Showing results by author "Joel R. Beeke" in All Categories

Church history is important because it shows us how God's faithful dealings with his people in the Bible continue in the ongoing life and work of Christ in our world. If you have ever wished for a short book highlighting church history's most important events that will enlighten your mind and pique your interest, this is the one you've been waiting for. Three prolific church historians collaborate their efforts in Church History 101 to present you with a quick listen of church history's high points.

If you are a true believer, Satan hates you because you bear the image of Christ and because you were snatched from his power. You deserted Satan, and he wants you back. He wants to sift you like wheat. While we should not overestimate Satan's power, to our peril we underestimate an enemy who is living, intelligent, resourceful, and cunning. Every Christian is in a battle that is fierce, spiritual, and necessary between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God has blessed Joel and Mary Beeke with a wonderful marriage. God has also given them the opportunity to counsel many people in troubled marriages as well as to provide premarital counseling to scores of engaged couples. In How Can We Build a Godly Marriage?, the Beekes share 10 principles they emphasize in their counseling. Perhaps you and your spouse are due for a checkup in your relationship. If so, carefully consider the important marks of a God-glorifying marriage found in this booklet. Strive to put these things into practice, and your marriage will be better for it!

Assurance of faith is the conviction that one belongs to Christ through faith and will enjoy everlasting salvation. It is more than believing the gospel - it is believing that these truths apply to you. Having assurance affects life in more ways than forgiveness of sin, alleviation of guilt, and salvation from the punishment of hell - it affects your whole being, firing up your affections for Christ, your unshakable trust in God, your burden for the unsaved and your joy in life and even death.

The Puritans, as a body, have done more to elevate the national character than any class of Englishmen that ever lived. Ardent lovers of civil liberty, and ready to die in its defense - mighty at the council board, and no less mighty in the battlefield - feared abroad throughout Europe, and invincible at home while united - great with their pens, and no less great with their swords - fearing God very much, and fearing men very little - they were a generation of men who have never received from their country the honor that they deserve.

The theological system known as Calvinism is often caricatured as harsh, dour, and illogical. But as Dr. Joel R. Beeke argues in this important new book, this image could not be further from the truth. Beeke, a pastor, educator, editor, and prolific author, shows instead that Calvinism is a theology that is firmly rooted in Scripture and works its way out into every area of the believer’s life. He aims to “cover the intellectual and spiritual emphases of Calvinism, the way it influences the church and everyday living, and its ethical and cultural implications.”

The Puritans believed that godly marriages were foundational for the future life of families, churches, and nations. Therefore, they wrote prolifically on the subject of marriage, seeking to bring biblical reformation to this subject in a comprehensive way.

Using the Puritan writings judiciously, Joel R. Beeke and Brian G. Hedges provide 12 fascinating chapters on how the Puritans help us in a variety of ways, such as shaping our lives by the Scriptures, convicting our consciences of the subtlety and sinfulness of sin, opening for us the beauty and loveliness of Christ, and much more.

What do George Whitefield, Elisabeth Elliot, and J. Gresham Machen have in common? They were all Evangelical Heroes. In Evangelical Heroes, Joel Beeke and Douglas Bond present thirty biographical sketches of faithful evangelical leaders from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.

In Living by God's Promises, Joel R. Beeke and James A. La Belle draw from stellar Puritan treatises on divine promises by Andrew Gray, Edward Leigh, and William Spurstowe, and offer them in contemporary language for today's readers. Moving beyond historical interest, this book explores a topic that is vital for Christian living. By God's grace, it will help you treasure the promises that God establishes in Christ and conveys in His covenant love to comfort you in sorrow and strengthen your faith.

The Reformation did not happen instantaneously; it was something God patiently arranged over a number of years. As you listen to this book, you will learn how the Lord used some people to plant the seeds of church reform long before October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther published his 95 theses. Luther's story is well-known; we trust you will find it interesting and instructive to hear about him and about 40 others (John Knox, Peter Martyr Vermigli, Zacharias Ursinus, Willem Teellinck, etc.) who contributed to the Reformation.

Perhaps in your past you’ve heard a fair bit about John Calvin (1509-1564) and his teaching on the sovereignty of God and predestination, but you’ve never quite understood his supporters or his detractors. You know that both Calvin’s theology and these doctrines are important, but you are not entirely sure how to get your mind and arms around them. In this little book, Joel Beeke shows us why Calvin’s teaching on God’s sovereignty and predestination is crucial indeed. This is an extended version of an address Dr. Beeke originally gave at the Skogheim Conference in 2009.

Is your prayer life characterized by such things as sincerity, urgency, and delight? Engagement in prayer is a vital part of our communion with God, making a profound impact on our growth in grace. In this book, you will find thoughtful meditations on prayer in the life of the believer, as well as ample encouragement to cultivate this spiritual discipline in your own life. If you want to be more devoted to prayer, or simply want to assess the health of your prayer life, listen to this book.

The Reformation did not happen instantaneously; it was something God patiently arranged over a number of years. As you listen to this book, you will learn how the Lord used some people to plant the seeds of church reform long before October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther published his 95 theses. Luther's story is well-known; we trust you will find it interesting and instructive to hear about him and many others (John Knox, Peter Martyr Vermigli, Zacharias Ursinus, Willem Teellinck, et al.) who contributed to the Reformation.

Spiritual growth is a necessary part of the Christian's life, but a failure to practice biblical meditation hinders such growth. Today, many believers misunderstand this core Christian discipline because they associate it with New Age spirituality and false religions. During the Puritan age, however, many ministers preached and wrote about meditation, and in this pamphlet, Joel R. Beeke guides us through their instruction on this subject. By God's grace, "perhaps we can recover the biblical practice of meditation for our time."

This book delivers a month's worth of meditations on God's character and attributes so that you will grow in both knowledge of and love for the Rock of your salvation by the Spirit's grace.

God's Word teaches us that Jesus Christ was ordained by God and anointed by the Spirit for His work as prophet, priest, and king of His children. Those who are in union with Him share His offices in a limited but important way. In this booklet, Joel Beeke explains how husbands and fathers should lead their families as prophets, priests, and kings. Filled with biblical wisdom and practical application, How Should Men Lead Their Families? is a helpful guide for men who desire to bear the image of the father of glory and of the heavenly husband.

This collection of booklets on cultivating Biblical godliness covers topics that are essential to life as a follower of Christ. Each book in this bundle aims to address a wide variety of people and situations, while discussing the fundamentals of Christianity.

It is not uncommon for professing Christians to question the genuineness of their faith. In seasons like this, they can wonder whether it is even possible to know for sure if they are in a state of saving grace. In this book, Anthony Burgess shows that Christians not only can come to an assurance of their salvation but should pursue it. Burgess provides helpful advice for avoiding a presumptuous spirit while developing a humble confidence in grace. Here is a book that will help you understand the marks of grace and avoid some common abuses associated with self-examination.

Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680) was a faithful pastor, Westminster divine, advisor to Oliver Cromwell, and president of Magdalen College, Oxford. In this book, Joel R. Beeke and Mark Jones acquaint the listener with Goodwin through an informative biographical introduction. The remainder of the book, 35 selections from across the works of Goodwin, displays Goodwin’s constant attention to Christ in his various theological engagements. You will learn much about the life and works of this influential Puritan, and perhaps, be strengthened with a habitual sight of Christ.