Spotlight On Jesus
Spotlight On Jesus

Author: Robert Lakey

Publisher: CSS Publishing

Published: 2006-01-15

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 0788023942

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Looking for a novel approach to the children's sermon -- something more creative than a simple story or object lesson? This collection of 40 dramatic sketches in readers' theater format will teach your young people about the events of Jesus' life -- while also actively involving your members in the worship service. Each scene vividly relates a story from the gospels in easy-to-read dialogue that can be performed with minimal rehearsal by teenagers or adults -- providing a memorable illustration that's certain to captivate the attention of everyone in your congregation. Discussion questions accompany each skit, so you can maximize the educational value by focusing youngsters' attention on the main themes. Ideal for use during the "children's moment" in Sunday morning worship, these brief pieces are also a perfect resource for children's church, Vacation Bible School, youth meetings, and many other settings. Sketches include: - Jesus And The Shepherds Of Bethlehem - Jesus And The Devil - Jesus Preaches In Nazareth - Jesus' Parable Of The Prodigal Son - Jesus And The Rich Young Man - Jesus Predicts Things To Come - Jesus In The Upper Room - Jesus On The Road To Emmaus ... and many more! Robert E. Lakey is a retired pastor who served Presbyterian congregations in Michigan during more than four decades of active ministry. For more than 25 years, Lakey led drama conferences and traveled throughout the country with groups of high school performers. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Princeton Theological Seminary.

Jesus in the Spotlight
Jesus in the Spotlight

Author: Kay Arthur

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

Published: 1999-07-01

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 0736935223

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Any young person who works through one of the Discover 4 Yourself Bible Studies for Kids will emerge with a richer appreciation for the Word of God and a deeper understanding of God’s love and care for them. Jesus in the Spotlight cover chapters 1-10 of the Gospel of John, giving youth a biblical perspective of who Jesus is and how He can change their lives.

The Spotlight of Faith
The Spotlight of Faith

Author: Bill Crowder

Publisher: Our Daily Bread Publishing

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 9781572931275

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Offers guidance from biblical characters about relationships and character, defeat and failure, insight on obedience and rebellion, and sacrifice and selfishness.

Jesus Outside the Lines
Jesus Outside the Lines

Author: Scott Sauls

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Published: 2015-03-01

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1496403835

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Whether the issue of the day on Twitter, Facebook, or cable news is our sexuality, political divides, or the perceived conflict between faith and science, today’s media pushes each one of us into a frustrating clash between two opposing sides. Polarizing, us-against-them discussions divide us and distract us from thinking clearly and communicating lovingly with others. Scott Sauls, like many of us, is weary of the bickering and is seeking a way of truth and beauty through the conflicts. Jesus Outside the Lines presents Jesus as this way. Scott shows us how the words and actions of Jesus reveal a response that does not perpetuate the destructive fray. Jesus offers us a way forward—away from harshness, caricatures, and stereotypes. In Jesus Outside the Lines, you will experience a fresh perspective of Jesus, who will not (and should not) fit into the sides.

Jesus > Religion
Jesus > Religion

Author: Jefferson Bethke

Publisher: HarperChristian + ORM

Published: 2013-10-14

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1400205409

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Abandon dead, dry, religious rule-keeping and embrace the promise of being truly known and deeply loved. Jefferson Bethke burst into the cultural conversation with a passionate, provocative poem titled "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." The 4-minute video became an overnight sensation, with 7 million YouTube views in its first 48 hours (and 23+ million in a year). Bethke's message clearly struck a chord with believers and nonbelievers alike, triggering an avalanche of responses running the gamut from encouraged to enraged. In his New York Times bestseller Jesus > Religion, Bethke unpacks similar contrasts that he drew in the poem--highlighting the difference between teeth gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair, and hope. With refreshing candor, he delves into the motivation behind his message, beginning with the unvarnished tale of his own plunge from the pinnacle of a works-based, fake-smile existence that sapped his strength and led him down a path of destructive behavior. Along the way, Bethke gives you the tools you need to: Humbly and prayerfully open your mind Understand Jesus for all that he is View the church from a brand-new perspective Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he's not a pastor or theologian, but simply an ordinary, twenty-something who cried out for a life greater than the one for which he had settled. On this journey, Bethke discovered the real Jesus, who beckoned him with love beyond the props of false religion. Praise for Jesus > Religion: "Jeff's book will make you stop and listen to a voice in your heart that may have been drowned out by the noise of religion. Listen to that voice, then follow it--right to the feet of Jesus." --Bob Goff, author of New York Times bestsellers Love Does and Everybody, Always "The book you hold in your hands is Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz meets C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity meets Augustine's Confessions. This book is going to awaken an entire generation to Jesus and His grace." --Derwin L. Gray, lead pastor of Transformation Church, author of Limitless Life: Breaking Free from the Labels That Hold You Back

The Story of the Church Textbook
The Story of the Church Textbook

Author: Phillip Campbell

Publisher: Tan Books

Published: 2020-07

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781505113198

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In this thrilling narrative, Phillip Campbell, author of the best-selling Story of Civilization series, takes children on a journey through Church history, beginning at Pentecost when Peter and the other apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and preached in the streets of Jerusalem, all the way through the pontificate of John Paul II and into modern times. Campbell's storybook style brings the narrative to life for young readers, taking them back in time and awakening a love and appreciation for history.

Missing Jesus
Missing Jesus

Author: Charles Morris

Publisher: Moody Publishers

Published: 2014-02-14

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 0802489885

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We put our trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sins, desire to please God with our life, and yet, we often find that something crucial is missing. Our day-to-day experience of faith lacks the vitality we know it should have. We feel like we’re missing something and we probably are. We’re probably missing Jesus. That’s what this book is about—it’s about not missing Jesus. It’s about seeing him big. It’s about having our lives re-centered on the glorious Son of God all over again. Charles and Janet Morris wanted to know what happens when we stop missing Jesus, and now they’re sharing what they’re learned – and how to see Him big in our small stories.

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.

Embracing Prodigals
Embracing Prodigals

Author: John Sanders

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2020-07-31

Total Pages: 137

ISBN-13: 1725264080

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Do you wonder why some people you know hold theological and political views that blow your mind but they find quite reasonable? Today, Christians are at odds over how to understand the Bible, atonement, and salvation of non-Christians. They are also polarized over issues such as same-gender marriage, income inequality, and health care. Two social science models, Nurturant and Authoritative, explain this divide. Values are at the heart of our disagreements. Nurturants prize empathy and cooperation while Authoritatives cherish obedience to law and order. Each group has distinct core values and these lead them to embrace different theological, moral, and political views. This book explains the divide and makes the case that Jesus embodied the Nurturant way of life. He modeled empathy, grace, forgiveness, and care for those beyond his own tribe. The Nurturant and Authoritative approaches have competed for thousands of years but contemporary research shows that the Nurturant way of life produces better mental and spiritual health as well as superior communities in which to live.

Jesus the Son of God
Jesus the Son of God

Author: D. A. Carson

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 1433537966

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Although it is a foundational confession for all Christians, much of the theological significance of Jesus's identity as "the Son of God" is often overlooked or misunderstood. Moreover, this Christological concept stands at the center of today's Bible translation debates and increased ministry efforts to Muslims. New Testament scholar D. A. Carson sheds light on this important issue with his usual exegetical clarity and theological insight, first by broadly surveying Jesus's biblical name as "the Son of God," and then by focusing on two key texts that speak of Christ's sonship. The book concludes with the implications of Jesus's divine sonship for how modern Christians think and speak about Christ, especially in relation to Bible translation and missionary engagement with Muslims across the globe.