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We have a problem with Jesus. Particularly when it comes to evangelism.
The problem isn't with who Jesus is. Though it's a cliche, Jesus is the answer to all our questions and longings. He is the compassionate one the broken want; the forgiving one the flawed need; the strong one the weak can cling to; the challenging one the complacent require. In evangelism, as in all ministry, if we're not talking about Jesus, we're missing the point and we're missing the power.
So what's the problem? It's with the simple word "Jesus". As soon as you read that word in the first sentence of this post, you had a mental sketch of this man in your head. It may have been a picture; may have been some words; may have been a vague idea. It's the same for everyone. Even in our post-Christian culture, Jesus is still so famous that everyone has an idea about him. He may be lots of things, but he’s not a nobody.... continue reading
Jesus took issue with his contemporaries on many of the basic questions of life - salvation, authority, morality and ambition to name but a few. Questions that still resonate today and ones that often leave us scratching our heads.
'But I say to you...' is vintage Stott - clear, biblical, passionate, thoughtful and Christ-centred - a magisterial defence of biblical, historic evangelical Christianity. By brilliant analysis of the debates of Jesus with the Pharisees and Sadducees of his day, he highlights modern versions of the same distortions. Profound, lucid and compelling, this book is as relevant to current debates as when it was first published.
Read more and get the ebook HERE for just £4.50 until midday on Thursday. Simply use the code say0214 at the checkout.
This week we are launching the latest title in our "How to ... " series: Eternity Changes Everything. Here's a sneak peak extract to whet your appetite ...
In early 2004, I met a young lady named Emma Hutchinson and promptly fell in love with her. I knew within a couple weeks that this was the girl I wanted to marry and grow old with.
There was just one problem: she was nowhere near so sure! Thankfully, my dogged persistence paid off, and we eventually started dating. As time went on, I became more and more sure that Emma would be an amazing wife—but not nearly so sure that she would actually ever be my wife. So, when, 18 months after we met, I got down on two knees to propose to Emma (yes, I know it’s supposed to be one knee, but I was really nervous) and she said yes, my world changed. We weren’t married yet, but now—at last!—I knew that we would be.... continue reading
How often is your faith challenged, I mean really challenged? In the course of the last five years i've been in situations where God has really been in control and has blessed me immensely in many different ways. Equally, however, in that time I've been in places where I also wondered where God was, what he was doing and of course, why? It's only looking back that now I can see the answers to those questions, but when you are in the middle of a storm (as I often seemed to be for a while) your mind gets clouded, pressures all around close in and that is when the doubt sets in even though, in our Lord Jesus Christ, we have something more wonderful than we could ever deserve.
Alistair McGrath's, Doubt in Perspective addresses many of the doubts we as Christians experience in the modern world and where these doubts come from.... continue reading
I think about the future a lot. Just not the right bit of it.
I look forward to the weekend; to a drink with a friend; to a summer holiday involving a lie-in and a beach.
And, because I look forward to those things, they affect how I feel and act in the present. Think back to the week before you last went on a great holiday. I’ll bet work problems seemed smaller, irritating people seemed less irritating, tiredness seemed easier to cope with. You had a little skip in your heart, despite the usual issues of day-to-day life. Why? Because soon, you’d be on holiday. You weren’t there yet, but knowing it lay in your future changed your present.
Weekends, seeing friends, holidays… we think about those things a lot.
How much do you think about eternity? How much does your future in 200 years affect your day right now?... continue reading
Young Isaac enjoys getting some ministry perspective early on... You can too - whatever your age and stage.
Serving without sinking available HERE.
In a short space of time, a day or maybe even an hour, we can experience a huge range of emotions. The ups and downs sometimes mean that life really does feel like a rollercoaster. Those emotions might range from anger to awe, disappointment to delight, or even outrage to a sense of being overjoyed. There can even be days when we feel as if our emotions have been erased, as if we’ve turned into a robot, numb compared to those around us.
There are some great things about emotions, but there are times when emotions can seem like the enemy. There have definitely been days when I’ve wished my feelings away, days when I’ve been convinced emotions are not good. But that denies how God made me, as a thinking, feeling, relational person.
Graham Beynon’s book, Emotions: Living Life in Colour, is a great read. It helps us to discover what it means to be fully human, putting our feelings in their right place as we seek to live and grow to be more like Jesus, loving our Heavenly Father.... continue reading
Bibles are great to have and they're great to give away!
God's word is living and active - as the Spirit illuminates people's hearts, eyes are opened and hearts unchained - which makes it the most exciting and essential book ever written.
So, this week, whether you're looking for new Bibles for your church, your youth group or a stock of Scripture to give away in your forthcoming evangelistic drive, it's worth checking out some of our deals.
One ESV Economy Bible for just £1.59 (usually £1.99).
Ten NIV Sports Bibles for just £24.99 (usually £40).
Ten ESV Black Hardbacks for just £99.99 (usually £149.99).
Plus many more options at fantastic prices ...
They're always going to be useful! Why not order some new Bibles today?
Following my recent trend of looking at Christian Lifestyle and the issues we all face in our ebook and tree book blog deals, here's another with a more general feel to it.
How can ordinary Christians live the truly extraordinary life God calls us to? What a challenge!
This world throws so many challenges at us and a whole raft of things that are capable of deflecting us from focusing on our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Sympathetic to our struggles... clear and concise... rooted in the Bible... relevant to our everyday experience... The Gospel-Centred Life shows how every Christian can follow the way of the cross as they embrace the liberating grace of God in Christ.
Get the ebook HERE for just £1 until 12 noon (GMT) on Thursday 21st of January - use the code gcle0114 at the checkout
Sam Allberry is associate pastor of St Mary’s Maidenhead, in Berkshire, UK. Early last year, he went public with the fact that he experiences same-sex attraction. And then last June, he published Is God Anti-Gay?, which has had huge sales in both the UK and the US. I caught up with him to see how things are going in his life and ministry.
Sam, I wonder whether it’s easier or harder to fight this particular temptation personally, now that you’ve brought it into the public sphere?
In one sense, bringing it into the public sphere hasn’t changed the way in which I’ve been experiencing it. If anything it’s slightly helped, because I’ve had more opportunities to speak on the issue, and when I’m doing that I’m preaching to myself, reminding myself both what God’s word is on this issue, but also the goodness of that word. So it does me good to be thinking and teaching on it.
But actually the most thing has helped isn’t necessarily being public about it, but being open with friends about it. That’s the thing that has made the single biggest difference.... continue reading
