Recommended Books from Training Day
At our recent Training Day, we had 5 different tracks covering various topics in the life of a Christian. If you would like to read up more about these topics, here are some recommendations! Some books are also available at our book table, whilst stocks last.
Discipling Youths
“Parenting isn't getting any easier, especially with the introduction of insta-porn on electronic devices, the ease of access to drugs, and the ever-increasing blurring of sexuality. This useful resource is for the weary and overwhelmed parents struggling with their children's choices, and the culture that wars against their souls.”
(From New Growth Press)
“Raising children can feel overwhelming as you try to navigate the many voices telling you what to do and not to do, but God has already given you everything you need to be faithful parents! Even though you may be exhausted and discouraged, take heart from the simple, biblical principles shared by Juan and Jeanine Sanchez that will point you to Jesus as your guide and helper as you seek to shepherd your children through every age and stage of growth.”
(From New Growth Press)
“Pastor Jason Helopoulos calls parents and church leaders to reclaim the practice of family worship. This indispensable means of grace directs our children to seek Christ daily, preparing them to go out into the world as fully functioning Christian adults, who love Christ and see all of life in relation to Him.”
(From Christian Focus)
When Saints Suffer
“The gospel is for those who have nothing, for those who are weary and bowed down. Jesus is near to you, and he asks you to bring him nothing but your failures, sins, and emptiness of soul. In 31 wise, deeply empathetic devotional readings, biblical counselor Ed Welch helps you to understand the darkness you are experiencing, to take the next small step that is possible for you today, to converse with Jesus honestly amid your pain—and ultimately to hear Christ’s words of compassion.”
(From the CCEF Website)
“Are you feeling despondent, depressed, or discouraged? When we encounter severe trials and suffering, we are often tempted to think that our situation is somehow out of God’s hands. In these dark times, God seems silent, and we feel isolated, confused, and alone. Everyone experiences suffering; even the biblical writers expressed anguish at times. This emotion is clearly captured in the Psalms. Through these brief meditations on Psalms 88 and 89, Ligon Duncan shows us how to respond to our own suffering with the assurance of our heavenly Father’s mercy, which sustains us even in the darkest circumstances.”
(From Crossway)
“A changed heart is the bright promise of the gospel, but many of us wonder if we'll ever see lasting change take root in our lives. When the Bible talks about the gift of a new heart, it doesn't mean a heart that is immediately perfected, but a heart that is capable of being changed. Jesus's work on the cross targets our hearts, our core desires and motivations, and when our hearts change, our behavior changes.
How People Change targets the root of a person: the heart. When our core desires and motivations change, only then will behavior follow. Using a biblical model of Heat, Thorns, Cross, and Fruit, Paul David Tripp and Timothy S. Lane reveal how lasting change is possible.”
(From New Growth Press)
“We might be relieved if God placed our sanctification only in the hands of trained professionals, but that is not his plan. Instead, through the ministry of every part of the body, the whole church will mature in Christ.
Paul David Tripp helps us discover where change is needed in our own lives and the lives of others. Following the example of Jesus, Tripp reveals how to get to know people, and how to lovingly speak truth to them.
Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands is a comprehensive treatment of how God uses people as tools of change in other people’s lives, people who themselves are in need of change.”
(From Paul Tripp’s website)
“There are never quick fixes or easy answers when it comes to suffering. But even when we can’t immediately see God’s hand—when the struggle is hard and painful—he is working. Weaving together Scripture, personal stories, and the words of the classic hymn “How Firm a Foundation,” David Powlison brings an experienced counselor’s touch to exploring how God enters into our sufferings, helping us see God working in our own particular struggles—and discover how God’s grace goes deeper than we could ever imagine.”
(From Crossway)
How to Read the Bible (Apocalyptic Literature)
“Scripture warns believers of hypocrisy—called the “leaven of the Pharisees”—and its potential to spread quickly in the church. Outwardly appearing as devout religion, this legalism hides destructive pride, idolatry, and even apostasy. Unfortunately, pharisaism is still a problem among evangelicals today. How does Jesus instruct the church to recognize and defeat one of its deepest theological issues?”
(From Crossway)
“What would it look like to genuinely love God with our head AND our heart? To have a faith marked by right thinking AND right feeling? To know God deeply AND worship him passionately?
Too often, Christians act as though these things are at odds with one another. But what if God intends for us to possess a Christianity that is radically committed to biblical truth, in a way that did not diminish the life of the heart, but actually intensified it?”
(From The Good Book Company)
“The gospel is a theological message. But this message also creates human beauty—beautiful relationships in our churches, making the glory of Christ visible in the world today.
In this timely book, Pastor Ray Ortlund makes the case that gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. In too many of our churches, it is the beauty of a gospel culture that is the missing piece of the puzzle. But when the gospel is allowed to exert its full power, a church becomes radiant with the glory of Christ.”
(From Crossway)
“Over 12 chapters, Blessed covers the full text of the book of Revelation, exploring its call to patient endurance as God’s sovereign plans for judgment and salvation are worked out in the world. This book shows that Revelation is less about when Jesus will return and more about who we are to be, what we are to do, and what we can expect to endure as we wait for Jesus to return to establish his kingdom in the new creation.”
(From Nancy Guthrie’s Website)
“Many Christians are confused by the book of Revelation. It moves from strange and disturbing images to warm and practical encouragement; from the fires of Hell to wonderful pictures of a glorious eternity.
And yet the message of the final book of the Bible is both clear and simple. Despite everything that is going wrong with our world, God remains in control. And when we see history, our present, and our future from heaven's perspective, it will encourage us to trust God and remain faithful to the end.”
(From The Good Book Company)
Evangelism in Practice (Tools for Everyday Conversations)
“Suffering and exclusion are normal in a believer's life. At least they should be. This was certainly Jesus's 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.”
(From Amazon)
“For more than forty years this classic study has shown Christians how to minister to the people God brings into their lives. Instead of drawing on the latest popular fad or the newest selling technique, Dr. Robert E. Coleman looks to the Bible to find the answer to the question: What was Christ's strategy for evangelism? This convenient, portable format has an updated look for a new generation of readers.”
(From Cru Media Ministry Singapore)
“Christians today define mission more broadly and variably than ever before. Are we, as the body of Christ, headed in the same direction or are we on divergent missions?”
(From Crossway)
“We live in a broken world. And the gospel is how God puts broken people back together again. Once we repent and believe in Jesus, God's Spirit helps us recover and pursue His design. God is the one who created the world and every human being in it. Authors Jimmy Scroggins and Steve Wright outline a reproducible method of sharing the gospel that has been tested in the real world.”
(From Amazon)