Author : Gary McIntosh
Publisher : Baker Books
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 11,82 MB
Release : 2012-05
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0801014069
Veteran church consultant calls church leaders back to the hope that God can and does restore churches, equipping them with practical tools to bring about healthy growth.
Author : Nicholas Laccetti
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 157 pages
File Size : 32,12 MB
Release : 2018-08-09
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1532619715
Throughout history, Western esoteric movements have provided meaning and power for what the Rosicrucians of the early modern period called the quest for “Universal Reformation”—the utopian restructuring of religion, science, the arts, and human society. Yet Western esotericism has been roundly ignored as a source of reflection in mainstream Christian theology, including the radical theologies of liberation that might otherwise see in esotericism a kindred spirit to their commitment to radical social change. In The Inner Church is the Hope of the World, guided by his work in contemporary movements for social change, Nicholas Laccetti puts Western esotericism in dialogue with liberation theology, treating esotericism as a legitimate source of spiritual and theological insight. If, as Gustavo Gutiérrez writes, “God is revealed in history,” then we will also encounter God within the particular history of human religious expression that is Western esotericism. And from these theological reflections, the Inner Church of the esotericists, occultists, and mystics is revealed to be the true ekklesia of all who have conformed themselves to God’s vision of freedom and liberation, and who struggle to enact that vision in human society. The Inner Church is truly the hope of the world.
Author : Craig Groeschel
Publisher : Zondervan
Page : 177 pages
File Size : 17,1 MB
Release : 2018-08-21
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0310342961
Can God be good when life is not? Rediscover faith in the character, power, and presence of God. Even in the questions. Even in the hurt. "I want to believe, I want to have hope, but . . ." Pastor and bestselling author Craig Groeschel hears these words often and has asked them himself. We want to know God, feel his presence, and trust that he hears our prayers, but in the midst of great pain, we may wonder if he really cares about us. Even when we have both hope and hurt, sometimes it's the hurt that shouts the loudest. In Hope in the Dark, Groeschel explores the story of the father who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus, saying, "I believe! Help my unbelief!" In the man's sincere plea, Jesus heard the tension in the man's battle-scarred heart. He healed not only the boy but the father too, driving out the hopelessness that had overtaken him. He can do the same for us today. As Groeschel shares his pain surrounding the health challenges of his daughter, he acknowledges the questions we may ask in our own deepest pain: "Where was God when I was being abused?" "Why was my child born with a disability?" "Why did the cancer come back?" "Why are all my friends married and I'm alone?" He invites us to wrestle with such questions as we ask God to honor our faith and heal our unbelief. Because in the middle of your profound pain, you long for authentic words of understanding and hope. You long to know that even in overwhelming reality, you can still believe that God is good. Hope in the Dark is also available in Spanish, Esperanza en la Oscuridad.
Author : Richard Baxter
Publisher :
Page : 558 pages
File Size : 36,71 MB
Release : 1851
Category : Devotional literature
ISBN :
Richard Baxter wrote "The Saints' Everlasting Rest" to help prepare him for death during a life-threatening illness. It has inspired Christians for centuries to lift their eyes above this world to the place where they will spend eternity. Born in 1615, Richard Baxter lived and ministered throughout most of the seventeenth century. After being forced from his pulpit with some two thousand other Puritan ministers in the Great Ejection of 1660, he continued his writing ministry, authoring more than 140 books. Originally published in 1649, this work was forty-six chapters long, covering 844 pages. It was abridged in 1758, condensing it to sixteen chapters. Reading Baxter's book will challenge you to rediscover the wonders of the Lord through reflection and meditation. Taking captive our thoughts and making them obedient to Christ will make us strong in the faith and bring victory to our spiritual walks.--
Author : N. T. Wright
Publisher : Zondervan
Page : 356 pages
File Size : 38,16 MB
Release : 2008-02-05
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0061551821
For years Christians have been asking, "If you died tonight, do you know where you would go?" It turns out that many believers have been giving the wrong answer. It is not heaven. Award-winning author N. T. Wright outlines the present confusion about a Christian's future hope and shows how it is deeply intertwined with how we live today. Wright, who is one of today's premier Bible scholars, asserts that Christianity's most distinctive idea is bodily resurrection. He provides a magisterial defense for a literal resurrection of Jesus and shows how this became the cornerstone for the Christian community's hope in the bodily resurrection of all people at the end of the age. Wright then explores our expectation of "new heavens and a new earth," revealing what happens to the dead until then and what will happen with the "second coming" of Jesus. For many, including many Christians, all this will come as a great surprise. Wright convincingly argues that what we believe about life after death directly affects what we believe about life before death. For if God intends to renew the whole creation—and if this has already begun in Jesus's resurrection—the church cannot stop at "saving souls" but must anticipate the eventual renewal by working for God's kingdom in the wider world, bringing healing and hope in the present life. Lively and accessible, this book will surprise and excite all who are interested in the meaning of life, not only after death but before it.
Author : Jennifer Stanley
Publisher : Macmillan
Page : 353 pages
File Size : 10,44 MB
Release : 2010-04-27
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 1429933267
Congregants at the Hope Street Church know that charity begins at home. But in Jennifer Stanley's Path of the Wicked, sometimes what is giveth is mysteriously taketh away… Cooper Lee and the Sunrise Bible Study Group have has just volunteered for a local charity, Door-2-Door Dinners. Sure, some of the volunteers look more like Hell’s Angels than Good Samaritans, but the ragtag church group has taught Cooper not to judge a book by its cover. Besides, this gives Cooper a chance to get out of the house—which she shares with her parents—and spend some quality time with her new love, Nathan. But things really start heating up for Cooper and Nathan when an elderly Door-2-Door recipient is murdered—and the prime suspects are…the volunteers! Someone in the flock is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But the Lord works in miraculous ways—and so do the sleuths of the Sunrise Bible Study Group…
Author : David Platt
Publisher : Multnomah
Page : 242 pages
File Size : 49,6 MB
Release : 2010-05-04
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1601422210
New York Times bestseller What is Jesus worth to you? It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily... But who do you know who lives like that? Do you? In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment -- a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.
Author : Tom Nelson
Publisher : InterVarsity Press
Page : 234 pages
File Size : 35,79 MB
Release : 2017-09-05
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0830889329
What does the good news of Jesus mean for economics? Marrying biblical study, economic theory, and practical advice, pastor Tom Nelson presents a vision for church ministry that works toward the flourishing of the local community, beginning with its poorest and most marginalized members and pushing us toward more nuanced understandings of wealth and poverty.
Author : Brian E. Daley
Publisher : CUP Archive
Page : 468 pages
File Size : 50,50 MB
Release : 1991-04-04
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780521352581
This book is an outline of the development of eschatological thought in the first seven centuries of Christianity. It is the first attempt, in any language, to give a comprehensive description of the origins of Christian eschatology, as it expanded from its Jewish roots and Jesus' preaching, and as it drew upon the philosophical and folkloric notions of death and its aftermath held by the peoples of the Mediterranean. Based on a study of the original texts, the book considers not only the eschatology of the Greek and Latin fathers, but also what can be known from the early Syriac, Coptic, and Armenian Christian literature. Brief and clearly-focused in its range of subjects, the book provides an accessible historical survey of a centrally important aspect of early Christian doctrine.This book is an outline of the development of eschatological thought in the first seven centuries of Christianity. It is the first attempt, in any language, to give a comprehensive description of the origins of Christian eschatology, as it expanded from its Jewish roots and Jesus' preaching, and as it drew upon the philosophical and folkloric notions of death and its aftermath held by the peoples of the Mediterranean. Based on a study of the original texts, the book considers not only the eschatology of the Greek and Latin fathers, but also what can be known from the early Syriac, Coptic, and Armenian Christian literature. Brief and clearly-focused in its range of subjects, the book provides an accessible historical survey of a centrally important aspect of early Christian doctrine.
Author : John MacArthur
Publisher : Crossway
Page : 242 pages
File Size : 46,47 MB
Release : 2006-01-09
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1433518627
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." John 14:3 ESV Jesus Christ was very clear: One day He will return-and none of us knows when. Vocal fanatics claim to know the details of the Second Coming, causing many Christians to all but ignore the good news that Jesus is coming again. Yet God's own Word commands us to know the signs of the times, to remain watchful, and to be ready-whenever Christ comes. This book is a straightforward, in-depth exploration of the key biblical texts regarding the Second Coming; most notably, Christ's longest and most important eschatological message, the Olivet Discourse. As you study what the Word of God says about these matters, it will stir in your heart an earnest longing for Christ's return-as well as a certainty about how to live expectantly until He comes again.
