The Preacher's Charge and People's Duty
The Preacher's Charge and People's Duty

Author: John Brinsley

Publisher: Puritan Publications

Published: 2016-10-05

Total Pages: 81

ISBN-13: 1626631956

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In this work Brinsley not only focuses on the preacher, but also on the hearer. From 2 Tim. 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, and out of season,” he shows that if God has ordained the office of the preacher to herald his message to people "in season and out of season," then, in fact, there must also be people "to do the hearing." This work, then, not only applies to the preacher’s charge, but the people’s duty to hear earnestly and diligently what the preacher has said. He shows that the minister’s charge is a duty to preach the Gospel of Christ, which is in turn preaching Christ: to preach the Word. The preacher is the herald of God, whose office is discharged by speaking this Word to all people, in all cases, in the name of Christ, boldly, faithfully and plainly. In discharging their duty, preachers are to be “instant in season and out of season”, or, earnest and diligent in its performance at all times. By way of contrast but compliment, the hearer of the word should always strive to hear, also, diligently and earnestly. They ought never to be offended at hearing the word preached in its simplicity, and they must excite themselves to this duty entertaining the word of God with gladness. Not only are they to hear it, but they are to wholeheartedly receive it in order to practice it faithfully. 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.

Center Church
Center Church

Author: Timothy Keller

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2012-09-04

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 0310494192

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Practical and Gospel-centered thoughts on how to have a fruitful ministry by one of America's leading and most beloved pastor. Many church leaders are struggling to adapt to a culture that values individuality above loyalty to a group or institution. There have been so many "church growth" and "effective ministry" books in the past few decades that it's hard to know where to start or which ones will provide useful and honest insight. Based on over twenty years of ministry in New York City, Timothy Keller takes a unique approach that measures a ministry's success neither by numbers nor purely by the faithfulness of its leaders, but on the biblical grounds of fruitfulness. Center Church outlines a balanced theological vision for ministry organized around three core commitments: Gospel-centered: The gospel of grace in Jesus Christ changes everything, from our hearts to our community to the world. It completely reshapes the content, tone, and strategy of all that we do. City-centered: With a positive approach toward our culture, we learn to affirm that cities are wonderful, strategic, and under-served places for gospel ministry. Movement-centered: Instead of building our own tribe, we seek the prosperity and peace of our community as we are led by the Holy Spirit. "Between a pastor's doctrinal beliefs and ministry practices should be a well-conceived vision for how to bring the gospel to bear on the particular cultural setting and historical moment. This is something more practical than just doctrine but much more theological than "how-to steps" for carrying out a ministry. Once this vision is in place, it leads church leaders to make good decisions on how to worship, disciple, evangelize, serve, and engage culture in their field of ministry—whether in a city, suburb, or small town." — Tim Keller, Core Church

The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark
The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark

Author: Dennis Ronald MacDonald

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2000-01-01

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 9780300080124

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In this groundbreaking book, Dennis R. MacDonald offers an entirely new view of the New Testament gospel of Mark. The author of the earliest gospel was not writing history, nor was he merely recording tradition, MacDonald argues. Close reading and careful analysis show that Mark borrowed extensively from the Odyssey and the Iliad and that he wanted his readers to recognise the Homeric antecedents in Mark's story of Jesus. Mark was composing a prose anti-epic, MacDonald says, presenting Jesus as a suffering hero modeled after but far superior to traditional Greek heroes. Much like Odysseus, Mark's Jesus sails the seas with uncomprehending companions, encounters preternatural opponents, and suffers many things before confronting rivals who have made his house a den of thieves. In his death and burial, Jesus emulates Hector, although unlike Hector Jesus leaves his tomb empty. Mark's minor characters, too, recall Homeric predecessors: Bartimaeus emulates Tiresias; Joseph of Arimathea, Priam; and the women at the tomb, Helen, Hecuba, and Andromache. And, entire episodes in Mark mirror Homeric episodes, including stilling the sea, walking on water, feeding the multitudes, the Triumphal E

Missional Church
Missional Church

Author: Darrell L. Guder

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 1998-02-09

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9780802843500

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What would a theology of the Church look like that took seriously the fact that North America is now itself a mission field? This question lies at the foundation of this volume written by an ecumenical team of six noted missiologists—Lois Barrett, Inagrace T. Dietterich, Darrell L. Guder, George R. Hunsberger, Alan J. Roxburgh, and Craig Van Gelder. The result of a three-year research project undertaken by The Gospel and Our Culture Network, this book issues a firm challenge for the church to recover its missional call right here in North America, while also offering the tools to help it do so. The authors examine North America s secular culture and the church s loss of dominance in today s society. They then present a biblically based theology that takes seriously the church s missional vocation and draw out the consequences of this theology for the structure and institutions of the church.