“I am one person in one place at one time. My experiences and perceptions are limited and colored by the environment in which I live. Therefore, it would be profoundly arrogant of me to think that I can grow in the knowledge of God through Scripture by myself.
Certainly the Holy Spirit is graciously given to all God’s children to enable us to comprehend and be conformed to the truths of the Bible. Nevertheless, one of the primary means of grace God uses in the process of our transformation is the universal-historical community of believers. Within that community, God graciously provides leaders of few and leaders of many to equip the saints for the work of ministry.
It is a humbling thing for me to read a book. Most books take at least several hours of combined time to process, and I have to forsake other distractions in order to focus and benefit from what I am reading. Most of all, I can’t talk back. I am forced to just listen, patiently follow and receive, to think another man’s thoughts after him.
One of the new desires placed into the heart of every believer is the desire to think God’s thoughts after him. Let’s pursue humility by receiving the thoughts of those who have led us and spoken the word of God to us in the most enduring of all earthly mediums: the book.”
– from www.monergismbooks.com (Readers Guide for the Christian Life)
We want to be a church who loves to read, and so to help us toward that end we want to introduce a new “tool” to serve us all — the GRACE CHURCH “Book of the Month” Recommendation.
Each month we plan on highlighting one book that we feel compliments and reenforces the truths taught on Sunday mornings, and will serve our souls and families to go deeper in believing, living and representing God and his gospel to the world. The books will be available to purchase on Sunday mornings – at a cracking price – from the book table or info point!
For the month of September, and to go alongside our “WHY: church?” series of messages, we’d like to recommend:
WHY WE LOVE THE CHURCH
by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck
In this, their newest book together, authors Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck present the case for loving the local church.
“Why We Love the Church” paints a picture of the local church in all its biblical and real life guts, gaffes, and glory in an effort to edify local congregations and entice the disaffected back to the fold.
It provides a solid biblical mandate to love and be part of the body of Christ and counteract the “leave church” books that trumpet rebellion and individual felt needs.
Chapters cover the missiological, personal, historical and theological importance of the church and help prepare the reader for the increasing modern-day beating the church is taking at the hands of the “Church-is-lame Crowd”.
Author and pastor Sam Storms recommends the book when he writes:
[Why We Love the Church] is a penetrating critique of church-less Christianity and a theologically rigorous, thoroughly biblical, occasionally hilarious, but equally serious defence of the centrality of the church in God’s redemptive purpose.
Highly recommended! Pick it up during September for only £7 a copy!
