Showing titles in Discipleship

The average length of Jesus’ conversations as recorded in the Gospels was 42 seconds long. This is good news for all of us. It frees us up to talk about the most important part of our lives in a way that’s natural, meaningful, and helpful instead of clumsy, awkward, and irrelevant. Anyone who has spent countless uncomfortable hours walking from house to house with a clipboard or flash cards that talk about four spiritual laws understands.

Many new believers have questions about what it means to live as a Christian in the context of a local church, and pastors are looking for resources to pass along to their congregations to help them think biblically about the Christian life. Church Questions is a series by 9Marks that seeks to provide Christians with sound and accessible biblical teaching by answering common questions about church life. Each booklet offers biblical answers and practical applications with the goal of nurturing healthy church practice and commitment.

Dwight Zscheile, Michael Binder, and Tessa Pinkstaff build on Scripture, theology, and the latest leadership and change theories to guide church leaders on a journey toward grassroots, participatory spiritual growth. This faithful innovation begins with a three-step process: listening to God and to each other, acting so we can learn, and sharing our stories in community. Real-life stories and supportive spiritual practices make each step toward effective change accessible and actionable.

It’s time to overthrow the status quo with Disruptive Compassion. With inspiring and empowering stories from the front lines, Convoy of Hope founder and CEO Hal Donaldson equips us to carry radical hope and help to a world in need. Will you join the revolution?

Some people think that salvation is merely about meeting the minimal entrance requirements needed to get into heaven when they die. But that’s not how Jesus talked about it. Rightly understood, salvation is an invitation to know God and to experience his presence, favor, and power starting right here on earth. Best-selling author John Ortberg dispels the myth that eternal life is something we can only hope to experience after we die; recaptures the New Testament definition of salvation, eternal life, and the Good News of the Gospel; and explains what it really means to be a disciple.

Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth: Audio Lectures looks beyond the divides of the left and right to discover how a Christian worldview speaks truth, hope, and unity into the most polarizing social justice controversies of our day. It presents a compelling vision of justice that offers hopeful answers to life’s biggest questions.

There is no shortage of books on discipleship. What makes this book for men different in that it not only shows you how you are and how you should be, it also guides your steps between the two. If you are a Christian man who knows the gospel, who professes faith and who longs for transformation, but are frustrated by your lack of spiritual growth, this book is for you. The aim is to help men find the road that leads to spiritual maturity in a way that is clear, brief, and pertinent.

We all long for homes where we can thrive and flourish. What does it take to have a spiritually vibrant household? Don Everts invites us to contemplate what the Bible says about households and consider what a new research project has revealed by pulling back the curtains on everyday households of faith. Original research from the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries shows that some of the healthiest, most vibrant homes extend beyond the nuclear family and include people that may not be biologically related but feel like family.

In this audiobook, Megan Hill answers a common question of churchgoers: What's so great about the church? With rich theology and practical direction, Hill encourages and equips both first-time visitors and regular members to delight in being a part of the local church - no matter how messy and ordinary it seems today. It is only when God's people begin to see one another as the Lord sees them that they will truly find a place to belong.

How do I humble myself? Humility, according to the Bible, is not something we can just up and do. Both the negative and positive examples of Scripture - from Pharaoh to Rehoboam, from Josiah to Ahab, from Hezekiah to Manasseh, and even to Christ himself - teach us that humility first comes from the hand of God. This concise, accessible study of Scripture’s humble-self language uncovers two surprising lessons about the pursuit of humility in the Christian - both what we cannot do and also what steps we can take.

WHAT IF... ... you were designed to be the way you are because Jesus had a purpose for you to fulfill in the church body? What if the reason you see things differently is because you were designed to see things differently? What if you understood that other people see things differently than you because they were designed to see things differently than you? What if we all figured out who we were designed by God to be and then realized that we all fit together to create an amazing picture in the Kingdom of God!

Could your love language guide you to a meaningful life? In a world of varying beliefs and endless opportunities, determining how to spend our lives can seem impossible. And even more difficult than finding direction can be finding meaning. Perhaps we know what we’re most interested in, but how do we know if it has purpose? These longings are rooted in our desire to feel God’s presence in our lives, which begins when we know how he communicates with us.

Using Jesus's words in John 15, "I am the vine; you are the branches," Andrew Murray explores how the believer abides in Christ. In a message as timely today as when first published in 1895, he urges listeners to yield themselves to Jesus, in order that they may know the "rich and full experience of the blessedness of abiding in Christ."

In fast-food society we long for quick fixes and easy answers. But no worthwhile goal is easily reached, and a deep spiritual life is not created in a week or two. It takes perseverance over the long haul to finish well. The Finishing Touch encourages you to keep on keeping on to reach your goals and reap the harvest of a life worth living. Daily devotionals for fifty-two weeks help you discover gut-level authenticity, hope in the midst of despair, courage in the face of fear, the light of faith in the shadows of doubt, and peace in the midst of stress.

We are living in times of great change and revelation. This is a pioneering audiobook in its genre, designed to revolutionize how you see yourself and lead you to understand how significant your influence is on the Earth. You will see dimensions of the resurrection that you have never seen before. You will know how you are designed and who you are as an eternal celestial being before the foundation of the world. You will know your celestial body, what it means to be a star in God’s firmament, and how it operates with your spirit to produce his light on the Earth.

The heart of this book is a thoughtful and inspiring look at Wesley's theology of grace and its power to transform. Included are two new chapters. 'Vision and Means' explores Wesley's mission and methods, and 'To Serve the Present Age' considers the impact and relevance of his message today. In addition, an updated reading list facilitates further study, and questions at the end of each chapter stimulate personal reflection and small group discussion.Ideal as a textbook or for personal study and reflection, this book will advance your knowledge and piety as you travel 'the way to heaven.

With these practices, you’ll become increasingly comfortable and confident in working through your inner experiences in real time. Instead of burning out, you can follow the lead of Jesus toward a sustainable, fulfilling life.

On an average day, people make countless decisions: Should I get out of bed or hit the snooze button? What should I have for breakfast? Where should we go for this year's vacation? While some decisions are easy to make, others can leave individuals paralyzed and full of anxiety. As Christians living in an increasingly individualistic society, what's the best strategy for making decisions that honor God while becoming more like him in the process? Writing from her own experience and pointing to biblical examples, Aimee Joseph offers a biblical and theological framework for decision-making.

God is seeking and equipping ordinary men and women whose greatest qualification is that they make themselves available to him. In this audio Bible study, bestselling author and long-time pastor Jim Cymbala inspires followers of Jesus to follow the call of the Holy Spirit and to carry the "flame" of our witness to this dark world. A rallying call and Bible study both, Cymbala draws on examples of ordinary people in the book of Acts—as well as modern-day testimonies—to show how God can use anyone and everyone who simply submits to him and obeys his call.

In this concise booklet, bestselling author Kevin DeYoung presents 5 Christlike ways to effectively communicate the Christian faith and practice with the next generation. DeYoung reminds leaders that they won't ultimately impact young hearts with cleverness, humor, or good looks but by walking with Jesus and following his ways—grab them with passion, win them with love, hold them with holiness, challenge them with truth, and amaze them with God.