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The World Is Desperate for What You Have As believers, we have
received unimaginable grace from the Father. Unfortunately, we
often separate our spiritual life from our everyday lives. We fail
to value the grace given to us, and we miss the opportunity to
bring heaven to earth. And then we wonder what light we can bring
to a world in deep darkness. With depth and insight, Dr. John
Jackson shows that grace distributed is the key to sweeping social
change, hope and revival. Through biblical teaching and prophetic
revelation, Dr. Jackson helps you partner with the Holy Spirit to
step into the fullness of all God has called you to be--and to
unleash the redemptive presence of Jesus in your home, workplace
and community. God wants to use you right now, right where you are.
It's time to become a heavenly ambassador that shares the grace
you've been given with a world aching for transformation. "In this
catalytic book lies an essential message for the Church today. I
highly recommend it."--KRIS VALLOTTON "This Spirit-filled and
deeply vulnerable book is a gift to us all. Don't miss
it!"--MARGARET FEINBERG "Discover your God-given abilities and use
them to usher the grace and love of Christ into the here and
now."--SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ
Most Christians know they should be trying to tell their friends
and family about Jesus. But in a post-Christendom world, personal
evangelism is viewed negatively--it's offensive, inappropriate, and
insensitive. Recent studies confirm that the majority of Christians
rarely evangelize, worried they might offend their family or lose
their friends. In How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy),
author Sam Chan equips everyday Christians who are reluctant and
nervous to tell their friends about Jesus with practical, tested
ways of sharing their faith in the least awkward ways possible.
Drawing from over two decades of experience as an evangelist,
teacher, and pastor, Chan explains why personal evangelism feels so
awkward today. And utilizing recent insights from communication
theory, cross-cultural ministry, and apologetics, he helps you
build confidence in sharing your faith, and teaches you how to
evangelize your friends and family in socially appropriate ways.
The first comprehensive textbook on effective church planting from
a veteran church planter. The Apostle Paul was a veteran church
planter who "laid a foundation like a wise and master builder" and
there is much we can learn from his example. Paul indicated that
there were basic skills and experiences required to successfully
plant a church. Church Plantology examines the wide variety of
church planting methods and ideologies in contemporary pastoral
practice and outlines a biblical model based on the New Testament.
During his time in prison, Paul spent much of his time writing to
Titus, Timothy, and others who'd served alongside him in the
trenches to complete their training as church plantings. We can
continue to apply these time-tested, proven methods, following the
pioneering example of the early church. Today, the casualty rate in
is high. What if we could reduce the odds of failing? Church
Plantology by Peyton Jones is a robust guide to planting that will
help planters to provide the foundation necessary to survive beyond
the initial first years so that they don't end up a walking
statistic.
In today's uncertain world, storms will arise that test your faith in a loving heavenly Father. At times, the winds and waves of the world's deceptions will roll in and seek to erode your confidence in God. Without a firm foundation in the truth of God's Word, you may be tempted to go off course and accept less than God's best for you. However, when you hear Jesus' words, receive them, and put them into practice, you will construct a life the torrents cannot shake, "because it was well built" (Luke 6:48).
The Purple Book will help you understand foundational truths that God wants you to hear on topics such as sin, salvation, spiritual gifts, prayer, worship, generosity, and evangelism. It will show you how the Bible is "God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). It will help you understand that the faith you hold has true power to change lives and transform nations. It will give you a solid foundation the enemy cannot dismantle—and a heart shaped by knowledge of God's Word.
Be Equipped to Prepare and Deliver Engaging, Biblical, and
Effective Topical Sermons Sooner or later, every preacher will come
upon a situation where they need to preach a topical sermon. Yet
few are taught to preach topically. Even preachers who are gifted
in expositing the Scriptures may struggle to deliver a topical
sermon that is engaging, culturally relevant, and true to the
biblical text. Worse, many pastors worry these messages undermine
confidence in the Bible or its authority, leading to a
human-centered rather than a God-focused sermon. But that doesn't
have to be the case. In Topical Preaching in a Complex World, Sam
Chan and Malcolm Gill answer these objections and chart a path for
how preachers can deliver faithful and effective topical messages.
First, they address the biblical, theological, and cultural reasons
pastors should add topical sermons to their preaching repertoire.
Then, they introduce a straightforward, four-fold approach for
preaching a topical message and answer important questions like
these: How do you approach a topic with the proper interpretative
lens? How can you speak to two or more audiences with the same
sermon? What should you consider theologically, culturally, and
pastorally in your preparation? How do you trace the topic back to
Christ? How can you better connect with your audience? Best of all,
they help readers craft a message that says something people truly
need (and want) to hear! Filled with wit, humor, and wisdom from
decades of preaching, this book will equip preachers, pastors,
ministry leaders, and students to preach relevant, biblical, and
engaging topical sermons. Author Sam Chan says, "Just over a decade
ago, I was asked by an organization to speak at their end-of-year
dinner. They wanted me to address the topic of being a Christian
single, but I had no idea how to prepare and deliver a topical
talk. When the night arrived, I preached an old three-point
expository sermon and merely changed the ending to include some
application on singleness. At best, I got some polite comments
afterwards. At worst, people's looks indicated that my biblical
talk had little relevance for them. They could not have been less
fooled by my disingenuous workaround. I went home vowing never to
repeat that poor performance. I felt like the unfaithful servant
who had not adequately used what talents had been given to him. As
a result, I have dedicated the last decade of my preaching ministry
to overcoming and mastering the art of topical preaching. This book
is a product of that journey."
Be Equipped to Prepare and Deliver Engaging, Biblical, and
Effective Topical Sermons Sooner or later, every preacher will come
upon a situation where they need to preach a topical sermon. Yet
few are taught to preach topically. Even preachers who are gifted
in expositing the Scriptures may struggle to deliver a topical
sermon that is engaging, culturally relevant, and true to the
biblical text. Worse, many pastors worry these messages undermine
confidence in the Bible or its authority, leading to a
human-centered rather than a God-focused sermon. But that doesn't
have to be the case. In Topical Preaching in a Complex World, Sam
Chan and Malcolm Gill answer these objections and chart a path for
how preachers can deliver faithful and effective topical messages.
First, they address the biblical, theological, and cultural reasons
pastors should add topical sermons to their preaching repertoire.
Then, they introduce a straightforward, four-fold approach for
preaching a topical message and answer important questions like
these: How do you approach a topic with the proper interpretative
lens? How can you speak to two or more audiences with the same
sermon? What should you consider theologically, culturally, and
pastorally in your preparation? How do you trace the topic back to
Christ? How can you better connect with your audience? Best of all,
they help readers craft a message that says something people truly
need (and want) to hear! Filled with wit, humor, and wisdom from
decades of preaching, this book will equip preachers, pastors,
ministry leaders, and students to preach relevant, biblical, and
engaging topical sermons. Author Sam Chan says, "Just over a decade
ago, I was asked by an organization to speak at their end-of-year
dinner. They wanted me to address the topic of being a Christian
single, but I had no idea how to prepare and deliver a topical
talk. When the night arrived, I preached an old three-point
expository sermon and merely changed the ending to include some
application on singleness. At best, I got some polite comments
afterwards. At worst, people's looks indicated that my biblical
talk had little relevance for them. They could not have been less
fooled by my disingenuous workaround. I went home vowing never to
repeat that poor performance. I felt like the unfaithful servant
who had not adequately used what talents had been given to him. As
a result, I have dedicated the last decade of my preaching ministry
to overcoming and mastering the art of topical preaching. This book
is a product of that journey." X
2014 Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year (Church Health)
Sometimes we get so caught up in the power of Jesus shouting from
the cross, "It is finished " that we forget that Jesus started
something. What Jesus started was a movement that began small, with
intimate conversations designed to build disciples into apostles
who would go out in the world and seed it with God's kingdom
vision. That movement grew rapidly and spread wide as people
recognized the truth in it and gave their lives to the power of it.
That movement is still happening today, and we are called to play
our part in it.
Discipleship is the buzzword today. Many believers are
contemplating in a fresh way what it means to take the Great
Commission seriously. Rediscovering Discipleship takes the
guesswork out of Christian maturity. Based on insights gained from
a decade of personally making disciples, author and pastor Robby
Gallaty tackles the two hindrances that keep believers from getting
involved in making disciples: ignorance and uncertainty. Since many
believers have never been personally disciple, they have no model
to guide them in discipling others. Their ignorance of the process
fuels their uncertainty, which leaves them crippled from the start.
With simple principles that are easy to apply, Rediscovering
Discipleship provides readers with the tools to follow the Great
Commission-to go and actually make disciples who multiply and make
disciples. Gallaty begins with a brief historical overview of the
discipleship ministries of influential theologians, preachers, and
pastors from years past, and then identifies roadblocks that hinder
believers from becoming disciples before offering a step-by-step
process for readers to immediately get started on the path to
effective disciple making.
Why would a leader ever want to be mean? It's all about the vision.
Almost every organization has a vision, but few stick to it over
time. Even after short-term success, visions tend to blur, drift,
and fade. Why does this happen? Accomplishing the vision requires
intentionality. It requires consistency. It requires commitment. It
requires courage. In Be Mean About the Vision, author Shawn Lovejoy
challenges leaders to stay true to the vision-regaining and
sustaining its trajectory over time. Lovejoy offers a proven
strategy for relentlessly protecting our organization's guiding
vision: Develop a vision people are willing to die for Keep the
vision alive in us Align everyone around the vision Keep the vision
from being compromised or even hijacked One thing is certain-if our
church or organization is going to accomplish its mission, we're
going to need to be: Determined. Resolute. Intentional. We're going
to need to be willing to do whatever it takes to keep the vision
from being detoured or derailed. Where there is no vision, people
perish. They wander off in random directions. On the flip side,
when everyone understands and embraces the vision, there is life,
passion, growth, and success! And God will be glorified. As a
leader the kindest, godliest, thing we can do is Be Mean About the
Vision.
Alan Hirsch's paradigm-shifting classic remains the definitive
statement of the church as dynamic missional movement. The
bestselling first edition ignited a conversation about how to
harness the power of movements for the future growth of the church.
In this major update, Hirsch shares significant insights gained
along the way, provides fresh new examples of growing churches, and
reflects on the last ten years of the missional movement. The new
edition has been thoroughly updated and revised throughout and
includes charts, diagrams, an expanded glossary of terms, new
appendices, an index, a new foreword by Ed Stetzer, and a new
afterword by Jeff Vanderstelt. Known for his innovative approach to
mission, Hirsch is widely acknowledged as a thought leader and
mission strategist for churches across the Western world. He
considers The Forgotten Ways the guiding work to all of his other
writings. The book explores the factors that come together to
generate high-impact, exponentially explosive, spiritually vibrant
Jesus movements in any time and context. This extensive update to
Hirsch's influential work offers a system of six vital keys to
movements that will continue shape the future of the missional
movement for years to come.
Church growth models have often been long on promises and short on
disciple-making. We continue to watch consistent church attendance
shrink, and our desire to reach the lost is infected with a need
for self-validation by growing our numbers at any cost. If we
believe that God wants his church to grow, where do we go from
here? What is the future of the church? Drawing from his 20 years
and 15,000 hours of consulting, author Will Mancini shares with
pastors and ministry leaders the single most important insight he
has learned about church growth. With plenty of salient stories and
based solidly on the disciple-making methods found in Scripture,
Future Church exposes the church's greatest challenge today, and
offers 7 transforming laws of real church growth so that we can
faithfully and joyfully fulfill Jesus's Great Commission.
When Christ calls people, he invites them on a journey--a journey
taken together in community. We have reached a point in history,
however, when we think of the church as a fixed place where
isolated individuals show up, consume a Christian message, drink
some coffee, and get on with their lives. The times demand, and the
gospel proclaims, that we recover our identity as a church that is
a people on a quest for the kingdom of heaven, formed intimately by
a loving God and called onto a long journey for the sake of our
neighbors and our world. InThe Missional Quest you?ll learn how to
take your church on a long run, and how to sustain yourselves and
one another along the way, through the power of God for the sake of
the world.
The Multiplying Church is a primer for pastors and lay leaders
involved in, or wanting to learn about, the church multiplication
groundswell in North America. It shows how multiplying churches
should be a natural, regular function of every church to reach the
70 percent of Americans who have no meaningful church
relationship.Detailing the stories and guiding principles of this
dramatic growth, this guide offers insight on: * Why churches are
multiplying in the East but not in the West* Keys to church
multiplication* The missing link---pregnant mother churches*
Antioch vs. Jerusalem: Which got it right?* What kind of churches
should we start?* What is the end game of church planting?* How big
does a church have to be to start multiplying churches?* Church
planting movements or Jesus movements?Bob Roberts helps us return
to an early-church model of multiplication where a single church
sent laypeople out to plant other communities of believers.
The Great Commission is to make disciples. Renowned church planter
and pastor Ralph Moore shows leaders why a focus on making
disciples is the essential next step once a church is planted. This
biblical, practical handbook will guide churches of any size to
focus their ministries around Jesus's command to his followers to
make disciples of all nations. Making Disciples offers a model of
church ministry that sees every member as a minister, and it will
become an indispensable resource for equipping a new generation of
disciple-makers.
In today's climate of an ever-gathering darkness, no challenge is
more vital than that of Jesus compelling His followers forward to
take the gospel message into a lost and dying world. Such continues
to be the burning passion and purpose of long-time professor and
evangelist, Dr. Alvin L. Reid. This powerful festschrift, written
in his honor, captures and explores topics related to Reid's
personal ministry as a catalyst igniting within God's people the
commitment to carry out Christ's Great Commission. In its pages,
well-known Christian leaders and scholars address issues related to
Great Commission leadership, history, strategies, and vision, which
have characterized Reid's life work. A dynamic teacher, inspiring
speaker, and accomplished author, Reid currently serves as
professor of evangelism and student ministry occupying the Bailey
Smith Chair of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological
Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. A Passion for the Great
Commission provides an enduring testament to his legacy and
ministry. This collection of writings from friends, colleagues, and
former students, expressing their gratitude for Reid and his work,
continues to fan the flame of conquest for the hearts and minds of
an unbelieving world.
Never before have we seen the church degenerate at such a rapid
pace. This is largely due to the church pursuing congregational
growth instead of kingdom growth. The church is dying because our
growth isn't based on strategies to reach the lost with the gospel.
The time to change is now, we can't wait any longer. People's
eternities are at stake. What is your church's priority? Are you
more concerned with filling your building or furthering the
Kingdom? This book will challenge you to evaluate just how
important gospel-based evangelism is to you and your church, and
call on you to restore an intentional evangelism strategy within
the body. Hell will tremble when churches once again make
evangelism the central theme of their strategy.
Veteran missionary David Hesselgrave and rising missional expert Ed
Stetzer edit this engaging set of conversational essays addressing
global mission issues in the third millennium. Key contributors are
Charles E. Van Engen ("Mission Described and Defined"), the late
Paul Hiebert ("The Gospel in Human Contexts: Changing Perspectives
on Contextualization"), and the late Ralph Winter ("The Future of
Evangelicals in Mission"). Those offering written responses to
these essays include: (Van Engen) Keith Eitel, Enoch Wan, Darrell
Guder, Andreas J. Kostenberger; (Hiebert) Michael Pocock, Darrell
Whiteman, Norman L. Geisler, Avery Willis; (Winter) Scott Moreau,
Christopher Little, Michael Barnett, and Mark Terry.
Christians are too often guilty of pledging their allegiance to
the influential principalities and powers of this age rather than
to Christ alone. In Holy Subversion, Trevin Wax challenges such
behavior by urging a return to the subversive lifestyle of the
earliest Christians. Their proclamation and demonstration that
"Jesus is Lord" directly opposed the Caesar worship of their
day.
Today, Christians in the West must choose between Jesus and our
"Caesars": self, success, money, leisure, sex, power. What would it
look like, asks Wax, if today's church reclaimed the communal,
subversive nature of the gospel, intentionally undermining all
contenders for our devotion? How would the message that "Jesus is
Lord" change our thinking about our jobs, our families, and our
church participation? Here this gifted pastor-theologian offers
help in taking our faith public, dethroning modern-day Caesars,
honoring the Lordship of Christ, and understanding the church as
the ultimate counterculture-an embodiment of Christ's supremacy
over all.
Welcome to the world's first urban century. How will you respond?
For the first time ever, more people now live in cities than
outside them. Cities offer both big headaches and vast
opportunities, and agencies that once focused on rural work are
increasingly turning their attention to urban centers. Join veteran
researcher and missiologist Patrick Johnstone as he explores the
fastest growing cities and megacities in the world, showing how
Christian workers are addressing people's spiritual, physical, and
social needs. In 1962 Patrick Johnstone left England's countryside
to serve the bustling townships of apartheid-era South Africa. His
pioneering of urban ministries changed his life. Journey with
Patrick and Dean Merrill as they share God's heart for the city and
introduce pastors, missionaries, and community workers who are
addressing urbanization's key challenges. God has a heart for
today's cities. See how you can join this urgent mission.
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