God's Sacred Occasions


Book Description

The Feasts of the Lord, or God’s Appointed Times, first appear in the Bible during the Exodus. There are three aspects to the Feasts of the Lord: 1. Agricultural, 2. Memorial, and 3. Prophetic. They are prophetic about both the First Advent and the Second Advent which means that some events prophesied have not happened yet. The Jewish calendar was to be determined by the New Moons and the ripening of barley in Israel and consisted of twelve or thirteen months. The first of the Appointed Times was Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Unfortunately, the Hebrews rarely observed the Feasts of the Lord and this ultimately led to their division and the Babylonian captivity. In Babylon they began to rely upon the Babylonians astronomical calculations as well as observations to try to determine when the Feasts of the Lord would occur. Finally in the fourth century, they began to rely solely on calculations to determine the dates of the Feasts of the Lord. The Feasts of the Lord played an important role during Christ’s time on earth. There were four Passovers during His ministry culminating in His crucifixion at the time of the fourth Passover. After His resurrection, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon His followers in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. The early Christian Church continued observance of the Feasts of the Lord. Paul observed Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Philippi. He was arrested at the time of Pentecost. The first breaks from the Feasts of the Lord began in the second century CE. The Feasts of the Lord are still important today because they were part of an oath from God, and He never breaks His oaths. Furthermore, we will be observing Feasts of the Lord in the New Earth.




That All May Be Edified


Book Description

Each person has the capacity for growth and the potential to reach perfection," writes Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve. As if written personally for and to each member of the Church, the book reflects the author's awareness of individual concerns, the struggle to progress, to accept change, to become perfect. That All May Be Edified concentrates on building the building of souls. Exquisitely detailed illustrations of basic structural forms introduce the seven sections into which the book is divided: The foundation of the edifice is instruction. Walls of encouragement are lifted up. Comfort spreads a shelter against despair. Windows of enlightment let in the light of faith. A closed door symbolizes a warning, for there are places that we must not enter if we are to be protected against danger. An exhortation is a buttress to correct error and strengthen the structure. Pure witness becomes the steeple, the capstone, the pinnacle. Each section begins with a specially written commentary and includes some of Elder Packer's most memorable addresses and writings on such timely tops as the plan of salvation, thought control, prayer, miracles, nonmember spouses, family life, marriage, morality, obedience, the arts, the Atonement, and many more. The author's clear expression, creative presentation, and powerful testimony ensure that every reader will indeed be edified.




A Stranger in the House of God


Book Description

Growing up the son of agnostics, John Koessler saw a Catholic church on one end of the street and a Baptist on the other. In the no-man’s land between the two, this curious outside wondered about the God they worshipped—and began a lifelong search to comprehend the grace and mystery of God. A Stranger in the House of God addresses fundamental questions and struggles faced by spiritual seekers and mature believers. Like a contemporary Pilgrim’s Progress, it traces the author’s journey and explores his experiences with both charismatic and evangelical Christianity. It also describes his transformation from religious outsider to ordained pastor. John Koessler provides a poignant and often humorous window into the interior of the soul as he describes his journey from doubt and struggle with the church to personal faith







The Grace Outpouring


Book Description

An inspiration for the creation of houses of prayer around the world, The Grace Outpouring is a captivating account of spiritual renewal on a Welsh hillside. When Roy Godwin turned his back on a lucrative consulting job to lead the quiet retreat center Ffald-y-Brenin in West Wales, he wasn’t sure what was next. Then God showed up. In the years since the Godwins welcomed their first surprise guests to Ffald-y-Brenin, God has drawn thousands of seekers to this converted hill-farm with a tangible presence of healing and power. Along with its accompanying study guide, The Grace Outpouring offers fascinating stories of God’s work on a remote hillside as well as inspiring insight into how God can work in readers’ own communities.




God's Holy Day Plan


Book Description

The Creator of mankind does have a plan for you, and He reveals it through an annual cycle of festivals called Holy Days described in the Scriptures. It is an astounding plan offering an incredible future to every man, woman, and child who has ever lived. The Bible study aid ebook, God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind, will help you understand the incredible truth about what lies ahead for all humanity. Chapters in this ebook: -- Introduction: God's Holy Day Plan -- Are God's Holy Days Relevant Today? -- God's Festivals in the New Testament -- The Passover: Why Did Jesus Christ Have to Die? -- The Feast of Unleavened Bread: Replacing Sin With the Bread of Life -- The Feast of Pentecost: The Firstfruits of God's Harvest -- The Feast of Trumpets: A Turning Point in History -- Atonement: Removal of Sin's Cause and Reconciliation to God -- The Feast of Tabernacles: Jesus Christ Reigns Over All the Earth -- The Eighth Day: Eternal Life Offered to All -- What Is the Fate of the Unrepentant? -- How God's Festivals Teach Us About Jesus Christ -- How Should We Observe God's Festivals? -- Colossians 2:16 Shows Gentile Christians Observed the Biblical Holy Days -- The Annual Festivals of God - Holy Day Calendar Inside this Bible Study Aid ebook: "Paul and all the apostles taught a consistent message of the Christian's obligation to follow the example of Jesus Christ in all matters." "Keeping the Passover each year reminds us that God is the forgiver of sin who grants us eternal life in His Kingdom through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Passover." "Our observance of the Days of Unleavened Bread helps us realize our crucial need for Jesus' help in overcoming our weaknesses." "Pentecost serves as an annual reminder that our Creator still works miracles, granting His Spirit to those called to be the firstfruits of His spiritual harvest, empowering them to carry out His work in this world." "Jesus Christ will return to raise His followers from death and establish God's perfect rule over the earth. This is the wonderful, inspiring meaning of the Feast of Trumpets." "The Day of Atonement thus pictures the loving reconciliation all people can have with God through Christ's sacrifice. It also shows the remarkable truth that Satan, the author of sin, will eventually be removed so that humanity can at last attain reconciliation with God on a universal basis." "The Feast of Tabernacles offers a marvelous opportunity for salvation to those left alive at Christ's return, as well as their physical descendants during the Millennium." "What is the fate of those who die with no real knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Son of God? What hope is there for the billions who have lived and died without knowledge of God's purpose? The Scriptures show that these are not cut off without hope. He will bring them back to life and give them their opportunity for eternal salvation!"




Sacred Pace


Book Description

How do we hear from God and discern His will when it’s time to make big decisions? Terry Looper shares a four-step process for doing just that - a process he has learned and refined over thirty years as a Christian entrepreneur and founder of a multi-billion dollar company. At just thirty-six years old, Terry Looper was a successful Christian businessman who thought he had it all—until managing all he had led to a devastating burnout. Wealthy beyond his wildest dreams but miserable beyond belief, Terry experienced a radical transformation when he discovered how to align himself with God’s will in the years following his crash and burn. Sacred Pace is a four-step process that helps Christians in all walks of life learn how to slow down their decision-making under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, sift through their surface desires and sinful patterns in order to receive clear, peace-filled answers from the Lord, gain the confident assurance that God’s answers are His way of fulfilling the true desires he has placed in their hearts, and grow closer to the One who loves them most and knows them best. Sacred Pace is not another example of name-it-and-claim-it materialism in disguise. Instead, it walks Christians through the sometimes-painful process of “dying to self” in their decisions, both big and small, so that they desire God’s will more than their own.




The Joy of the Gospel


Book Description

The perfect gift! A specially priced, beautifully designed hardcover edition of The Joy of the Gospel with a foreword by Robert Barron and an afterword by James Martin, SJ. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus… In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” – Pope Francis This special edition of Pope Francis's popular message of hope explores themes that are important for believers in the 21st century. Examining the many obstacles to faith and what can be done to overcome those hurdles, he emphasizes the importance of service to God and all his creation. Advocating for “the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned,” the Holy Father shows us how to respond to poverty and current economic challenges that affect us locally and globally. Ultimately, Pope Francis demonstrates how to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small.” Profound in its insight, yet warm and accessible in its tone, The Joy of the Gospel is a call to action to live a life motivated by divine love and, in turn, to experience heaven on earth. Includes a foreword by Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith and James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage




God in the Qur'an


Book Description

Who is Allah? What does He ask of those who submit to His teachings? Pulitzer Prize-winner Jacke Miles gives us a deeply probing, revelatory portrait of the world’s second largest, fastest-growing and perhaps most tragically misunderstood religion. In doing so, Miles illuminates what is unique about Allah, His teachings, and His resolutely merciful temperament, and he thereby reveals that which is false, distorted, or simply absent from the popular conception of the heart of Islam. So, too, does Miles uncover the spiritual and scriptural continuity of the Islamic tradition with those of Judaism and Christianity, and the deep affinities among the three by setting passages from the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur’an side by side. In the spirit of his two previous books, God and Christ, and with his characteristic sensitivity, perspicacity and prodigious command of the subject, Miles calls for us all to read another’s scriptures with the same understanding and accommodating eye that we turn upon our own.




The Torah and Its God


Book Description

This detailed examination of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) lays particular emphasis on the role and character of the Torah's transcendent God, as its central protagonist. Viewing both the Torah and its God as purely human creations, humanist Jordan Jay Hillman seeks in no way to devalue this hugely influential book. His aim instead is to reinterpret it as a still vital text that used theistic means appropriate to its time to inspire a people toward their worthiest human purposes. It is thus for its "timeless themes" rather than its "dated particularities" (including its model of a transcendent God) that we should honor the Torah in our time as both the wellspring of Judaic culture and a major influence on Christian and Islamic ethics and morals. From his humanist perspective and his background as a lawyer and professor of law at Northwestern University (now emeritus), Hillman offers many insights into the narrative and wide-ranging legal code of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy-including their many contradictions and anomalies. His analysis draws on a broad scholarly consensus regarding the "Documentary Theory," as it bears on the identities and periods of the Torah's human sources. This thorough explication of an often misunderstood ancient text will help humanists, and many theists alike, to appreciate the rich moral, ethical, and cultural heritage of the Torah and its enduring relevance to our time.