The Acts of the Apostles


Book Description

Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James




From Apostles to Bishops


Book Description

Examines the origins and development of the episcopacy in the early church with an eye toward its implications for current ecumenical issues relating to the episcopacy and apostolic succession.




Quest for the Historical Apostles


Book Description

The stories and contributions of the apostles provide an important entrée into church history. This comprehensive historical and literary introduction uncovers their lives and legacies, underscoring the apostles' impact on the growth of the early church. The author collects and distills the histories, legends, symbols, and iconography of the original twelve and locates figures such as Paul, Peter, and John in the broader context of the history of the apostles. He also explores the continuing story of the gospel mission and the twelve disciples beyond the New Testament.




The Twelve Disciples


Book Description

This bestselling glossy, full-color, quick-reference pamphlet is an excellent tool for teaching new and longtime believers about those who walked with Jesus and what it takes to be a disciple of Jesus today. Jesus called twelve ordinary men and turned their weaknesses into strengths, their faults into testimonies, and their doubts into faith. Who were these men who walked with Jesus? What can we learn from their lives? This bestselling glossy, full-color, quick-reference pamphlet is an excellent tool for teaching new and longtime believers about those who walked with Jesus and what it takes to be a disciple of Jesus today. Get Fresh Insights & a Simple Overview of the Twelve Disciples What do you know about the disciples who learned at Jesus’ feet? The Twelve Disciples pamphlet offers a close-up look at the twelve ordinary men whom Jesus trained to care for his church: Peter, James (son of Zebedee), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), John, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. This quick-reference pamphlet presents the life and ministry of Jesus’ twelve disciples in a convenient and easy-to-use, side-by-side comparison chart. The Twelve Disciples pamphlet takes believers inside this circle to learn more about these men as well as:Backgrounds and personalitiesKey events in their lives and lessons learnedStrengths and weaknessesPurposes and missionsEncounters with JesusAnd much more!Glossy and full-color, every pamphlet fact has a Scripture reference. Size: 8.5”x 5.5” unfolds to 33” long. Fits inside most Bible covers. Packed with Fascinating Facts and History What were the backgrounds of the disciples? What was their collective purpose and mission? Here are a few of the facts people will find at a glance in The Twelve Disciples:Each of the disciples were from the Galilee region except for JudasThe disciples were Jesus’ main focus of instructionJesus knew their strengths and their weaknessesJesus trusted them to carry God’s message of redemption to the ends of the earthSee Characteristics and Key Events in the Lives of the Twelve Disciples This bestselling pamphlet reveals the personalities and characteristics of the disciples. For example, Peter was impulsive and courageous whereas John was vengeful and bold. Each disciple had unique and personal encounters with Jesus that speak to the roles of disciples today.Peter was called to be a fisher of men (Matthew 4:19)James was with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46)Andrew told Jesus about the boy with five loaves of bread and two fish (John 20:19-25)Thomas affirmed that Jesus was Lord and God (John 21:2-7)Bonus Features of the Twelve Disciples Pamphlet In addition to this concise overview of the twelve disciples, this quick-reference pamphlet also contains:A chart of the 39 other followers of Jesus mentioned by name in the New Testament: Cleopas, Joanna, Judas (brother of Jesus), Mary Magdalene, and dozens of othersA list of 10 ways Jesus and his disciples demonstrated discipleshipTeachers will appreciate the thoroughness of this easy-to-use resource. Students will gain a new insight into the men whose lives and faiths were shaped by walking with Jesus. Pastors or discipleship leaders may want to purchase one of these pamphlets for each church member.




Paradigms on Pilgrimage


Book Description

In this provocative book two authors--one a scientist, the other a biblical scholar and pastor--recount the pilgrimages of understanding that have led them from the young-earth, "scientific creationist" position they were taught in their youths to new perspectives on what it can mean to believe in God as Creator.




The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew


Book Description

For centuries the Jewish community in Europe possessed a copy of Matthew in the Hebrew language. The Jews' use of this document during the Middle Ages is imperfectly known. Occasionally excerpts from it appeared in polemical writings against Christianity.




Cold-Case Christianity


Book Description

Written by an L. A. County homicide detective and former atheist, Cold-Case Christianity examines the claims of the New Testament using the skills and strategies of a hard-to-convince criminal investigator. Christianity could be defined as a “cold case”: it makes a claim about an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence. In Cold-Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs. Including gripping stories from his career and the visual techniques he developed in the courtroom, Wallace uses illustration to examine the powerful evidence that validates the claims of Christianity. A unique apologetic that speaks to readers’ intense interest in detective stories, Cold-Case Christianity inspires readers to have confidence in Christ as it prepares them to articulate the case for Christianity.




The Fate of the Apostles


Book Description

The Book of Martyrs by John Foxe written in the 16th century has long been the go-to source for studying the lives and martyrdom of the apostles. Whilst other scholars have written individual treatments on the more prominent apostles such as Peter, Paul, John, and James, there is little published information on the other apostles. In The Fate of the Apostles, Sean McDowell offers a comprehensive, reasoned, historical analysis of the fate of the twelve disciples of Jesus along with the apostles Paul, and James. McDowell assesses the evidence for each apostle’s martyrdom as well as determining its significance to the reliability of their testimony. The question of the fate of the apostles also gets to the heart of the reliability of the kerygma: did the apostles really believe Jesus appeared to them after his death, or did they fabricate the entire story? How reliable are the resurrection accounts? The willingness of the apostles to die for their faith is a popular argument in resurrection studies and McDowell offers insightful scholarly analysis of this argument to break new ground within the spheres of New Testament studies, Church History, and apologetics.




Real Life Theology


Book Description

REAL-LIFE ANSWERS TO LIFE'S BIGGEST QUESTIONS Real Life Theology invites you to a fresh way of living by bridging two areas of your life: what we know about God and how we live our lives. This collection of thirteen accessible books gives real-life answers to fifty-two of life's biggest questions, such as: What is the gospel? What is saving faith? What role does baptism play in salvation? What are the essential, important, and personal elements of the faith? How should we view marriage, gender, and race? Real Life Theology was written with everyday Christians in mind. We encourage you to read it, walk with others through it, and along the way learn God's real-life answers to your biggest questions. This series will help churches in their training of pastoral staff as well as the everyday disciple maker in your church or ministry. -- Jim Putman, author of Real-Life Discipleship As our churches become more diverse and our culture less biblically literate, we increasingly need Real Life Theology. -- Mark Moore, author of Core 52 This book is a one of a kind for our generation. Highly recommended! -- David Young, author of King Jesus and the Beauty of Obedience-Based Discipleship We're excited to integrate Real Life Theology into our leadership development resources at Southeast Christian Church. -- Matt Reagan, Associate Pastor of Southeast Christian Church It's imperative that we do theology wisely and well, and this book is a fantastic help! -- Matt Proctor, President of Ozark Christian College BOBBY HARRINGTON (DMin, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is CEO of Renew.org and Discipleship.org, both national disciple making networks. Bobby is the founding and Lead Pastor of Harpeth Christian Church. He is author or coauthor of more than a dozen books on disciple making. DANIEL MCCOY (PhD, North-West University) is Editorial Director of Renew.org. He has created classes on philosophy, ethics, and world religions for Ozark Christian College. Among his books are The Popular Handbook of World Religions (general editor) and The Atheist's Fatal Flaw (coauthored with Norman Geisler).




The Birth of Christianity


Book Description

Barnett's work is not so much a narrative of the "birth" and early years of Christianity as an argument that this birth can be documented by the usual methods of historical inquiry.