I have been looking for a book like this for a good while. This is no fluffy 60 page book about felt-needs or five steps to reaching your potential. Here we have Biblical meat. For too long the Church has published books with the nutritional value of cotton candy. Barrett gives us a book you can sink your teeth into.
This is the Gospel - Salvation by Grace! Like Spurgeon said, it is "All of Grace" If God is the one who saves, we have nothing to boost about.
Barrett gives us an overview of the debate between Arminians and Calvinists. The difference from many other books on the same subject is the depth of thought. He not only gives us an overview, he takes us deeper into the subjects of depravity, free will, and grace. These are things that should make our hearts melt. To know that salvation is not by something I do (works) is a glorious freedom.
Here we find that we can not perform enough good works to be saved. We need God! We need Him to reach down and save us. We can not save ourselves.
The author shows in detail the difference between synergism and monergism. How much does God accomplish in salvation? How much does man? Where does faith come from? God or Man? Does unregenerate man have a free will? Does a sinner desire salvation? Does God offer salvation to all?
I truly enjoyed this book. It is one that should not only be read, but should be studied with pen in hand.
If you are looking for a fortune cookie devotional, this is not your book. But if you are looking for something to take you deeper into God's word and give you a reason to glorify God, this is you book.
I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book, free of charge, from P&R Publishing Company and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is not your usual Christian book. Here, the author shows us the reason that the world is in the state it is today. Ideas have consequences. Your worldview is demonstrated in how you live you life.
In his intriguing book, Kevin Swanson takes us through the lives of apostate men who have changed our world for the worse. Some of the darkest times in history come from men who have rejected God. When they reject God, they also reject His law. In rejecting His law, they turn everything good into evil and vise versa.
I have said more than one time that in today’s world, everything I was taught as a child to be good is now considered evil. Growing up in Church, I saw people living for God as great men and women who were living a noble life. I saw serving God as an ultimate good. Today you are looked upon as a closed minded hate filled bigot.
Swanson gives us a list of men who pioneered every evil movement in the last 800 years. Whether it is abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, or government control of the family, these men knew exactly what they wanted to accomplish.
You say this is a conspiracy theory? A conspiracy theory is something hidden behind closed doors. These men were open about their hatred of God and his word. They hated God and anything to do with Him.
Whether it is philosophy, literature, or education, Satan has his deceived followers. Swanson gives us an overview of men like John Dewey, Friedrich Nietzsche, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and many others. We see their desires to ride this world of every vestige of Christianity.
This is a must read book. If you can not understand why our government wants to control every detail of our life or why your freedoms are being taken away, this book will show you.
I highly recommend it and give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book, free of charge, from Generations with Vision and Cross Focused Reviews in exchange for an honest review.
It is hard to describe this book. The closest I can come is to say it is a confession. The authors, Joe and Bob are friends. A summary of the book would be - Joe is a pastor and Bob is a former adulterer. That may sound a little crass, but this book is not roses and puppies. It is real life. Neither author wears a mask. They spill everything both good and bad. That is what makes this book, not only unique, but great. There is no sugar coating. What you see is what you get.
The stories they share are many times tragic, but tragedies are what drive us to the Father. Jesus said the sick, not the well, need a doctor. Here Joe and Bob show us that Jesus is still a healer of the sick.
I will admit that in some ways this book changed me. I can not say that about many books. It caused me to look deep inside and take inventory. Many places almost brought me to tears. I will let you read it to find which!
There are seasons in our lives when God decides to change our course. Sometimes it may be a death, a job change, etc. This book will comfort those who are in that position. Also those whose lives have been shaken by sin or tragedy will find refuge here. there is always a path back to the father.
Packed full of emotion and also a little humor, it is a book to not only be read, but to be savored.
I can not recommend this book too highly. It is well worth a read!
I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book, free of charge, from Shepherd Press and Cross Focused Reviews in exchange for an honest review.
I have heard a lot of good things about Edmund P. Clowney but this is the first chance I have had to read one of his books. It will not be the last.
Here we have a sort of survey of the whole Old Testament. The difference here, than other surveys, is the focus on Christ. The Old Testament was not just written to give us the history of the nation of Israel. It is God's story of “God in the flesh”, Jesus.
Clowney takes us from one event to another and shows us how they relate to the Savior. From Adam on through the rest of the Old Testament, he gives us details of how Jesus is the focus.
Why does the bible speak of Jesus as the Last Adam? Why is Jesus the true living bread, unlike the manna Israel received that rotted after a day? Why was He called the Lamb of God. To understand any of these things, we have to have a knowledge of the Old Testament. Jesus told the Jewish leaders that they read the scriptures but did not realize that they (the O.T) spoke of Him.
I once had a man tell me that his pastor should stay out of the O.T. and only preach the four gospels. That is a sad comment on the man's understanding of the bible. The O.T. is about Christ. When Abraham said God would provide a sacrifice instead of Isaac, he was not just speaking about the ram in the thicket, he was speaking of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
The whole bible is GOD'S word!
I enjoyed this book tremendously and give it 4 out of 5 stars.
I received this book, free of charge, from P&R Publishing Company and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
