12 Steps For The Recovering Pharisee Like Me

Who Are We to Judge? We have met the Pharisees, and they are...us. That's because we are all slaves to self-righteousness and judgmentalism. It's built into human nature. We set "the standard"--the list of do's and don'ts--to which others must adhere. Then we associate this predetermined behavior with righteousness and declare, "A 'Christian' wouldn't do that." In this book, John Fischer points out that Jesus defined the truth in such a way as to leave no one righteous--not one. We cannot be made right before God by being "better" than anyone else. Instead, by recognizing and laying aside the Pharisee in all of us, we can embrace the grace, gratitude, and joy of the spirit-filled life.

Designed to uproot Pharisaicalism from the evangelical church, this text is a guide for transforming it into a community of forgiveness, exemplifying Grace-full living. (Christian)

Live Strategically The decade of your twenties is full of important, stressful, maddening questions: What will I do? Who will I love? Where will I live? But maybe there’s a bigger question: Who am I? The fact is, the period of time between your teens and thirties will shape a lot of your character, your calling, and your view of the world. Authors Craig Dunham and Doug Serven (recent graduates of their twenties) explain that the difference between a twentysomething and TwentySomeone has to do with the questions we ask. Instead of asking, “What will I do?” twentysomeones need to ask “Who am I?”–the real question of the twenties. Full of personal experience and practical wisdom, TwentySomeone helps you make the most of your twenties while giving you the skills to handle common life experiences like singlehood, first jobs, getting married, having kids, and buying stuff. This is a guidebook that will help you discover who God is calling you to be.

Gary Tyra's constructive study of the Sermon on the Mount seeks to revitalize discipleship by exposing and rooting out the modern incidence of Pharisaism (legalism, dogmatism, separatism, judgmentalism, etc.) among evangelical churches today.

How can a God of love also be a God of judgment? If God loves everyone, what is the point of judgment? Does God change from being wrathful in the Old Testament to loving in the New Testament? Can we discern God's judgments in current events, such as hurricanes and personal tragedies? Is it ever right for humans to judge? These are not just daunting issues for theologians to ponder. They are urgent questions for everyone. Our answers profoundly affect how we relate to God and how we live with one another. Coming to grips with these issues is vital for our spiritual journeys. Many people today emphasize God's love and downplay his judgment. The problem with this approach is that God's judgment is taught in Scripture from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation, and it is a core part of the gospel preached by Jesus and his apostles. There are problems at the other end of the spectrum too, when we believe in a God of judgment who is not also a God of love. It is impossible for us to find spiritual peace when we live in constant dread of God pictured as a harsh judge whom we can never please. This book calls us to embrace a more full, biblical image of God---one that joins his love and judgment together. Additionally, the book shows that, as those who are made in God's image, we can fuse love and judgment together constructively in our own daily lives. "To a world of smiley-faced bumper stickers assuring us that God is love, Stephen Moroney bravely asks: What do we do with the judgment, justice, and wrath of God, all occurring in rather impressive numbers throughout scripture? His well crafted and engaging answer is that we do a disservice to God as well as to ourselves when we try to have one---either a God of love or a God of judgment---without the other."

Jackie Kendall's childhood was a horror story of abuse. A counselor deemed her family "one of the top-ten most dysfunctional in America." Family members have dealt with this trauma in different ways: Two siblings committed suicide. Some siblings ran wild. When Jackie decided that she wanted to break the mold and be a healthy, loving woman, to forgive or not to forgive was not a question. Simply put: one can't love freely without the developed skill of forgiving freely. In Free Yourself to Love, Jackie shares her own story and struggle to learn this vital life skill. She also reveals the reasons for -- and results of -- refusing to forgive. In passionate, empathetic prose, Jackie urges her readers to exchange free-floating bitterness for the freedom to love and be loved.

The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context. To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's world, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved. This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.

This all-in-one commentary bundle on the book of Matthew features volumes from the NIV Application Commentary Series, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Series, and Story of God Bible Commentary Series. Each volume provides new and unique insights from leading biblical scholars Michael Wilkins, Grant Osborne, and Scot McKnight. The unique features from each volume along with the diverse insights provided by the authors gives you all the tools you need to study and master the book of Matthew.