Want to understand the scriptures, not just what you have been taught? Want to apply the scriptures as they were intended? Want to understand the differences between your religious perspective and others? This book's for you.
Concise, pithy chapters with dozens of charts, highlighted summaries and study questions make Graeme Goldsworthy's introductory text enormously useful for understanding how the Bible fits together as the unfolding story of God's plan for salvation.
Why are people the way they are? Why are some cultures and nations progressive, while others seem to be perpetually mired in backwardness and poverty? What were the original foundations upon which Western culture thrived? What are the current effects of secularism on the West and the rest of the world? What would it be like if Christians not only prayed for God's Kingdom to come but heeded Jesus' teaching to live out the truths of His Kingdom on earth? Worldview and the Kingdom of God is an easy to read book for the ordinary man on the street that challenges the worldview of Christians. Based on the original good news of the Kingdom that Jesus and His disciples preached; not the popular gospel of salvation to go to heaven that most Christians preach, it calls for a paradigm shift from a "salvation from this world" worldview to a "God's Kingdom on earth" worldview. Beginning with the premise that the world is ruled by ideas, and that ideas have consequences, the message invites the reader to examine his worldview and reflect on what has been influencing and shaping it. The concept of worldview is explained in simple terms and the reader is invited to reflect on the worldviews of animism and secularism and its consequences, and examine how much of his worldview is still rooted in animism and/or influenced by secularism. God's Kingdom is then introduced and contrasted against Satan's kingdom and man's kingdom. In the light of the Biblical teaching of the three kingdoms, the call is for Christians to discard their "salvation from this world" worldview if they are to get beyond themselves and "Church as we know it", to get on with God's agenda for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is done in heaven.
The church is in disarray. Theologians and commentators speak of the demise of evangelicalism. Are they alarmists? Is Christianity as we know it in the process of dying? Writer, scholar, teacher, and missionary Dr. David Alan Black thinks that the answer does not lie in the politics of the left or the right. In fact, he doesn't think that Jesus tells us what our politics should be. He doesn't see answers in Christian nationalism. But even further, he sees serious flaws in the very structure of our churches and denominations that prevent us from truly being obedient to the gospel. The solution lies, not in renewal, revival, or even in reformation, but rather in restoration-a restoration of the church organized as Jesus intended it and according to the example provided by the earliest church sources in the New Testament. To make the church and its members true servants of Jesus Christ again, we need to change our entire paradigm-to The Jesus Paradigm.
Arguing from Scripture and history, the author makes a compelling case that getting too close to any political or national ideology is disastrous for the church and harmful to society.
Sixty-six books written by forty people over nearly 2,000 years, in two languages and several different genres. The Bible is clearly no ordinary book. How can you begin to read and understand it as a whole? This excellent overview gives you the big picture, providing both the encouragement and the tools you need to read the Bible with confidence and understanding.
Malls, stadiums, and universities are actually liturgical structures that influence and shape our thoughts and affections. Humans--as Augustine noted--are "desiring agents," full of longings and passions; in brief, we are what we love. James K. A. Smith focuses on the themes of liturgy and desire in Desiring the Kingdom, the first book in what will be a three-volume set on the theology of culture. He redirects our yearnings to focus on the greatest good: God. Ultimately, Smith seeks to re-vision education through the process and practice of worship. Students of philosophy, theology, worldview, and culture will welcome Desiring the Kingdom, as will those involved in ministry and other interested readers.
Paradigm Shift in the Church speaks about nothing less than a reformation. Some critics suggested that this term sounds rather lofty. That may be true. But Christian Schwarz is convinced that we will make no significant progress in our churches without changes as radical as those of the Reformation.
Influence. A powerful concept in today's world. Without it, there isn't much that we can accomplish. Each of us is called to influence this world in a way that improves the quality of life around us. This true call is your mandate to take the kingdom of God to the world. In his book, The Marketplace Paradigm, Julian teaches readers the laws that govern power and influence so that they can take their rightful reign in life as they pursue their life's mission and destiny.The call to destiny isn't always easy to hear. Sometimes we need help adjusting our signal in order to engage it. That calling is to impact modern culture with the values of the kingdom in order to improve the conditions of life. Our talents and gifts give us clues as to how to achieve this. Through gifts we can carve out a unique space in the marketplace and establish businesses and causes that can change the world. This is your invitation to pursue that destiny and be empowered to:* Understand God's plan for humanity* Create a kingdom plan for economic growth* Become a leader in your assigned place of influence* Lead your market and industry with excellence* Advance the kingdom through your purpose* Discover and develop your talents and strengths* Define your calling and assignment with clarity and distinction* Understand how to start or grow a kingdom businessDiscover The Marketplace Paradigm and use it to clarify your calling so that you can reign the kingdom way through power and influence.
Combining three incredibly important books for the teaching of the church, The Goldsworthy Trilogy offers a complete and comprehensive guide to understanding the gospel throughout the whole of Scripture. This collection, containing the hugely popular Gospel and Kingdom, Gospel and Witness, and The Gospel in Revelation, will be an essential guide to be used again and again for those who seek to understand the Bible in the light of who Jesus is. Those already acquainted with Goldsworthy's work will be familiar with his pithy and engaging style. Straightforward in his approach, he looks at how the Bible can only be understood through the eyes of the gospel. From this base of interpretation, he studies the Old Testament and its application for today, Israel's wisdom literature and its role in the Christian life, and the purpose and contemporary relevance of the book of Revelation, while his knowledge of Old Testament idiom and structure enhances his writing. This trilogy follows the Bible chronologically to give the reader a complete overview of evangelical biblical interpretation, forming an essential one-stop reference that will last a lifetime.