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Feel the history of the time when Jesus was crucified through an exciting historical novel. Gathering of the Eternal Five is the long awaited sequel to The Scarab and the Cross (Energion Publications, 2016), and highlights pages in history worth knowing. As they defied the law, their contribution fortified the foundation of Christianity without lance, sword or shield. In a world dominated by men, their only weapon was the strength of faith and the power of devotion. Walk through the streets of Yerushalayim, the cradle of miracles to witness a destiny in progress. The crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.

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What is the Word of God? Is it the Bible? This pamphlet looks at the Word of God as used in scripture and Christian tradition to outline the various ways in which this term is used. It includes a discussion of how words spoken as God's words become scripture.

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¿Qué es la iglesia? ¿Cómo se ve? ¿Cómo debería ser? Para obtener respuestas a estas preguntas David Alan Black mira a la iglesia del primer siglo y nuestros documentos fundacionales en el Nuevo Testamento. ¿Cuáles eran las características de una asamblea cristiana en el primer siglo? En su estudio encuentra siete marcas que definieron a la iglesia: Predicación evangelística, bautismo cristiano, enseñanza apostólica, relaciones genuinas, reuniones centradas en Cristo, oración ferviente, y vida sacrificial. Según Black, cada una de estas marcas debería caracterizar nuestras iglesias del siglo XXI también. Y ese es el desafío. ¿Cómo podemos aplicar estos principios en nuestras propias vidas y congregaciones? Este breve libro no responderá a todas sus preguntas. Lo que hará es señalar hacia el camino correcto para encontrar las respuestas. Ultimadamente, Black cree que “cuanto más entendemos las Escrituras, más comprendemos la responsabilidad que tenemos de someter nuestras vidas y nuestros futuros a sus enseñanzas radicales.” Este es el reto. ¿Listo?

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Tired of eating only Christian casseroles, listening only to Christian music, and having only Christian companions? Then why not try something radical – like being a friend of sinners like Jesus was? Unlike Jesus makes a convincing and convicting case that we who love Jesus must also love the lost – and must stop cocooning ourselves within our churches. Christians need to get out more. But this doesn’t mean we become friends of the world (a decision some disciples make contrary to God’s Word and detrimental to their spiritual health). Some Christians have simply “lost sense of the lostness of the lost” (Francis Schaeffer). Our hearts are not only “perpetual idol factories” (John Calvin), but are experts in excuse-making for not spending significant time with sinners. Unlike Jesus dismantles the top five excuses believers make for not being like the Lord Jesus, “a friend of sinners.” Practical advice is given to church leaders for developing a friendship-evangelism mindset in our churches. We’ve even interviewed some of our unsaved friends on what keeps them from taking the gospel message seriously. This book is clear, practical, and challenging. It will help both educate and energize your church, empowering them to fulfill the gospel commission. Study questions make it suitable for small group and church-wide studies.

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When you hear the words «in the original text it says» or «in the original text this means,» it's time to be wary. Those words often provide the introduction to misleading information. But how can the hearer discern just what is correct and what is misleading? How can pastors avoid giving their congregations misleading information? "In the Original Text It Says" takes a look at word-study fallacies and how you can avoid them. Author Ben Baxter gives an introduction to word meaning and how word meaning differs between languages. He then examines a series of fallacies, errors that people make in assigning meaning to words in the original languages of the Bible. But he doesn't leave it with that theoretical examination. After providing the basis for how to understand Biblical words, he examines the discussion of specific words and phrases from passages in both the Old Testament and the New. He takes these examples from commentaries commonly used by pastors and teachers in sermon and lesson preparation. With each example, he shows how one might misunderstand the linguistic evidence provided, and also how one can properly apply this information. This book is designed for readers who have had some contact with Greek or Hebrew, but will also be useful to those who have more language skill, but may not have studied linguistics or looked carefully at how to apply their knowledge in teaching.

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“The Jefferson Bible” or “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth” as it was originally entitled is an extraction of biblical passages constructed by Thomas Jefferson sometime around 1819. In an 1803 letter Jefferson remarks that he first conceived of the idea of writing his interpretation of the “Christian System” sometime during 1788-89. He first accomplishes it in a more limited fashion in 1804 with “The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth” which he describes in an 1813 letter to John Adams as follows: “In extracting the pure principles which [Jesus] taught, we should have to strip off the artificial vestments in which they have been muffled by priests, who have travestied them into various forms, as instruments of riches and power to themselves… There will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.” The work is notable in the absence of any reference to the supernatural aspects of Jesus’ life including the divine birth and the resurrection. According to Jefferson “Jesus did not mean to impose himself on mankind as the son of God” and he believed that “the day [would] come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, [would] be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.” Presented here is the 1904 Government Printing Office edition presented to members of Congress with the original introduction by Cyrus Adler.

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American Christian Pastor A. W. Tozer hailed from the Midwest where as a teenager he overheard a street preacher say, “If you don't know how to be saved … just call on God, saying, ‘Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.’” It was in this moment that he converted to Christianity and began his own pursuit of a more pious life. Of Tozer’s “The Pursuit of God” Samuel M. Zwemer remarks in his introduction that it “is the result of long meditation and much prayer. It is not a collection of sermons. It does not deal with the pulpit and the pew but with the soul athirst for God. The chapters could be summarized in Moses’ prayer, ‘Show me thy glory,’ or Paul’s exclamation, ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!’ It is theology not of the head but of the heart. … Here is a book for every pastor, missionary, and devout Christian. It deals with the deep things of God and the riches of His grace. Above all, it has the keynote of sincerity and humility.” Arguably Tozer’s most popular work “The Pursuit of God” will be an insightful read for every Christian who ventures down its path in pursuit of God.

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We think of the modern woman as sexually liberated – if anything, we’re told we’re oversexed. Yet a striking number of women are dissatisfied with their sex lives. Over half of women report having a sexual complaint, whether that’s lack of desire or difficulty reaching orgasm. But this issue doesn’t get much press; the urge is to ignore or medicalize it (witness the quest for ‘pink Viagra’). If so many ordinary women suffer from sexual frustration, then perhaps the problem isn’t one that can be addressed by a pharmaceutical fix – or isn’t a problem. Maybe we need to get hot and bothered about a broader cultural cure: a reorienting of our current male-focused approach to sex and pleasure, and a rethinking of what’s ‘normal.’ Using a blend of reportage, interview and first-person reflection, journalist Sarah Barmak explores the cutting-edge science and grassroots cultural trends that are getting us closer to truth of women’s sexuality. Closer reveals how women are reshaping their sexuality today in wild, irrepressible ways: nude meetings, how-to apps, trans-friendly porn, therapeutic vulva massage, hour-long orgasms and public clit-rubbing demonstrations – and redefining female sexuality on its own terms.Sarah Barmak is a Toronto-based freelance journalist and author. Her writing has appeared in Maclean's, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Canadian Business, Marketing, and Reader's Digest.

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Evangeline describes the betrothal of a fictional Acadian girl named Evangeline Bellefontaine to her beloved, Gabriel Lajeunesse, and their separation as the British deport the Acadians from Acadie in the Great Upheaval. The poem then follows Evangeline across the landscapes of America as she spends years in a search for him, at some times being near to Gabriel without realizing he was near.

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Summer Theme: Community This summer, our lessons support the theme of «Community.» The writer of the student book lessons is Robert Gardner; the teacher book writer is Martha Myre. A New Thing Spiritual Practice – Study Scripture – Deuteronomy 8:1-10 | 1 Kings 18:20-39 | 2 Kings 22:8-20 | Hosea 1:2-11 If you look at the texts of this unit in the sequence they are laid out over the four lessons, it may not be immediately apparent why the unit theme is «A New Thing» While Lesson 1 presents God's charge to ancient Israel to keep the commandments, Lessons 2 and 3 focus on incidents brought about by the people failing to keep the commandments, and Lesson 3 adds the note of divine judgment. It's only when we get to Lesson 4 that the new creation theme emerges. But after the journey the first three lessons takes us through, the need for a fresh start is obvious, and the message of restoration that God announces through Hosea is most welcome. A New People Scripture – Jeremiah 23:1-8 | Daniel 1:8-17 | Daniel 3:19-30 |Nehemiah 9:9-17, 32-33 Spiritual Practice – Prayer While the Lord invites all to be people of God, the Old Testament is essentially the story of God's dealings with a specific group of people, the Israelites. The four lessons of this unit give us an opportunity to look at some key stories related to those dealings: God and the remnant, the community's connection to God, God's care for the people in a time of great stress, and how God's love for the people continued despite their unfaithfulness. All these stories have applications to us today, but we begin to learn about God's ways through biblical stories about God and the Israelites. A New Way of Life Scripture – Luke 19:1-10 | John 4:7-30, 39-42 | Luke 10:25-37 | Matthew 15:21-28 | Mark 5:1-20 Spiritual Practice – Hospitality The Bible passages in the five lessons of this unit are all intended to enlarge our understanding of the word neighbor. Four of the five are incidents that directly involve Jesus, and the fifth is a parable Jesus told expressly to show what it means to be a neighbor, the parable we call the parable of the good Samaritan. All these passages are important, for they elucidate Jesus' summary statement of one of the two most important commandments: «You must love your neighbor as you love yourself» (Matthew 22:39). This ongoing day-by-day Bible study series is a great companion to Adult Bible Studies but can also be used as a standalone study for anyone wanting daily time with God. It is presented in quarterly segments. Bible-based, Christ-focused, and United Methodist-approved, this resource helps individuals develop the discipline of studying the Bible every day and coordinates with the lesson themes of Adult Bible Studies. Each lesson includes a one-page Bible study for each day of the quarter, along with introductory reflection questions and commentary on the daily Scripture passage, life application, and a concluding prayer. Now, in response to feedback, we are introducing new features and benefits to the resources including: A comprehensive Bible study plan with more flexibility in terms of Scripture selection and topics. Observation of the church seasons, including Advent and Lent. Visit AdultBibleStudies.com and sign up for the FREE weekly newsletter to automatically receive the FREE Current Events Supplement and other information about these resources and more!

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