Church Life
Showing 1–50 of 51 resultsSorted by latest
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When The Church Harms Gods People
$19.99Add to cartInternationally recognized psychologist Diane Langberg has come face to face with the crushing trauma of sexual abuse, trafficking, domestic abuse, and rape–and its cover-up.
Even more tragic, she has encountered it all within Christian communities and the church.
As a highly respected trauma scholar and psychologist working in the United States and around the world for more than 50 years, she envisions a better way.
In When the Church Harms God’s People, Langberg unveils what she has learned about how churches cause harm and why Christian communities often foster unhealthy leaders who end up hurting rather than protecting God’s people. She also offers hope for the future, describing how churches can reflect Christ not just in what they teach but also in how they care for themselves and others.
This book is an invaluable tool for leaders and laypeople alike who want to help the church resist abuses of power and become a safe place for survivors.
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Soul Winning Church
$16.99Add to cartYour church’s sermons often include a call to evangelize. You’ve held evangelism training events. You give out invites to your Christmas and Easter services. So… where are all the new Christians? Is your church actually reaching the lost with the gospel?
For many of us, despite having the best intentions, our churches struggle to reach out with the gospel effectively. J.A. Medders and Dr. Doug Logan, Jr. have decades of experience in leading churches and mentoring pastors, and here they outline six principles for cultivating a genuine evangelistic culture throughout your church.
Includes case studies from a variety of different cultures and contexts to give you practical ideas for implementing these six principles.
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Honor : Loving Your Church By Building One Another Up
$16.99Add to cartA right understanding of honor is vital to healthy churches. It’s a word that’s mentioned hundreds of times throughout the Bible. But what does honor really look like for us in everyday church life? Who should we honor and how?
Adam Ramsey brings a fresh understanding of true honor in our churches. He paints a vision of an honoring church that captivates your mind and heart–a church that shines brightly in the community because of the way its members value and respect each other and their leaders and, above all else, bring honor to God.
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Serve : Loving Your Church With Your Heart, Time And Gifts
$16.99Add to cartThis book looks at the gospel of Jesus and the example of Jesus to motivate us to serve our church family sacrificially with our energy, time and gifts.
This is a great book for Christians who have grown weary over time, those who need help in identifying their gifts and gaining the confidence to offer them, and church members who are lacking the motivation to get started.
As we look to the example of Jesus, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45), we will be excited and equipped to use what God has given us to serve others with a renewed sense of purpose and joy. We will also see that we do not need to have any particularly impressive gifts or emulate anyone else in order to answer Jesus’ call to love one another.
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Pivot : The Priorities, Practices, And Powers That Can Transform Your Churc
$22.99Add to cartA practical guide to help you build a culture in your church or organization that resists abuse and cultivates goodness.
After the release of their groundbreaking book, A Church Called Tov, which recorded the stories of abuse and toxic church cultures at some of the most prominent churches in the United States, New Testament scholar and blogger for Christianity Today Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer heard from a flood of people who had experienced similar instances of abuse. After all they’ve seen and heard, they still believe it’s possible for church cultures to be transformed from toxic to tov-from oppressive to good.
In Pivot, Scot and Laura help churches to implement practices,establish priorities, and cultivate the Kingdom Gospel-centered qualities that form goodness cultures. Readers will find answers to the four most common questions people have about culture transformation:
How can I transform the culture in my church or organization to make it tov?
I believe my workplace has unhealthy values. How do I initiate change?
How do I unleash a culture of goodness in my ministry?
I’m not in a position of church leadership. What are some red flags that indicate a toxic culture, and what can I do if I see them?
Pivot also includes the following practical features:
*The “Tov tool,” a survey to help you discern your organization’s culture and to promote spiritual conversations
*A “getting to work” section at the end of each chapter with questions and next steps for application
Transformation is never easy. But for the sake of the next generation, we must do it.
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Centering Discipleship : A Pathway For Multiplying Spectators Into Mature D
$20.00Add to cartDiscipleship without mission is discipleship without Christ.
The church often lacks maturity and missional impact because discipleship is at its periphery. In order to get discipleship to the center, leaders need a locally rooted, culturally contextual discipleship pathway to tether disciples who are disciplemakers to the neighborhood or network around them.
Pastor and discipler E. K. Strawser shows that when discipleship becomes central to your leadership and community, then discipleship becomes central to congregational mission and cultural renewal. Centering Discipleship is a gutsy practice-based guidebook for leaders who are doing the hard work of re-imagining and re-structuring their churches and communities to turn spectators into missional, mature followers of Jesus.
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Offensive Church : Breaking The Cycle Of Ethnic Disunity
$22.00Add to cartCrises around race have put the church in a defensive posture, always reacting to racial conflicts in society. But Jesus wants more. He wants Christians to play offense by discipling people into a new humanity, where we push beyond mere diversity and into a biblical vision for ethnic unity.
Bryan Loritts calls Christians to proactively and intentionally live out the embodied reality of a people at one with one another. We play offense by practicing a robust gospel, preparing reliable leadership, and providing relational environments so that the church becomes the aroma of Christ to our culture and gains ground against the demonic foothold of racism in all its forms.
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Welcome : Loving Your Church By Making Space For Everyone
$16.99Add to cartWalking into church can be intimidating, whether for the first time or after a period of absence, whether you are a non-believer or a believer. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your church was a place where everyone received a warm welcome? A place where newcomers can quickly feel at home and where non-believers receive the welcome of God’s people alongside the welcome of Jesus?
This warm, practical book by Jen Oshman explores what the Bible says to help readers discover how to make space for others, however different they are to them, in their church and in their lives. She also gives practical advice, drawing on good practice from churches around the world in a range of situations. In a world of division, individualism and isolation, readers will see that their church can witness to Christ by being a place of welcome, community and connection.
Chapters include how Jesus welcomes us, the impact of welcoming in the early church, the effect of being siblings in Christ, how to welcome beyond Sunday, helpful systems and strategies, how our joy in Christ causes us to be outward-looking, and mirroring the glorious vision set out in Revelation.
Whether you’re a pastor looking to encourage your congregation to welcome others or a church member wanting to see unbelievers come to faith and help everyone feel part of the family, this book is for you.
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Gather : Loving Your Church As You Celebrate Christ Together
$16.99Add to cartWhy do we meet on Sundays?
Now that technology allows us to access services remotely, many see little need to meet face to face every week. Others think that because we have a personal relationship with Jesus as Christians, church is an optional add-on. For some, they know deep down that there is a reason why gathering on Sundays is important, but they are weary and don’t feel excited about it. So what is the purpose of corporate worship, and what is our role in it?
In this book, Tony Merida highlights how in-person Sunday gatherings are central to God’s plans and to our faith and joy. He reminds believers of their privileges as citizens of heaven, members of God’s family and stones in God’s temple.
Readers will see how each part of a church service (preaching, praying, singing, baptism, Lord’s Supper and building each other up in conversations) are ways to enjoy and share God’s grace, and are therefore essential for spiritual endurance. You’ll also be reminded that your presence in corporate worship matters because you have a part to play in encouraging your brothers and sisters and spurring them to love and good deeds:
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Read this book to renew your understanding and enjoyment of going to church and to be excited by the ways in which your presence can encourage others.
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Belong : Loving Your Church By Reflecting Christ To One Another
$16.99Add to cartAuthor Barnabas Piper states in the first chapter of his book:
“We are looking for something personal, something deeply meaningful, something with which we can identify. And this book is an invitation to find that in the church, because God wants us to …Part of God’s perfect strategy is offering hurting, tired, worn out, needy sinners like you and me a place to belong in … A place in which to encounter the profound, transformative, healing, restoring grace of Jesus Christ.”
This book explores how you can help to create a church where everybody feels at home: a place where fellow believers build genuine, honest, meaningful Christian relationships and enjoy deep fellowship as a community of believers.
You may be a new believer and wonder what it means to belong to a church; you may be reluctant to commit to your church because of past experiences; you may have recently relocated and want to find a church where you feel at home; or you may love your church and desire to commit to it more deeply and serve it more fully. Whatever the case, this book will help you to see that belonging to a church is a good gift from God, the outworking of our identity as brothers and sisters in Christ, and worth your time, love and commitment.
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Gods Vision For The Church
$14.99Add to cartIn this compelling look at God’s vision and design for the body of Christ, internationally renowned Bible teacher Derek Prince describes the original blueprint for the church: loved, redeemed, transformed, and called. Discover deeper meaning through the pictures of God’s church from Ephesians, including the assembly, the body of Christ, the workmanship, the family, the temple, the bride, and the army. Explore the daily lifestyle of the local church as well as the future of all God’s people. Highlights include:
*The powerful, productive New Testament life
*God’s program of transformation
*Our place in God’s exciting community
*True fellowship among believers
*Our role in fulfilling the Great CommissionWe can be infused with a new sense of power and expectation as we learn what it means to be a vital member of the body of Christ. And we can help fulfill God’s vision for the church by becoming dynamic ambassadors of His message to a lost world.
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Post Quarantine Church
$12.99Add to cartA trustworthy and respected guide for pastors and church leadership in the post-quarantine world, providing hope and vision for the future of your congregation.
From thousands of surveys of church leaders and in-person consultations, Thom Rainer and his Church Answers team have gathered the essential wisdom you will need to face the challenges and opportunities that the quarantine crisis creates for the local church, including:
New and better ways to lead the gathered churchA wide-open door for growing the digital churchA moment to rethink the facilitiesNew strategies for church growth . . . and much more!
This book is, in effect, your personal church consultant, helping you plan and prepare for the future. In the midst of heartbreak, tragedy, and struggle due to Covid-19, here’s hope, wisdom, encouragement and vision.
This book is valuable for those looking for local church and pastor resources to enhance church leadership, grow your church, and serve digital and online church communities in the post-quarantine world.
As a former pastor and founder of Church Answers, Thom S. Rainer is intimately familiar with the ever-present demands that pastors face. He has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of the local church.
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Beautiful Community : Unity, Diversity, And The Church At Its Best
$16.00Add to cartThe church is at its best when it pursues the biblical value of unity in diversity. Our world has been torn asunder by racial, ethnic, and ideological differences. It is seen in our politics, felt in our families, and ingrained in our theology. Sadly, the church has often reinforced these ethnic and racial divides. To cast off the ugliness of disunity and heal our fractured humanity, we must cultivate spiritual practices that help us pursue beautiful community. In The Beautiful Community, pastor and theologian Irwyn Ince boldly unpacks the reasons for our divisions while gently guiding us toward our true hope for wholeness and reconciliation. God reveals himself to us in his trinitarian life as the perfection of beauty, and essential to this beauty is his work as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The gospel imperative to pursue the beautiful community-unity in diversity across lines of difference-is rooted in reflecting the beautiful community of our triune God. This book calls us into and provides tools for that pursuit.
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Other Half Of Church
$14.99Add to cartCould brain science be the key to spiritual formation?
Why does true Christian transformation seem fleeting? And why does Church often feel lonely, Christian community shallow, and leaders untrustworthy? For many Christians, the delight of encountering Christ eventually dwindles-and disappointment sets in. Is lasting joy possible?
These are some of the questions Michel Hendricks has considered both in his experience as a spiritual formation pastor and in his lifetime as a Christian. He began to find answers when he met Jim Wilder-a neurotheologian. Using brain science, Wilder identified that there are two halves of the Church: the rational half and the relational half. And when Christians only embrace the rational half, Churches become unhealthy places where transformation doesn’t last and narcissistic leaders flourish.
In The Other Half of Church, join Michel and Jim’s journey as they couple brain science with the Bible to identify how to overcome spiritual stagnation by living a full-brained faith. You’ll also learn the four ingredients necessary to develop and maintain a vibrant transformational community where spiritual formation occurs, relationships flourish, and the toxic spread of narcissism is eradicated.
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Our Fathers House
$14.99Add to cartMost people visit a church for the first time either by invitation or reputation. Many books have been written on the subject of personal evangelism and the importance of being a bringer. This book however, explores the power of reputation specifically, God’s reputation as upheld and reflected in a church’s culture. Based on the story of the Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon and how her initial encounter with his kingdom left her breathless and astounded, this book explores the profound effect a church’s culture can have on the heart of a seeker as they pursue rumors of King Jesus and His Kingdom. It warns that Kingdom-culture doesn’t happen by chance, but only as every member of the King’s household lays down their own comfortable and familiar culture to surrender instead to the common culture of Heaven. This book has been written to inspire every Christian to vigilantly uphold Heaven’s culture when living, loving and serving in the Father’s House their local church. It implores us all not to waste another minute in engaging our God-given gifts and talents to create Heaven on Earth so that the Kingdom of God might be revealed in all of its glory to a world that is in desperate need of its wisdom, power and atmosphere. Only then, having tasted Heaven, will lost people truly desire to seek out this Kingdom s magnificent King!
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I Went To Mass
$16.95Add to cartFavorite images from the Mass fill the pages of this beautiful book, helping children learn, label, and love what they see in their own church. With the book’s upbeat cadence, whimsical rhyme, and adorable illustrations, children will delight right along with the little boy at all there is to see at Mass.
I Went to Mass is sure to become a classic for Catholic children everywhere!
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New Apostolic Reformation
$19.99Add to cartThis critique provides a framework for understanding and interpreting the widespread but little-known New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement. As the authors state in the preface: “We write this book with two major goals in mind. First, to give people an idea of the sheer size and reach of the NAR movement. And second, to systematize its key teachings and practices and evaluate them on the basis of Scripture and careful reasoning – . In our judgment, the NAR perspective crosses these boundaries [that is, certain broad parameters, revealed in Scripture and practiced in the historical orthodox church], and it does so in part because of flawed theology rooted in a flawed understanding of Scripture. We wish to warn readers about a possible confusion: Some critics have linked the NAR movement with mainstream Pentecostalism and charismatics. We do not do this. In fact, it is our contention that the NAR movement deviates from classical Pentecostal and charismatic teachings. This movement has emerged out of independent charismatic churches and, thus, has gained a foothold in many of those churches in varying degrees.”
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Life Tastes Better
$3.99Add to cartIt’s easy to think that following Jesus would make life less fun and more limited. Drawing on his decades of introducing the real Jesus to people, founder of NewFrontiers Terry Virgo reveals the surprising truth that the Jesus who turned water into wine is ready to make every life taste better, both now and eternally. Easy-to-read, short, clear, faithful and conversational, this is a perfect book to give to an interested friend.
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7 Dangers Facing Your Church
$16.99Add to cartOur culture is changing, and the church seems to be under increasing pressure. But these dangers are not new, and God’s word shows us how to meet them head on. Discover how Jesus’ messages to seven first-century churches in Revelation 2 3 is his message to your church today too. Together, you can live as Christ’s faithful, hope-filled people in a changing culture.
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Dangers Of American Christianity
$15.99Add to cartThe message of the gospel should be the lens through which our world view is formed.
The author believes that instead our culture has made us water down the true message to fit contemporary American Culture.The dangers he identifies include:
-Getting too mixed up in our culture
-Isolating ourselves too much from contemporary culture
-Safe and easy believism without proper life changing repentance
-Making it all about what God can do for me
-Entitlement
-The prosperity gospel
-Not being busy with the things of GodThe Church needs to rediscover what made it the powerful force it is supposed to be in a culture that wants to adapt the Church to fit its own values.
We cannot water down or dilute the gospel message in any way and remain effective in a world of secular humanistic values.
The Church has to get back to biblical values and not compromise with the world’s values and culture.Each chapter has questions for reflection, if you’re reading on your own, or discussion in groups.
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Vibrant Church : Strategies For Church Renewal
$13.99Add to cartHelp your church reach its potential to become a beacon in your community, a model of all that God has called the church to be. The Vibrant Church provides guidance for pastors and key lay leaders, teaching you how to make your church healthy in all areas of church life.
You’ll learn to:
-Write a specific vision for your church
-Improve your leadership skills
-Establish a strategic plan for the future
-Build the ministry team
-Grow a dynamic outreach ministry
-Disciple fully devoted followers of Christ
-Create an environment of genuine love and concern
-Develop meaningful worship
-Train faithful stewards of money and time -
Gospel DNA : 21 Ministry Values For Growing Churches
$15.99Add to cart22 Chapters
Additional Info
Acts chapter 20 tells how Paul sat down to train the elders of the Ephesian church he had planted some years before. The principles of gospel ministry he lays down are simple, but absolute dynamite.In 21 simple, practical principles, Richard Coekin sets out how this “Gospel DNA” should shape our approach to building churches today.
This book draws on his experience as Director of the London-based Co-Mission church-planting initiative in the UK. It will help you be part of a dynamic strategy for growing gospel churches today.
Includes a Foreword by D.A. Carson
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Why Bother With Church
$7.99Add to cartIntroduction
1. Foundations: How To Consider Church
2. Life Changing: How To Attend Church
3. Running: How To Organize Church
4. Imperfect: How To Survive Church
5. Wonderful: How To Love Church
ConclusionAdditional Info
The church has an image problem.It is widely viewed in the world at large as being outdated, boring, irrelevant and filled with backbiting hypocrites.
How different that picture is to how the Bible talks about the new family that Jesus has gathered. It is a precious bride, a sparkling jewel, a lifeboat for forgiven sinners that is precious and holy; nurturing and warm; filled with truth, friendship and all embracing, forgiving love.
Sam Allberry understands the collision between these two views, and how, even as Christian believers, we can lose sight of how truly wonderful church is and should be, and what a privilege it is to be part of, and to serve.
In this brief accessible but thorough guide to church, Sam outlines what church is and why we need it. And how, when we have got it wrong, we can move closer to what a true church should be.
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Why Believe In Jesus
$14.99Add to cartA Life Worth Investigating
Jesus Christ is the most famous person who ever lived. Most people know His name, but they don’t really know who He was or what was He like. If He truly was a Savior, as some say, in what way does that reality affect us today? And why should we believe in Him?
As Jesus lived and ministered on earth, He taught on topics such as:
*What is truth?
*What is the meaning of life?
*What is love?
*What is my purpose?
*What is my future?In this book, as you explore the unique life and teachings of Jesus Christ, you will also be introduced to contemporary people from various backgrounds who tell how and why they came to believe in Jesus-and the difference He is making in their lives today.
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L E A D Personality Survey 10 Pack
$79.99Add to cartThe L-E-A-D Personality Inventory will provide you with an in-depth study of the unique characteristics of each type of personality. Your entire family, church members-even employees-will benefit from gaining a complete knowledge and understanding of their own personalities. Improve communication and relationships as you identify and better understand your own personality type, find out what motivates/demotivates people, and learn how others are most/least effective based on personality type. Includes questionnaire; answer sheet; instructions; profiles of the different personality types such as the Leader, Expresser, Analyst, and Dependable; and descriptions of different personality patterns. 13 pages.
Includes: 10 pack of L-E-A-D Personality Inventory
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Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Inventory 100 Pack
$399.99Add to cartWith over 5 million used, The Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Inventory has helped Christians around the world identify their God-given spiritual gifts. Administered in 20 minutes, it is fun and a valuable tool for the Christian walk. Learn how God has equipped you to minister in the local church…and in daily life!
Covers nine task-oriented “team” gifts used in daily life and ministry: Administration, Evangelism, Exhortation, Giving, Mercy-Showing, Pastoring/Shepherding, Prophecy, Serving Teaching. (For further explanation and study of spiritual gifts; different types of gifts; how gifts relate to other gifts, your daily life, etc. see the book How to Find Meaning and Fulfillment through Understanding the Spiritual Gift within You.)
The Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Inventory includes questionnaire; 2-part, self-scoring answer sheet; brief gift descriptions; and instructions. (100 included in Pack)
Also available in Spanish and Korean, and the Youth Edition in English
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Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Inventory 50 Pack
$249.99Add to cartWith over 5 million used, The Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Inventory has helped Christians around the world identify their God-given spiritual gifts. Administered in 20 minutes, it is fun and a valuable tool for the Christian walk. Learn how God has equipped you to minister in the local church…and in daily life!
Covers nine task-oriented “team” gifts used in daily life and ministry: Administration, Evangelism, Exhortation, Giving, Mercy-Showing, Pastoring/Shepherding, Prophecy, Serving Teaching. (For further explanation and study of spiritual gifts; different types of gifts; how gifts relate to other gifts, your daily life, etc. see the book How to Find Meaning and Fulfillment through Understanding the Spiritual Gift within You.)
The Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Inventory includes questionnaire; 2-part, self-scoring answer sheet; brief gift descriptions; and instructions. (50 included in pack)
Also available in Spanish and Korean, and the Youth Edition in English
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Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Inventory 10 Pack
$59.99Add to cartWith over 5 million used, The Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Inventory has helped Christians around the world identify their God-given spiritual gifts. Administered in 20 minutes, it is fun and a valuable tool for the Christian walk. Learn how God has equipped you to minister in the local church…and in daily life!
Covers nine task-oriented “team” gifts used in daily life and ministry: Administration, Evangelism, Exhortation, Giving, Mercy-Showing, Pastoring/Shepherding, Prophecy, Serving Teaching. (For further explanation and study of spiritual gifts; different types of gifts; how gifts relate to other gifts, your daily life, etc. see the book How to Find Meaning and Fulfillment through Understanding the Spiritual Gift within You.)
The Team Ministry Spiritual Gifts Inventory includes questionnaire; 2-part, self-scoring answer sheet; brief gift descriptions; and instructions. (10 provided in pack)
Also available in Spanish and Korean, and the Youth Edition in English
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Fruit Of The Spirit Assessment 10 Pack
$49.99Add to cart“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV).
Scripture reveals nine fruits of the Spirit that are the inevitable result of God’s presence and control in our lives. This resource reveals characteristics of the fruits of the Spirit to help you determine if your fruit is abundant and sweet or sparse and dry. Use this evaluation to discover the qualities the Holy Spirit is producing in you and identify areas of spiritual growth to which you might give greater study, prayer, and discipline. Are you yielding to or quenching the Holy Spirit?Includes: 10 questionnaire and self-scoring answer sheet with a description of characteristics of the fruit.
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Any 3 Anyone Anywhere Any Time
$14.95Add to cartMike Shipman, a Southern Baptist missionary in Asia, took a bold and biblical approach to reaching the millions of Muslims in his country. Drawn from the patterns established by Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 10, Mike Shipman demonstrates how these same principles are relevant and applicable today. The result is, Any-3: Anyone, Anywhere, Any Time, a highly effective and deeply biblical five-step process that has seen thousands of Muslims say “Yes” to Jesus and enter into new communities of faithful discipleship.
Any-3 provides biblical principles and practical steps that have equipped hundreds of Christians to witness confidently and effectively. Over the past decade, thousands of Muslims have been engaged with the gospel. Within the first few years, Any-3 resulted in seven generations of Muslim-background churches planting churches, with more than a thousand baptized believers.
Any-3 introduces Christians to a five-step process that helps them to 1) get connected with Muslims, 2) get to a God conversation, 3) get to lostness, 4) get to the gospel, and 5) get to a decision. Hundreds of Christians have learned to walk this path with Muslims, leading thousands of them to say “Yes” to Jesus and pray to receive him into their lives as Savior and Lord.
Any-3 is truly revolutionizing Christian ministry to Muslims. Through this highly readable new resource, you too will learn how to share the gospel with Muslims and bring them into new discipleship communities. -
Underground Church
$19.99Add to cartThe Chinese house church is one of the most misunderstood and controversial subjects in Christian world missions today. Many questions about it abound, such as…
*How did it start?
*How does it work?
*How is it led?
*Why does it continue to experience revival?
*Is it necessary, now that China has extended religious freedoms?Much of the confusion is caused by the Chinese government, which deceives journalists and foreign missionaries with promises of religious freedom that are never kept.
The truth is, the house churches of China are growing at a phenomenal rate. Never in the history of the world have so many people in such a short time left one belief system for another without a hostile revolution. Lives in China are being transformed daily by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the display of His miraculous power.
The Underground Church demystifies the Chinese house church movement, with real-life examples and personal testimonies from Chinese Christians. The movement’s unique characteristics-both good and bad-are addressed, as well as how they have led to the church’s astonishing growth.
Be amazed at what God is doing in China!
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Church Shouldnt Suck The Life Out Of You
$15.99Add to cartUsing humor and frank honesty, Pastor Jim Minor describes how his own street outreach organization transformed from a vibrant, God-infused ministry into a conventional, safe church that almost sucked all the passion for ministry right out of him. Then, Jim explains how he got his passion back again.
Who is this book for?
*Pastors and ministry leaders who have lost their focus and have grown to resent the ministries to which they have been called
*Those in the pews who have lost the spark of their passion for God and find themselves merely going through the motions and “playing church”
*Non-churchgoers who stay away because they don’t want any part of a dry, lifeless religion that doesn’t make any difference in the world
If you identify with any of those categories, this book is for you!
Let Jim Minor cast a vision for what church can be. Discover that it’s possible to venture beyond the church walls, to interact with the lost and hurting, and to watch God do miracles in people’s lives. And in the process, church might even become fun and fulfilling once again.
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Evangelize Or Fosselize
$14.99Add to cartTruly, there is nothing so tragic, so hard, and so icy as a fossilized church or Christian. Nothing can keep the Christian warm, fresh, and alive like evangelism. Soulwinning is a safeguard against a dead, barren orthodoxy. That the church’s expansion depends upon her evangelism is the testimony of the ages. Failing to save, she cannot survive. A lack of evangelism, ultimately, will lead to extinction.
Renowned Bible teacher Dr. Herbert Lockyer examines the call, the methods, the obstacles, and the challenge of bringing the gospel to a lost and hurting world. When the Holy Spirit enables men and women of God to offer their lives for the sake of the Lord Jesus and to turn the world upside down, it is the greatest adventure of all time!
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1 Corinthians 1-9 Challenging Church (Student/Study Guide)
$8.99Add to cartIntroduction
Why Study 1 Corinthians?
Timeline
1. Count Your Blessings – 1 Corinthians 1 V 1-9
2. Unite In “foolishness” – 1 Corinthians 1 V 10 – 2 V 16
3. Unite As God’s Community – 1 Corinthians 3
4. Recognise Real Ministers – 1 Corinthians 4
5. Don’t Go Soft On Sin – 1 Corinthians 5 – 6
6. Let Your Calling Count – 1 Corinthians 7
7. Use Your Rights – 1 Corinthians 8 – 9
Leader’s GuideAdditional Info
Even today, Jesus is still a figure of intense interest and admiration for millions. But then there’s His church. Church is a boring topic for most, and a reluctantly fulfilled duty for many.And we can understand why. Churches say they have the best news in the world, that they have the answer to our problems, that they are God’s embassies on earth; and yet churches are made up of people like you and me, who are grumpy, irritable, unfaithful, selfish, and worse.
And as that is sadly true of churches today, so it was of the church in Corinth. It was young, it was full of life, and it was just as full of problems. What would God say to such a challenging church? What did they need to be excited by, to listen to, to learn?
Use this seven-study guide to open up the first nine chapters of the letter of 1 Corinthians, to hear what God said to His church in Corinth, and what God still says to His church today.
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Listen Up : A Practical Guide To Listening To Sermons
$3.99Add to cartSeven Ingredients For Healthy Sermon Listening:
1. Expect God To Speak
2. Admit God Knows Better Than You
3. Check The Preacher Says What The Passage Says
4. Hear The Sermon In Church
5. Be There Week By Week
6. Do What The Bible Says
7. Do What The Bible Says Today – And Rejoice!
How To Listen To Bad Sermons
7 Suggestions For Encouraging Good PreachingAdditional Info
Why on earth does anyone need a guide on how to listen to sermons? Don’t we simply need to ‘be there’ and stay awake? Yet Jesus said: ‘Consider carefully how you listen.’ The fact is, much more is involved in truly listening to Bible teaching than just sitting and staring at the preacher.Christopher Ash outlines seven ingredients for healthy listening. He then deals with how to respond to bad sermons – ones that are dull, or inadequate, or heretical. And finally, he challenges us with ideas for helping and encouraging our Bible teachers to give sermons that will really help us to grow as Christians.
* Where does the authority of a Bible teacher come from?
* Why is Bible teaching offensive?
* Why is it important to hear Bible teaching in church?
* How can we actually enjoy Bible teaching more?These (and more) are the questions answered by this practical guide, which includes effective, hands-on suggestions for implementing each idea. All with the aim of helping us learn how to listen properly, so that through His word, God will make us more and more Christ like.
‘We give Listen Up to all our new members’ – Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church
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To Life : Rediscovering Biblical Church
$14.99Add to cartAre you satisfied with your Christian life or do you get the feeling that something is missing, but you’re not sure what it is? Have you ever asked the question, where does the World end and the Church begin? Is the 21st Century Church truly the best it could possibly be? Are there forgotten places that we should be revisiting?
Dare we believe that we could return to the Biblical Church of the first apostles?
Some say we can’t, others have tried and failed. This author believes it’s worth trying again because it’s all a question of mindsets and this book will explain why, with the wit, wisdom and wonder that is the trademark of Steve Maltz’s writing.
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How The Church Lost The Truth
$14.99Add to cartIt should have been so simple. There was the Bible, God’s authoritative and complete word for mankind. His gift to us. One volume of sixty six books in all, from “In the beginning” to “amen”. One basic message. Choose Life, He said. So what did we do? We chose … denominations, 38,000 of them. One book, thousands of interpretations.
Snake handlers in Kansas, Prosperity teachers in Washington, Liberationists in El Salvador, Gay Bishops in New Hampshire, New Age rectors in London. They all claim the Bible as their inspiration and rulebook. Once this book is opened, why is it that folk seem to see different things? One book, one message, one Babel. How come? Where can the Truth be found or has the Church lost The Truth?
This explosive book tells the whole sad story of what actually happened to the Church over the last two thousand years and how it managed to lose its focus and take on so many ideas from Greek philosophy that Christianity has just become a melting point of truth mixed up with very strange ideas.
If Jesus were to return today, which Church – if any – could He call his own?
In this challenging, provocative but entertaining book the author examines what has happened to some key battlegrounds for Truth and asks, where did those ideas come from?
*How did God kick things off?
*How does He deal with His covenant people?
*Who does He let into heaven?
*What is Hell really like?
*How is He really going to wrap things up?Some of the answers will astound you and you may also be prompted to ask the question, how has the Church managed to lose so much Truth?
Prepare to be challenged to the very core of your faith.
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What Is The Mission Of The Church
$17.99Add to cartSocial justice and mission are hot topics today: there’s a wonderful resurgence of motivated Christians passionate about spreading the gospel and caring for the needs of others. But in our zeal to get sharing and serving, many are unclear on gospel and mission. Yes, we are called to spend ourselves for the sake of others, but what is the church’s unique priority as it engages the world?
DeYoung and Gilbert write to help Christians “articulate and live out their views on the mission of the church in ways that are theologically faithful, exegetically careful, and personally sustainable.” Looking at the Bible’s teaching on evangelism, social justice, and shalom, they explore the what, why, and how of the church’s mission. From defining “mission”, to examining key passages on social justice and their application, to setting our efforts in the context of God’s rule, DeYoung and Gilbert bring a wise, studied perspective to the missional conversation.
Readers in all spheres of ministry will grow in their understanding of the mission of the church and gain a renewed sense of urgency for Jesus’ call to preach the Word and make disciples.
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How The Church Lost The Way
$14.99Add to cartTackling the ‘uncomfortable truth’ for the Church, this book packs a heavyweight punch in a lightweight package. With great clarity and style the author explains how the Church has been strangled by its past and how the faith in Jesus Christ was infiltrated by pagan ideas from Greek philosophy that have remained to this day. This book exposes and explains how this affects our understanding of the Bible, God, Church and everything in-between. In this provocative, entertaining and encouraging book, we will explore our true roots and discover practical keys to move forwards.
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Servanthood As Worship
$9.99Add to cartBrowse a Christian book website or bookstore and notice all there is for leaders and would-be leaders. There are studies of leaders, keys to leadership, and tips on becoming a leader. Books that promote servanthood tend to be about leadership. But how many books inspire us simply to serve one another? The appeal of leadership has hijacked the biblical call to servanthood. As a result, we major on a role that will only ever be held by a few, and we largely ignore a role that ought to be held by every Christian. Whatever happened to servanthood? Servanthood as Worship offers Christians a biblical understanding of their calling to serve in the church, motivated by the grace that is ours in the gospel. It has the potential to revitalize service teams in churches across the world, from church plants to established congregations.
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Worship Matters : Leading Others To Encounter The Greatness Of God
$18.99Add to cartNothing is more essential than knowing how to worship the God who created us. This book focuses readers on the essentials of God-honoring worship, combining biblical foundations with practical application in a way that works in the real world. The author, a pastor and noted songwriter, skillfully instructs pastors, musicians, and church leaders so that they can root their congregational worship in unchanging scriptural principles. Bob Kauflin covers a variety of topics such as the devastating effects of worshiping the wrong things, how to base our worship on God’s self-revelation rather than our assumptions, the fuel of worship, the community of worship, and the ways that eternity’s worship should affect our earthly worship. Appropriate for Christians from varied backgrounds and for various denominations, this book will bring a vital perspective to what readers think they understand about praising God. Includes a special addendum for pastors and worship leaders.
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Discovering Church Life Student Edition (Student/Study Guide)
$19.99Add to cartDiscovering Church Life is a 24-lesson series designed to teach believers the foundational truths concerning life in the local church, the corporate church, and the Kingdom of God. This series, based on biblical principles, covers the major events in the believer’s life, from initial repentance, grace and baptism to progressive spiritual growth and finding God’s will through scriptural truths. This study book will assist believers in building community with a spirit of harmony and commitment toward a local church. It can be used as a church membership course, a new believer’s series, or a small group study.
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Discovering Church Life Teacher Edition (Teacher’s Guide)
$19.99Add to cartDiscovering Church Life is a 24-lesson series designed to teach believers the foundational truths concerning life in the local church, the corporate church, and the Kingdom of God. This teacher edition of the study series shows the group leader how to assist believers in building community with a spirit of harmony and commitment toward a local church. Along with the student edition, it can be used as a church membership course, a new believer’s series, or a small group study.
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7 Strategic Changes Every Church Must Make
$15.99Add to cartAuthor Mark Conner reveals seven strategic changes that every church must make to remain relevant and progressive in today’s culture. These shifts – from inreach to outreach, from events to relationships, from consumers to contributors, from local to kingdom – will transform your church into a powerful force in the 21st Century.
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Cultivating Prayer And Intercession In The Local Church
$9.99Add to cartCultivating Prayer And Intercession In The Local Church is a dynamo in a small package. From his years of experience, personal and corporate observation, and mentoring of prayer warriors, layers of revelation and clear understanding open before the discerning reader. Wave upon wave of anointed illustration, interspersed with plentiful Scripture proofs, combine to sweep one into the stream of intercession which is the writer’s passion. Far from dry, this brief but powerful treatise resonates with true devotion and an infectious spirit of the joy of prayer.
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New Testament Church And Its Ministries
$12.99Add to cartNew Testament Church And It Ministries lays out God’s plan for the church’s construction and His concern for the active involvement of every member in their ministry and calling. Emphasizing the function of the members, each of the five-fold ministries is defined and developed in the context of its function in the Body of Christ..
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Apostles : The Fathering Servant
$13.99Add to cartBill Scheidler has illuminated the qualifications and function of an apostle today by approaching the subject from a purely biblical point of view. Apostles compares this biblical view with current apostolic trends found in the church today. If you are a leader or pastor, Apostles will serve as your roadmap to understanding the function of an apostle today.
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Christian Community : 10 Studies For Individuals Or Groups
$12.99Add to cartOne of the greatest gifts that Christ has given us is each other. Through Christ’s body, the church, we discover our unique gifts and experience worship, healing and power. In ten studies, Rob Suggs leads us to grow in community–loving and nurturing one another, and in reflecting Christ’s love to the world around us.
Now available in IVP’s revised LifeGuide Bible Study format, Christian Community features questions for starting group discussions and for personal reflection, as well as a new “Now or Later” section following each session.
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Purpose Driven Church (Reprinted)
$28.99Add to cart1998 GOLD MEDALLION WINNER
Every church is driven by something. Tradition, finances, programs, personalities, events, seekers, and even buildings can each be the controlling force in a church. But Rick Warren believes that in order for a church to be healthy it most become a purpose-driven church, built around the five New Testament purposes given to the church by Jesus. “The issue is church health, not church growth!” declares Warren. “If your church is healthy, growth will occur naturally. Healthy, consistent growth is the result of balancing the five biblical purposes of the church.” In this landmark book, you’ll learn the secret behind the fastest growing Baptist church in American history. Saddleback Church grew from one family to over 10,000 in worship attendance in just fifteen years, while planting twenty-six other churches. . .and without owning a building. Founding pastor Rick Warren shares a proven five-part strategy that will enable your church to grow. . .warmer through fellowship, deeper through discipleship, stronger through worship, broader through ministry, and larger through evangelism. The Purpose-Driven Church shifts the focus away from church building programs to emphasizing a people-building process. Warren says, “If you will concentrate on building people, God will build the church.” Discover in these pages the practical insights and helpful principles that Rick Warren has taught in seminars to over 22,000 pastors and church leaders from sixty denominations and forty-two countries.
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Effective Keys To Successful Leadership
$14.99Add to cartLearn, from this dynamic model, what it takes to build an effective leadership team and healthy local church. Common ministry temptations and tensions are candidly discussed, emphasizing the need for personal vision and mission in your ministry.