Edited by: David Longacre

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Suggestion – August, 2019

In this day of confusion and despair regarding human sexuality, gender identification, and the predisposition to one lifestyle or another, Harvest Ministry has produced a small but important work that lets us know that God is still able to change lives. As the back cover indicates, this book contains fifteen individual accounts of people “who struggled with same-sex attraction and experienced God’s loving intervention.” This is not a book about glory stories but one about descriptions of real-life people who walk with the Lord, finding hope and strength through faith in a faithful Savior.

I recommend this short work to anyone wrestling with the confusion of same-sex attraction and wondering if God can truly change a person. This is also a book that gives insight and encouragement to people who know and love those who struggle. As Christians, we must be willing and able to lovingly point people to Christ, yet sometimes we may harbor our own doubts as to whether the Lord truly changes the heart. My prayer is that this short volume will help us to overcome our doubts and assist us in having confidence in Christ as we walk with our struggling friends and loved ones.

https://www.pcabookstore.com/p-8350-gay-such-were-some-of-us.aspx

By: R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection — July, 2019

We often use the Apostles’ Creed to affirm our faith in worship services. Many Christians have learned this ancient creed from an early age. All Bible-believing Christians would uphold the statements of this document. However, some of those same statements are misunderstood by many of the people claiming to believe them. In this fresh work on one of the Church’s earliest confessions, Al Mohler gives us a concise and easy to read commentary that should be helpful to any Christian. I recommend this to parents who desire to train up their children in the foundational truths of the Faith, to anyone involved in teaching small group studies or Sunday school, and to any Christian wishing to understand those vexing statements in the creed such as “He descended into hell/the dead,” “the holy catholic church,” and “the communion of saints.”

By: Corrie ten Boom

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection – June, 2019

As we enter the vacation season, many people are looking for a good book to take with them on their travels. I recommend The Hiding Place as a classic work that will encourage and inspire you to see the gracious love of God in some of the most difficult circumstances. In the dark days of Holland’s occupation during the Second World War, Corrie ten Boom and her family made the decision to work with the resistance by hiding Jews in their home. Arrested by the Nazis, Corrie and her sister were sent to a concentration camp, and their father was killed. However, it was in this terrible situation that God impacted Corrie’s life so that she would later go throughout the world telling people that “There is no pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still.” This is a tremendous book that describes the faithfulness of God, the providential outworking of His grace, and the power of God to change lives.

The Bruised Reed

By: Richard Sibbes

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection – May, 2019

Banner of Truth has republished a marvelous work by the Puritan Richard Sibbes. This piece focuses on the text from Isaiah 42:3 that says, “A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoking flax he shall not quench.” Sibbes’ short treatise is medicine for the weary and battle-worn believer. The author presents Christ to those driven to God by their own failures, encouraging them not to lose hope even when sin and the devil seek to undo them. Dr. Sibbes emphasizes the patience of God who will not forsake His own children, but will willingly fan the smallest spark of grace into a flame that transforms them into the likeness of Christ.

If you are struggling with weakness and in need of great hope, I recommend Richard Sibbes’ wonderful book that will turn your attention to the Christ who is always gentle and compassionate to His own.

Praying Backwards: Transform Your Prayer Life by Beginning in Jesus’ Name

By: Bryan Chapell

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection – April, 2019

              Most Christians struggle with prayer. They’ve read the prayers in the Bible, they know that it’s good and right to pray, but they wrestle with a roller coaster prayer life. In their worst moments, they might even wonder whether prayer actually accomplishes anything.

              Bryan Chapell has written a helpful book for those of us who desire to draw closer to God through this means of grace. It is common in Christian circles to end our prayers with the words “in Jesus’ name.” Chapell challenges this traditional wisdom by encouraging the reader to understand exactly what is meant by that phrase and then by asking us to begin our prayers with it rather than to tack it on at the end. In this way, we are able to submit our prayers to the purposes and will of God rather than expecting God to fulfill our wishes simply because we added the words “in Jesus’ name.”

              After laying this important foundation, Chapell delves into the topics of how we are to pray the way Jesus prayed as well as what it means to pray without doubting, to pray in the Spirit, to be bold, expectant, and persistent in prayer, and to pray according to God’s wisdom.

              Chapell also reminds the reader that all three persons of the Godhead are active in our prayers. Since the Spirit moves us to pray, and the Son intercedes for us, our prayers become conformed to God’s will, and our desires are aligned with God’s purposes. In this way, we begin to seek those things God places in our hearts, and we can expect that we will receive what we request.

           I recommend this work to those wishing to strengthen their prayer life and draw closer to God through it.

Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World

By: Eric Metaxas

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection–March, 2019

Eric Metaxas has given us a well-written biography of Martin Luther that avoids many of the misconceptions and legends that have grown up around the man. While neither slandering Luther’s character or painting a picture of a herculean figure, Metaxas has created a work that is balanced, informative, and enjoyable.

This well-researched study draws from recently discovered information that keeps the interest of those who’ve already read previous biographies of Luther. The political and ecclesiastical climate of the day is well-represented so as to clearly demonstrate the need for a reformation within the western church.  The author paints a refreshing portrait of Luther as a thoughtful scholar who is initially timid and respectful of authority but who becomes bold as he grows in his understanding of the God of Scripture. Nevertheless, Luther was no fire-eating reactionary, but a man truly concerned for the souls of his people and the honor of Jesus Christ.

Looking back at the Reformation from the year 2019, it is easy to forget the cost involved for men like Martin Luther. Metaxas reminds the reader that the stand this priest took for the gospel was life-threatening. He was in danger from the papacy, unpopular with many of the secular authorities, and often at odds with his fellow reformers who wanted to take a more radical approach to the situation. For better or worse, the Protestant Reformation changed the political landscape and paved the way for greater individual freedom in the west. Even more important, this movement unleashed the gospel, thereby freeing people from the bondage of ecclesiastical superstitions so that they might embrace the grace of Christ through faith. Although this is a rather lengthy work, I would recommend it to anyone wishing to see the providence of God at work through one of the most momentous events in history.

Indwelling Sin in Believers

By: John Owen

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection – February, 2019

Banner of Truth Trust has hit another home run with the publication of an abridged and modernized version of Indwelling Sin in Believers. The title might seem somewhat unappealing, but I have found Owen’s thought-provoking treatise to be a refreshment to my soul.

Not only does the author speak to the experience of every believer in his/her battle against sin, but he does so in a manner that gives us confidence in the grace of Christ, brings comfort to our hearts, and causes us to rejoice in our relationship with our all-sufficient God. As I read Owen’s material, I found myself enlightened by his insights regarding the inner working of sin and encouraged to draw nearer to God in sweet communion.

I recommend this book to the congregation of Grace & Peace Presbyterian Church as a companion to our current series through Galatians or simply as a cup of cold water to a thirsty soul.

https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/Indwelling-Sin-in-Believers.html

A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel

By: Steve Brown

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection – December, 2018

I wanted to recommend A Scandalous Freedom as a companion to our current sermon series through Galatians. It speaks loudly to those who often feel overwhelmed with a sense of guilt, trying desperately to relieve their conscience by doing more work to please God. Although the author writes in a very humorous manner, his subject matter is serious. Knowing that personal scruples can turn the Christian life into a prison, the author invites his readers to experience the freedom for which we are redeemed in Christ. For some, liberty from rules and regulations might seem dangerous, but Brown points out that it is only by learning to live free that we can truly enjoy our God and delight in His marvelous grace.  I have found this book helpful in my own life, and I recommend it to anyone wishing to experience the joy of the Lord.

Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat

By: James D. Bratt

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection – November, 2018

By any standard, Abraham Kuyper was a giant of the Reformed faith and the national life of Holland during the second half of the nineteenth and into the twentieth centuries. Like most of Europe, the Dutch society into which Abraham Kuyper was born had been greatly affected by the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. Seeing these as destructive influences on both church and state, Kuyper sought to implement a Calvinistic worldview that would stand against a purely humanistic philosophy.

As a man of great intellect, organizational leadership, and remarkable energy, Kuyper brought his numerous abilities to bear as a pastor, theologian, author, editor, and politician. During his lifetime, he helped to merge two Reformed denominations as a bulwark against liberalism in the church. He also stood for political office, rising to the position of Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and he founded the Free University of Amsterdam.

In this book, James Bratt does an excellent job of tying together the many periods and influences of Kuyper’s life and work. In doing so, he avoids both glamorizing and demonizing Kuyper. Bratt gives us a picture of a man of his time whose ideas and decisions might seem misguided to many living in the 21^st century. Yet, he was a person who also understood the damage of a godless philosophy to both church and state, and he was willing to use his talents to turn the tide for the glory of God.

Although this work does become weighty at times, I recommend it for its historic content and also as an aid in understanding the continuing debate of the place of the Church in the life of the nation in which it exists.

Escape from Reason

By: Francis Schaeffer

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection – October, 2018

In a culture where men and women and boys and girls question their basic biological identity, it seems logical that we might ask ourselves, “How did we get here?” That is the question that the late Francis Schaeffer tackled in the latter half of the 20^th Century when he wrote Escape from Reason. In this short but powerful work, Schaeffer critiques the vanity of modern philosophy that has destroyed any unity between faith and reason and has bankrupted public morals, leaving us with no solid basis for law and unable to adequately address the reality of evil.

However, the author contends that if the Christian will seek to understand the thought processes of the surrounding culture and grasp the Bible’s truth about God and man, he/she needs not despair. Since humans are made in God’s image and since He has created all things, the believer is able to proclaim the teachings of Scripture “in the marketplace of ideas” and allow God’s word to stand on its own and speak into His world. Escape from Reason challenges the reader to communicate the gospel in terms that are understandable to the world of our day.

I highly recommend this book to those who have never read Francis Schaeffer before or to those who wish to understand how our society has devolved into its present state and to be encouraged to be light in the darkness.

The Doctrine of Repentance

By: Thomas Watson

The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection – September, 2018

The word “repent” or “repentance” is one of those theological terms that seems antiquated, old-fashioned, or foreign to many Christians today. It’s not uncommon to hear someone articulate a gospel message that is void of any reference to this teaching.  Although many assume that this is simply characteristic of the 21^st century state of the Church, Thomas Watson’s classic work on this topic reminds us that Christians are constantly in need of studying and applying this doctrine regardless of the age in which they live.

Although written in 1668, this short book (122 pages) is easy to read and filled with valuable insights. In a very pastoral manner, Watson looks at the nature of, rationale for, and hindrances to repentance before showing the reader how to repent. I highly recommend this work to all Christians since, by nature of God’s work in our hearts, we are all repenting people.