Book Resources
Discipleship
The Cost of Discipleship
Dietrich Bonhoffer
The Cost of Discipleship compels the reader to face himself and God in any situation. Bonhoeffer speaks of "Cheap Grace": preaching forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. "Cheap Grace" is grace without discipleship. "Costly Grace" is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. "It's costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."
Christ's Call to Discipleship
James Montgomery Boice
* Boice asserts that though the church talks a lot about God, and does much on his behalf, there is very little actual following of Christ. Exploring the meaning, path, cost, and rewards of true discipleship, he discovers the transforming impact believers who are committed to Jesus as Savior and Lord can have on the world. 168 pages, softcover from Kregel.
Understanding the Bible
God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-line of the Bible
Vaughan Roberts
Does the Bible sometimes seem like a confusing jumble of books, authors, and stories? Roberts's excellent overview takes a wide-angle view of Scripture, showing how the various parts of the Bible consolidate into one united theme the kingdom of God. With this encouraging tool guiding you, you'll be reading God's Word with new confidence and understanding.
According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible
Graeme Goldsworthy
The massive diversity and complexity of the Bible can make it a daunting project for anyone to tackle. Getting a grasp on the unity of the Bible, its central message from Genesis to Revelation, helps immensely in understanding the meaning of any one book or passage. That is the goal of this introductory text. How do the Old and New Testament fit together? What is the point of biblical theology? What is the overall story of the Bible?
From Eden to the New Jerusalem: An Introduction to Biblical Theology
T. Desmond Alexander
In From Eden to the New Jerusalem T. Desmon Alexander illuminates a global biblical theology through the lens of the final chapters of Revelation. These chapters, anticipating the arrival of God's new creation bring to fulfillment the entire biblical story and as such represent Christianity's "meta-story" to which the entirety of Scripture points.
God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment: A Biblical Theology
NT scholar James Hamilton in God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment stating that his desire is to do for "biblical theology what Kevin Vanhoozer did for hermeneutics and David Wells did for evangelical theology"(38).
The Church
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church
Mark Dever
How do you assess whether a church is healthy or ailing? In this revised edition of his classic study, Dever identifies nine marks that set a vigorous congregation apart---and adds fresh insights on expository preaching, biblical theology, concern for discipleship, leadership tips, and more.
Understanding Baptism
Bobby Jamieson
Jesus commands his disciples to be baptized, and it's a glorious picture of a person's union with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Still, many Christians feel unclear about the topic, having more questions than answers. This short work provides a biblical explanation of baptism. What is it? Who should be baptized? Why is it required for church membership? And how should churches practice baptism?
Understanding the Lord's Supper
Bobby Jamieson
The Lord's Supper isn't just something churches do together, it's something that binds us together, making many into one. This accessible work biblically explains what the Lord's Supper is, how it relates to a local church's life together, who should celebrate the Lord's Supper, and how we should approach it.
Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God's People
What is worship? Merker believes it is the gathering of the Lord's people, by his grace, for his glory and their good, before a watching world. Offering biblical insights and practical suggestions, Matt examines the congregation's necessity, role, theological rationale, purpose, order, and more. Includes sample orders of service.
The Church: The Gospel Made Visible
Christians face lots of practical questions when it comes to life in the local church: How is the gospel displayed in our lives together? What are we supposed to do and believe? Different followers answer differently-even as they preach the same gospel! What should we think about such differences?
The Christian Life
Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church
Donald S. Whitney
In a world committed to self-seeking and the thirst for individual rights, it is hard to create a genuine community based on self sacrifice and mutual commitment, but that is just what the church must do. In Spiritual Disciplines Within The Church, seminary professor, author, and former pastor Don Whitney shows how the local church can build a sense of community and turn church people from passive attendees into active participants. Whitney looks at such frequently asked questions as: Why can't I get by on my own? Why Should I go to church? Why should I give of myself to the church?
Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist
John Piper
Strengthen your relationship with God simply by enjoying him and his creation. Piper compellingly reveals why your deepest and most enduring happiness can only be found in God. Laying biblical foundations for a life of celebration, he describes how to glorify the Lord by truly desiring and enjoying him.
Don't Waste Your Life
John Piper
Piper has a passionate message for today's generation: Life is short---make yours count! Dare to live for the "great and glorious things that matter"---take risks in relationships for the sake of righteousness, in financial decisions for the cause of the gospel, and in witnessing to the truth and beauty of Christ.
Valley of Vision
Draw upon the inspiration of the elegant prayers of such Puritans as John Bunyan, Isaac Watts, David Brainerd, Augustus Toplady, and Charles Spurgeon. The Valley of Vision has been prepared not to simply supply Christians with prayers, but to prompt and encourage them as they walk upon the path of others who've gone before them. You'll relish the elegance of these writings as they transport you to the heavenly throne of grace. Topics include redemption and reconciliation, holy aspirations, penitence, and more.
Praying with Paul: A Call for Spiritual Reformation
God doesn't demand hectic church programs and frenetic schedules; he only wants his people to know him more intimately, says top-selling author D. A. Carson. The apostle Paul found that spiritual closeness in his own fellowship with the Father. By following Paul's example, we can do the same. This book calls believers to reject superficiality and revolutionize their lives by embracing a God-guided approach to prayer.
Church History
The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation
Michael Reeves
The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation, is a lively, accessible, and fully informative introduction to the Reformation by Michael Reeves. It brings to life the movement's most colorful characters (Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin,), while also examining their ideas, showing the profound and personal relevance of Reformation thinking for today. Also included are a lengthy Reformation timeline, a map of key places in the Reformation, further reading suggestions, and, in this U.S. edition, a new foreword by 9 Marks Ministries president Mark Dever.
2,000 Years of Christ's Power: The Age of the Early Church Fathers - Volume 1
Nick Needham
The first volume of 2,000 Years of Christ's Power covers the period from the 1st Century AD to the start of the Middle Ages. From the works of Saint Augustine of Hippo to the first apologetic ever penned, the foundations of what we take for granted today were establised during this time in history.
2,000 Years of Christ's Power: The Middle Ages - Volume 2
Nick Needham
This second volume of 2,000 Years of Christ's Power unveils another side of the Middle Ages: the continual workings of Christ as He built His kingdom through figures such as Thomas a Kempis and John Wycliffe, who lived and struggled during these centuries. This was far from a period of stagnation; rather it was the fire from which the Reformation was kindled.
2,000 Years of Christ's Power: Renaissance and Reformation - Volume 3
Nick Needham
In this third volume from the four-volume series, 2,000 Years of Christ's Power, church historian Nick Needham tells the story of one of the most exciting times within Christian history—the story of Renaissance and Reformation. He makes no attempt to somehow patch up or gloss over the division of the church today. Rather, in weaving a narrative that reveals the progression of the Reformation era, and the daring bravery of its figures, he presents an opportunity for all religious descendants of that amazing 16th century eruption to meet and interact with the authentic voices of their epoch-making ancestors in the faith. With accessible language and solid scholarship, Needham illuminates a period of history from which we have much to learn—one of the most important of these lessons being the vibrancy of people's lives and the courage with which they faced death.
2,000 Years of Christ's Power: The Age of Religious Conflict - Volume 4
Nick Needham
Nick Needham's 2,000 Years of Christ's Power: The Age of Religious Conflict, the fourth of a multiple volume series on the history of the church, covers roughly the period between 1560 to 1740. It presents a time from which English Protestantism, Scottish Presbyterianism, and French Catholicism, to name a few, were birthed and refined. Academically reliable, but written with an easy, even humorous style which makes it accessible to anybody with an interest, this work falls in a category all of its own, detailing an era within church history that has profoundly and directly impacted the characteristics of our own period of history.
