Showing titles in Evangelism

Many Christians are alarmed by the decline in church attendance and seek a culprit. Too often, we point the finger away from the church, make culture the enemy, and build walls between us and others. But our antagonism and enemy-making are toxins that further eat away at our witness. Is there a better way? Tara Beth Leach could easily be one of those millennials giving up on the church. Instead, she is a pastor who loves the church and is paradoxically hopeful for its future.

Based on a study that was commissioned by the Leadership Network, this book reveals the best practices in church planting and uncovers the common threads among them. A much-needed resource, this book will inform, guide, and even catalyze today's many church planting leaders. The authors clearly show leaders how to plant churches that create a multiplication movement and offer inspiration for them to do so. The book addresses their questions about what to do next in their church planting strategies, in light of research on what's actually working best.

Revival happens when passion for God breaks through human restraint and ignites one heart after another with his unquenchable love. Speaking with enthusiasm and vibrancy, Kim Meeder encourages listeners to seek transformation of heart, soul, mind, and strength by engaging the holy fire of God's presence. Within this place, fear and pride melt away and the desire burns brightly to reach all who are losing the battle for hope. Through inspiring true encounters, Meeder challenges each believer to accept Jesus' commission to carry the living flame of his love wherever he leads.

The world has changed in so many ways, and many of us no longer feel confident when it comes to evangelism, especially with the rise of hostility toward Christian points of view. Keeping quiet is becoming our default position. Yet the world has not changed in one way: It still needs Jesus. Renowned evangelist Becky Pippert draws on decades of conversations about Christianity around the world to call and equip ordinary Christians to share Jesus through their ordinary day-to-day conversations.

Fear is the primary reason we fail to share the gospel with our friends, family, and coworkers. We're afraid of looking weird or out of touch. We're afraid we won't have the right answers to their questions. We're afraid that if they reject the gospel, they're really rejecting us. We don't want to make things awkward or strain our relationships. So we say nothing because our discomfort feels bigger than our loved ones' ultimate destination if they remain outside of the body of Christ. We know it's not, but it's just so hard to get over our fear.

We live in the age of religious pluralism where all religions are considered the same and different paths lead to the same spiritual destination. It is important for Christians to learn how to affirm Jesus Christ as the only way to God - while also paying due respect to people of other faiths and worldviews. In The Unknown God: A Journey with Jesus from East to West, Mathew P. John explores the redemptive revelations lurking in the darkness outside the boundaries of Christian tradition.

If you're not reaching the future of the church, your church has no future. As much sting as that statement has, it's hard to argue with. Yet many churches have no idea how to attract and retain younger generations. If you want to understand how to reach, teach, and empower young adults in your church, Jonathan "JP" Pokluda is ready to show you how. 

Are you and your church making a difference in your community? Are you meeting needs in a positive, proactive, and loving way? Too often when churches are presented with a need outside their walls, they operate on the principle of "Say no unless you have to say yes." Don't want that to be your church's legacy in your community? Drawing on more than 30 years of service to the community surrounding Faith Church in Indiana, pastor Stephen Viars shows you how to develop a giving relationship with your community, one in which your natural response to needs is "Yes! How can we help?"

Here I Am fills listeners with a passion for God, personal holiness, and the renewal of the church and wider world. It captures the tension between the power of God’s Word and that of personal stories, combining fresh teaching from Andy Hawthorne with first-hand testimonies from people transformed by Jesus Christ. Equipped with relevant and thought-provoking discussion questions and a series of short videos for personal reflection or group discussion, this resource provides an encouraging reminder of the impact the gospel can have.

What is a Christian? At the most basic level, a Christian is a disciple of Jesus Christ. And yet many Christians today couldn't tell you what a disciple of Jesus Christ is, or would even think of themselves as disciples. And yet in the Great Commission, Jesus specifically called us to make disciples. Everything else is secondary. The Cost of Cheap Grace is an extended, sweeping, bold, and bracing call to repentance for where we've let secondary things subvert our commitment to discipleship, and a compelling vision for discipleship as the basis of the gospel.

The Holy Spirit empowers every believer not only to proclaim, but also to demonstrate the reality of the good news of the Gospel by living a lifestyle of signs and wonders that puts Jesus on display. As we look for the Holy Spirit's activity happening around us, listen for His voice and respond in obedience, we enable others to encounter the love and power of Jesus through us. How can we overcome the fear of failure and rejection? 

Samuel Logan Brengle (1860-1936) was a commissioner in The Salvation Army and an author. The Soul-Winner's Secret examines issues like the benefits of Bible study, obedience, prayer, zeal, spiritual leadership, redeeming the time, the studies of the soul-winner, health, and the renewing of power.

The 19th-century Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon explains the importance of atonement. He writes that the core of the Gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. Spurgeon states that those who preach this truth preach the Gospel in whatever else they may be mistaken, but these who do not preach atonement have missed the soul and substance of the divine message.

John Chrysostom (c. 347-407), Archbishop of Constantinople, was an early Church Father. This series of eight instructions concerning baptism were given by him, most likely at Antioch around the year 390. Their interest derives from Chrysostom's activities for the baptismal candidates and as their instructor in Christian doctrine and morality.

This book was written by the Puritan Thomas Boston at the age of 22. The theme is based on the injunction of Christ to his disciples, to become "fishers of men".

Arthur Walkington Pink was an English Christian evangelist and biblical scholar who was known for his staunchly Calvinist and Puritan-like teachings in an era dominated by opposing theological traditions. Pink was one of the most influential evangelical authors in the second half of the 20th century. Pink's beliefs and teachings were largely Calvinist- and Puritan-based. Pink clearly brings us a scriptural analysis of what to expect from the second coming of Christ in a truly thought provoking book.

Every day that we interact with the world, we are in a battle. At stake is the eternal destiny of the souls of our friends, family members, and coworkers. It is a battle we wage not only in prayer but also in words. When we are faced with objections to the faith we profess, are we ready to respond? Apologist and evangelist Ray Comfort has spent his entire career answering objections to the faith, and he wants you to be equipped to do the same.

Apocalyptic millennialism is one of the most powerful strands in evangelical Christianity. It is not a single belief, but across many powerful evangelical groups there is general adhesion to faith in the physical return of Jesus in the Second Coming, the affirmation of a Rapture heavenward of "saved" believers, a millennium of peace under the rule of Jesus and his saints and, eventually, a final judgement and entry into deep eternity. A key figure in this process was John Nelson Darby. 

We all carry burdens of guilt and shame. We're weighed down, constantly reminded of where we've fallen short. But the truth is we're carrying around something that isn't ours. Our sins and shortcomings belong to Jesus. He carried them to the cross. He paid our debt. And he wanted to make sure we knew it. In this book, listeners discover the seven last sayings of Christ from the cross - both what he said and what his words mean for our lives today - so that they can lay their burdens at the foot of the cross and receive God's unsurpassable grace.

People have honest doubts and questions about God that deserve solid answers. How do we explain the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way the "man on the street" will understand? In simple language and using clear, straightforward stories and illustrations, Pastor Pritchard personally yet gently challenges listeners with the Good News of Christ.