Recommended Reading

There is so much out there on the topics of faith, the Gospel and Bible Prophecy that I wanted to share with you some of the books that I would recommend, or in some cases highly recommend as must read. I will also include some books that I am currently reading and may start giving my review of them here.

Must Reads (Highly Recommended):

Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray – ISBN-10: 1619491044

Absolute Surrender is more than the book s title: It s the way of life Pastor Andrew Murray recommends for all Christians who are seeking victorious Christian living. Murray asserts that through surrendering our complete selves to God, we make a living sacrifice to Him and open the doors an abundance of blessings. Absolute Surrender teaches Christians the importance and power of complete trust, humility, the Holy Spirit, and more.

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer – ISBN-10: 1557427534

A.W. Tozer’s classic Christian work covers: 1. Following Hard After God 2. The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing 3. Removing the Veil 4. Apprehending God 5. The Universal Presence 6. The Speaking Voice 7. The Gaze of the Soul 8. Restoring the Creator-Creature Relation 9. Meekness and Rest 10. The Sacrament of Living

The Forgotten God: Reversing the tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan – ISBN-10: 1434767957

In the name of the Father, the Son, and … the Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of all three, but how often do we live with an awareness of only the first two? As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit—the Helper—so that we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Unfortunately, today’s church has admired the gift but neglected to open it.

Breakthrough author Francis Chan rips away paper and bows to get at the true source of the church’s power—the Holy Spirit. Chan contends that we’ve ignored the Spirit for far too long, and we are reaping the disastrous results. Thorough scriptural support and compelling narrative form Chan’s invitation to stop and remember the One we’ve forgotten, the Spirit of the living God.

Alone with God by Jason Janz – ISBN-10: 1591666252

“God intended us to use the Bible to get to know Him more. We are not simply seeking facts about God; we are seeking to know Him personally.”

If you’ve–broken your resolution to spend time with the Lord every day, felt guilty because your time with God is getting shorter and shorter, wished you could recall in the middle of your day what you read in your Bible that morning–this book is for you!

Whether it is with the daily or the devotions in “daily devotions,” many Christians experience repeated failure and guilt. Jason Janz has been there. In Alone with God, he shares the simple plan that has helped him and others see personal Bible study and private worship become what they are meant to be–the basis for a vibrant, personal relationship with their heavenly Father.

done: What most religions don’t tell you about the Bible by Cary Schmidt – ISBN-10: 1598940066

This book sets out the gospel message and explains it easily, the “gospel”, or “good news”, being that Jesus has died and risen to pay the price for humanity’s sins and to defeat death. The author explains this message using clear speech and ample analogies and examples, stories that connect to people’s lives or imaginations. This style is, really, similar to Jesus himself explaining his message by telling stories (parables) that connected to the people’s daily lives. For those who are seeking and have questions about Christianity, for those who are new Christians, and for Christians who have become weighed down by being taught or otherwise coming to believe that they must be good and add good works to their faith or else God will no longer be pleased with or love them, this book could be very helpful as a starting point. For other Christians, it can be an encouragement, a reminder, or a source to use with their friends who might have questions. – Review by Sara Juveland

7 Things You Have to Know to Understand End Times Prophecy – ISBN: 9781619043985

There are seven pieces of information that are essential to understanding End Times Prophecy. Once you’ve learned them, these seven things will help you avoid the mistakes that have thrown others off of the track. Call it perspective or overview or whatever you want, this combination of facts will give you the ability to put all the prophetic verses in the Bible into their proper context.

Ten Indictments against the Modern Church by Paul Washer – Kindle Only

“Ten Indictments Against the Modern Church” is a sermon preached at the Revival Conference in Atlanta in 2008. “Paul Washer delivered an urgent appeal to the Christians and churches in North America: that many have been believing a false gospel and have false assurance of their salvation! He listed ten indictments against the modern church system in America. This is a historical urgent message. Tell others and spread the message! We need a reformation and revival of a Biblical standard!”—Greg Gordon (Revival Conference Organizer)

God’s Pursuit of Man by A.W. Tozer – ISBN-13: 978-1600661846

Tozer’s profound “prequel” to The Pursuit of God. Although written two years after the publication of The Pursuit of God, Tozer’s God’s Pursuit of Man speaks fervently of God’s desire for man to be saved and the action He takes as He “invades” the human soul.

Ancient Church Fathers: What the Disciples of the Apostles taught – by Ken Johnson – ISBN-10: 1452868565

The Ancient Church Fathers reveals the disciples of the twelve apostles, and what they taught, from their own writings. It documents that the same doctrine was faithfully transmitted to their descendants in the first few centuries. It also describes where, when, and by whom, the doctrines began to change. The ancient church fathers make it very easy to know for sure what the complete teachings of Jesus and the twelve apostles were. You will learn, from their own writings, what the first century disciples taught about the various doctrines that divide our church today. You will learn what was discussed at the Seven General Councils and why. You will learn about the cults and cult leaders who began to change doctrine and spread their heresy. And you will learn how those heresies became the standard teaching in the medieval church.

Ancient Prophecies Revealed by Ken Johnson – ISBN-10: 143825346X

This book shows over 500 biblical prophecies in the order of when they were fulfilled. These include pre-flood times though the first Coming of Jesus and into the Middle Ages. The heart of this book is the 53 prophecies fulfilled between 1948 and 2008. The last 11 prophecies between 2008 and the Tribulation are also given. All these are documented and interpreted from the Ancient Church Fathers. The Ancient Church Fathers, including disciples of the 12 apostles, were firmly premillennial, pretribulational, and very Pro-Israel

The Rapture – by Ken Johnson – ISBN-10: 144862763X

This book presents the doctrine of the pretribulational Rapture of the church. Many prophecies are explored with Biblical passages and terms explained from the Scripture itself. Evidence is presented that proves the first century church believed the end times would begin with the return of Israel to her ancient homeland. More than fifty prophecies have been fulfilled since Israel became a state; several more are yet to be fulfilled. Evidence is also given that at least four ancient church fathers taught a pretribulational Rapture. This book also gives many of the answers to the arguments midtribulationists and posttribulationists use against the pretribulational position. It is our hope this book will be an indispensable guide for debating the doctrine of the Rapture.

Keys to the Deeper Life by A.W. Tozer – ISBN-10: 031033361X

Keys to the Deeper Life contains six of his best-known essays and editorials. In them he rigorously examines many of the failings and foibles of his day. Although most were written more than three decades ago, the insights they offer are as fresh and thought-provoking as the day they were published.

Surrender: The Heart God Controls by Nancy Leigh DeMoss – ISBN-10: 0802412807

If you’ve been fighting a losing spiritual battle, it’s time to give up. Bow the knee. Wave the white flag. And turn yourself over to the King of kings. The truth is, your salvation, your initial ‘surrender’ to Christ, was just the starting point. You will never know real joy, real peace, real success until you learn what it means to live a fully surrendered life, to continually say ‘no’ to self and ‘yes’ to God. Choosing the pathway to full surrender will transform your perspective, set fire to your soul, revolutionize your life, and give the spiritual victory you have sought for so long.

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel – ISBN-10: 0310209307

Retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, Lee Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools like Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis who are recognized authorities in their own fields. Strobel challenges them with questions like: How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event?

The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W.Tozer – ISBN-10: 0060684127

“Love and faith are at home in the mystery of the Godhead. Let reason kneel in reverence outside.”

A true classic of faith and devotion, The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer attempts to restore the majesty and wonder of God in the hearts and minds of all Christians. Informative and inspiring, this remarkable and important work shows us how we can rejuvenate our prayer life, meditate more reverently, in order to more deeply understand God and experience His presence in our daily lives. The Knowledge of the Holy is a superb aid to strengthening and deepening the spiritual life by returning the towering Christian concept of God to the center of the religious mind.

The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn – ISBN-10: 161638610X

Before its destruction as a nation, ancient Israel received nine harbingers, prophetic omens of warning. The same nine harbingers are now manifesting in America with immediate ramifications for end-time prophecy.

Hidden in an ancient biblical prophecy from Isaiah, the mysteries revealed in The Harbinger are so precise that they foretold recent American events down to the exact days. The revelations are so specific that even the most hardened skeptics will find it hard to dismiss or put down. It sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller with one exception… IT S REAL.

From Which Well Are you Drinking: Exposing the Dangers in the Emerging Church Movement by J. David Winscott

What is so alarming about the emerging church movement? Why is this movement dangerous? These questions are addressed. This book looks at the main contributors to the emerging church movement; specifically to identify and briefly comment on the academic and philosophical wells that these pastors have been drinking from in order to construct their “emerging” belief system, paradigm and rules.

The landscape of unbiblical, extra-biblical, and anti-biblical thought and practice in the church of the 21st century has its roots in virtually hundreds of years wherein divinity students, future pastors, and seminary professors drank deeply at polluted wells of academic knowledge. When church pastors and leaders look to secular, humanistic, relativistic philosophy and corrupted theology for their belief systems, paradigms and rules of reality, then distortions and erroneous teachings will always follow. Ultimately the seeds of a “different gospel” are sown and cultivated. With the emerging church movement the 21st century church has significantly strayed.

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