Spiritual Theory

Few other issues have separated the church more than the issue of tongues. Sam Storms focuses on this controversial subject with his signature insights to theology and the gifts of the spirit. What does the gift giver say about the gift He gave? Storms seeks to bring balance to this subject in The Language of Heaven as he wrestles with this sensitive issue experientially as well as theologically.

Are you for Christ or are you against him? You know you are either one or the other, for he says so. We learn in Matthew 12:30 in the words of Jesus himself: He that is not with me is against me. Everyone is either with Jesus wholeheartedly, confessedly, and openly, or else they are against Jesus. Which are you? For Christ or against him?

A través de sus páginas, se examina y se trata debidamente cada excusa, cada razón y cada obstáculo para no aceptar a Cristo. Si crees que eres demasiado malo, o si tal vez eres realmente malo y pecas abiertamente o a puerta cerrada, descubrirás que la vida en Cristo también es para ti.

How can you be sure that your profession of faith is more than just words? Seven Words You Never Want to Hear explores the mystery of salvation through the scriptures and personal stories. Author Denise Wilson invites you to take the challenge that the apostle Paul gave to the church at Corinth - examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. The gospel changes everything - beliefs, lifestyles, and priorities. Has it changed you? Don’t wait until death to find out if you got it right.

In the throes of a long illness and confronting the possibility of death, 17th-century theologian Richard Baxter found comfort in the reality of heaven that awaits believers of Christ. During his recovery, Baxter wrote about the afterlife in what would become his best-selling book. The Saints' Everlasting Rest meditates on what Scripture reveals about heaven, helping believers live an abundant, God-honoring life in anticipation of eternal rest. Baxter encourages listeners not to become distracted or discouraged by the temporal as he refocuses their minds on the eternal.

Forgive and forget. It should be easy to do—so why don’t we do it? The father who wasn’t always there for us. The mother who punished us. The spouse who betrayed us. The children who will leave us behind. Whoever and whatever the source of hurt, there is always a path to forgiveness. But too often, instead of forgiving, too many of us live with resentments and grudges that keep us stuck, robbing us of joy, peace, and purpose.

What a relief it would be to be set free from all that plagues us - the inner struggle with anger, or contempt, the habitual sins. Is such an experience possible? John Eldredge believes it is, and in The Utter Relief of Holiness, he shows listeners how they can be that free, through the healing work of Christ in their lives. It begins when we discover what the salvation of Jesus Christ means for our own restoration and find that holiness is an expression of the healing of our humanity.

Human beings are wired for connection. We long for deep relationships and real intimacy — both of which reflect our fundamental desire to be close to God. But all too often, whether because of our sin or our failures, we imagine that God prefers to keep his distance. In this book, Edward T. Welch shows us the purpose for which we were created: to be brought near to God as a kingdom of priests.

Since the Protestant Reformation and the beginning of the Enlightenment, the world, in the West at least, has become increasingly disenchanted. While this might be taken as evidence of a crisis of belief, Richard Beck argues it's actually a crisis of attention. God hasn't gone anywhere, but we've lost our capacity to see God. The rising tide of disenchantment has profoundly changed our religious imaginations and led to a loss of the holy expectation that we can be interrupted by the sacred and divine. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Despite our professions of belief, our baptisms, and our membership in the church, many of us secretly wonder, am I truly saved? But Greg Gilbert has a message for the anxious believer - be assured. Assured that your salvation experience was real. Assured that your sins - past, present, and future - are forgiven. Assured that everyone stumbles. Assured that Jesus is not your judge but your advocate. With deep compassion, Gilbert comforts listeners, encouraging them to release their guilt, shame, and anxiety to rejoice in and follow hard after the one who set them free.

In her powerful, prophetic teaching style, best-selling author Jennifer Eivaz helps listeners to continually sharpen their gift in order to minister healing, breakthroughs, and a supernatural display of God's glory.

Something is stirring inside of you, but it has been silenced, gravely undermined, and misunderstood. You must believe that God has not forgotten you. He has not sidelined you. You are not crazy. Prophet, arise! Come out of your cave and be encouraged to speak forth the word of the Lord. God is calling you to be his trumpet and to sound the alarm.

As a young father and a self-proclaimed “radically assimilated immigrant,” opinion editor Sohrab Ahmari realized that when it comes to shaping his young son’s moral fiber, today’s America is woefully lacking. For millennia, the world’s great ethical and religious traditions have taught that true happiness lies in pursuing virtue and accepting limits.

This classic text simply and beautifully illustrates the gospel of salvation and the free gift of grace from Jesus Christ. Considered a cornerstone of Christianity and Christian theology, All of Grace presents a clear and complete description of what it means to be saved. Charles Spurgeon describes and explains salvation in a way that is perfect for believers and nonbelievers alike, painting a picture of faith, repentance, unmerited grace, and perfect freedom in God’s word and in his love.

Grace is the church's great distinctive. It's the one thing the world cannot duplicate, and the one thing it craves above all else - for only grace can bring hope and transformation to a jaded world. In What's So Amazing About Grace?, award-winning author Philip Yancey explores grace at street level. If grace is God's love for the undeserving, he asks, then what does it look like in action? And if Christians are its sole dispensers, then how are we doing at lavishing grace on a world that knows far more of cruelty and unforgiveness than it does of mercy?

New release from Jerry Bridges, author of more than a dozen books, including The Pursuit of Holiness, which has sold more than one million copies. His devotional, Holiness Day By Day, garnered the 2009 ECPA Christian Book Award for the inspiration and gift category, and The Discipline of Grace received a similar award in 1995 for the Christian living category.

The greatest promise ever given to the human race came from the lips of our Redeemer when Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me...I go to prepare a place for you...I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-3). Just after his 95th birthday, Mr. Graham proclaimed with resolve, "When I die, tell others that I've gone to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - that's where I am."

If the church is going to use the Bible to decide whether divorce is legitimate in certain cases and whether divorced couples have the right to remarry with the approval and blessing of God’s people, then the Bible must be studied without prejudice toward a particular answer. The author examines the relevant passages in both the Old and New Testaments so that his listeners can consider the many issues and interpretations that arise in trying to establish a consistently biblical position.

If you’ve ever been intimidated by words like redemption, justification, and propitiation, then this book is for you. Seasoned Bible teacher, pastor, and scholar Bob Yandian explains the deep truths of Scripture in ways that anyone can understand. Using straightforward vocabulary and helpful examples, Yandian makes complex theological concepts clear and practical for every believer.

Christians have long differed with one another on both the meaning and the practice of water baptism. Using the classic Counterpoints forum of presentation-critique-response, this insightful book explores four prominent views of baptism held by different branches of Protestantism: Baptist, Christian Church/Church of Christ, Lutheran, and Reformed.