Many churches, riding the faddish waves of our times, have gone 'to market', but not all. Some churches are trying to 'stay home', that is, remain firmly grounded in the Scriptures. Still, the pressures mount, the temptations are repackaged, and the schemes of the world become more and more persuasive. In This Little Church Stayed Home, Dr. Gilley explores the manifold temptations of conservative churches to sell out to modern trends and innovations, including the present temptation towards mystical theology. Churches toying with 'new measures' will be challenged to remain true to the historic doctrines of the Christian faith and to remain faithful to God's chosen means of converting sinners to himself: the good news of Jesus Christ. Pastors, seminary students, church leaders, and Christians who want God's Word to be paramount in their lives will find This Little Church Stayed Home a timely message to a Christian subculture fixated on marketing the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
Gary Gilley's three books in the 'This Little Church' series have been widely commended and appreciated in the troubled world of the evangelical church of the 21st century. Here is sound teaching and careful guidance, presented in a clear and accessible style. This new edition brings all three volumes, 'This Little Church Went to Market', 'This Little Church Stayed Home' and 'This Little Church had None together into one book.
With many evangelical churches being subscribed to pragmatic rather than scriptural patterns for worship this book calls for the Church to return to its scriptural roots.
Will You Stay? Caleb Breakey prays to God you do. In Called to Stay Breakey takes a refreshingly honest look at the church, the problem of Millennials leaving, and the stark reality of why the church desperately needs them. He holds nothing back as he unleashes an ambitious rallying cry to heal the church and inject his generation’s desire for truth, passion, and conviction into other believers. Caleb knows that answering the challenge of his own generation leads to a transformed church. And a changed church can change the world.
It is difficult for my finite mind even with the glorious guiding of The Holy Spirit – The Eternal Third Person of the Holy Trinity – to clearly define all the attributes of qualities of the Glory of God – The One True God of the Bible. I enclose here and repeat later for emphasis the truth of God’s Glory in Heaven. Revelation 4 and Revelation 5:13 1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 5:13 “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
We live in perilous times, and author Jaren L. Jones believes that events and signs preceding the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth can be seen every day around the world. In Last Saturday, Jones raises an alarm and warning. Scriptural prophecies describe many circumstances, both good and bad, that will be prevalent in the last days. They include evil and wickedness, faith and righteousness, the gathering of Israel, the restoration of Christ’s church, wars, and rumors of wars. Jones demonstrates how this is being played out; news headlines, magazines, and social media reveal evil and human suffering every day. Citing scriptural references, and through stories, current news, and other quotes, Jones points toward the realization of Last Day prophecies. He provides proof that today is Last Saturday.
There is a great debate going on in the church today. It centers on one question: "What is the mission of the church?" From culturally relevant, emerging congregations to strategic methods of organization and outreach, many claim they have the answer. They say the mission must become "missional." Yet the churches of North America continue to struggle. Uncertainty is growing. "What does it really mean to be 'missional'"? Competing claims abound. "Get the message out!" "Get the message right!" Great confusion has set in, particularly in the postmodern North American church. The Gospel is getting lost. Yet, throughout the ages, the creedal confession of the Holy Christian Church has carried her through uncertainty and struggle. The Apostles' Creed has steadied and stayed the mission of the church for centuries. It centers on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit--the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. This book celebrates the historic mission of the Holy Christian Church, and it invites the North American church to do the same.
“An intriguing mix of family history, lore, mountain culture, and folkways, skillfully bound together with an all-but-transparent thread of fiction.” —Library Journal When Rennie Slone’s mother dies in childbirth, the twelve-year-old girl is unexpectedly thrust into adulthood. She must keep house for her father, an itinerant preacher who finds little time for family, and raise her newborn sister—a task that becomes Rennie’s lifelong passion. Against all odds, she is determined that Sarah Ellen will have the education she herself has had to give up. This first work of fiction by Verna Mae Slone, firmly grounded in her own background, is set in the 1920s and 1930s in a closeknit community in eastern Kentucky, where family roots run deep. At its center stands as strong and resilient a heroine as any in American literature. The story of Rennie’s struggles and Sarah Ellen’s growth into womanhood form a richly textured picture of the simple, sturdy mountain people—their labor to wrest a living from the land, their neighborly care for one another, their shared joys, their quarrels with the outside world, and their distinctive dialect. We see the people of Lonesome Holler raising and preserving food, gathering for bean stringings, molasses stir-offs, play parties, and pie socials, pitching in to clear a neighbor’s land, assisting at a difficult birth, and helping to bury the dead. Verna Mae Slone, a native of Knott County, Kentucky, is the author of several books, including the bestselling memoir, What My Heart Wants to Tell. “Slone’s style, which includes dialogue written in dialect, is lively. Readers drawn to regional tales will enjoy learning about Lonesome Holler.” —Publishers Weekly
