The essays in The Beauty and Glory of the Holy Spirit both exalt and revel in the third person of the Trinity. Through an assortment of studiescategorized according to their biblical, doctrinal, historical, or pastoral focusthis book sets before readers the inestimable ministry of the blessed Holy Spirit. Contributors include David Murray, Geoffrey Thomas, John Thackway, Malcolm Watts, Gerald Bilkes, Michael Barrett, John Carrick, George Knight, Morton Smith, Ian Hamilton, William Shishko, William VanDoodewaard, Joel R. Beeke, Joseph Morecraft, Ryan McGraw, and Joseph Pipa.
When the seed of life is sown in their hearts, God’s people grow up beautifully and gloriously. Taking up this botanical analogy, The Beauty and Glory of Christian Living opens by discussing the divine roots of the Christian life in being united to Christ in faith, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, becoming spiritually minded, and living by the means of grace. It then explores how our Christian lives branch out to influence our families, our workplaces, and the world. Finally, a series of chapters deal with weathering the storms of life, when we are pelted with affliction, sexual temptation, negative thought patterns, hard times, sickness, and death. In all of this, we see a faithful God who causes His people to flourish for His glory. Contributors include Michael Barrett, Ian Hamilton, John Tweeddale, Joel Beeke, William VanDoodewaard, Brian Najapfour, Josh Dear, Gerald Bilkes, Brian Croft, and David Murray. Table of Contents: Christian Living in Its Divine Roots 1. Living Out Our Faith: The Christian Life Inside Out—Michael Barrett 2. Living by the Spirit’s Sanctifying Ministry—Ian Hamilton 3. Living on Things Above: John Owen on Spiritual-Mindedness—John W. Tweeddale 4. Living by the Means of Grace: How God Beautifies His Children—Ian Hamilton Christian Living in Its Human Branches 5. Living in the Family: Thoughts from William Gouge—Joel R. Beeke 6. Living in the Workplace: Following in Jesus’ Steps—William VanDoodewaard 7. Living Evangelistically: Biblical Motivation for Proclaiming the Gospel—Brian Najapfour with Josh Dear Christian Living in Its Earthly Storms 8. Living in the Furnace of Affliction—Gerald Bilkes 9. Living Morally in a Sexually Immoral World—Brian Croft 10. Living Positively in a Negative Culture—David Murray 11. Living through Sickness and Death—Brian Croft 12. Living Hopefully in Hard Times: The Beauty and Glory of the Book of Judges—John W. Tweeddale
How Christians Can Rediscover the Beauty and Glory of the Church Dear. Precious. Lovely. The Bible describes the church in extraordinary ways, even using beautiful poetry and metaphors. How does this compare to how Christians today describe the church? Unfortunately, many believers focus more on its mission, structure, or specific programs than on its inherent beauty. It's time to spark a renewed affection for the church. In The Loveliest Place, Dustin Benge urges Christians to see the holy assembly of God's redeemed people in all its eternal beauty. He explains what makes the church lovely, including the Trinitarian relationship, worship, service, and gospel proclamation. For those who have never learned to view the church as God sees it, or have become disillusioned by its flaws, this book is a reminder that the corporate gathering of believers is a reflection of God's indescribable beauty. This is the third book in the Union series, which invites readers to experience deeper enjoyment of God through four interconnected values: delighting in God, growing in Christ, serving the church, and blessing the world. Part of the Union Series: Inviting readers to experience deeper enjoyment of God; other volumes include Rejoice and Tremble and Deeper Concise Version Also Available: The Loveliest Place is the full version of Why Should We Love the Local Church? Looks Beyond Methodology: Focuses on the beauty, not just the biblical function, of the church
In this introduction to Calvinism, Joel Beeke--with contributions from Sinclair Ferguson, Michael A.G. Haykin, Derek W.H. Thomas, and others--displays the biblical, God-centered, comprehensive, and practical nature of Calvinism. Explore Calvinism in history, in the mind, in the heart, in the church, in society, and more.
Why is God's beauty often absent from our theology? Rarely do theologians take up the theme of God's beauty—even more rarely do they consider how God's beauty should shape the task of theology itself. But the psalmist says that the heart of the believer's desire is to behold the beauty of the Lord. In The Beauty of the Lord, Jonathan King restores aesthetics as not merely a valid lens for theological reflection, but an essential one. Jesus, our incarnate Redeemer, displays the Triune God's beauty in his actions and person, from creation to final consummation. How can and should theology better reflect this unveiled beauty? The Beauty of the Lord is a renewal of a truly aesthetic theology and a properly theological aesthetics.
Enjoy the spiritual feast served in The Beauty and Glory of Christ , a compilation of the addresses given at the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary’s annual conference in August 2010 at Grand Rapids, Michigan. Each essay sets before readers the unsearchable riches of the Lord Jesus Christ, the hope of our glory and the glory of our hope. Topics include Christ’s beauty prophesied and typified in Isaiah and Song of Solomon; Christ’s glory in His incarnation, earthly ministry, and death on the cross; Christ in historical theology and everyday life; and Christ’s glorious exaltation in His resurrection and in His triumph in the book of Revelation. Contributors include David Murray, Iain Campbell, Richard Phillips, Gerald Bilkes, David Carmichael, Albert Martin, Joel Beeke, William VanDoodewaard, Ray Pennings, and James Grier. Table of Contents: Christ’s Beauty Prophesied and Typified 1. The Beauty of Isaiah’s Servant — David Murray 2. The Song of David’s Son — Iain Campbell 3. He Is Altogether Lovely — Iain Campbell Christ’s Glory from Bethlehem to Golgotha 4. The Glory of Christ’s Victorious Incarnation — Richard Phillips 5. The Glory of Christ’s Parables — Gerald Bilkes 6. Jesus, Master of Storms — David Carmichael 7. Jesus, Master of Stress — David Carmichael 8. The Glory of Christ’s Victorious Death — Albert Martin Christ in Historical Theology and Everyday Life 9. Glorying in the Imputed Righteousness of Christ — Richard Phillips 10. Thomas Goodwin on Christ’s Beautiful Heart — Joel R. Beeke 11. Christology in Marrow Theology — William VanDoodewaard 12. Christology: Calvin, Kuyper, and Politics — Ray Pennings 13. The Daily Challenge of Christ-Centered Living — Ray Pennings Christ’s Glorious Exaltation 14. The Glory of Christ’s Victorious Resurrection — Albert Martin 15. The Investiture of the Lamb — James Grier 16. Hallelujah to the Triumphant Christ — James Grier
Jurgen Moltmann and others contend that Christian theology and the church face a dual crisis--one of relevance and the other of identity. Despite making this pronouncement nearly forty years ago, the church in the West continues to struggle with this crisis. Several proposals have been espoused, from the way of wisdom to the way of ecclesial praxis. Yet, little attention is given in Protestant theological discourse to the role God's beauty plays in bringing theology and ethics together. By neglecting God's beauty for theological discourse, we risk diminishing Christian worship, witness, and wisdom. God's Beauty-in-Act addresses these issues, in part, by arguing that the redemptive-creative suffering and glorious resurrection of Christ are the nexus of God's being, beauty, and Christian living. God's beauty, understood as the fittingness of the incarnate Son's actions in the Spirit to the Father's will, radiates God's glory and draws perceivers into the dramatic movements of God's triune life. These movements serve as the patterns that shape the imagination, enabling participants to perform their parts creatively and fittingly in God's drama of redemption. In doing so, human beings flourish as they jettison false identities and realities of their own making that are incommensurate with God's purpose found in Christ by the Spirit.
Only One Addiction Can Set You Free Matt Papa was a "professional Christian" in full-time ministry, ready and determined to change the world. All the while he was depressed, addicted to the approval of others, and enslaved to sin. But then everything changed. He encountered the glory of God. All of us live in the tension between where we are and where we ought to be. We try our best to bully our desires into submission. And we all know, this is exhausting. Are you tired? Stuck? Still fighting the same sin you've been fighting for years? The call in these pages is not to work or to strive, but to lift your eyes. You don't need more willpower. You need a vision of greatness that sweeps you off your feet. You need to see glory. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Look and Live. "Matt has helped me see that love for God grows out of an experience of beholding the love of God. We burn only as we behold. . . . This is a fantastic book and I commend it to you with the most enthusiastic support."--from the Foreword by J.D. Greear "Matt Papa cares about the glory of God, and you can sense that zeal on every page of this dynamic book. He also cares about you and me getting to grips with that glory. . . . Matt guides us through these pages with kindness, seriousness, and love--for God's greater glory and our greater good."--Matt Redman, songwriter and worship leader "Making our lives about one unflinching gaze upon the glory of Christ--what a vision Matt Papa has put before us. I encourage everyone to read this book!"--Tony Merida, pastor, professor, and author "Matt Papa's book is a snakebite kit for suffering sinners. Each sentence of Look and Live extracts Satan's deadly venom and resuscitates the soul with the life-giving power of the glory of God!"--Tony Nolan, snakebite survivor, author, and gospel preacher "To journey through this book is to go on a quest that will awaken our souls to the reality of the One who is 'majestic in holiness' and 'awesome in glorious deeds.'"--Dr. Brent Crowe, author, speaker, and vice president of Student Leadership University "I have been wonderfully blessed by Matt Papa's friendship and ministry. I am grateful his reflections on worship are now shared in Look and Live. It is biblically faithful and keeps the focus of worship where it belongs: on our glorious God."--Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary "Matt Papa faithfully points us to the soul-stirring glory of God. Read this book and allow your heart to once again behold the wondrous mystery."--Matt Boswell, founder of Doxology & Theology, and pastor of ministries and worship at Providence Church, Frisco, Texas "This is Matt's life message--that Jesus Christ alone is worth living for, and that when you gaze upon His majesty and glory you will never be the same. This book is theologically robust and practically helpful, packed with Scripture and insight into the person and work of the risen Son of God. . . . This is a true gift to the church."--Clayton King, president of Crossroads Camps and Clayton King Ministries "If C. S. Lewis and David Crowder wrote a book together about worship, you would have the rich theology of the great Christian apologist with the deep passion of worship from the contemporary artist. That's what Matt Papa has given us in Look and Live--a must-read for every worshiper."--Mike Harland, president of LifeWay Worship
Selected from sermons delivered by C. S. Lewis during World War II, these nine addresses offer guidance and inspiration in a time of great doubt.These are ardent and lucid sermons that provide a compassionate vision of Christianity.
A study of how the world is experienced through Christian philosophy and phenomenology. How does Christian philosophy address phenomena in the world? Felix Ó Murchadha believes that seeing, hearing, or otherwise sensing the world through faith requires transcendence or thinking through glory and night (being and meaning). By challenging much of Western metaphysics, Ó Murchadha shows how phenomenology opens new ideas about being, and how philosophers of “the theological turn” have addressed questions of creation, incarnation, resurrection, time, love, and faith. He explores the possibility of a phenomenology of Christian life and argues against any simple separation of philosophy and theology or reason and faith. “Ó Murchadha makes abundant and timely references to the philosophical tradition from Plato through Heidegger, but also, perhaps more so, to the post-Heideggerian developments sometimes considered together and at once as “the theological turn” in phenomenology. He is equally at home in the Christian theological traditions from Paul to Barth and von Balthasar.” —Jeffrey Bloechl, Boston College “The book is engaging, well-written and, from this reviewer’s point of view, generally convincing. It constitutes an impressive and original contribution to both the philosophy of religion and has very much to offer to those interested in phenomenology and phenomenological analysis.” —Modern Theology “As an explication of how Christian belief can transform the meaning of the world . . . this book shows its greatest worth. Here it does as compelling a job as any in bringing out the novelty of Christianity before it became overly familiar and overwritten.” —Philosophical Quarterly
