Believing Jesus


Book Description

Are you truly willing to risk everything? In Believing Jesus, Bible teacher and author Lisa Harper retraces the steps of the apostles in the book of Acts, while throwing in a few of her own crazy adventures along the way. The disciples didn’t have much of a road map after Jesus ascended to heaven, but God’s grace and spirit filled in the gaps as they moved forward. It required their willingness to risk everything to establish a new community that would change the future world. As a regular speaker on the Women of Faith® tour, Lisa has earned a reputation as a true theological scholar and hilarious storyteller—not necessarily in that order! Best-selling author and pastor Max Lucado calls Lisa one of the “best Bible tour guides around.” Believing Jesus will highlight both of Lisa’s strengths as she tackles every chapter of the Book of Acts with biblical wisdom and modern wit. Lisa keeps it real, telling stories on herself and pointing readers back to Jesus, the only one who can truly lead.




Believing Jesus Study Guide


Book Description

What does it mean to believe Jesus? Not just believe in Jesus, but actually believe what He said--and shape our lives around that truth? How would that affect the choices we make? The way we see the world? The way we conduct ourselves with other Christians? In this eight-session video Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), Lisa Harper answers these questions by looking at the lives of the believers in Acts and how Jesus' command to spread the gospel forever shaped their lives. You will hear how Peter turned tables on his Benedict-Arnold behavior and became a church-building saint when the power of the Holy Spirit came over him. How the first believers were so gifted at giving they made Santa look bush league. How it cost Stephen and other early believers their very lives to follow Christ. And how Paul's case proves God's grace can change the worst of sinners, making us willing to have our lives interrupted by God and boldly share the gospel to the world. Today, we are faced with the same decisions the early church faced. Will we, like them, truly believe the words of Jesus and allow them to transform every part of our lives? Sessions include: The Declarations that Define Us Earth, Wind, and Celestial Fire Checkered Pasts Can Make Incredible Preachers What's Mine Is Yours Loving More People, More The Need to Be ReGospeled Turning Your World Upside Down Bearing the Chain Because Designed for use with the Believing Jesus Video Study (sold separately).




Jesus Bible Study Guide


Book Description

Do you find it more difficult to think of Jesus Christ as a human, like you, than to think of him as God? You may believe in God, and you may believe Jesus is God, but many Christians find it difficult to think of him as a real person--fully human as he was fully divine. Award-winning author Max Lucado reveals in this video Bible study (DVD/streaming video sold separately) that in order to really know God and understand the Gospel, it's essential that we take a closer look at Jesus' humanity. The concept of Jesus' human and heavenly nature is difficult to wrap our minds around. He's the God who formed the universe and, at the same time, knows your personal struggles...because he went through the same things. For thirty-three years, Jesus felt everything you have ever felt. Weakness. Weariness. Sadness. Rejection. His feet got tired. His head ached. He was tempted and his strength was tested. The purpose of this study is simple: by journeying through these six lessons with a small group, you will get to know Jesus—and, therefore, God—like you never have before. And by learning more about the person Jesus was and is, we come to understand more clearly the people we were created to be. The Jesus Study Guide includes: Video teaching notes Group discussion questions and activities Bible exploration and prayers Weekly personal study and reflection materials. Get ready to study who Jesus was while he walked this earth and what that means for your life today. In doing this, you will get to know God, his purpose for you, and his love for you like you never have before. *Designed for use with the Jesus: The God Who Knows Your Name Video Study, available on DVD or streaming video, sold separately.




Think, Act, Be Like Jesus


Book Description

The Bible teaches that the goal of the Christian life is to become like Jesus—for our own personal growth and for the sake of others. Every believer needs to ask three big questions: What do I believe? What should I do? And who am I becoming? In Think, Act, Be Like Jesus, bestselling author and pastor Randy Frazee helps readers grasp the vision of the Christian life and get started on the journey of discipleship. After unfolding the revolutionary dream of Jesus and showing how our lives fit into the big picture of what God is doing in the world, Frazee walks readers through thirty short chapters exploring the ten core beliefs, ten core practices, and ten core virtues that help disciples to think, act, and be more like Jesus Christ. This compelling new book can be used in conjunction with the 30-week all-church Believe campaign or read separately as an individual study. Either way, readers will deepen their understanding of what it means to not just know the Story of God, but to live it.




The Case for Jesus


Book Description

“This book will prove to be a most effective weapon… against the debunking and skeptical attitudes toward the Gospels that are so prevalent, not only in academe, but also on the street, among young people who, sadly, are leaving the Churches in droves.” – Robert Barron, author of Catholicism For well over a hundred years now, many scholars have questioned the historical truth of the Gospels, claiming that they were originally anonymous. Others have even argued that Jesus of Nazareth did not think he was God and never claimed to be divine. In The Case for Jesus, Dr. Brant Pitre, the bestselling author of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, goes back to the sources—the biblical and historical evidence for Christ—in order to answer several key questions, including: • Were the four Gospels really anonymous? • Are the Gospels folklore? Or are they biographies? • Were the four Gospels written too late to be reliable? • What about the so-called “Lost Gospels,” such as “Q” and the Gospel of Thomas? • Did Jesus claim to be God? • Is Jesus divine in all four Gospels? Or only in John? • Did Jesus fulfill the Jewish prophecies of the Messiah? • Why was Jesus crucified? • What is the evidence for the Resurrection? As The Case for Jesus will show, recent discoveries in New Testament scholarship, as well as neglected evidence from ancient manuscripts and the early church fathers, together have the potential to pull the rug out from under a century of skepticism toward the traditional Gospels. Above all, Pitre shows how the divine claims of Jesus of Nazareth can only be understood by putting them in their ancient Jewish context.




Hard to Believe Workbook


Book Description

There is no user-friendly, seeker-sensitive Gospel. There is only the truth. Let John MacArthur personally guide you deeper into the biblical truths of Hard to Believe?truths that triumph over the world's false view of Christianity. In this workbook, pastor, teacher, and best-selling author John MacArthur takes you step by step through each main idea of his insightful and sometimes shocking new book, Hard to Believe. These interactive lessons reaffirm that watered-down Christianity is really no Christianity at all, and that true faith must be defended in a cynical yet tolerant world regardless of the cost. Jesus instructs would-be Christians to deny themselves, take up their crosses daily, and follow Him. It is a tremendous journey filled with pain and sacrifice, but one that ultimately leads to a joy beyond measure?because the reward is eternal life. The Hard to Believe Workbook includes a six-part study guide for every chapter plus special features, including key quotations from the book; daily prayers, Bible readings, and study questions; notes and answers for discussion leaders; and much more. Short of having Pastor MacArthur in your living room or Bible study class, the Hard to Believe Workbook is the best way possible to fully experience his life-changing insights into the high cost and infinite value of following Jesus.




All In


Book Description

Christians who want to take the next step in their faith walk need look no further. It's time to ante up and go all in with God. The Gospel costs nothing. You can't earn it or buy it. It can only be received as a free gift, which is compliments of God's grace. It doesn't cost anything, but it demands everything. It demands that we go "all in," putting all that we have into God's hands. But why do so many Christians hesitate to do that? And when did we start believing that the Gospel is an insurance plan? We're afraid that if we go all in that we might miss out on what life has to offer. But Jesus did not die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous. So, let's step out of spiritual no man's land and kneel at the foot of the cross of Christ and surrender to his lordship. It's time to dethrone yourself and enthrone Christ as king, and Pastor Mark Batterson is here to show you how. Using his customary vivid, contemporary illustrations, as well as biblical characters like Shamgar, Elisha, Jonathan, and even Judas, you will be challenged to trade what Batterson calls "inverted Christianity" for true discipleship as you strip away your excuses and inhibitions and follow God completely. It's now or never. Are you ready to go all in and all out for God? Also available: All In student edition, video curriculum, and study guide.




Believing Bible Study


Book Description




The Case for Christ


Book Description

The book consists primarily of interviews between Strobel (a former legal editor at the Chicago Tribune) and biblical scholars such as Bruce Metzger. Each interview is based on a simple question, concerning historical evidence (for example, "Can the Biographies of Jesus Be Trusted?"), scientific evidence, ("Does Archaeology Confirm or Contradict Jesus' Biographies?"), and "psychiatric evidence" ("Was Jesus Crazy When He Claimed to Be the Son of God?"). Together, these interviews compose a case brief defending Jesus' divinity, and urging readers to reach a verdict of their own.




Don't Believe Your Eyes - Teen Bible Study Book


Book Description

In this seven-session Bible study, students will discover that Jesus Christ is the only One who can cast our labels and disappointments aside and show us what it truly means to be loved.