Lets Study James

Throughout the centuries, the Letter of James has proved to be an excellent refresher course in what it means to live the Christian life. It is only a few pages long. It can be read out loud in twenty minutes. It is very direct and extremely practical. Several themes run through the Letter of James and make clear what his burden is. He writes about suffering and joy, riches and poverty, faith and works, the tongue and speech, and about wisdom and folly. In a word, he writes about the heart and life of the Christian believer. James's bƒte noire is false and hollow piety; pious platitudes are anathema to him. Faith that does not issue in good works, a holy life, concern for the needy, and a disciplined use of the tongue, is for James no faith at all. As with other volumes in the Let's Study series, the value of Let's Study James is enhanced by the Group Study Guide which follows.

If Romans is, humanly speaking, the most impressive of Paul's letters, then Ephesians is probably the most elegant. In its opening doxology blessings cascade down upon the reader. In its closing verses the smell of the battlefield lies heavily in the air and through the smoke of war we see Christians, fully clad in the armour of spiritual warfare, still standing. From beginning to end Ephesians sets before us the wonder of God's grace, the privilege of belonging to the church, and the pattern of life-transformation the gospel produces. In Let's Study Ephesians Sinclair Ferguson skillfully leads us through this wonderful letter, explaining its teaching with masterful simplicity and showing its importance and relevance to the church today.

'When John Mark wrote out his "good news" about Jesus two thousand years ago, his Gospel was a completely new kind of book. No one had ever written one before. In fact no one would have known what a Gospel was...What made the Gospel of Mark unique was this: it was not written merely as the memoir of Jesus as a great man, not even as the greatest man who had ever lived. Rather it was meant to persuade its readers that Jesus was the Son of God...Who is Jesus of Nazareth? What is the good news (gospel) about him?...This book presents us with Mark's answer.'

Paul's letter to the churches of Galatia seems to burst on the reader like a sudden storm. The issues it raises still generate controversy, even after two thousand years of church history. In large measure this is because what was at stake when Paul wrote was the gospel itself. The question of whether human works were to play any part in the justification of sinners had to be answered clearly if the fledgling Christian movement was to prosper. And Paul was determined to answer it with total clarity. This explains the vigour and energy of his language, and the impact the letter has had down the centuries. Derek Thomas explains the issues dealt with in the letter and refutes the contentions of the so-called 'new perspective' on Paul. His book is an important addition to this expanding series of study guides.

because it is written in a style that appeals to the imagination, deals with people's lives, is easy to read, and wholly enjoyable. Through his narratives Luke portrays Jesus vividly and makes him accessible for anyone who seriously reads his Gospel.

Peter's great themes of grace and salvation in Christ, godly living, and comfort in suffering, echo down the ages to the present day. William Harrell's fresh and lively treatment of 1 Peter shows that these themes are as relevant to the church today as they were in the first century. We, too, need to hear of the greatness of the salvation accomplished by Christ and to heed the call to consecrated and orderly living, to endurance in suffering, and to vigilant service. As with the earlier volumes in this series, the value of the exposition is enhanced by the Group Study Guide which follows. 'The whole unfolding Let's Study series is a must for every Christian home that is serious about getting to know the Word.' Covenanter Witness William W. Harrell is a minister in the Prebyterian Church in America. He has served as the pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Norfolk, Virginia, from 1981 to the present.

Let's Study Philippians is the first in a series of commentaries written to encourage ordinary Christians to read and apply God's Word. Designed to be used by individuals or by groups, it contains an exposition of the text as well as a study guide.

A practical guide to a key New Testament book, in which the Apostle Paul teaches how the gospel must shape the believer's life-style and relationships both in the church and the community. A welcome help to those facing unrelenting pressure from a godless environment and sin's continuing deceitfulness. Corinth was a confident, modern and self-assured city, proud of its image and thoroughly pagan. It was a miracle of God's grace that the seed of the gospel had taken strong root in such potentially hostile soil. But the young and tender plant was in grave danger of being choked by the suffocating pressures of a godless environment, and the deceitfulness of sin still at work in the hearts of believers. In the Apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he teaches his readers how the gospel, in which they have believed, must now shape their life-style, within the church and the community. What does it mean to be 'spiritual' in a truly Christian sense? Where do God's power and wisdom lie and how are they to be experienced? What is the relationship of knowledge to behaviour, of truth to love, and of love to life?

Inheritance is a black sensorium, a chapel of color and sound that speaks to spaciousness, surveillance, identity, desire, and transcendence. Influenced by everyday moments of Washington, DC living, the poems live outside of the outside and beyond the language of categorical difference, inviting anyone listening to listen a bit closer. Inheritance is about the self’s struggle with definition and assumption.

No matter where you are on your faith journey, you are invited to kick it up a notch with Serving the Lord, an evangelical Bible study guide on the book of James. There is no better way to grow in spiritual maturity than faithfully serving God and His people, and no better example of a devoted servant than James, the brother of Jesus. James makes it clear that serving the Lord means putting faith into action in tangible ways that produce healthy fruit. Faith that consists merely of good intentions or intellectual assent is incomplete or dead. Authentic faith always produces evidence of holy living and good deeds by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, such as: • Mercy ministry to the poor • Protecting the defenseless • Rejecting worldliness • Praying for the sick ... and much, much more. Christians are to let all kinds of trials become tests that strengthen their faith and yield righteous worksnot to earn salvation but to give evidence of it. The result is spiritual perseverance that leads to eternal glory. It may not make sense to the rest of the world, but believers count troubles as pure joy because in Christ their troubles ultimately have a redemptive purpose. Today is the day to see for yourself what a practical difference Serving the Lord can make in your walk with God.