Theology Missions

Just like we do today, the writers and chief actors of the Old Testament felt a deep longing for the presence of God. It is symbolized in the temple ruins, and before it the temple itself, and before that the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle that housed it, and before that the Garden of Eden. In response to this longing, God shares his ultimate mission, in which his people play a part: the expansion of Eden, the temple of God's presence, to all peoples throughout the earth.

In My Badass Book of Saints, Johnson shares her experience as a first-generation Cuban-American, educator of at-risk college students, and caregiver for a husband with Lou Gehrig's disease. Through humorous, empowering, and touching portraits of 24 spiritual mentors who inspired her, Johnson describes how their bravery, integrity, selflessness, perseverance, and hope helped her and can help others have courage to reach for a closer connection to God.

Many young African Americans are disinterested in Christianity and others are leaving the church in search of what these false religious ideas appear to offer, a spirituality more indigenous to their history and ethnicity. Edited by Dr. Eric Mason and featuring a top-notch lineup of contributors, Urban Apologetics is the first book focused entirely on cults, religious groups, and ethnocentric ideologies prevalent in the black community.

The fullness and vigour of Christianity has been in decline in the life of the West, the application of gospel truths often limited to personal evangelism and our personal prayer life. But this is a radically narrow view of the Christian mission. In the biblical narrative we see a vision for the mission of God’s people that is nothing less than the faithful worship of God in every area of life and culture - in our laws, educational institutions, politics, and arts, to name just a few.

John Piper's bestselling book on missions (more than 300,000 copies sold) draws on key biblical texts to demonstrate that worship is the ultimate goal of the church and that proper worship fuels missionary outreach. Piper offers a biblical defense of God's supremacy in all things, providing listeners with a sound theological foundation for missions.

In Azusa Street Mission and Revival, Cecil M. Robeck Jr. brings to bear expertise from decades of focused study in church history to reveal the captivating story of the Apostolic Faith Mission in Los Angeles, which became known as the Azusa Street Mission. From humble beginnings with few resources, this small, uniquely diverse, and inclusive congregation led by William J. Seymour ignited a fire that quickly grew into a blaze and spread across the world, giving rise to the global Pentecostal movement.

Evangelism and missions are parts of the Christian life often accompanied by fears, insecurities, and cultural pressures. In this addition to the Union series, Daniel Hames and Michael Reeves argue that an individual's relationship with God influences their evangelism and missions more than anything else. Scripture clearly shows that a believer's responsibility is to make God known in the world, but this cannot be done without first knowing and enjoying God.

"We are to love God for himself, because of a twofold reason; nothing is more reasonable, nothing more profitable." On Loving God is first a touching description of God's love for us as an unmistakably demonstrated in the death of his son. Second, it is a call for us to joyfully respond to God like the child who runs to and embraces her father whose love is sure. As St. Bernard writes, "They love all the more, because they know themselves to be loved so exceedingly."

How should one proclaim of the gospel of Jesus Christ in a secular age? For many Christians, the traditional approach of apologetics has grown stale. In light of the current secular climate, as described by Charles Taylor and others, rhetorical strategies that previously served the church and apologists well are no longer effective. Justin Bailey seeks to address this dilemma by infusing apologetics with an appeal to the imagination, the aesthetic, and the affective.

In Resurrecting Justice, theologian Douglas Harink invites listeners to rediscover Romans as a treatise on justice. He traces Paul's thinking on this theme through a sequential reading of the book, finding in each passage facets of the gospel's primary claim - that God accomplishes justice in the death and resurrection of Jesus Messiah. By rendering forms of the Greek word dikaiosyne as "just" or "justice", Harink emphasizes the inseparability of personal, social, and political uprightness that was clear to Paul but is obscured in modern translations.

Reformation is the continual reforming of the mission of the church to enhance Gods command to reach out to others in a way that acknowledges the unique times and locations of daily life.

Ken Boa and Robert Bowman have provided a resource that tackles the most profound arguments from philosophy, science, sociology, psychology, and history...and presents 20 clear, concise, and compelling pieces of evidence that show that faith in God - and specifically Jesus Christ - is reasonable.

Across the church, there is a rift between theology and missions. Bad theology produces bad missions, and bad missions fuel bad theology. We wrongly think that we must choose between making a global impact and thinking deeply about the things of God. But the relationship between theology and missions is symbiotic—one cannot exist without the other. They walk hand in hand.

This thoughtful book provides cultural analysis, probes some of the most important turning-points of biblical theology, describes the experiences of those who are proving fruitful in contemporary evangelism, and exposes readers to those who are thinking hard both strategically and practically about reaching the postmodern world.

Trendy new missions strategies are a dime a dozen, promising missionaries monumental results in record time. These strategies report explosive movements of people turning to Christ, but their claims are often dubious and they do little to ensure the health of believers or churches that remain. How can churches and missionaries address the urgent need to reach unreached people without falling for quick fixes?

In Many Are Called, Dr. Scott Hahn, one of the most celebrated scholars and influential Catholic writers living today, enthusiastically encourages Catholics around the world to renew their focus on the sacred role of the Catholic priest. Using his unique ability to present deep spiritual and theological ideas in the language of everyday life, Dr. Hahn examines the biblical and historical roots of the priesthood to explain the centrality of the priest in the life of the church.

He or she could be the neighbor who is perfectly happy without God. Or the coworker who scoffs at Christianity. Or the supervisor who uses Jesus’ name only as profanity. Or the family member who can’t understand why religion is so important. Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary is an action plan to help you relate the message of Christ to the people you work around, live with, and call your friends.

Michael Reeves wants you to understand that the doctrine of the Trinity has everything to do with the practice of missions. When a Christian sees the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as divine persons who are so full of love that it radiates and overflows into creation — and into the lives of human beings — our perspective on missions is radically changed. No longer are missions an obligation or a drudgery. Instead, realizing the abundance of love that goes forth from God, we who have received and delighted in such love are motivated to go forth as well.

Beginning with the biblical basics, Jeff Lockyer walks listeners through the underlying theology and practical application of how Southridge Community Church has approached ministry for nearly a quarter century. While providing a fresh approach to ministry, the book stimulates how to think - not what to think. It's written by a local church practitioner for local church practitioners.

Author Bruce Wilkinson shows you what Jesus said about God's plan to reward you in eternity for what you do for Him today. What you'll discover will unlock the mystery of God's power, plan and will for your life. And you'll begin to live with the unshakable certainty that what you do today matters...forever!