If Jesus Could Not Save Himself, how Would He Save Me?
If Jesus Could Not Save Himself, how Would He Save Me?

Author: Julián Segura Camacho

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 72

ISBN-13: 0761858830

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As the country recognizes the 101st birthday of former President Ronald Reagan, this memoir offers insight into a local Anglo-Protestant community in Westchester, California, that was but one grain of sand in a sea of change that led to the Reagan Revolution. In the early 1980s, this cohort of Anglo-Protestants reached out to neighborhood youngsters in a dedicated attempt to save them from hell. Julian Segura Camacho, a Mexican American teenager living in California at the time, soon found himself attending an all-white church, primarily upper class but still sprinkled with less fortunate ones. This Assembly of God church became a family and much like any relationship, Camacho found pleasure and anguish as different personalities played themselves out. As a member of this communal religious and racialized space, Camacho was able to see firsthand how the Reagan Revolution attracted those who felt the US was becoming too secular. Yet this book is not political; it is simply a story of a Mexican American boy engaged in a seven-year routine of bible study, youth and boy scout activities, and camping trips, along with sermons about the coming of Christ, and the evils of Darwinism."

Scandalous
Scandalous

Author: D. A. Carson

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2010-02-03

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 1433523787

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How are Christians to approach the central gospel teachings concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus? The Bible firmly establishes the historicity of these events and doesn't leave their meanings ambiguous or open to interpretation. Even so, there is an irony and surprising strangeness to the cross. Carson shows that this strange irony has deep implications for our lives as he examines the history and theology of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection. Scandalous highlights important theological truths in accessible and applicable ways. Both amateur theologians and general readers will appreciate how Carson deftly preserves weighty theology while simultaneously noting the broader themes of Jesus' death and resurrection. Through exposition of five primary passages of Scripture, Carson helps us to more fully understand and appreciate the scandal of the cross.

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart
Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart

Author: J.D. Greear

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

Published: 2013-02-01

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 1433679183

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“If there were a Guinness Book of World Records entry for ‘amount of times having prayed the sinner’s prayer,’ I’m pretty sure I’d be a top contender,” says pastor and author J. D. Greear. He struggled for many years to gain an assurance of salvation and eventually learned he was not alone. “Lack of assurance” is epidemic among evangelical Christians. In Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart, J. D. shows that faulty ways of present- ing the gospel are a leading source of the confusion. Our presentations may not be heretical, but they are sometimes misleading. The idea of “asking Jesus into your heart” or “giving your life to Jesus” often gives false assurance to those who are not saved—and keeps those who genuinely are saved from fully embracing that reality. Greear unpacks the doctrine of assurance, showing that salvation is a posture we take to the promise of God in Christ, a posture that begins at a certain point and is maintained for the rest of our lives. He also answers the tough questions about assurance: What exactly is faith? What is repentance? Why are there so many warnings that seem to imply we can lose our salvation? Such issues are handled with respect to the theological rigors they require, but Greear never loses his pastoral sensitivity or a communication technique that makes this message teachable to a wide audience from teens to adults.

Love Me Anyway
Love Me Anyway

Author: Jared C. Wilson

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2021-09-21

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1493432907

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There may be no more powerful desire in the human heart than to be loved. And not just loved, but loved anyway. In spite of what we've done or left undone, in spite of the ways we have failed or floundered. We long for an unconditional, lavish love that we know intrinsically we don't deserve. If you are tired, sad, yet always longing, bestselling author Jared C. Wilson has incredible news for you: that kind of love actually exists, and it is actually something you can experience--whether or not you're in a romantic relationship. In his signature reflective, conversational, and often humorous style, Wilson unpacks 1 Corinthians 13 to show us what real love looks like. Through engaging stories and touching anecdotes, he paints a picture of an extravagant God who not only puts the desire for love into our very souls but fulfills those desires in striking, life-changing ways.

The Faith of Jesus Christ
The Faith of Jesus Christ

Author: Richard B. Hays

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 9780802849571

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In this important study Hays argues against the mainstream that any attempt to account for the nature and method of Paul's theological language must first reckon with the centrality of narrative elements in his thought. Through an in-depth investigation of Galatians 3:1-4:11, Hays shows that the framework of Paul's thought is neither a system of doctrines nor his personal religious experience but the "sacred story" of Jesus Christ.

Gospel-Centered Discipleship
Gospel-Centered Discipleship

Author: Jonathan K. Dodson

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2012-03-31

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 1433530244

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Reflecting on the practice of disciple making in young adult, college, graduate, and local church contexts, Jonathan Dodson has discerned some common pitfalls. For many, discipleship is reduced to a form of religious performance before God. For others, it devolves into spiritual license and a loose adherence to spiritual facts. Both approaches distort biblical motivations for Christian obedience and are in need of reform. By explaining various motivations for discipleship, Dodson charts a biblically faithful, grace-driven alternative. Additionally, he provides a practical model for creating gospel-centered discipleship groups—small, reproducible, missional, gender-specific groups of believers that fight for faith together. This book blends both theology and practice to inspire and equip Christians to effectively fight sin, keep Jesus central, and make gospel-centered discipleship a way of life. Both new and growing Christians will learn to trust the gospel in community as they fight together for holiness as well as how to start gospel-centered community groups in any local church.

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die
I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die

Author: Sarah J. Robinson

Publisher: WaterBrook

Published: 2021-05-11

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0593193539

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A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

Ephesians
Ephesians

Author: Mark D. Roberts

Publisher: Zondervan Academic

Published: 2016-11-29

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0310599121

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A new commentary for today's world, The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible's grand story. The first commentary series to do so, SGBC offers a clear and compelling exposition of biblical texts, guiding everyday readers in how to creatively and faithfully live out the Bible in their own contexts. Its story-centric approach is ideal for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and laypeople alike. Each volume employs three main, easy-to-use sections designed to help readers live out God's story: LISTEN to the Story: Includes complete NIV text with references to other texts at work in each passage, encouraging the reader to hear it within the Bible's grand story. EXPLAIN the Story: Explores and illuminates each text as embedded in its canonical and historical setting. LIVE the Story: Reflects on how each text can be lived today and includes contemporary stories and illustrations to aid preachers, teachers, and students. —Ephesians— Like all of Paul's letters, Ephesians is centered in the gospel and its implications. It tells the story of what God has done in Christ and spells out the ethical implications of this story. But the letter to the Ephesians is unique among Paul's letters in many ways, including in how it tells of the story of God, beginning "before the creation of the world" and ending in eternity. Edited by Scot McKnight and Tremper Longman III, and written by a number of top-notch theologians, The Story of God Bible Commentary series will bring relevant, balanced, and clear-minded theological insight to any biblical education or ministry.

The Gospel According to Mark
The Gospel According to Mark

Author: R. Alan Cole

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 9780802804815

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Cole's study on the Gospel of Mark is part of the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, a popular series designed to help the general Bible reader understand clearly what the text actually says and what it means, without undue dependence on scholarly technicalities.

How Did God Do It? A Symphony of Science and Scripture
How Did God Do It? A Symphony of Science and Scripture

Author: Walt Huber

Publisher: FriesenPress

Published: 2013-12

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 1460211278

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Have you ever wondered... How Did God Do It? How did God perform the many miracles and supernatural events described in the Holy Bible - without violating the laws of physics and chemistry that He Himself put into place? And without conflicting with the basic tenets of Judaism and Christianity? This book proposes a theory that marries faith and rationality in a symphony of science and scripture....