The 52 Scripture memory verses that compose The Joshua Mandate were initially written as an encouragement to Al Jackson's local church family to join him in the spiritual discipline of Scripture memory. The Joshua Mandate is found in Joshua 1:8 where we read, -Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.- This small volume of brief chapters of exposition drawn from 52 verses of God's Word is designed to encourage God's people to commit to memory one verse each week for an entire year. It is a spiritual journey which will richly reward all who love the Lord Jesus and who desire to be conformed into his likeness.
New York Times bestseller What is Jesus worth to you? It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily... But who do you know who lives like that? Do you? In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment -- a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.
You were transformed to transform your world! For too long, Christianity has been defined by a false concept of church. As a result, believers have built walls around their lives, keeping culture at a distance. As Christians have tried to keep culture out of the church, unfortunately, the church has kept itself out of the culture. This was never Jesus’ design for the your life! Before church was established as a place that people “came to,” Jesus instituted it as an army that brought transformation to society, starting with salvation and continuing with seven spheres of influence: Church, family, education, government, media, arts, and commerce. Six revolutionary voices in the modern church deliver Invading Babylon. This essential guide will equip you to: Understand your vital role in shaping society. Release God’s will in your sphere of influence. Become an unstoppable citizen in God’s Kingdom. It’s your time to arise and be a light in a dark world.
"To pursue the matter of "revelation in context," I will address an exceedingly difficult text in the Old Testament, Joshua 11. The reason for taking up this text is to deal with the often asked and troublesome question: What shall we do with all the violence and bloody war that is done in the Old Testament in the name of Yahweh? The question reflects a sense that these texts of violence are at least an embarrassment, are morally repulsive, and are theologically problematic in the Bible, not because they are violent, but because this is violence either in the name of or at the hand of Yahweh." -from chapter 2
“An essential purchase for anyone interested in modern Middle East history.” —Jerusalem Post The strife-torn three decades of British rule over Palestine, known as the Mandate, is one of the great dramas in British imperial history, and remains passionately controversial now, some fifty years after the last British High Commissioner left Jerusalem. British policies, promises, the mere presence of Britain in the Holy Land, are all still argued, deplored, or--less frequently--admired. In all the polemic surrounding the Mandate, the thousands of British men and women who actually lived and worked in Palestine have been overlooked, as if their presence there had been irrelevant. Whether civil servants, teachers, soldiers, or missionaries, posted to Jerusalem or remote outposts in the hills, whatever their rank or tasks, the British of the Mandate lived through an extraordinary, transforming personal adventure. Here for the first time is their often poignant story, written largely in their own words, with honesty, humor, and occasional bitterness, against a background of tragic and violent events. Their letters home, diaries, and memoirs vividly describe British landscapes, cultural affinities and misunderstandings, feelings for Arabs or Jews, accomplishments and mishaps, and a strong sense of imperial mission coupled with an often sorrowful awareness of human limitations and the folly of unrealistic expectations. This powerful and authentic personal writing, enhanced by evocative illustrations, brings to life a notable chapter in imperial history and illuminates the experiences and motivations of the last, remarkably articulate generation of British proconsuls and their wives.
This updated edition by one of the world's leading apologists presents a systematic, positive case for Christianity that reflects the latest work in the contemporary hard sciences and humanities. Brilliant and accessible.
Walter Kaiser questions the notion that the New Testament represents a deviation from God's supposed intention to save only the Israelites. He argues that--contrary to popular opinion--the older Testament does not reinforce an exclusive redemptive plan. Instead, it emphasizes a common human condition and God's original and continuing concern for all humanity. Kaiser shows that the Israelites' mission was always to actively spread to gentiles the Good News of the promised Messiah. This new edition adds two new chapters, freshens material throughout, expands the bibliography, and includes study questions.
"Why are more churches not engaged in practical, substantial ways of taking the gospel to the nations?" When Missions Shape the Mission unpacks a statistical study of traditionally evangelical churches that reveals their anemic level of commitment to the biblical mandate of making Christ known around the world. Veteran pastor David Horner makes the data easy to understand, challenging other pastors to radically assign their best leadership and resources to missions as he looks at where the church is today, how it got there, and where we must go from here: "Let's dream a godly dream. What if you committed to step up and lead your church in the pursuit of becoming a mission-focused church? Then, what if you invited ten of your pastor friends to join you in the effort—and each of them did the same? What would happen to the available missions force beginning right here in the West?"
It is important for us as believers to understand that there is a territorial dimension to kingdom advance. Kingdom advance generally speaks of extending the influence and the reign of the Christ.When Prophet Isaiah received the Messianic prophecy that talked about Christ, it was said in that prophecy that of the increase of his government and his peace, there will be no end. This means that of the increase of the continual advancement and expansion of Christ, His purposes and the peace that comes in that kingdom, there shall be no end. So this is a kingdom that grows. He says, "I will build my church and the gate of hell will not prevail over it". I know that looking at the society right now, it looks like the church is not growing and that the purpose of Christ is not advancing. I want you to know that the church is growing and the purposes of Christ is advancing. The Bible declares that it is God's desire that the Lordship of Christ be established, first of all in the heart of men and then across territories. So kingdom advancement is in two folds- the establishment of the purposes of Christ first of all in the hearts of men and then across territories. This means that it is not enough that individuals be saved/come under the governing influence of Christ. It is time to start taking cities. The Bible says, in the book of Acts, that these are they that have turned the world upside down. The story of revival as we read from the scripture and then in modern history talks about men and women who (according to Hebrews 11) subdued kingdoms. He said ask of me for the earthen, I will give them to you for your inheritance. It is time for us take systems, structures, nations and bring them under the Lordship of Christ. This is one of the ways the kingdom will advance.
We are saved by faith when we trust that Jesus died for our sins. This is the gospel, or so we are taught. But what is faith? And does this accurately summarize the gospel? Because faith is frequently misunderstood and the climax of the gospel misidentified, the gospel's full power remains untapped. While offering a fresh proposal for what faith means within a biblical theology of salvation, Matthew Bates presses the church toward a new precision: we are saved solely by allegiance to Jesus the king. Instead of faith alone, Christians must speak about salvation by allegiance alone. The book includes discussion questions for students, pastors, and church groups and a foreword by Scot McKnight.
