Showing titles in Ecclesiology

Many today have given up on church. But God has not and does not give up on the church. The church is God's idea. And once we truly understand what God has in mind for his people, we can become who he wants us to be. Bishop Claude Alexander shows how the original Christians did not always understand what the church was supposed to be, but God worked in them anyway to become the community that he intended.

If anyone had good reason to join the league of the “Nones,” the “Dones,” and the deconstructionists, it would be Zach Hoag. After growing up and out of the compound walls of a Texas cult, and becoming a failed church planter in one of the most post-Christian cities in America, Zach was...

In the New Testament, the normal sequence is simple: people believe, are baptized, and are added to a local church. Baptism isn’t a free-floating rite; it’s the public doorway into a community that teaches, communes, and practices accountability. Paul treats baptism as incorporation into Christ’s body. Practically, that means “baptized but permanently unjoined” doesn’t fit his framework. Baptism signals belonging that’s meant to be lived out in a real congregation. The famous edge case (the Ethiopian eunuch) shows the order still holds even when geography is awkward: faith →...

In this study Wilmer Estrada-Carrasquillo constructs a Pentecostal lived ecclesiology by exploring how lived faith informs the way people interact in their lived spaces. Because of their eschatological vision, Pentecostals have been caricatured as detached from surrounding culture and unconcerned about contemporary events. Yet this study uncovers the Pentecostal voices and churches that are thinking seriously about the ways their spirituality impacts the public sphere. Estrada-Carrasquillo argues that Pentecostalism needs to ‘revision’ itself constantly and that the topic of theology ...

The second in Joe Thorn's series on the confession, nature, and expression of the church, The Character of the Church explores what the church is fundamentally like. Useful for training in membership classes, discipleship groups, and elder boards, The Character of the Church is at once theological, practical, and experiential. Listeners will be not simply informed but led to a deeper appreciation of the church of God.

God’s heart to reach the nations is evident from Genesis to Revelation and we are all invited to join in. Whether it’s local church planting or traveling to the furthest corners of the globe with the good news of Jesus, Jim Essian encourages us that involvement in missions is for all of us, not just for a chosen few. This book helps us to discern our role in the church’s mission, whether that's praying fervently, giving generously, or going boldly.

Authors Craig Gross and J.R. Mahon challenge fellow Christ-followers to stop talking about being spiritual, and start being spiritual by rolling up their sleeves and serving a world desperate for the hope Christ offers.

What do we call each other? It’s a deceptively simple question, because how we refer to one another is how we understand our relationships. Not recognizing the power of our words makes it harder for us to trust and serve one another―to love one another. In More than Christians, Norman Hubbard explores how the early church used common words in uncommon ways to make sense of their relationships with God and with one another. His research and contextualization of the cultural background to the New Testament is as practical for today as it is urgent.

When a team of Navy SEALs with "unique abilities" is ambushed on a clandestine mission to stop a human trafficking ring, the hunt for their killer is on...no matter how long it takes. As they narrow in on the corrupt corporation that still wants what they have, they must ascend through the ranks of the UFC Fighting Octagon to get close enough to strike. But as they do, what becomes abundantly clear is that this war goes beyond our world, and the soldiers in it represent a far greater battlefield than man was meant to know.

Eternal Vital Union: Beebe vs. Gill & the Reformers The live issue is timing. “Eternal vital union” (EVU) claims a real, life-giving union of Christ and His church from eternity, so that regeneration merely manifests what already is. Gill and the classic Reformed insist vital union begins in time, when the Spirit actually grafts a sinner into the living Christ. Beebe (EVU). Union is both eternal and vital. New birth does not start life in Christ; it reveals it. Beebe leans on Col 3:3–4 (“your life is hidden with Christ in God”) as real-but-veiled, and on Rom 5 (two Adams): as we ...

The reality that rampant dysfunction exists in evangelical churches today should be no mystery when one recognizes that churches typically fail to function according to the metaphor of Christ as the head of the body. Through this metaphor we can observe how dysfunction can be avoided by cultivating several types of functionality that God included in the human body. This book outlines five types of functionality that operate in the human body releasing it to fully express the character of the head: unified functionality, distinctive functionality, systemic functionality, expressive ...

Jesus lived with his disciples for three years and taught them life lessons in a relational atmosphere. After three years, he commanded them to "go and do likewise" (Matthew 28:18-20). Our God, the Trinity, is a relational God. He lives in perfect harmony with the other members of the Godhead. His word is full of exhortations to love and serve one another. This book will tell you how.

After his resurrection, the Lord Jesus revealed how his suffering, glory, and mission plan for the nations are in fact central to the biblical story of redemption. After Emmaus shows how Christology and missiology are integrally connected throughout Scripture, especially in the teaching of Jesus and the apostles. Brian Tabb explains what Luke 24:46-47 reveals about God’s messianic promises in the Old Testament, their fulfillment in the New Testament, and the purpose of the church.

The Spiritual Development and growth in the modern church is diminishing due largely to a lack of understanding about the way church leadership is to function. This lack of knowledge is common to all levels of the church. This book is an expositional analysis of servant leadership that is based upon the biblical model of Matthew 20:20-34. The text draws church leadership to the understanding that the biblical model of servant leadership helps us not to preach human authority, power, and control, but rather creates an opportunity for mutual respect, genuine love, and strong, healthy ...

Current discussions about Church Planting Movements (CPMs) and Disciple Making Movements (DMMs) employ numerous terms not found in Edwards’ writings. Yet the Lord has not changed, the Bible has not changed, and the gospel has not changed. Edwards’ incisive and edifying analysis contains numerous insights that have endured through the centuries. The wisdom we glean from Edwards’ comments on the awakening of his time can shed helpful light on current discussions about movements taking place in our time.

From higly-respected professor Homer Hailey (author of popular commentaries on the Minor Prophets, Isaiah, John, and Revelation) comes a book perfect for understanding and defending the inspiration of the Bible! This easy-to-understand volume is designed both for personal study and for Bible class use, and will help grow your faith and confidence in the inspired word of God! Homer Hailey served as a Professor of Bible at Abilene Christian College (now University) and Florida College. His life story has been written by expert religious historian, David Edwin Harrell, "The Churches of Christ ...

Jesus commands his disciples to love one another and promises that “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples” (John 13:35). But what does genuine care for those in our church family look like? This warm, practical book by Dwayne Bond goes beyond specific pastoral-care roles and responsibilities and explores how all church members can love and care for one another in the rhythms of ordinary life.

The fuse has been burning in Syria for five years. Now the powder keg is about to explode! Isaiah 17 predicts the destruction of Damascus, Syria. Isa 17:1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. Now more than ever it is important for Christians to be alert to the bible prophecy that is unfolding in Syria. For that reason I have edited and compiled all of my commentaries about Syria into this one book. These commentaries appear throughout several of my other books. This book contains everything that you need to know about ...

In his Ecclesial Being Professor Constantine Scouteris focuses most ably on the mystery of the human person in the context of the conciliarity of the Church. His vision of the unity of the Orthodox churches, based on the Pauline theme of the New Israel, embraces all Orthodox Christian peoples - wonderfully diverse in language and culture - as one nation in Christ, which the entire world is invited to join.

Every believer has a dinner reservation at the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb. Did you know that Jesus also has dinner plans for you this coming Lord’s Day? The Lord’s Supper was originally celebrated every week, as an actual meal. This fellowship in the breaking of bread is the ideal setting for building the close relationships that form a basis for personalized disciple making. It also creates supernatural unity, fantastic fellowship, and personal holiness in view of His return. Has the Lord’s supper, in your church, become a lost supper? The bread and cup look back to Jesus’ death ...