A Faithful Church Member

A Faithful Church Member PDF Author: Joel R. Beeke
Publisher: EP BOOKS
ISBN: 9780852347775
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
For an annual fee, you can be a member of your community recreational center, where you have access to its exercise equipment and swimming pool. If you choose never to visit the building, it's no problem. You can sit at home and eat ice cream all day and never get your membership revoked. So long as you pay your dues, you are a member. Similarly, you can be a member of a book club or a music club that offers great deals on books or CDs. Club mailings say you are under no obligation to buy anything; you can return a book or CD at any time and cancel your membership. In such a cultural setting, it is not surprising that membership in a local church has also become non-demanding. One congregation discovered that, on average, only 70 of its 233 members attended church worship. The church leadership is partly responsible for this easy membership by not upholding biblical standards and discipline. So are people's views of the church. Some people treat the church like a museum that preserves memories and artifacts from the past, to be revisited from time to time. Others go to church as if it were a shopping mall, where you can find programs and services that meet the needs of you or your family. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:10-16 that membership in the church is all about Christ. We will focus our attention on five areas of marks: Christ's Word, His person, His people, His cause, and His image. We will examine what it means to be a faithful member of the body of Christ in each of these areas in the (1) personal, (2) public, and (3) practical dimensions of our lives. Thus, we will take a look at fifteen characteristics of a faithful church member. Each section is followed by a series of Bible Study questions to enable the reader to take part actively in the text.

A Faithful Church Member

A Faithful Church Member PDF Author: Joel R. Beeke
Publisher: EP BOOKS
ISBN: 9780852347775
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 48

Get Book Here

Book Description
For an annual fee, you can be a member of your community recreational center, where you have access to its exercise equipment and swimming pool. If you choose never to visit the building, it's no problem. You can sit at home and eat ice cream all day and never get your membership revoked. So long as you pay your dues, you are a member. Similarly, you can be a member of a book club or a music club that offers great deals on books or CDs. Club mailings say you are under no obligation to buy anything; you can return a book or CD at any time and cancel your membership. In such a cultural setting, it is not surprising that membership in a local church has also become non-demanding. One congregation discovered that, on average, only 70 of its 233 members attended church worship. The church leadership is partly responsible for this easy membership by not upholding biblical standards and discipline. So are people's views of the church. Some people treat the church like a museum that preserves memories and artifacts from the past, to be revisited from time to time. Others go to church as if it were a shopping mall, where you can find programs and services that meet the needs of you or your family. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:10-16 that membership in the church is all about Christ. We will focus our attention on five areas of marks: Christ's Word, His person, His people, His cause, and His image. We will examine what it means to be a faithful member of the body of Christ in each of these areas in the (1) personal, (2) public, and (3) practical dimensions of our lives. Thus, we will take a look at fifteen characteristics of a faithful church member. Each section is followed by a series of Bible Study questions to enable the reader to take part actively in the text.

The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge PDF Author: Thomas Nelson
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0310143527
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 1537

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Book Description
An exhaustive cross-referencing tool for interpreting Scripture with Scripture. The Bible is its own best commentary. To truly understand what the Bible teaches about a subject, we must consult all of what the Bible itself says about it. The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge allows you to do just that, providing a selection of other verses which shed light upon, clarify, or explain the verse you are consulting. Unlike a concordance, which is an alphabetical index to the words of the Bible, the cross-references given in the New Treasury are not merely to the same word, but to the same or a related thought, theme, doctrine, subject, concept, or literary motif, even when expressed in entirely different words. Special Features: Indicates degree of clarity, significance, or relationship between references Can be used with any translation or edition of the Bible Is arranged like the Bible (divided into the same books, chapters, and verses) for ease of use Provides a far more complete selection of cross-references than can be found in any other source Contains dozens of special study aids to help you develop powerful lessons or sermons--straight from the Bible itself Contains multiple indexes (subjects, figures of speech, etc.) Uses Strong's numbering system Uses a new font that makes it easier to read than previous versions No combination of other Bible study tools quite duplicates the carefully-research and indexed content in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. When used effectively, this invaluable resource will change your life.

Quitting Church

Quitting Church PDF Author: Julia Duin
Publisher: Rosetta Books
ISBN: 1625391714
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
“Every pastor should read this. . . . Every believer who has ever despaired of church, been tempted to quit, or struggled with guilt over leaving should, too” (Rod Dreher). Americans still believe in God, but they are leaving the church in record numbers. Why are the faithful fleeing? Julia Duin, a veteran journalist and a Christian, has collected the research and added insights from interviews with disillusioned followers, as well as from her own story. In this engrossing account of churches in decline, Duin visits numerous churches and explores a number of factors underlying the social shift away from church: irrelevant teaching, the neglect of singles, the marginalization of women, and a lack of authentic spiritual power. She also journeys into house churches and emergent congregations. Duin’s careful analysis is sure to help church leaders and churchgoers examine how they might better serve their communities and create inviting spiritual homes for people of all kinds. “Engaging . . . as religion editor for the Washington Times, [Duin] is in her element marshaling statistics, interviewing authors and clergy, and commenting on the trend of faithful evangelicals who increasingly vote with their feet by leaving their churches.” —Publishers Weekly

Rebuilt

Rebuilt PDF Author: Michael White
Publisher: Ave Maria Press
ISBN: 1594713871
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Drawing on the wisdom gleaned from thriving mega-churches and innovative business leaders while anchoring their vision in the Eucharistic center of Catholic faith, Fr. Michael White and lay associate Tom Corcoran present the compelling and inspiring story to how they brought their parish back to life. Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, and Making Church Matter is a story of stopping everything and changing focus. When their parish reached a breaking point, White and Corcoran asked themselves how they could make the Church matter to Catholics, and they realized the answer was at the heart of the Gospel. Their faithful response not only tripled their weekend mass attendance, but also yielded increased giving, flourishing ministries, and a vibrant, solidly Catholic spiritual revival. White and Corcoran invite all Catholic leaders to share the vision, borrow their strategies, and rebuild their own parishes. They offer a wealth of guidance for anyone with the courage to hear them.

Faithful Leaders

Faithful Leaders PDF Author: Rico Tice
Publisher: The Good Book Company
ISBN: 1784985880
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 94

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Book Description
Explore the things that really matter for a successful ministry. "Well done, good and faithful servant." Every ministry leader wants to hear these words when they meet their Lord. But what does successful ministry look like? There are many books on leadership strategies and church structures, but this one looks at what matters most: the character and attitude of church leaders. It recognizes that the spiritual health of the church leaders in large part determines the spiritual health of the congregation and therefore the success of the ministry. In this short, punchy, challenging and at times surprising book, Rico Tice draws on decades of experience in church leadership to call fellow pastors and others with oversight of areas of church ministry to define success biblically, fight their sin, lead themselves and serve their churches. A must-read on pastoral leadership for pastors, elders, worship leaders, youth leaders and anyone else with a leadership role in church ministry.

Faithful Generations

Faithful Generations PDF Author: Russell Jeung
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 9780813535036
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
With rich description and insightful interviews, Russell Jeung uncovers why and how Chinese and Japanese American Christians are building new, pan-Asian organizations. Detailed surveys of over fifty Chinese and Japanese American congregations in the San Francisco Bay area show how symbolic racial identities structure Asian American congregations. Evangelical ministers differ from mainline Christian ministers in their construction of Asian American identity. Mobilizing around these distinct identities, evangelicals and mainline Christians have developed unique pan-Asian styles of worship, ministries, and church activities. Portraits of two churches further illustrate how symbolic racial identities affect congregational life and ministries. The book concludes with a look at Asian American-led multiethnic churches.

Revelation

Revelation PDF Author:
Publisher: Canongate Books
ISBN: 0857861018
Category : Bibles
Languages : en
Pages : 60

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Book Description
The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.

Shrink

Shrink PDF Author: Tim Suttle
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310515130
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
Among followers of Jesus, great is often the enemy of good. The drive to be great—to be a success by the standards of the world—often crowds out the qualities of goodness, virtue, and faithfulness that should define the central focus of Christian leadership. In the culture of today’s church, successful leadership is often judged by what works, while persistent faithfulness takes a back seat. If a ministry doesn’t produce results, it is dropped. If people don’t respond, we move on. This pursuit of “greatness” exerts a crushing pressure on the local church and creates a consuming anxiety in its leaders. In their pursuit of this warped vision of greatness, church leaders end up embracing a leadership narrative that runs counter to the sacrificial call of the gospel story. When church leaders focus on faithfulness to God and the gospel, however, it’s always a kingdom-win—regardless of the visible results of their ministry. John the Baptist modeled this kind of leadership. As John’s disciples crossed the Jordan River to follow after Jesus, John freely released them to a greater calling than following him. Speaking of Jesus, John said: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Joyfully satisfied to have been faithful to his calling, John knew that the size and scope of his ministry would be determined by the will of the Father, not his own will. Following the example of John the Baptist and with a careful look at the teaching of Scripture, Tim Suttle dares church leaders to risk failure by chasing the vision God has given them—no matter how small it might seem—instead of pursuing the broad path of pragmatism that leads to fame and numerical success.

Teaching the Faith, Forming the Faithful

Teaching the Faith, Forming the Faithful PDF Author: Gary A. Parrett
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830884351
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 463

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Book Description
With the decline of traditional Sunday school and education programs in recent years, many Christians have not learned the fundamental doctrinal content of the faith. In this text Gary Parrett and Steve Kang set forth a thoroughly biblical vision for intentional teaching of the Christian faith that attends to both the content and process of educational and formational ministries.

How Can Our Church Find a Faithful Pastor?

How Can Our Church Find a Faithful Pastor? PDF Author: Mark Dever
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433570238
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
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. Each volume offers biblical answers and practical applications with the goal of nurturing healthy church practice and commitment. In this concise booklet, best-selling author Mark Dever offers clear biblical insight to churches in search of new leadership by providing 6 characteristics to look for in a new pastor, along with 11 suggestions of strategies to implement during the process.