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?

You may have encountered books on this topic before, but not like this one. Instead of an instruction manual for church growth, this classic text points to basic biblical principles for assessing and strengthening the health of your church. Whether you’re a pastor, a leader, or an involved member of your congregation, studying the nine marks of a healthy church will help you cultivate new life and well-being within your own church for God’s glory.

In Typology—Understanding the Bible's Promise-Shaped Patterns, author James M. Hamilton Jr. shows that the similarities we find in the Bible are based on genuine historical correspondence and demonstrates how we recognize them in the repetition of words and phrases, the parallels between patterns of events, and key thematic equivalences. When understood in light of God's promises, these historical correspondences spotlight further repetitions that snowball on one another to build escalating significance.

The days of cultural Christianity are fading. It's time to rethink normal. Suffering and exclusion are normal in a believer's life. At least they should be. This was certainly Jesus' experience. And it's the experience of countless Christians around the world today. No matter your social location or set of experiences, the biblical letter of 1 Peter wants to redefine your expectations and reinvigorate your hope.

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.

What can we learn about leadership and influence from Paul? Most Christians know something of the Apostle Paul's life and ministry, but what about the incredible team of influencers he assembled and mobilized? Who were they, and how did Paul lead this team to accomplish God's purposes? Even more, what can we learn from their successes and failures, and how can we imitate their qualities?

There is much at stake in God making humanity male and female. Created for one another yet distinct from each other, a man and a woman are not interchangeable — they are designed to function according to a divine fittedness. But when this design is misunderstood, ignored, or abused, there are dire consequences.

How do Christians grow? Few question the call of the Bible to grow in godliness, but the answer to exactly how this happens is often elusive. In this audiobook, Dane Ortlund points believers to Christ, making the case that sanctification does not happen by doing more or becoming better, but by going deeper into the wondrous gospel truths that washed over them when they were first united to him.

From Genesis to Revelation, the providence of God directs the entire course of redemptive history. Providence is “God’s purposeful sovereignty”. Its extent reaches down to the flight of electrons, up to the movements of galaxies, and into the heart of man. Its nature is wise and just and good. And its goal is the Christ-exalting glorification of God through the gladness of a redeemed people in a new world.

How did the world arrive at its current, disorienting state of identity politics, and how should the church respond? Historian Carl R. Trueman discusses how influences ranging from traditional institutions to technology and pornography moved modern culture toward an era of "expressive individualism." Investigating philosophies from the Romantics, Nietzsche, Marx, Wilde, Freud, and the New Left, he outlines the history of Western thought to the distinctly sexual direction of present-day identity politics and explains the modern implications of these ideas.

Institutes of the Christian Religion is John Calvin's seminal work on Protestant systematic theology. Highly influential in the Western world and still widely read by theological students today, it was published in Latin in 1536 and in his native French in 1541. The book serves as an introductory textbook on the Protestant faith for those with some previous knowledge of theology and covers a broad range of theological topics from the doctrines of church and sacraments to justification by faith alone and Christian liberty.

In Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor with the Gospel, A. S. Ibrahim seeks to provide listeners with insight and practical tips to engage and share the gospel with Muslim friends and neighbors. Ibrahim divides the book into two sections: (1) a Christian understanding of the strands of Islam and the diversity of Muslims, and (2) practical ways for Christians to connect with Muslims and effectively communicate the gospel. This book also incorporates true stories about Muslims coming to Christ and answers common questions.

Many women and men trapped in sexual sin believe willpower is the key to overcoming temptation, but your shaky self-discipline doesn’t have to be the source of your strength. Sharing from his personal struggles, J. Garrett Kell explains that lifelong transformation rests in the supernatural power of the Savior and the support of a local church. He offers profound insights into Jesus’ teachings on purity and provides you with long-term strategies for your own pathway to freedom.

Walking with God through Pain and Suffering is the definitive Christian book on why bad things happen and how we should respond to them. The question of why there is pain and suffering in the world has confounded every generation; yet there has not been a major book from a Christian perspective exploring why they exist for many years.

The term evangelical is often poorly defined and frequently comes with cultural and political baggage. As the label has become more controversial, many Christians have begun to wonder if they should abandon it altogether. Michael Reeves argues from a global, scriptural, and historical perspective that, while it's not necessary to discard the label altogether, Christians must return to the root of the term—the evangel, or "gospel"—in order to understand what it truly means.

Why does God allow suffering? In today’s world of convenience and comfort, suffering can seem senseless. This idea has even crept into the church, where many believe that if we make the right choices and do the right things, pain can be avoided. So it’s little wonder that when we do encounter tough situations, we face even tougher questions: Why does God allow suffering? Where is God when I’m hurting?

The Apostle Paul wrote his most personal letter while abandoned in a Roman prison, where he suffered abuse. He wrote to believers who lived in the shadow of the Roman tyrant Nero. And yet this letter, Philippians, is the most joy-filled epistle in the Bible. Weaving together modern stories and historical details, Dr. David Jeremiah explores Philippians verse by verse, showing us what it means to be joyful in spite of circumstances.

The heart of this book is a thoughtful and inspiring look at Wesley's theology of grace and its power to transform. Included are two new chapters. 'Vision and Means' explores Wesley's mission and methods, and 'To Serve the Present Age' considers the impact and relevance of his message today. In addition, an updated reading list facilitates further study, and questions at the end of each chapter stimulate personal reflection and small group discussion.Ideal as a textbook or for personal study and reflection, this book will advance your knowledge and piety as you travel 'the way to heaven.

Based on classic Experiencing God principles, Hearing God's Voice is for those who are ready to listen. Beloved author Henry Blackaby and his son Richard help those who are listening to discern the voice of God, to identify ways He speaks, and to respond to revelations of His will.

In this vital, eye-opening book, best-selling author Ed Silvoso digs into Scripture, unearthing Jesus' true design for his church - his Ekklesia. He shows how the early church was a radical, countercultural force of people who transformed the hostile, pagan places in which they lived. Here Dr. Silvoso shows how we, in the midst of the social, economic, political, and moral chaos in our world today, can once again become the revolutionary, transformational, life-giving Ekklesia Jesus called us to be.

Written in the same warm, accessible style as Richard Foster's best-selling Celebration of Discipline, Freedom of Simplicity articulates a creative, more human style of living and points the way for Christians to make their lives "models of simplicity."

A battle rages within every one of us every day. It's the clash between our sense of stubborn self-sufficiency and God's call to recognize that we're really nothing without Him. It's pride versus humility. And it's a fight we can't win without looking repeatedly to Christ and the cross. C. J. Mahaney raises a battle cry to daily, diligently, and deliberately weaken our greatest enemy (pride) and cultivate our greatest friend (humility).

Just like Superman, followers of Christ have the supernatural ability to conquer the challenges we face. But the problem for both Superman and us is there's a kryptonite that steals our strength. Of course, both Superman and kryptonite are fictional. But spiritual kryptonite is not. This book offers answers to why so many people - and the churches they attend - are unable to experience the divine strength that was evident among the first-century Christians. In Killing Kryptonite, John Bevere reveals what this kryptonite is and how to break free from its bondage.

The last command Jesus gave the church before he ascended to heaven was the Great Commission, the call for Christians to "make disciples of all the nations.

"But Christians have responded by making "Christians", not "disciples". This, according to brilliant scholar and renowned Christian thinker Dallas Willard, has been the church's Great Omission.

A witch's coven in Argentina became a lighthouse of prayer in less than 60 minutes. A prodigal son returned to the Lord in California. An adopted son and the father who had cast him out years before were reunited in Christ. These are real stories of real lives and cities being transformed through the power of prayer evangelism.

Best-selling author Jerry Brides ( The Pursuit of Holiness, The Discipline of Grace, The Bookends of the Christian Life, and many other books) asks perhaps the most fundamental question of existence: "Who am I?" He then turns to scripture to unpack for the Christian eight clear, interlocking, illuminating answers.

Dann Spader is a disciple-maker who has spent his adult life exploring what it means to take someone from being a seeker to making disciples themselves. Over 750,000 people in 80 countries have been trained to make disciples through organizations he has led. Through studying the life of Christ and his disciple-making methods, Dann developed 4 Chair Discipling, a simple picture for others to follow. Jesus’ last words on earth had a few very specific instructions: Go, make disciples, baptize, and teach.

If it's good, it must be God. Right? These days the terms good and God seem synonymous. We believe that what's generally accepted as good must be in line with God's will. Generosity, humility, justice - good. Selfishness, arrogance, cruelty - evil. The distinction seems pretty straightforward. But is that all there is to it? This audiobook will do more than ask you to change your behavior. It will empower you to engage with God on a level that will change every aspect of your life.

Paul's undying passion for Christ continues to inspire and challenge those with a deep spiritual hunger for the things of God. Now acclaimed Bible teacher and author Beth Moore traces the life of the apostle Paul from his childhood to his martyrdom. Listeners will be greatly refreshed by the obvious mercy of God that cause those who have failed him to repent and serve Him wholeheartedly and effectively.

We are all spiritual seekers, intuitively knowing there is more to life than we suspect. This is a book for anyone who is hoping there is something more while we’re here on Earth. There is. We are being called to join the revolution, and Wright insightfully encourages readers to find new purpose and clarity by taking us on an eye-opening journey through key biblical passages that promise to radically alter the work of the church and the direction of our lives.