Have you ever wondered about some of the lesser known people mentioned in the Bible? There are many people in the Bible who were helpers of the significant ones like David, Moses, Peter, and Paul. For example, Abigail, one of David's wives, saved her family because she was thoughtful and hardworking. Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, lost his life because of his loyalty to the army and his King. People from other nations played an important part in Jewish history because they trusted God and made their home with the Jews. What about New Testament people like Apollos, Barnabas, Cornelius, and some of the lesser known disciples? This book is about many of those people who met God and made a decision for or against Him.
Christians know church is important, but sometimes it doesn't seem worth it. An eclectic assortment of people with differing personalities, political views, and parenting styles can make for awkward interactions and difficult connections. What’s the point of putting in the tough work to build relationships? But the Bible says God’s people ought to be bound together. It uses words like beloved, brothers and sisters, saints, and fellow laborers to describe their mutual relationship in the church. In this book, Megan Hill answers a common question of churchgoers: What’s so great about the church? With rich theology, practical direction, and study questions for group use, Hill encourages and equips both first-time visitors and regular members to delight in being a part of the local church—no matter how messy and ordinary it seems today. It is only when God’s people begin to see one another as the Lord sees them that they will truly find a place to belong.
The stories of people who have inspired the author "as they found their faith rise to the occasion--to forgive an assailant, to find strength despite the debilitating effects of cerebral palsy, to choose love in the face of racial prejudice, and to discover in the midst of questioning that God Himself is the answer to all questions."--Cover.
The Holy Spirit is the Hidden Mover behind all personal life transformation and ministry fruitfulness. Since the original publication of Spirit Walk, author Steve Smith has gone home to meet the Lord face-to-face. However, before that glorious day, he penned an impassioned plea to believers in the last days of his life. That plea and piece of instruction is what comprises the new foreword in this special edition of Spirit Walk. Read and be both challenged and invited to a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. Though we know the Bible says to walk in the Spirit, the majority of Christians are illiterate (and even nervous) about how to practically live in His power. The result is lives marred by continued brokenness and ministries plagued by fruitlessness. In contrast, believers from Acts understood the ancient path of the Spirit Walk. That extraordinary power was not just for them, but also for us. Gleaning insights from implementation in dozens of Acts-like movements around the world, Spirit Walk “lifts the hood and shows us the real secret behind apostolic, disciple multiplying movements” (Neil Cole, author of Organic Church). Whether you need a movement of God in your personal life or in your ministry, this book takes you through the timeless principles of the Bible. The Spirit Walk path has helped thousands of ordinary people shift from a fundamental reliance upon methods and self-helps to the essential reliance upon the Spirit who empowers both. Discover how to start on your lifelong journey of being filled again and again by the Holy Spirit as you abide in Christ.
Have you ever wondered if God is real? Or do you sometimes question whether or not He knows you and is intimately involved in your life? And do you wonder if He hears your prayers and has your best interests in mind? If so, then this book is for you! Read how God has opened the eyes of an ordinary man to see the normally unseen supernatural workings of Jesus Christ in his life. Read about the divine appointments and divine interventions that God has orchestrated in Marks life that have clearly demonstrated Gods love for himthe kind of love God has for you and for every man or woman who feels as though they are simply ordinary.
You don't have to be perfect to do God's work. Look no further than the twelve disciples, whose many weaknesses are forever preserved throughout the pages of the New Testament. Join bestselling author John MacArthur in Twelve Ordinary Men as he draws principles from Christ's careful, hands-on training of the original disciples for today's modern disciple, you! Jesus chose ordinary men--fishermen, tax collectors, political zealots--and turned their weakness into strength, producing greatness from people who were otherwise unremarkable. The twelve disciples weren't the stained-glass saints we imagine. On the contrary, they were truly human, all too prone to mistakes, misstatements, wrong attitudes, lapses of faith, and bitter failure. Simply put, they were flawed people, just like us. But under Jesus' teaching and touch, they became a force that forever changed the world. MacArthur takes you into the inner circle of the disciples--their selection, their training, their personalities, and their incredible impact. As MacArthur took a closer look at the lives of the twelve disciples, he found himself asking difficult questions along the way, including: Why did Jesus pick each of the twelve disciples? How did Jesus teach them everything he could in just eighteen short months? Can the lessons that Jesus taught the disciples can still influence our faith today? In Twelve Ordinary Men, you'll learn that disciples are living proof that God's strength is made perfect in weakness. As you get to know the men who walked with Jesus, you'll see that if he can accomplish his purposes through them, he can do the same through you.
This is the story of Condoleezza Rice that has never been told, not that of an ultra-accomplished world leader, but of a little girl--and a young woman--trying to find her place in a sometimes hostile world, of two exceptional parents, and an extended family and community that made all the difference. Condoleezza Rice has excelled as a diplomat, political scientist, and concert pianist. Her achievements run the gamut from helping to oversee the collapse of communism in Europe and the decline of the Soviet Union, to working to protect the country in the aftermath of 9-11, to becoming only the second woman--and the first black woman ever--to serve as Secretary of State. But until she was 25 she never learned to swim, because when she was a little girl in Birmingham, Alabama, Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor decided he'd rather shut down the city's pools than give black citizens access. Throughout the 1950's, Birmingham's black middle class largely succeeded in insulating their children from the most corrosive effects of racism, providing multiple support systems to ensure the next generation would live better than the last. But by 1963, Birmingham had become an environment where blacks were expected to keep their head down and do what they were told--or face violent consequences. That spring two bombs exploded in Rice’s neighborhood amid a series of chilling Klu Klux Klan attacks. Months later, four young girls lost their lives in a particularly vicious bombing. So how was Rice able to achieve what she ultimately did? Her father, John, a minister and educator, instilled a love of sports and politics. Her mother, a teacher, developed Condoleezza’s passion for piano and exposed her to the fine arts. From both, Rice learned the value of faith in the face of hardship and the importance of giving back to the community. Her parents’ fierce unwillingness to set limits propelled her to the venerable halls of Stanford University, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become the university’s second-in-command. An expert in Soviet and Eastern European Affairs, she played a leading role in U.S. policy as the Iron Curtain fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated. Less than a decade later, at the apex of the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, she received the exciting news--just shortly before her father’s death--that she would go on to the White House as the first female National Security Advisor. As comfortable describing lighthearted family moments as she is recalling the poignancy of her mother’s cancer battle and the heady challenge of going toe-to-toe with Soviet leaders, Rice holds nothing back in this remarkably candid telling.
The eleven lessons in this Bible study guide on the book of James encourage a greater understanding of basic principles for spiritual growth and maturity.
An interactive exploration of two of Paul's earliest letters tothe new believers in Thessalonica. Includes a devotional, threesections for personal application, and the corresponding ESVtext.
What if God hates religion? So many of us have been programmed to think that we need to follow a certain ritual or that a certain church will make us get right with God. We have it all wrong. God doesn't want our religion and our good deeds without having our hearts. That's what He wants is our heart. He is a gentleman and He stands at the door of your heart waiting for you to invite Him into your life. He won't barge in, He waits to be invited in. God is not interested in what church you go to or if you go to church, He wants your heart! When you look around the church today what do you see? Is there room for a relationship with Jesus in the midst of the religion that we have created by following our rules and rituals? Are we still trying to earn grace? When I look around the church today I see a lot of Pharisees that are so caught up in their religion that they have forgotten about the relationship with their Savior. Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me wholeheartedly. The time has come that we return to God with our every day worship. The time has come for us to take up our cross and follow Jesus. The time has come for us to wave our white flag of surrender and allow God to be the Lord of our life.
