Winner of a Chicago Book Clinic 2004 Design Award A Fragile Stone explores the dynamic life of the apostle Peter, revisiting well-known passages and revealing unexpected insights. Author Michael Card sketches out Peter's life, showing how the impetuous fisherman of the Gospels was transformed into the pivotal leader of the early church. "The ultimate reason for getting to know Peter," Card explains, "is so together we might better know Jesus. For the story of Peter is the story of Jesus. Perhaps, if you and I do our best, the same will be said of us someday." Peter's life serves as a model for Christian discipleship, offering hope that we likewise can be changed as Jesus calls us to follow him.

Whether used as an individual Bible study or used for studying with a group, the Nelson Impact Bible Study Guide Series will deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Bible, book by book.

Written in an easy-to-read, interesting style, each study guide will help you to experience the true meaning of the messages of the Bible, and in turn, empower you to truly make a difference in the world for Christ.

Key Features Include: Timelines Fun cultural facts and probing questions Plenty of room for taking notes Biblical and present-day maps

Other study guides in the series include: 1 Corinthians ISBN: 1418506192 Exodus ISBN: 1418506168 Genesis ISBN: 1418506087 Isaiah ISBN: 1418506095 John ISBN: 1418506109 Mark ISBN: 1418506184 Romans ISBN: 1418506117 Ruth & Esther ISBN: 1418506176

Blech argues that both Christianity and Judaism are responsible for anti-Semitism in claiming divine revelation as the source of their scriptures.

These studies continue a tradition of scholarship that flourished around the turn of the century when new editions of ancient philosophical sources were published. Professor Malherbe, however, widens the scope to include other philosophical traditions. He recognizes and identifies the influences of Platonists, Peripatetics, Cynics, Stoics, Epicureans, and Pythagoreans. These popular philosophers aimed at moral reform; they shared both in their substance and in the techniques employed. Yet, they need to be distinguished in order to discern their influence, if any, on Paul.

For over a century the ten-volume Dictionary of the Bible has been the definitive reference. "It is a Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, together with the Old Testament Apocrypha, according to the Authorized and Revised English Versions, and with constant reference to the original tongues. ... Articles have been written on the names of all Persons and Places, on the Antiquities and Archaeology of the Bible, on its Ethnology, Geology, and Natural History, on Biblical Theology and Ethic, and even on the obsolete or archaic words occurring in the English Versions." James Hastings (1852-1922) was a distinguished scholar and pastor. He was founder and editor of the Expository Times and is also well known for editing the Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, the Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, and the Dictionary of the Apostolic Church.

Romans - Constitution of Your Faith - Precepts for Life Study Companion for the radio / tv broadcast series by Kay Arthur. (Covers Romans chapters 1-5.) Learn about the righteousness of God and understand the bondage of sin in Paul's life-changing letter to the Romans. Study how God's solution to man's sinful dilemma through justification by faith in Jesus and the free gift of grace. Understanding these essential doctrines will strengthen your faith

Romans - Constitution of Your Faith - Precepts for Life Study Guide for the radio / tv broadcast series by Kay Arthur. (Covers Romans chapters 1-5.) Learn about the righteousness of God and understand the bondage of sin in Paul's life-changing letter to the Romans. Study how God's solution to man's sinful dilemma through justification by faith in Jesus and the free gift of grace. Understanding these essential doctrines will strengthen your faith

This is a collection of recent articles by one of the bestselling Old Testament professors in the U.S. Collins wrote the Fortress Press volume Introduction to the Hebrew Bible with CD-ROM (2004). An engaging writer, Collins explores a diversity of topics, from the role of the Bible in culture to major themes within the Bible: messianism, revelation, natural theology, and so on.

Revelation - God's Message to the Church - Precepts for Life Study Companion for the radio / tv broadcast series by Kay Arthur. (Covers Revelation chapters 1-3 & 21.) Study the first three chapters of Revelation that record God's messages to the seven churches, and learn why they are relevant to the Church - and to you - today

Revelation - God's Message to the Church - Precepts for Life Study Guide for the radio / tv broadcast series by Kay Arthur. (Covers Revelation chapters 1-3 & 21.) Study the first three chapters of Revelation that record God's messages to the seven churches, and learn why they are relevant to the Church - and to you - today

Among the classics of ancient Greek and Jewish literature, the story of Luke-Acts has few rivals. Yet we moderns miss much of the meaning of Luke's two-part drama because we read it like any other text and not as it would have been "heard" by ancient listeners -- in public performance by a skilled storyteller.

"The Way according to Luke" unlocks the big picture of Jesus' mission by attending to the repetition, patterns, and other clues of oral narrative. In this single volume Paul Borgman lays out a holistic view of the organic unity between Luke and Acts while demonstrating that the meaning of Luke-Acts is uniquely embedded in its narrative. Borgman's distinctive work makes available both the satisfying pleasure of reading the Bible as great literature and the rewarding insight gained from receiving Scripture as it was originally delivered.

This six-session short-term study from Jim Moore is organized around the general theme of parables of life. Each chapter will focus on a particular parable, and will feature Dr. Moore telling readers what Jesus was saying through the parable, both to listeners of his day and to us today in our own lives.
Parables studied are:
The Laborers in God's Vineyard
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
The Weeds Among the Wheat
The Ten Pounds
Dives and Lazarus
The Unmerciful Servant

Knowing the historical and cultural background of the Bible is crucial to properly understanding and interpreting it. But the passing of 2,000 years often prevents today's reader from fully understanding the significance of various actions and teachings of Jesus in the Gospels. For example, the radical nature of Jesus's healings on the Sabbath may go unnoticed without an awareness of first-century Jewish teaching on what was and was not permissible.
Pastors and other serious Bible students may not have access to important early writings that would provide this background, nor the time to wade through volumes of source material to find relevant tidbits. This unique reference work gathers into one handy volume the key extrabiblical texts that provide the necessary background for passages in the Gospels, along with introductory comments by the editors.

Brooke illuminates the first-century world shared by the Qumran community and the writers of the New Testament. The Dead Sea Scrolls have provided Old Testament scholars with an enormous wealth of data for textual criticism as well as theology. But, as Brooke skillfully demonstrates, New Testament scholars can use the Scrolls to learn more about the linguistic, historical, religious, and social contexts of Palestine in the first century. A wide range of topics and themes is discussed, including Matthew's Beatitudes, the lost song of Miriam, Levi and the Levites, women's authority, and the use of scripture in the parable of the vineyard.

1 Samuel - Part 1 - The Heart of a Leader - Precepts for Life Study Companion for the radio/tv broadcast series by Kay Arthur. (Covers 1 Samuel chapters 1-14.) Study the stories of Eli, Hannah and Samuel, David and Goliath, David and Jonathan, David and Abigail - all recorded in God's Word so you can know and trust God, experience His grace and forgiveness, and pray more effectively, relying on the precious promises in His Word.

For over a century the ten-volume Dictionary of the Bible has been the definitive reference. "It is a Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, together with the Old Testament Apocrypha, according to the Authorized and Revised English Versions, and with constant reference to the original tongues. ... Articles have been written on the names of all Persons and Places, on the Antiquities and Archaeology of the Bible, on its Ethnology, Geology, and Natural History, on Biblical Theology and Ethic, and even on the obsolete or archaic words occurring in the English Versions." James Hastings (1852-1922) was a distinguished scholar and pastor. He was founder and editor of the Expository Times and is also well known for editing the Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, the Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, and the Dictionary of the Apostolic Church.

It is plain even from Paul's own writings that other presentations of the Christian message than his own were current during his apostolic career. With some of these other presentations he is quite happy; against others he found it necessary to put his readers on their guard. In these four studies originally presented as the inaugural series of Didsbury Lectures at the British Isles Nazarene College, Manchester, F.F. Bruce discusses what we know about the history of non-Pauline Christianity in the first century. Judiciously drawing upon material from the whole of the New Testament, he relates it to other early Christian literature in order to provide a highly readable outline of an important area. But, as he warns, this book does not study the literature for its own sake. Instead, it focuses on the leaders of early non-Pauline Christianity, with their associates, from whom the literature provides indispensable evidence. The topics covered are: Chapter 1: Peter and the Eleven Chapter 2: Stephen and Other Hellenists Chapter 3: James and the Church of Jerusalem Chapter 4: John and his Circle

In The Holy Spirit: Works & Gifts Donald Bloesch aptly brings his grasp of historical and systematic theology together with his deep concern for spirituality. The fruit of a lifetime of study and devotion, this work masterfully interweaves biblical study, historical overviews, and reflection on contemporary developments and issues to shed light on faith in God the Holy Spirit. On a topic that sadly threatens to divide the church, Bloesch strives to build bridges between the various traditions of Christian faith, especially between Reformed theology and the Pentecostal movement.

Building on the inaugural volume of the Christian Foundations series, A Theology of Word & Spirit, Bloesch guards against the equal dangers of a subjective spiritualism and a cold formalism. He speaks out of the perspective of the Protestant Reformation with its emphasis on the complementarity of Word and Spirit and the priority of grace over works. But he also acknowledges the Pentecostal perception that the work of the Spirit involves empowering for witness as well as sealing for salvation. Bloesch likewise finds truth in the mystical tradition of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy that the Spirit calls us to holiness of life as well as to a decision of faith.

This wide-ranging and in-depth reflection on the presence, reality and ministry of the Holy Spirit serves as a landmark guide to those seeking a faithful theological understanding of the Holy Spirit as well as those searching for a renewing and empowering hope for the church of Jesus Christ.

An experienced and respected teacher of homiletics offers seven practical steps (and attendant missteps to avoid) for all preachers who seek to improve their homiletic style and content.