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John Stott's definitive and passionate plea to the church to listen
both to God's Word and to his world (double listening)
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.
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.
The church lies at the centre of God's purpose. Christ gave himself
'to purify for himself a people that are his own'. But when we
think about church, there's the tension between the ideal and the
reality. The former is beautiful: God's special treasure, the
covenant community, a haven of love and peace. The latter? A motley
rabble needing constant rebuke and exhortation. Here we focus on
the ideal, on what God intends his church to be, while all the time
keeping in view the reality, so that we can grasp the changes that
need to be made.
How does the eschatological future impinge on the present? Is the
kingdom of God present outside the confession of Christ in
movements towards social justice? Is Christian hope a stimulus to
social involvement or an alternative? And how does the present
impinge on the eschatological future? What is the relationship
between our actions now and the new creation? Is there
eschatological continuity between the two? Jurgen Moltmann, one of
our most influential contemporary theologians, has had much to say
both on eschatology and its relationship to mission. This book
explores his thought along with evangelical responses to it.
Eschatology has been central to evangelical debates about social
involvement ever since the Laussanne Congress in 1974. The book
examines how evangelicals themselves have related hope and mission.
The book highlights the important contribution Moltmann has made
while offering a critique of his thought from an evangelical
perspective. In so doing, it touches on pertinent issues for
evangelical missiology. The conclusion takes John Calvin as a
starting point, proposing 'an eschatology of the cross' which
offers a critique of the over-realized eschatologies in liberation
theology and triumphalistic forms of evangelicalism.
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.
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
Help them or tell them?
Be like Jesus or talk about Jesus?
Social action or gospel proclamation?
Quite often we find ourselves gravitating toward one of those modes over the other--at times going so far as to pit word against deed, as if the two were mutually exclusive. Yet Good News to the Poor shows us how both are integrated in the biblical vision of mission so that we may become both evangelists and activists--Christians who talk the talk and who walk the walk.
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.
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.
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).
John Stott's definitive and passionate plea to the church to listen
both to God's Word and to his world (double listening)
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.
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.
Is everything a Christian does 'mission', or does it only count
when we speak about Jesus and share the gospel? Does mission
include volunteering at the food bank, campaigning for justice and
providing aid overseas? As the needs around us multiply and
opposition to the gospel intensifies, this question 'Is everything
mission?' becomes even more important for us to wrestle with. Tim
Chester's 2018 Keswick Convention lecture helps us unpack what
mission is and the role that God wants you, your church, your
mission agency, to play.
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?
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