Called To Be Church

Biblical scholar Robert Wall and pastoral leader Anthony Robinson here join forces to bring the Acts of the Apostles forward to our time as a resource for congregational renewal and transformation.Featuring both careful exegetical study and exciting contemporary exposition, the fifteen chapters of Called to Be Church each first interpret the text of Acts as Scripture and then engage Acts for today's church. The book dives into many of the most vexing issues faced by the church then and now -- such issues as conflict resolution, pluralism and multiculturalism, sexuality, money, church and state, the role of the Holy Spirit, and more.Enhanced by study questions at the end of each chapter, Called to Be Church will lend itself especially well to small-group study within congregations. Pastors, lay readers, students, and ordinary believers alike will find the book helpful and inspiring.

“Scot and Laura do an amazing job of teaching us what a good church looks like.” —Beth Moore What is the way forward for the church? Tragically, in recent years, Christians have gotten used to revelations of abuses of many kinds in our most respected churches—from Willow Creek to Harvest, from Southern Baptist pastors to Sovereign Grace churches. Respected author and theologian Scot McKnight and former Willow Creek member Laura Barringer wrote this book to paint a pathway forward for the church. We need a better way. The sad truth is that churches of all shapes and sizes are susceptible to abuses of power, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse. Abuses occur most frequently when Christians neglect to create a culture that resists abuse and promotes healing, safety, and spiritual growth. How do we keep these devastating events from repeating themselves? We need a map to get us from where we are today to where we ought to be as the body of Christ. That map is in a mysterious and beautiful little Hebrew word in Scripture that we translate “good,” the word tov. In this book, McKnight and Barringer explore the concept of tov—unpacking its richness and how it can help Christians and churches rise up to fulfill their true calling as imitators of Jesus.

This is a book of wisdom and insight that explains how providential are the trials through which the Catholic Church is now passing. The need of the Papal Primacy to ensure Christian unity; the true meaning of the Priesthood as a sacrament and not a mere ministry; the necessity of the Eucharist as the Sacrifice of the Savior now offering Himself on our altars; the role of the Bishops as successors of the Apostles, united with the successor of St. Peter, the Bishop of Rome; the value of suffering in union with Christ crucified; the indispensable service of the laity in the apostolate - all these themes receive from Cardinal Ratzinger new clarity and depth. Learn more about Pope Benedict! Visit the

What does the church need to hear today? As many have said, the church must always be reforming. It must continually move closer to a truer, more faithful expression of the gospel. The risen Christ’s powerful letters to the seven churches in Revelation are a guide to just that. Based on John MacArthur’s exposition of these letters, Christ’s Call to Reform the Church is a plea to the modern church to heed these divine warnings, to reform before it succumbs to the kinds of compromise and error that invite God’s judgment. Christ’s Call to Reform the Church admonishes the church today to learn from the mistakes God’s people have made in the past, rather than commit them again. The Word of God has many benefits, one of which is that it reveals our blind spots. That's what this book does—it shines a light on problems we didn't know we had. May it be embraced by Christians everywhere, spurring them toward the God-honoring, grace-driven work of continued reformation.

Will You Stay? Caleb Breakey prays to God you do. In Called to Stay Breakey takes a refreshingly honest look at the church, the problem of Millennials leaving, and the stark reality of why the church desperately needs them. He holds nothing back as he unleashes an ambitious rallying cry to heal the church and inject his generation’s desire for truth, passion, and conviction into other believers. Caleb knows that answering the challenge of his own generation leads to a transformed church. And a changed church can change the world.

As early as 50 AD, Christians had gotten away from knowing who Jesus really is. Our generation is no different. In every decade we, as Americans, lost something important that we couldn't afford to lose: In the 1950's, we lost innocence In the 1960's, we lost respect for authority In the 1970's, we lost love In the 1980's, we lost values In the 1990's, we lost faith In the 2000's, we lost security In the 2010's, we lost hope in the future What can restore what we've lost? Only Jesus. Jesus gave us His name, His friendship, and a commission to accept responsibility for ourselves and for the world. When introduced to His wordsandways we'll rediscover the Jesus who: Wants His enemies won over, not wiped out Wants you to stop playing it safe Believed great things were possible no matter what things are like right now Was full of grace and truth Unleashed compassion Believed no one was too far from God to return to Him Came to seek and to save that which was lost Loves the church Pastor Ray Johnston shares the Jesus of the Bible and how we can be Christians without being jerks. He reveals how the radical message of the gospel calls us to love and serve not only our neighbors but our enemies as well. That’s the Jesus the American Church has missed and needs to meet. Jesus' mission is clear—risk everything in order to take care of people, starting in our home, neighborhoods, cities, and those in need around the world. That's the Jesus the American Church has missed and needs to meet.

You can understand the mysterious book of Revelation. The book of Revelation—the last book in the Bible—is, to many people, its most confusing. They find its strange symbols and images puzzling and mysterious. But you can understand it. The book's very name mean a revealing, a way to gain understanding. Its first verse tells us it was written to reveal "things which must shortly take place." If you are confused by the book of Revelation and would like to know what it all means—and how it's cast of mysterious characters all fit within Bible prophecy—then read the Bible Study Aid ebook The Book of Revelation Unveiled. This study aid will take you through the major themes of the book of Revelation helping you to understand what Jesus Christ revealed to the apostle John and how it all fits together. Discover the major trends and future prophetic events that will shape this world—and your life—in the days ahead. Chapters in this ebook: -- The Book of Revelation: Is It Relevant Today? -- Keys to Understanding Revelation -- The Story Flow of the Book of Revelation -- Chapter Outline of the Book of Revelation -- God's Church in Prophecy -- What Is the Church? -- Duality in Bible Prophecy -- The Book of Revelation's Divine Authority -- The Seals of the Prophetic Scroll -- The Day of the Lord Finally Arrives -- Satan's War Against the People of God -- The Mark and Number of the Beast -- The Two Women of Revelation -- The 'Time of Jacob's Trouble' -- The Destruction of Satan's Kingdom -- Satan: The Great Seducer -- The Everlasting Kingdom of God Inside this Bible Study Aid ebook: "The name of the book, Revelation, is a translation of the title in the original New Testament Greek, Apocalypsis—the origin of the other name by which the book is now known, the Apocalypse. The Greek term denotes an unveiling or uncovering—thus, a revelation." "Here is the key to understanding the book. Jesus alone can unlock the meaning of its symbols, visions and descriptions...Christ reveals its meaning. He unlocks its seals. But how does He do it?" "Most of Revelation—about two thirds of its content—is devoted to the seventh seal. The contents of the first six seals are found in chapter 6 alone." "How will the two witnesses and their message be received?" "The book of Revelation reveals, from more than one perspective, the emergence of this vast end-time empire governed from a great city God labels “Babylon the great”, the reference here being to Rome." "Jesus Christ will return to establish that Kingdom on earth (the Kingdom of God) at His second coming, at last bringing the peace mankind has always longed for but never achieved."

Nationally recognized speaker and church leader Jay Augustine demonstrates that the church is called and equipped to model reconciliation, justice, diversity, and inclusion. This book develops three uses of the term "reconciliation": salvific, social, and civil. Augustine examines the intersection of the salvific and social forms of reconciliation through an engagement with Paul's letters and uses the Black church as an exemplar to connect the concept of salvation to social and political movements that seek justice for those marginalized by racism, class structures, and unjust legal systems. He then traces the reaction to racial progress in the form of white backlash as he explores the fate of civil reconciliation from the civil rights era to the Black Lives Matter movement. This book argues that the church's work in reconciliation can serve as a model for society at large and that secular diversity and inclusion practices can benefit the church. It offers a prophetic call to pastors, church leaders, and students to recover reconciliation as the heart of the church's message to a divided world. Foreword by William H. Willimon and afterword by Michael B. Curry.