Telling the Gospel Through Story


Book Description

Church planter Christine Dillon has discovered that Bible storying is far more effective than most other forms of apologetics or evangelistic presentations. Her book explains how to shape a good story, how to do evangelism through storying and lead Bible discussions. Here are concrete steps for sharing the Story that everyone needs to hear.




Evangelism in a Skeptical World


Book Description

Most Christians already know that they should be telling their friends about Jesus. But they have been poorly equipped with methods that are no longer effective in today's post-Christian world. As a result, many people become frustrated, blame themselves, and simply give up. Evangelism in a Skeptical World is a textbook on evangelism that is ideal for the church or the classroom to equip Christians with the principles and skills they need to tell the unbelievable news about Jesus to friends in a skeptical world. Many of the older principles and methods of evangelism in the twentieth century no longer work effectively today. In a post-Christian, post-churched, post-reached world we need new methods to communicate the timeless message of the gospel in culturally relevant ways. Dr. Chan combines the theological and biblical insights of classic evangelistic training with the latest insights from missiology on contextualization, cultural hermeneutics, and storytelling. Every chapter is illustrated with real-world examples drawn from over fifteen years of evangelistic ministry. These are methods that really work - with university students, urban workers, and high school students - getting past the defensive posture that people have toward Christianity so they can seriously consider the claims of Jesus Christ. Field-tested and filled with unique, fresh, and creative insights, this book will equip you to share the gospel in today's world and help as many people as possible hear the good news about Jesus.




Gospel Telling


Book Description

When was the last time you took a moment to consider the purpose and effectiveness of your children's sermons? After all, nothing is more important than sowing the seeds of faith early in life. In this comprehensive look at all aspects of preaching the gospel to young people, Richard Coleman challenges you to examine your approach with a critical eye and gives you plenty of practical guidance for developing simple, direct messages that help children form a relationship with Jesus Christ. In the first section of Gospel-Telling, Coleman discusses what constitutes meaningful children's sermons, offering a thoughtful rationale for the idea that we must proclaim the gospel so youngsters experience God's love. You'll learn how you can mine your own experience for inspiration and proclaim gospel stories that flow from your specific circumstances. Then in the second portion of the book you'll see this process at work, with over thirty examples illustrating several different types of children's sermons. Whether you're a pastor, Christian educator, or engaged in the teaching ministry, you're sure to profit from the practical advice and in-depth reflection in these pages. With Gospel-Telling, you'll be equipped to share with young people the good news -- with creativity and theological integrity. Gospel-Telling is an enriching book that treats children with the spiritual respect they deserve. Richard Coleman understands the transformative language of children -- play and metaphor -- and shows how our weekly children's sermons can reach the heart of the child and not simply the mind of the adult. This is a must-have resource for educators and pastors alike. Mickie O'Donnell Executive Director, Children's Ministries of America Richard Coleman understands the core of the biblical message as well as the learning processes of children and puts them together in theory and practice. This is a valuable treatment of a too long neglected topic. Rev. Ray Kostulias Pastor, First Congregational Church Park Ridge, New Jersey Author of Character Witness and I Witness Richard J. Coleman has served as the teaching minister of a university church, the pastor of a small-town congregation, and the director of an interdenominational inner-city Christian center. He has published children's sermons, leadership training articles, and seasonal devotionals, as well as books on the dialogue between science and theology and the dialogue between Evangelicals and Liberals. Coleman is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Princeton Theological Seminary.




Give Me an Answer


Book Description

Cliffe Knechtle offers clear, reasoned and compassionate responses to the tough questions skeptics ask.




Gospel


Book Description

Could the gospel be lost in evangelical churches? In this book, J.D. Greear shows how moralism and legalism have often eclipsed the gospel, even in conservative churches. Gospel cuts through the superficiality of religion and reacquaints you with the revolutionary truth of God's gracious acceptance of us in Christ. The gospel is the power of God, and the only true source of joy, freedom, radical generosity, and audacious faith. The gospel produces in us what religion never could: a heart that desires God. The book’s core is a “gospel prayer” by which you can saturate yourself in the gospel daily. Dwelling on the gospel will release in you new depths of passion for God and take you to new heights of obedience to Him. Gospel gives you an applicable, exciting vision of how God will use you to bring His healing to the world.




The Bible Tells Me So


Book Description

The controversial Bible scholar and author of The Evolution of Adam recounts his transformative spiritual journey in which he discovered a new, more honest way to love and appreciate God’s Word. Trained as an evangelical Bible scholar, Peter Enns loved the Scriptures and shared his devotion, teaching at Westminster Theological Seminary. But the further he studied the Bible, the more he found himself confronted by questions that could neither be answered within the rigid framework of his religious instruction or accepted among the conservative evangelical community. Rejecting the increasingly complicated intellectual games used by conservative Christians to “protect” the Bible, Enns was conflicted. Is this what God really requires? How could God’s plan for divine inspiration mean ignoring what is really written in the Bible? These questions eventually cost Enns his job—but they also opened a new spiritual path for him to follow. The Bible Tells Me So chronicles Enns’s spiritual odyssey, how he came to see beyond restrictive doctrine and learned to embrace God’s Word as it is actually written. As he explores questions progressive evangelical readers of Scripture commonly face yet fear voicing, Enns reveals that they are the very questions that God wants us to consider—the essence of our spiritual study.




Telling the Truth


Book Description

"A pre-modern baseball umpire would have said something like this: 'There's balls, and there's strikes, and I call 'em as they are.' The modernist would have said, 'There's balls, and there's strikes, and I call 'em as I see 'em.' And the postmodernist umpire would say, 'They ain't nothing until I call 'em.'" With that humorous quote, Ravi Zacharias illustrates the challenge postmodernism poses to Christians passionate about evangelism. How do you communicate truth to a world that isn't sure what truth is--or even if truth is? How do you commend spiritual absolutes to people who insist there are none? If you've puzzled, even struggled, over such questions, the book you hold in your hands is required reading, Telling the Truth provides informed insights on the heart of the Gospel, the soul of postmodern culture, and their complex interface. This book is a compilation of thoughts and strategies from twenty-nine prominent practitioners of contemporary evangelism. Originating at a three-day conference held at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Telling the Truth draws on knowledge gained in the trenches by Ravi Zacharias, Kelly Monroe, D.A. Carson, Ajith Fernando, and other notables. It will open your eyes to how the contest for souls is fought, guerilla-style, at a multitude of fronts: relationships, the university, ethnicity, reason and emotion, the pulpit, communications . . . in short, the broad spectrum of human experience and values. You'll be challenged to discern between the unchanging Gospel and the flexible means by which we communicate it. Telling the Truth can help you lay the groundwork necessary to point biblically uninformed, postmodern men and women toward an encounter with non-negotiable truth -- an absolute revealed in the Bible that points to the reality of sin and the need for a Savior.




Grace in Strange Disguise (Grace #1)


Book Description

Instead of a wedding, Esther is facing radical surgery and chemotherapy. Where is God when she needs him most? Esther is a people pleaser. It’s never been a major problem because she’s just gone with the flow. Her father has always preached, “Follow Jesus and you’ll be blessed.” And up until age twenty-eight, Esther has never had any reason to doubt it. Will she appease her father? Or will she listen to the words of a stranger who challenges everything she believes? Grace in Strange Disguise is a soul-stirring contemporary Christian novel. Book 1 in the Grace series. If you like compelling Christian fiction, relatable characters and real emotion, then you’ll love Christine Dillon’s inspiring series. Available in print, audio, ebook and as part of a box set (ebook only).




The Gospel According to Mark


Book Description

The earliest of the four Gospels, the book portrays Jesus as an enigmatic figure, struggling with enemies, his inner and external demons, and with his devoted but disconcerted disciples. Unlike other gospels, his parables are obscure, to be explained secretly to his followers. With an introduction by Nick Cave




Telling Tales about Jesus


Book Description

What are the Gospels and what does it mean to read them? Warren Carter leads the beginning student in an inductive exploration of the New Testament Gospels, asking about their genre, the view that they were written by eyewitnesses, the early church traditions about them, and how they employ Hellenistic biography. He then examines the distinctive voice of each Gospel, describing the “tale about Jesus” each writer tells, then presenting likely views regarding the circumstances in which they were written, giving particular attention to often overlooked aspects of the Roman imperial setting. A sociohistorical approach suggests that Mark addressed difficult circumstances in imperial Rome; redaction criticism shows that Matthew edited traditions to help define identity in competition with synagogue communities in response to a fresh assertion of Roman power; a literary-thematic approach shows that Luke offers assurance in a context of uncertainty; an intertextual approach shows how John used Wisdom traditions to present Jesus as the definitive revealer of God’s presence to answer an ancient quest for divine knowledge. A concluding chapter addresses how the Gospels inform and shape our understanding of Jesus of Nazareth. Maps, images, sidebars, and questions for reflection add value to this student-friendly text.