Work Theology

Rigorous, practical, and deeply reverent, Divine Providence speaks to the struggles of believers today as it tackles difficult questions with biblical truth. Does God govern the world-and how? Is he the author of sin? Why do good people suffer while bad people thrive? What does God's providence mean for how we should live our lives?

At the core of every follower of Jesus exists a priestly DNA, designed by God to be a prominent part of our self-identity. However, like a slow burning ember, our priestly nature risks remaining obscure and inconsequential unless fanned to life. This book was written to be that fan.

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.

Perhaps you feel as if the work you do carries less eternal impact than the work of a pastor or missionary. But that’s not how God sees it. Whatever it looks like day to day, your work is ministry and central to God’s plans to restore fallen creation. As the days of creation reveal, God is quite familiar with work himself. He created humans with unique giftings and interests, specifically so we can pursue his redemptive work in partnership with him. The Word Before Work features 260 passages—one for every workday of the year—to help you see how your work connects to God’s work in the world.

Church merger consultant Jim Tomberlin, with cowriter Warren Bird, makes the case that mergers today work best not with two struggling churches but with a vital, momentum-filled lead church partnering with a joining church. In this new audiobook, they provide a complete, practical, hands-on guide for church leaders of both struggling and vibrant churches so that they can understand the issues, develop strategies, and execute a variety of forms of merger for church expansion and renewal to reinvigorate declining churches and give them a "second life".

In Thom Rainer's latest book, he sets out to discover how churches that were once healthy but had stagnated in growth have broken out to become great churches impacting lives and entire communities.

In the sixth volume of the Swans Are Not Silent series, John Piper celebrates the importance of poetic effort by looking at three influential Christians whose words magnificently display a commitment to truth and a love of beauty. Examining the lives of George Herbert, George Whitefield, and C. S. Lewis, Piper helps us appreciate the importance of carefully crafted words by exploring how Christians can use them to testify to God's glory, wonder at his grace, and rejoice in his salvation.

How does worship work? How exactly does liturgical formation shape us? What are the dynamics of such transformation? In the second of James K. A. Smith's three-volume theology of culture, the author expands and deepens his analysis of cultural liturgies and Christian worship he developed in his well-received Desiring the Kingdom. He helps us understand and appreciate the bodily basis of habit formation and how liturgical formation—both "secular" and Christian—affects our fundamental orientation to the world.

Many Christians know they should be passionate about evangelism, but in reality they often find it daunting. In this concise version of God Shines Forth, Daniel Hames and Michael Reeves urge Christians to grow in their knowledge and enjoyment of God—as they know God more, they will be spurred on to authentic service through missions and evangelism. To illustrate how the nature of God influences evangelism and missions, Hames and Reeves address biblical themes such as the glory of God, Christ's sacrifice, the fallenness of man, and the church's future hope.

Churches and their leaders have innovation fever. Innovation seems exciting—a way to enliven tired institutions, embrace creativity, and be proactive—and is a superstar of the business world. But this focus on innovation may be caused by an obsession with contemporary relevance, creativity, and entrepreneurship that inflates the self, lacks theological depth, and promises burnout. In this follow-up to Churches and the Crisis of Decline, leading practical theologian Andrew Root delves into the problems of innovation.

Nothing shapes how we interpret and apply the Bible as much as our understanding of covenant. Richard Barcellos offers us a helpful blend of biblical exegesis and theological reflection on the implications of covenant theology for God’s relationship with Adam and for the Lord’s day. Though this book’s discussion is framed by debates among Baptist brethren, the issues are of great consequence to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.

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.

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.

Many people today talk about justice, but are they living justly? They want to change the world, but are they being changed themselves? Eugene Cho has a confession: "I like to talk about changing the world but I don't really like to do what it takes." If this is true of the man who founded the One Day's Wages global antipoverty movement, then what must it take to act on one's ideals? Cho does not doubt the sincerity of those who want to change the world.

R.A. Torrey's book The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit holds back no punches when it comes to the glorious and powerful Holy Ghost, the third person of the Trinity. Mr. Torrey discusses the personality of the Holy Spirit, the deity of the Holy Spirit, the controversial baptism of the Holy Spirit and much more. Be encouraged and blessed by this amazing audiobook. Truly it is a gift to the body of Christ as a whole. To God be the glory!

Most Christians recognize the importance of Christ’s death and resurrection. But how many of us understand the theological significance of Jesus’ actions before and after the Crucifixion? In The Work of Christ, Dr. R. C. Sproul looks at every aspect of Jesus’ life and work, addressing such life-changing topics as: Why Jesus’ baptism is relevant for our salvation.

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?

Evangelical Christians often sing and preach about the blessed blood of Christ and the wonderful things it accomplishes for believers. To the uninformed ear, such language can convey the idea that Jesus’ blood had semi-magical qualities. Actually, Jesus’ blood was normal human blood, but the Bible refers to it in metaphorical terms to portray the many benefits that come to Christians because of Jesus’ death.

This illuminating and insightful audiobook analyzes problems with the culture's underlying worldviews and suggests how Christians can offer solutions to current problems as a way to rebuild culture and faith.

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.