Sacramental. Pentecostal. Christian communities tend to identify with one of these labels over the other two. Evangelical churches emphasize the importance of Scripture and preaching. Sacramental churches emphasize the importance of the eucharistic table. And pentecostal churches emphasize the immediate presence and power of the Holy Spirit. But must we choose between them? Could the church be all three? Drawing on his reading of the New Testament, the witness of Christian history, and years of experience in Christian ministry and leadership, Gordon T. Smith argues that the church not onlycan be all three, but in fact must be all three in order to truly be the church. As the church navigates the unique global challenges of pluralism, secularism, and fundamentalism, the need for an integrated vision of the community as evangelical, sacramental, and pentecostal becomes ever more pressing. If Jesus and the apostles saw no tension between these characteristics, why should we?

    We all hurt and need true, lasting healing. The trouble, according to bestselling author Andrew Farley and Bart Millard, lead singer of MercyMe, is that we don't know where to find it.Inspired by MercyMe's #1 hit song of the same name, The Hurt & The Healer reveals exactly how God can be the gentle healer of all our hurts. Writing from the pain they've experienced in their lives, Millard and Farley reveal how their own struggles caused them to feel they had disappointed God. Through their biblical guidance, readers will see that God wants them to be open and honest about their pain. Only then can they discover how to exchange destructive thinking patterns for God's view of them and watch as God's perfect love casts away all their fears.

    The seven sessions are: The Separation of Church and State Creation and Evolution in the Public Schools The Death Penalty Euthanasia Prayer in Public Schools Abortion Homosexuality The study is designed as a "fishing expedition," with tools and helps that will enable congregations to make the study a church and community-wide outreach event, including sermon starters and promotion aids.

    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.

    Feeling lost, he decided to pair his spiritual journey with a literal one: a hundred-mile pilgrimage along the northeast coast of England.Inspired by the life and influence of the seventh-century monk Cuthbert, Sheridan travelled on foot from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to Durham. Taking his friend DJ along for the journey, and keeping a journal by his side, Sheridan discovered not resolution but peace. Not ambition but purpose. Not shouts of convictions but whispers of the presence of God.In The Making of Us, Sheridan invites us to join him as he walks along England’s shores and we trace the borders of our own hearts. Part pilgrim’s journal, part call to reflection, The Making of Us eloquently reminds us of the beauty of journeying into uncertainty, the freedom of letting go, and the wonder of losing our identity only to discover who we really are.

    A true underdog story. Journey with these young leaders as they do church their way. A diner, driving school and an odd jobs company are just some of the ways this group used to build a thriving church. In "How to Knock Over a 7-Eleven and Other Ministry Training," author and senior pastor Michael Cheshire brings real-life stories to out of the box church work. His humor is unmatched and the insights you get will cut to the core as you journey with him and his team as they build a church from scratch. This book takes you behind the scenes of a radically different way to build a church. It's a valuable resource for those planning to launch a new ministry or for leaders wanting to be more innovative in their community. This is not a story of the traditional church. Michael and his team sacrifice more than a few sacred cows in their pursuit of God's calling. If you're determined to pursue a calling in any type of ministry, this book will only make your fire grow.

    Billions of dollars are spent each year trying to retain or restore health. It is a basic desire of all mankind. Anyone who likes sickness must be mentally sick! Yet, religion has told us that God is the one who wants us sick. It even tries to make us believe that sickness is a blessing. That's just not true. God wants you well. Healing is in Christ's Atonement. Jesus died for our health just as much as He died for the forgiveness of our sins. This has to be the foundation of our faith for healing. Many Scriptures relate the healing of our bodies and the forgiveness of our sins in the same verse. Jesus went about healing all who were oppressed of the devil and told us to do the same. Jesus hasn't changed, it's the people who represent Him who have changed. What about Paul's thorn in the flesh? It is commonly believed that the apostle Paul had a sickness for which he besought the Lord for healing three times, and the Lord wouldn't heal him. From that assumption, people teach that God sometimes wants us sick. In this book, Andrew reveals what Paul's thorn in the flesh was, and it wasn't sickness. If it is God's will to heal everyone, then why isn't everyone healed? It's not because of God. And it's not just because we don't have enough faith. We do have the faith to be healed. Jesus said the problem is our unbelief - unbelief cancels out faith. Instead of trying to get more faith or bigger faith, we just need a pure faith that isn't negated by unbelief. There are laws that govern the spiritual world just as there are laws that govern the physical realm. Electricity has been around since the beginning of the world, but mankind didn't benefit from electricity until recently, not because it didn't work, but because of our ignorance of the laws of electricity. Likewise, God's healing is here and available. It's only our ignorance of the laws which control the flow of God's power that keeps us from benefiting from it.

    Pretending Jesus is less than He is resulted in someone I wasn't compelled to worship. So I began a journey to discover the whole Jesus--including the seemingly rough and wild parts--revealed in the Bible. And I found Him to be bigger and better than I ever dreamed.--Lisa HarperThrough a powerful blend of storytelling and biblical insights, Lisa Harper invites you to engage with the Jesus of the gospels, a person so provocative that no one left an encounter with Him unchanged. Pharisees fumed, paralytics turned cartwheels, and pariahs found love and acceptance.Come meet the Jesus who is both safe and strong--and learn how this radical Redeemer can liberate you to live and love with abandon.Includes questions for group discussion or personal reflection.

    In eight stirring meditations, Darrell Johnson shows how the Lord's Prayer sums up the essence of Christian faith and, when prayed in faith, draws us into draws us into the Triune God's work of transforming the world. Darrell W. Johnson is Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A popular conference and retreat speaker, he has also served as the preaching pastor for a number of congregations in North America and the Philippines and Adjunct Professor of Preaching for the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. His other books include Experiencing the Trinity and Discipleship on the Edge: An Expository Journey through the Book of Revelation.

    Spurgeon (19th June 1834 – 31 January 1892) was not only a wonderful orator but also magnificent with his pen. The sermons he preached touched the lives of thousands. His writings still continue to reach those who read them to this very day. Reading Spurgeon today may be secondary to the impossibility of hearing him but there is no doubt that his words still carry the weight of Biblical truth. This is the Kindle version of Spurgeon’s commentary on the Bible. Such a work is the perfect foil for his many volumes of sermons as we gain his helpful insight into God’s word.Spurgeon is best remembered as the pastor the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, England. There he enjoyed many years of fruitful ministry, leading people to Christ and pastoring the ever growing congregation of the Church. While this book does not cover every verse in the Bible it is a valuable resource in home Bible study, preaching preparation or even to help with our own understanding of Scripture We now present this work to you on the Kindle. It includes an active table of contents to assist you in moving to the chapters of your choice.This is a must read for every Christian. In this volume Spurgeon provides his commentary on: • The Whole Bible As part of this publication there is an extensive study guide designed to help you in your quest to better study the Bible. ➢ Study Guide ➢ A Secret Of Understanding The Bible ➢ The Quick Way To Get To Understand Different Types Of Bible Books ➢ Understanding The Bible By Grasping The Big Picture ➢ 4 Essential Tips For Developing An Organised Approach To Understanding The Bible ➢ The Authority Of The Bible ➢ The Theme Of The Bible ➢ The Impact Of The Bible On Our Lives ➢ Practical Help ➢ How To Study The Bible

    Benjamin L. Merkle grounds this study about church elders in the Word of God as he clearly and succinctly informs laypeople of the scriptural qualifications and responsibilities of elders and deacons. Then he implores lay men and women to vote wisely concerning church leadership. Why Elders?assumes the voice of the curious church member who reads the Bible with an eye focused on the early church's organizational structure and asks, "Why did they do it the way they did?" and "How can we follow Scripture's prescription for leadership?"

    It doesn't matter how fierce the battle we find ourselves are, the WORD of God will always work. Jesus gave us a template for dealing with the devil from His encounter with satan on the mount. Three times he said, "It is written." "It is written," that is, declaring the word of God in the face of the situation and circumstance remain the smartest thing for us to do to win the battles we face every day. As you learn to stand on what God has said about your life, marriage, career, family and continue to pray and declare the scriptures, at first, it might look like you're deceiving yourself. But in reality, you are winning the battle. This book will guide you to simple and easy steps to pray the scriptures and manifest the victory and blessings and God for your life.

    God-Sized Vision challenges us to pray expectantly to see his work in our own day. God can bring revival again to our community, our country, and our world. Our faith grows stronger when we learn how God worked in the past. The historical stories of worldwide revivals in this book enlarge our hearts and expand our minds as we see God at work in human history with a power that is still available to the faithful today. Here scholars Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge recount the fascinating details of world-changing revivals, beginning with biblical events and continuing through the Reformation, the Great Awakenings, the Welsh and Korean revivals, the East Africa Revival of the 1930s, and more recent revivals in North America and China. What did these revivals have in common? How can we prepare for and expect revival in our own culture? With accessible language and gripping examples, Hansen and Woodbridge explore these questions and more, strengthening our understanding of God s work while deepening our faith in the possibility of revival right where we are."

    

    It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people." -- A. W. TozerChrist promised his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came on them, and that they would be his witnesses across the world. When the Spirit did come to them in tongues of fire, thousands believed in Christ and were saved. That same miracle, that same Spirit, is alive in us today.so why are all of us-from the evangelical to the charismatic-so desperate for an intimate encounter with God? Why don't we feel like the new creations we know we are?Pastor and theologian Simon Ponsonby believes that the hunger we feel is a desire for more of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Many Christins have emphasized the experience of the Spirit and neglected the Word, while others have emphasized the Word and neglected the Spirit. Either way, we've become so accustomed to living in the shallow waters of Christianity that we've forgotten the depth of that promised power, and the depth of the love that gave this power to us.In More, Simon invites you to journey with him into the deep waters of God's love. While both biblical and practical, what he says also has the power to inspire in you a new love and a new understanding of everything we've been given in Christ. Are you ready? This journey may not be comfortable or easy, but it will bring you more joy and more of God than you can even imagine.