You long to be free but... Pornography has reached epidemic proportions. And in God's eyes porn is ugly. It devalues other human beings and the good gift of sex in favour of a destructive imitation. Tim Chester points us to something infinitely better, something that captivates without causing shame, remorse or embarrassment: the glory and beauty of Christ. We are made to be satisfied with God alone, and told to avoid the sin that hinders our relationship with him. Tim exposes the lies and deceptions of porn, inviting us to be fully free, and showing positively and practically how this can be possible in daily life. We can be captured by a better vision.

John Stott's definitive and passionate plea to the church to listen both to God's Word and to his world (double listening)

Scripture has brought us light in darkness, strength in weakness, comfort in sadness. It isn't difficult to endorse the Psalmist's experience that the words of God are 'more precious than gold... sweeter than honey'. So it's distressing to watch the Bible being dislodged from its position of authority, not only in our nation but also in the church. Here we focus on the urgent need to continue in, respond to, interpret and expound God's Word.

The title, Rediscovering Joy, derives from Galatians 4:15 (NLT). The Galatians had lost the joy of God's blessing because they had departed from the truths of the gospel. The Reformation - and the book - is an invitation to rediscover the joy of the gospel. Despite the common claim that the Reformation is either out-dated or divisive, its rediscovery of the apostolic message was a rediscovery of joy - a message that is as relevant today as it was 500 years ago and 2,000 years ago. The book has a strong focus on biblical exposition and pastoral application.

Many books are written by experts. This book isn't one of them,' admits Tim Chester. 'It was written out of my own struggle to change. My long battle with particular issues set me searching the Bible as well as writings from the past. This book shares the amazing truths I discovered that now give me hope. 'For years I wondered if I'd ever overcome certain sins. And while I can't claim to have conquered sin - for no one ever can do - here are discoveries that have led to change in my life and in the lives of others.' You may be: A new Christian, struggling to change the habits of your former way of life. An older Christian, feeling you've plateaued: you grew quickly when you first believed but now your Christian life is much of a muchness. A Christian who's fallen into sin in a big way, wondering how you'll ever get back on track. Other books describe how we should live, but this book outlines how we can change. It's about hope: the hope we have in Jesus, hope for forgiveness, and hope for real and lasting change. God promises liberating grace and transforming power to his people.

Justice, Mercy and Humility explores the challenge of integral mission among the poor today. It locates the Christian response within a world of alternatives -- alternatives at the macro-level of policies and advocacy and the micro-level of lifestyle and affirms the need to integrate ourselves within a total missional response to the poor. Combing case studies from around the world with Jesus' own teaching and ministry, the book considers what it means for the church to be a countercultural ministry and in doing so raises new questions about what it means to be church. Included are contributions from Tom Sine, C. Rene Padilla and Elaine Storkey.

Of course the Bible matters. It is God's word to us. But how do we engage with its message? Tim Chester creates a sense of expectation, causing our reading of the Bible to become a living experience in which we encounter God. Amazingly, this God of the universe speaks to us each day! Here is a personal, clear, intentional and sufficient message for our lives. The Bible is truly unique; it speaks into a myriad of situations and brings us back to the deep joy of the gospel. 'Will enrich your encounter with God as you engage with his word.' Elaine Duncan 'This is more than useful; it's inspiring.' Julian Hardyman 'Tim Chester is one of the clearest, most useful and reliable Christian writers in the UK today . . . He comes alongside the reader to instruct and to apply his teaching to life in the modern world.' Peter Lewis 'Inspirational, profound, realistic . . . If you can buy only one book on the Bible, buy this one.' Tricia Marnham 'Buy, read, recommend, lend, give away!' James Robson

John Stott's definitive and passionate plea to the church to listen both to God's Word and to his world (double listening)

On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther posted his ninety-five theses on the castle church door in Wittenberg - the starting gun for the Reformation. Five hundred years later, the issues debated at the Reformation are still urgent. In this clear, incisive and accessible survey, Michael Reeves and Tim Chester show how the Reformation helps us answer questions like: How do we know what's true? Can we truly know God? How does God speak? What's wrong with us? How can we be saved? Who am I? At its heart, the Reformation was a dispute about how we know God and how we can be right with him. At stake was our eternal future - and it still is.

How do we respond to the silent appeal in the dark eyes of the child in the charity catalogue, or the blanketed figure in the cold shop-doorway? Should we share the gospel with them, or a bowl of soup? Throughout history, men and women such as Wilberforce, Shaftesbury, Carey and Booth have recognized a call to help the needy. Others have argued that our first task is evangelism, that Christians should not meddle in politics, that social action is a distraction. Do we serve Christ through preaching his Word, or should we use words only when necessary? Tim Chester argues passionately that evangelism and social action are inseparable as two arms of the church's mission. He presents a biblical case for truly evangelical social action that is shaped and inspired by the gospel. He urges conservatives not to marginalize those who uphold the cause of the oppressed, and those involved in social action not to neglect the preaching of the Word. 'Consistent, mission-minded evangelicals have always refused to choose between a commitment to gospel proclamation and an active concern for the poor. Tim Chester digs deep into the Bible to show us why both are vital, and what it means to be Christ's people in a world of need.' Keith Walker, Director of SIM-UK/N, Europe 'A must-read for those looking for a way to integrate word and deed mission to advance God's purposes in our needy world.' Tom Sine, author of Living on Purpose: Finding God's Best For Your Life Tim Chester is involved in The Crowded House, a church-planting initiative in Sheffield, England. He was previously Research and Policy Director for Tearfund UK. He is the author of a number of books, including The Message of Prayer (IVP, The Bible Speaks Today series).

If you're easily distracted when praying, you're not alone. In fact, if you struggle to pray in the first place, that's not unusual either. Tim Chester tells us how we can be great pray-ers. And he admits that that's a really bold claim. 'The secret of great praying has nothing to do with human effort or skill,' he explains. 'Lots of people would like to think that it does because they want to make prayer an achievement.' But the secret of great praying is ... Knowing three things about God: * That God the Father loves to hear us pray * That God the Son makes every prayer pleasing to God * That God the Holy Spirit helps us as we pray Tim looks at: why prayer is easy (how we pray), why prayer is difficult (why we pray) and the arguments and priorities of prayer (what we pray). Prayer is a child asking her father for help. And that's not beyond any one of us.

John Stott's definitive and passionate plea to the church to listen both to God's Word and to his world (double listening)

Drawing from six narratives in the Gospel of Luke, Chester shows how meals can be opportunities for serving others.

Meals have always been important across societies and cultures, a time for friends and families to come together. An important part of relationships, meals are vital to our social health. Author Tim Chester sums it up: "Food connects."

Chester argues that meals are also deeply theological--an important part of Christian fellowship and mission. He observes that the book of Luke is full of stories of Jesus at meals. These accounts lay out biblical principles. Chester notes, "The meals of Jesus represent something bigger." Six chapters in A Meal with Jesus show how they enact grace, community, hope, mission, salvation, and promise.

Moving from biblical times to the modern world, Chester applies biblical truth to challenge our contemporary understandings of hospitality. He urges sacrificial giving and loving around the table, helping readers consider how meals can be about serving others and sharing the grace of Christ.

Do you say 'yes' to requests when really you mean to say 'no'- Do you feel permanently trapped by your 24/7 lifestyle- While offering practical help to busy Christians, Tim Chester also opts for root-and-branch treatment: you need to deal radically with the things that are driving you. If you're busy because of the following: 'I need to prove myself' 'Otherwise things get out of control' 'I like the pressure/money' think again! At the root of our 'slavery' are serious misunderstandings, often reinforced by our culture. If we want to be free, then we need to counteract them with God's word. It's important to manage our time, but it's more important to manage our hearts. God has promised his rest to all who are weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28). It's up to us to accept it

Many books on the practice of prayer seem to be informed more by the experiences of their authors than by Scripture. However, the Bible not only teaches us about prayer, it also gives us many examples of prayer. It is God's Word to us, and it teaches us how to respond to that Word. Tim Chester's insightful exposition of this central aspect of Christian living is driven by the conviction that we need to reform not only our thinking and behaviour in the light of God's Word, but also our praying. Drawing on a wide range of biblical texts, he explores the foundations and the practice of prayer, and shows that how we understand prayer is necessarily bound up with how we understand the gospel, and God himself.

Think of the thriving evangelical churches in your area, and the chances are they will be in the nice areas of town and their leaders will be middle class. I once attended a lecture at which the speaker showed a map of my city, Sheffield. The council wards were colored different shades, according to a series of social indicators: educational achievement, household income, benefit recipients, social housing, criminal activity, and so on. Slide after slide showed that the east side of the city was the needy, socially deprived half, compared to the more prosperous west. Where are the churches? Counting all the various tribes of evangelicalism, the large churches are on the west side. The working-class and deprived areas of our cities are not being reached with the gospel. There are many exciting exceptions, but the pattern is clear. According to Mez McConnell from Niddrie Community Church in Edinburgh, of the fifty worst housing schemes in Scotland, half have no church, and most of the others only have a dying church. Very few have an evangelical witness. This book is about reaching those unreached areas. The Industrial Revolution saw increased social stratification. It was during this time that middle-class and working-class identities began to emerge. And in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, evangelicalism appealed disproportionately to skilled artisans, according to historian David Bebbington. So why have we evangelicals been so ineffectual at reaching the urban poor, despite our origins?

The cross and resurrection provide the pattern for discipleship today, calling Christians to a radical new way of living. The Ordinary Hero invites us to : live out the radical implications of grace apply the way of the cross: sacrificial love and service, to every area of life accept the pattern of suffering followed by glory as normal pursue spiritual power, not for its own sake, but in order to live the weakness of the cross embark on risk-taking lives because we're focussed on the world to come Says the author, 'This book strikes a note that is rarely heard today. In particular, the important themes of suffering followed by glory, and the hiddenness of the Christian life, are all but absent in contemporary Christian thought.' The book concludes with a powerful story of an ordinary hero.

90–day undated devotional of readings from classic authors throughout church history –  Gregory the Great, Richard Sibbes, Hudson Taylor, Charles Spurgeon The Song of Songs paints in our imaginations a physical place where we may spend time with Christ and enjoy his love. The language of human love is intended to evoke an experience of divine love and inspire in us a response of love. It channels our desires to their true end, our Creator and Redeemer. In this 90–day undated devotional Tim Chester has curated a selection of writings from classic authors such as Gregory the Great, Richard Sibbes, Hudson Taylor, Charles Spurgeon, and many others, that will help readers to know Christ’s love better.   Spend 90 days in the company of these heroes of the faith and pin your affection on the one who is their Bridegroom and yours. There is commentary on each verse of the Song, with perspectives from a couple of different authors on some verses. Chester has included a thought–provoking question with each reading to help you apply it to your own heart.

In this volume, Tim Chester updates a classic collection of devotional readings from Charles Spurgeon-one of the greatest preachers in church history-based on the promises of God.