By Edward P. Mason. Imagine what would happen to our whole being if we sought to become excited about being a Christian, and about our faith. We are blessed with the inward presence of the Holy Spirit, that great Comforter, Helper, and Revealer of all spiritual truth. Isn’t that exciting? … Read more
The Fullness of Faith: A Study of Psalm 103
By Brian J. Fraser. The problem, quite frankly, is that we do not take the Scriptures seriously. The Scriptures as a whole, that is. … Read more
Magnifying the Lord
By Roy Bell. Worship in the New Testament was liturgical, charismatic, and spontaneous. In most mainline churches, worship is sterile, it is inhibited, it belongs to the 19th century, and it lacks joy. A first step in renewal would be to experience the work of the Holy Spirit … Read more
Write a Letter
By Esther Mcllveen. The new year is an ideal time to take pen and paper and let your mind flash back to early beginnings and refresh the person or persons whom God used in your life. … Read more
Who is the Weaker Brother, Anyway?
By Kevin Quast. Paul has something to say to all of us who operate with special criteria in our mind of what is right and what is wrong – especially if we are inclined to form opinions about others based on our own personal criteria. … Read more
Getting Things Straight for Christmas
By John G. Stackhouse, Jr. John the Baptist's message is simple: "Repent!" It means to alter one's course, change one's mind, redirect one's life from the heart on out, to straighten up. It means to prepare for drastic change, position oneself for reorientation, and then turn. … Read more
Biblical Foundations for Small Group Ministry: An Integrational Approach, by Gareth Icenogle
Reviewed by J.H. (Hans) Kouwenberg. In the Old and New Testament context for small groups, community is found in the very nature and character of God and in the way God works to bring people into a new humanity that is learning how to care for one another. … Read more
The One Essential
By Jonathan Shaw. No church's ultimate effectiveness will rise to stay above the level of its corporate prayer life — witness the phenomenal growth of the evangelical church in South Korea. Events such as prayer evenings and prayer retreats can focus corporate prayer. … Read more
The Culture of Disbelief, by Stephen L. Carter
Reviewed by David Jennings. Until Christians start speaking in the public square, they cannot criticize anyone for not listening. … Read more
The Human Sexuality Report
A promising, seventeen-page interim report on “Human Sexuality” which is now available for study asserts that a Christian sexual ethic will make wise use of tradition, reason and experience, but will subject these to the witness of Scripture. … Read more
Computers and Preaching
By Lincoln G. Bryant. The Lord may be able to use your church family in the training and nurturing of a student minister through the internship program. … Read more
How to be Freed from the Torment of Guilt and Resentment
By Wallace Whyte. The two major causes of most emotional problems among committed Christians are failure to understand and receive God’s unconditional grace and forgiveness, and failure to give unconditional grace and forgiveness to others. … Read more
Christmas
By Eugene Peterson. People worry about keeping Christ in Christmas, but not about keeping the tree in Christmas. In many homes, no carols are sung, no prayers offered, and no nativity story told, but few lack a Christmas tree. But I do remember a Christmas with no tree. … Read more
Parenting Adolescents, by Kevin Huggins
Reviewed by Jim Walton. Adolescence represents the parent’s second chance to influence the spiritual development of their teen because teens must cast off old strategies for relating to life and adopt new strategies of relating. … Read more
Christian Ethics
By Dennis Stoutenburg. Christians should become more concerned about not just presenting the message of Jesus to a lost world but of presenting him in a manner that is practically effective and socially persuasive. Should not every investigation of sacred Scripture ring ethically and morally true? … Read more
Designed for Holiness, by Peter E. Gillquist
Reviewed by Jack Charleson. As Christians we are ready to accept that we are made in the image of God and we are exhorted in Scripture to seek perfection in our lifestyle. … Read more
The Real Preacher
By James I. Packer. The business of preachers of the Word is to be mouthpieces for God’s message, seeing their ministry of the Word as prophecy: precisely speaking the Word of God with application, as a message to the hearers. … Read more