afraid of looking like the crazy fundamentalists that our culture loves to hate, then our communities will be as easily led by the culture as anybody else.In this short book, Pastor Douglas Wilson describes some of the most important ways to create and maintain counter-cultural Christian communities. Whether he is talking about the need for kids to get calluses or for love and loyalty within churches, Douglas Wilson brings decades of on-the-ground wisdom and experience to the topic.A city without walls is not really a city; neither is a city without a church at the center. Get busy. Build the walls, fight sin, love your family and church, and live out the Gospel.

Shelter in God: Your Refuge in Times of Trouble


David Jeremiah - 2020
    David Jeremiah shares how the book of Psalms can aid those struggling to find meaning during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Shelter-in-place orders around the world have people questioning, “Does God see us? Can he help us through this nerve-racking time? Dr. David Jeremiah shares through psalms that God is always walking beside us. Now is the time to Shelter in God.Renowned pastor and teacher Dr. David Jeremiah believes comfort can be found in the Psalms, both now during the coronavirus pandemic and during all of life's greatest challenges. This newly collected volume will show how finding refuge in God is always our safest place. Shelter in God offers hope in a time of uncertainty and relief to people who are experiencing real troubles and fear.find ways to worship in times of trouble,experience prayer in pressure,show grace you are at your wits’ end, andwith God’s help, triumph over trouble. Shelter in God is an invaluable source of help and encouragement for people facing major obstacles during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Portions of Shelter in God were previously included in Dr. Jeremiah’s classic When Your World Falls Apart.

Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? 12 False Christs


Matthew R. Richard - 2017
    Like the Elvises who roam the streets of Vegas, these counterfeit christs look and sound like Jesus, but they couldn’t be further from the real deal.In Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? 12 False Christs, author Matthew Richard exposes these false christs for what they are . . . mere impostors. Richard reveals to readers who the real Jesus of the Bible is, but also reveals to us twelve false christs who are embraced, loved, promoted, and revered, even by well-meaning Christians.“My hope is that readers will connect with the different stories in this book, but will do so in a way that they can see how people’s false theology and bad presuppositions lead to taking up false christs,” says Richard. “In other words, this book attempts to combine the art of story and the discipline of theology, so that the reader can see flesh-and-blood examples of how easy false theology can lead someone into idolatry.”

Pastor Dad


Mark Driscoll - 2009
    The important thing is that he is caring for his flock well. This book by Pastor Mark Driscoll looks at the ways that a father can raise his children well.

Principles of War: Thoughts on Strategic Evangelism


Jim Wilson - 1961
    These principles have been entitled the "principles of war." But not all warfare is waged on a battlefield: every Christian is called to be a soldier. Our fight is against Satan, our objective is the acknowledgment and fulfillment of God's commands, and our ammunition is the power of the Holy Spirit. In Principles of War Jim Wilson outlines the time-tried, fundamental principles of war and explains how we can employ them in our daily spiritual battles as we fight a war which our commander in chief has already won for us.

Simplicity


Mark Salomon - 2003
    As Salomon journeys through his experiences in indie rock bands playing churches and events, he exposes why he dropped the label of "Christian" in order to truly minister. He challenges pervading mindsets and shows that an authentic Christian life reaches beyond the traditions of religion.