The Jesus Challenge

Our culture seems to be busier and more technologically connected than in any time in history, and this requires more intentionality to stay in relationship with God and cultivate deeper relationships with others. We must find ways to mitigate distracted living, because it is diminishing our ability as Christ followers to live out Jesus’ greatest commandments: to love God and love others. This is a journey that never ends, and it is a journey that requires focus. The antidote to distraction is focused love. The Jesus Challenge: 21 Days of Loving God and Neighbor is a 3-week journey to help you become more attentive to your relationship with God. This book invites you to move from forgetfulness to remembering, from distraction to intentionality, and from self-sufficiency to God-reliance, so that you can live lives that center on loving God and loving others as ourselves. The book contains leader helps that can be combined with a DVD featuring Justin LaRosa in 8-10 minute video segments designed for small group discussion.

With an all-new introduction by the author, N. T. Wright's classic work helps us grow in our understanding of the historical Jesus within first-century Palestine while challenging us to follow Jesus more faithfully into the postmodern world of the twenty-first century.

When Jesus walked this earth, he spent time with the messes. A lonely thief. An unwelcome dinner guest. A death-row criminal facing his final hours on earth. What do all of these people have in common? They all faced the messiness of life. Some made the mess themselves. Some were thrown headfirst into a mess through no fault of their own. Then something changed. It wasn't that they suddenly became unmessy. But they each came face to face with Jesus, and he invited them to be part of God's story. He didn't leave them out. This 40-day devotional looks at eight encounters Jesus had with messy, broken people. In short, daily readings, you'll explore each story and see how Jesus met each person in their mess. The eight stories we'll be walking through together are: Jesus Meets The Lonely Thief Jesus Meets The Know-It-All Jesus Meets The Unwelcome Dinner Guest Jesus Meets The Woman Who Was Exploited Jesus Meets The Sick Woman & The Dead Girl Jesus Meets The Blind Man With Perfect Vision Jesus Sees The Invisible Widow Jesus Meets The Honest Criminal Whether you've been following Jesus your whole life or have never cracked open a Bible, Nobody Left Out: Jesus Meets the Messes will remind you that God's love is big enough for everyone.... He doesn't want anyone left out!

Some people believe that religion is the root of all evil. The Jesus Project challenges this claim as we reflect on the teachings of Jesus in chronological order. The book aims to show that Jesus is a different kind of King and that He rules the world through personal sacrifice and humility. Jesus is not the instigator of any war, except the spiritual war against misuse of powerno matter if that is done in the name of the church or society. The weapon of Jesus is His words. He creates new life as He paints a picture of how it is to live in the Kingdom of God. The real God is a peacemaker. He is the one who brings people together and turns enemies into friends. This book is meant to be studied and discussed. The reflections are written to challenge what you believe about God, the way you live, and to help you put your faith into action.

Being Challenge is a 40-day study designed to help you grow in your relationship with God. Many people want to be greater followers of Jesus, and they want some handles on the process. It doesn't start with rules-it starts with a relationship. The best way to grow in our relationship with God is to learn from Jesus, the one who had a perfect relationship with Him. Jesus' love and life demonstrate habits that point us to God and transform our lives. Are you ready?

How a Simple Act of Obedience Is Igniting Revival in Our Nation's Schools What happens when a teenage convert from atheism hears a challenge from the Lord--and decides to act on it? This true story is the catalyst for a move of God that is taking the high schools of America for Jesus. Brian Barcelona, a dynamic leader on the forefront of youth evangelism, recounts how he answered God's call on his life with dramatic and miraculous results. Just a few months out of high school, Brian obeyed God's directive to return to his alma mater and preach the gospel to the kids in the Bible club. Suddenly lives began to be changed. Hearts were saved. Numbers grew. Soon other schools joined in, sparking a youth revival in which thousands of teens are letting Jesus heal their lives. This remarkable story will inspire you to reach out to others, particularly young people, and believe that God will equip you for the call he gives you. Let your heart be energized through simple acts of obedience and watch as God does mighty things!

10 Interactive Bible Studies for small groups and individuals

Arguing that the way Jesus leads and the way we follow are symbiotic, Peterson begins with a study of how the ways of those who came before Christ revealed and prepared the way of the Lord that became complete in Jesus. He then challenges the ways of the contemporary American church, showing in stark relief how what we have chosen to focus on--consumerism, celebrity, charisma, and so forth--obliterates what is unique in the Jesus way.

A new presentation of the argument that no historical Jesus existed. A full and comprehensive survey of the question through an examination of the early Christian record, canonical and non-canonical, from Q to the Gospels, from the earliest Pauline epistles to the second century apologists, along with Jewish, Gnostic, and Greco-Roman documents of the time. The philosophy of the era, its religious expression in the pagan mystery cults, fascinating glimpses into the historical background of the period, an in-depth consideration of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, are only some of the additional topics covered in the book. A richly-detailed, highly lucid and entertaining account of how Christianity began without an historical Jesus of Nazareth, who came to life only on the pages of the Gospels. While based on the author's work for 'The Jesus Puzzle' website, the book is almost entirely an original writing, not a compilation of website articles. Like the website itself, the book has been styled for the general reader, though the scholarly community will find it of value as well.