In the course of sharing in their daily lives, granting them healing and forgiveness, Jesus began to eradicate the belief that righteousness was limited to those of privilege. In the midst of his growing popularity came increasing opposition from church officials. In a plot to silence him, Jesus was arrested and tried on a charge of blasphemy. Refusing to abandon those closest to him, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to save them from death.
A profound exploration of how to hold on to hope when our unchanging faith collides with a changing culture, from two respected Christian storytellers and thought leaders. “Offers neither spin control nor image maintenance for the evangelical tribe, but genuine hope.”—Russell Moore, president of ERLC As the pressures of health warnings, economic turmoil, and partisan politics continue to rise, the influence of gospel-focused Christians seems to be waning. In the public square and popular opinion, we are losing our voice right when it’s needed most for Christ’s glory and the common good. But there’s another story unfolding too—if you know where to look. In Gospelbound, Collin Hansen and Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra counter these growing fears with a robust message of resolute hope for anyone hungry for good news. Join them in exploring profound stories of Christians who are quietly changing the world in the name of Jesus—from the wild world of digital media to the stories of ancient saints and unsung contemporary activists on the frontiers of justice and mercy. Discover how, in these dark times, the light of Jesus shines even brighter. You haven’t heard the whole story. And that’s good news.
"How many times have we heard the words "God loves you" and yet not believed them because we have made a wreck of our lives and felt unworthy of His love? We hear those words all the time, but how can we see them in action? We see them through God's power to redeem and repair broken lives. In Redeemed, adult Christians will find examples of God's redemption as they explore several key Bible characters who really messed things up. Readers will see how God forgave and restored these people, repaired the damage, and brought meaning and purpose in their lives. Though readers may feel that their failings have erected a permanent barrier between themselves and God, they will learn how God redeems His people time and time again-through the Word and Sacraments, their church, friends, family, and other circumstances"--
Christians know that God loves them, but can easily feel that he is perpetually disappointed and frustrated, maybe even close to giving up on them. As a result, they focus a lot—and rightly so—on what Jesus has done to appease God’s wrath for sin. But how does Jesus Christ actually feel about his people amid all their sins and failures? This book draws us to Matthew 11, where Jesus describes himself as “gentle and lowly in heart,” longing for his people to find rest in him. The gospel flows from God’s deepest heart for his people, a heart of tender love for the sinful and suffering. These chapters take readers into the depths of Christ’s very heart for sinners, diving deep into Bible passages that speak of who Christ is and encouraging readers with the affections of Christ for his people. His longing heart for sinners comforts and sustains readers in their up-and-down lives.
Every now and again, a work will be published by a reformer or puritan that Christians find to be of such great spiritual worth, that it is hard to put into words the incalculable and infinite good that such a work is to the Christian soul. This book, friends, is one of those works. Burroughs expounds Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Christ invites sinners to come to Him for rest. Sinners, in this way, can be either Christians or unbelievers. Both are beckoned to “come.” In this work Burroughs shows first, the burden of sin, the burden of the Law, the burden of legal performances with the misery of those that are under them, the burden of corruption, and the burden of outward affliction. Secondly, he shows that Christ graciously offers to them that come to him, rest from all those burdens. In this he demonstrates what it is to come to Christ; that Christ requires nothing but to come to him. Several Rules to be observed in right coming to Christ, the means to draw souls to Christ, that in coming to Christ God would have us have respect toward ourselves, that there is no rest for souls out of Christ, and the reasons for this, with some conclusions from it. Thirdly, Burroughs shows the rest believers have from sin, that the deliverance from the Law by Christ is, privatively, and positively. He will show the rest believers have from the burden of the Law by coming to Christ, how Christ gives rest from the burden of legal performances, how Christ gives rest from the burden of corruption; in which is shown how sanctification and holiness comes only from Christ. And Burroughs demonstrates encouragements to come to Christ for holiness. He will explain how Christ gives rest from outward afflictions, and then considers some directions on how to get rest from Christ in spiritual desertions. God’s people have been personally helped by Burroughs throughout the centuries by all his works, and in this volume on coming to Christ, he again shows the inestimable spiritual value of his preaching and writing. This is a life-transforming work which will enable Christians to inwardly examine themselves as they consider how the Law of God correlates to their abiding in the Lord Jesus, and what steps they must take to come to Christ in a saving and sanctifying manner. This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.
Hyper-spiritual approaches to finding God's will don't work. It's time to try something new: Give up. Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung counsels Christians to settle down, make choices, and do the hard work of seeing those choices through. Too often, he writes, God's people tinker around with churches, jobs, and relationships, worrying that they haven't found God's perfect will for their lives. Or-even worse-they do absolutely nothing, stuck in a frustrated state of paralyzed indecision, waiting...waiting...waiting for clear, direct, unmistakable direction. But God doesn't need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He's already revealed his plan for our lives: to love him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like. No need for hocus-pocus. No reason to be directionally challenged. Just do something.
You cannot make it without God’s mercy. Do we just need God’s grace in dark and shameful moments? Are prayers for mercy only for those times when we really mess up? Jonathan Parnell says we need God’s mercy all the time. In fact, contrary to many church cultures, Parnell shows that asking God for mercy should be as regular as asking God for our daily bread. There’s no doubt that David was in a terrible predicament when he first prayed the words of Psalm 51. It was a dark and shameful moment in the Bible, and one so dark and shameful it seldom feels relevant to us today. But David’s most desperate prayer is really a prayer for all of us—and not just for our worst moments, but for our every moment. In these pages, you'll discover: how to pray a daily, memorable prayer derived from Psalm 51 how to practice daily repentance and soul care how to pursue God and experience his joy in the Christian life This is God’s mercy, and it’s Mercy for Today.
