Showing results by narrator "David Cochran Heath" in All Categories

Recognizing Paul’s words to the Galatians as crucial to understanding the truth of God’s saving grace, Martin Luther set out to examine this great work verse by verse, especially for those led astray by the teachings of false gospels. All of Luther’s writings, including this commentary, directly combat the direction of the Catholic church at the time that strove to portray salvation as a thing to be earned and then mediated through religious leaders.

Are we hapless victims of life's whims? Are we driven along by some blind and impersonal force? A thousand times, "No!" says pastor and author Alistair Begg. Instead, Begg says we are the objects of God's providential care. We reside under his guiding and protecting hand. In this richly textured study of Joseph's life, listeners will discover God at work shaping Joseph's circumstances so that he can ultimately redeem and reconcile his family. And they'll see the hand of God in their own lives, lovingly guiding them through their disappointments and struggles to a place of peace.

Christianity is facing great opposition. No one is being thrown to the lions, but many followers of Christ face persecution because of their beliefs. At the very least, most know how it feels to end up on the wrong side of a politically correct conversation. More than ever before, we need believing and behaving disciples, men and women who are ready to stand up and stand together to change the world as early Christians did: one righteous choice at a time.

In We Will Not Be Silenced, Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer prepares you to live out your convictions against a growing tide of hostility. Gain a better understanding of nonbelievers' legitimate hurts and concerns regarding issues like racism, sexism, and poverty - and identify the toxic responses secular culture disguises as solutions. In the process, you'll see how you can show compassion and gentleness to those outside of the faith without affirming their beliefs.

Veteran pastor John MacArthur makes the case that Jesus' passion for his people is sanctification and encourages pastors to revolve their ministry around the increasing sanctification of their members through preaching and discipleship.

It started with a question: is Christ’s call in Matthew 28, to make disciples of all the world, for all Christians for all time? In 1792, William Carey had noticed that his contemporaries no longer sought to share the gospel with the same zeal as the new believers of the early church. In The Enquiry, he counters this apathy with a theological justification for missions, a history of missionary activity and a survey of the world. He then turns to persuasion, arguing against common objections to sending missionaries and convincing his readers that a missionary society should be formed.

Increasing numbers of conservative evangelicals are denying basic tenets of classical Christian teaching about God, with departures occurring even among those of the Calvinistic persuasion. James Dolezal's All That Is in God provides an exposition of the historic Christian position while engaging with these contemporary deviations. His convincing critique of the newer position he styles "theistic mutualism" is philosophically robust, systematically nuanced, and biblically based.

Although it is a foundational confession for all Christians, much of the theological significance of Jesus’s identity as “the Son of God” is often overlooked or misunderstood. Moreover, this Christological concept stands at the center of today’s Bible translation debates and increased ministry efforts to Muslims.

Matthew, a tax collector disliked by many people, was chosen by Jesus to be his apostle. He was one of the unlikeliest of men to be chosen but was nevertheless faithful in this important role. Matthew gives us an eyewitness account of the events in the life of Jesus. This apostle's main goal is to prove to the Jews that Jesus Christ is their long-awaited Messiah. Open your hearts and ears as the truth is revealed to you through the Gospel of Matthew.

The Old Testament: The King James Version has continued to this day to be one of the most beloved and widely sought after translations of the bible into the English language. Now over 400 years old, the King James Version has been shaping Christians for centuries with its majesty and solemnity.

This classic gem on prayer has been a faithful guide to Christians for the last 100 years. McIntyre addresses the role of prayer in the life of the Christian. What does it mean for the believer to be equipped for the Christian life in prayer? How are we to engage our Heavenly Father in prayer? Using the testimony of Spurgeon, Whitefield, Luther, and others, McIntyre encourages the Christian towards a life fully devoted in prayer.

The Catholic Church is on the threshold of a bold new era in its two-thousand-year history. As the curtain comes down on the church defined by the 16th century Counter-Reformation, the curtain is rising on the Evangelical Catholicism of the third millennium: a way of being Catholic that comes from over a century of Catholic reform; a mission-centered renewal honed by the Second Vatican Council and given compelling expression by Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

You know that nobody succeeds alone - you need a great team. But when you're the leader and you aren't sure how to nurture the best from your crew, where can you turn for help? In The Lasting Impact of Positive Leadership, best-selling author Stan Toler serves as your coach and reveals what it takes to build a successful team. As you examine the proven strategies of great leaders, you will learn how to effectively connect and communicate, and how to motivate people and inspire them to give their best every day.

America’s struggling economy needs a better philosophy than the college student’s lament,“I can’t be out of money, I still have checks in my checkbook!” We've tried a government spending spree, and we've learned it doesn't work. Now is the time to rededicate our country to the pursuit of free-market capitalism, before we’re buried under a mound of debt and unfunded entitlements. But how do we navigate between government spending that’s too big to sustain and financial institutions that are "too big to fail?"

A worship disorder: This is how Edward T. Welch views addictions. "Will we worship our own desires or will we worship the true God?" With this lens the author discovers far more in Scripture on addictions than passages on drunkenness.

If most pastors were pressed to describe an average day of ministry, they'd have trouble doing it. In a single day, a pastor may fill many different roles in quick succession, from counselor to theologian to student to CEO to custodian (well, let's hope there's usually someone else available to perform that last role). Some roles come more naturally than others, but every pastor wants to perform each role to the best of their ability.

Communication expert and popular speaker Quentin Schultze offers a practical, accessible, and inspiring guide to public speaking, showing readers how to serve their audiences with faith, skill, and virtue. This thoroughly rewritten and expanded edition has been tested and revised with input from Christian undergraduates and contains new chapters on timely topics, such as speaking for video, conducting group presentations, and engaging society civilly. A complete public speaking textbook for Christian universities, it includes helpful sidebars, tips, and appendixes.

The situation of American Jews today is deeply paradoxical. Jews have achieved unprecedented integration, influence, and esteem in virtually every facet of American life. But this extraordinarily diverse community now also faces four critical and often divisive challenges: rampant intermarriage, weak religious observance, diminished cohesion in the face of waning anti-Semitism, and deeply conflicting views about Israel.

Put James and Paul next to each other and some tough-to-answer questions come up. Paul says we're saved by faith alone, not works - and James seems to say the opposite. If you've been around the church for a while, you probably know enough to say "the right thing" if someone asked about these verses. But would your answers hold up to scrutiny? If pressed, would you know what to say? Dive into the life stories of both apostles, learn more about the context of their letters, and discover the truth about the shared message they both proclaimed.

In dark times, God can seem silent. We feel isolated, confused, and alone. Everyone experiences suffering - even the biblical writers express similar feelings in the Psalms. Through brief meditations on Psalms 88 and 89, Ligon Duncan points to hope in the midst of the pain of feeling abandoned by God. These examples of crying out to God show listeners how to respond to their own suffering, and assure them of our heavenly Father's mercy that sustains trust even in the darkest of circumstances.