In this classic devotional, John Calvin urges readers to apply the Christian life in a balanced way to mind, heart, and hand. Rather than focusing on contemplative otherworldliness, the book stresses the importance of a devotedly active Christian life. In style and spirit, this book is much like Augustine's Confessions, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, or Thomas à Kempis's Imitation of Christ. However, its intense practicality sets it apart, making it easily accessible for any reader seeking to carry out Christian values in everyday life. Chapter themes include obedience, self-denial, the significance of the cross, and how we should live our lives today.
This training guide and ministry reference teaches how to disciple leaders, develop personal and spiritual life programs, and deal with prevalent singles issues.
A leading expert on John Calvin brings together the reformer's most profound reflections on what it means to live a fully Christian life. The Christian Life includes excerpts from Calvin's impressive theological writings and illuminating sermons, as well as a selection of his stately prayers. Editor John H. Leith focuses on Calvin's spirituality, which arose out of the reformer's conviction that theology's primary importance is to encourage piety, to edify, and to transform human life and society. Calvin's writings have much to tell about the manner and style of Christian living. The writings gathered in The Christian Life draw upon Calvin's own heartfelt commitment to the ideals of life in Christ and to the responsibility to the community he served as pastor, preacher, teacher, and counselor. Here, then, is Calvin's own pattern for the conduct of the fully Christian life, which stresses that it is in Christian people living in Christian community and in society that we see most clearly the reality of faith. The Christian Life shares Calvin's thinking on such essential questions as the nature of sin; the importance of self-denial and cross-bearing to the Christian life; maintaining the proper balance between the present life and the life to come; the role of grace; the concept of Christian freedom; the place of prayer; the centrality of community; ideas of the elect and predestination; and the deepest purposes of God for his people. He relates all issues to the fundamental question of piety and how Christians can best attune themselves to God's unfolding plans in everyday life. This compact volume makes available to readers as never before some of the most accessible and rewarding writings of this foremost figure in the history of Christian thought. The selections in The Christian Life will introduce the reader to an influential form of Christian piety; but above all, they provide a clue to how Christians today may live and cope with the problems of personal and public life in a highly pluralistic and secular culture, in which the traditional guides and support for Christian living seem to have lost vitality and vigor.
An introduction to Jesus for very young children -- a perfect gift for the holiday season! A gentle look at Jesus's birth, childhood, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection. Written in a simple, warm style, with colorful illustrations that will captivate and inspire.
Why is justice fair? Why are so many people pursuing spirituality? Why do we crave relationship? And why is beauty so beautiful? N. T. Wright argues that each of these questions takes us into the mystery of who God is and what he wants from us. For two thousand years Christianity has claimed to answer these mysteries, and this renowned biblical scholar and Anglican bishop shows that it still does today. Like C. S. Lewis did in his classic Mere Christianity, Wright makes the case for Christian faith from the ground up, assuming that the reader is starting from ground zero with no predisposition to and perhaps even some negativity toward religion in general and Christianity in particular. His goal is to describe Christianity in as simple and accessible, yet hopefully attractive and exciting, a way as possible, both to say to outsides ÔYou might want to look at this further,Ö and to say to insiders ÔYou may not have quite understood this bit clearly yet.Ö
The New York Times bestselling history of early Christianity in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East—from “one of America’s best scholars of religion” (The Economist). In this groundbreaking book, renowned scholar Philip Jenkins explores a vast and forgotten network of the world’s largest and most influential Christian churches that existed to the east of the Roman Empire. These churches and their leaders ruled the Middle East for centuries and became the chief administrators and academics in the new Muslim empire. The author recounts the shocking history of how these churches—those that had the closest link to Jesus and the early church—eventually died. Jenkins offers a new lens through which to view our world today, including the current conflicts in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Without this lost history, we lack an important element for understanding our collective religious past. By understanding the forgotten catastrophe that befell Christianity, we can appreciate the surprising new births that are occurring in our own time, once again making Christianity a true world religion.
Do you feel like you are barely holding on? Let the golden thread of God's presence be the calm on the other side of chaos. It could be that He is weaving a brilliant new beginning in the middle of your mess. “I know your faith will be lifted and increased with this new treasure.” —Chris Tomlin Join beloved worship leader and songwriter of “Shout to The Lord”, Darlene Zschech as she traces God’s goodness through her recent transitions. Perfect for anyone who’s: Battling cancer or another health scare Moving to a new city Starting a church or a new job Struggling through a season of doubt or change Darlene urges us to maintain joy in the middle of it all. Rather than seeing her many life changes as a zigzag of unrelated events, Darlene and her family have learned to trace God’s goodness through every crisis—even as she faced the battle for her life, cancer. Your heart will be encouraged, and your faith will soar right along with Darlene’s.
Maurice Roberts' articles speak to the needs of the times. They have God and his Word as their starting place; and their horizon stretches beyond time to eternity.
"Ephraim is a cake not turned" (Hosea 7.8). This is a figurative way of saying ‘not balanced’. The cake is burned on the one side, uncooked on the other; on one side it is overdone, on the other, totally undone. The cake is unfit to be eaten and is thus destined to be cast out. Our God is most balanced. He is love and He is light. Our Lord Jesus is full of grace and full of truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom as well as of revelation. In creation, God "hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and the hills in a balance" (Is. 40.12). Concerning redemption, it is said that "mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springeth out of the earth; and righteousness hath looked down from heaven" (Ps. 85.10,11). The new creation, therefore, must be well balanced. In this present volume, Watchman Nee attempts to show from God’s word the perfect equilibrium of divine truth. Human nature, however, is prone to emphasize one side to the exclusion of the other side of truth. This has caused much confusion and many problems among God’s people. It is essential that we know the balance of truth and hold on to both sides so that our Christian life may be well rounded as God has ordained. The contents of the book opens with a treatment of the balance between the gate and the way; continues with a presentation of the balance between the objective and the subjective; includes a discussion on the work inward and the work outward in the Christian life, as well as on the rest given and the rest found as promised by Christ; contemplates the other side of prayer frequently neglected, namely, to watch; and concentrates on the other less emphasized aspect of the trespass-offering, that of restoration. The book then provides a commentary on the contrast between the truly meek and the spiritually poor, and finally concludes with a consideration of the equilibrium that is so necessary between the believer’s faith and the believer’s walk. May all who read this volume be brought into a balanced Christian life.
