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The Christian faith has repeatedly been called a “religion of the book.” Along with the incarnate Word and the oral word of preaching, God has chosen the medium of books to proclaim His goodness to us. The Bible is the book per se, and it sets the standard for the Christian faith. The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century saw the dramatic power of the printed word to bring light out of darkness as literature changed the thought and life of nations. The Reformers used pamphlets and tracts extensively to bring about spiritual revolution—the printing press turned out to be the lever with which the enemy was lifted from his saddle. In A Religion of Books, Bockmuehl traces the role books played in the Reformation and through various movements of the Spirit in the following centuries. He also addresses how the written word shapes political movements and how Christians can continue to use literature to point people to Christ.
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Africa was their home. Could they ever go back? Physical weakness coupled with civil unrest in the Ivory Coast had extended a six-month furlough to several years and threatened to derail the Leidenfrosts’ plans to return to their beloved Africa and continue mission work with the Bakwé people. But now they were finally going home to their village…or so they thought. “On top of all this, a subtle grief over the loss of Africa continued to grip my heart. In my dismal state, I felt the clouds part and God’s presence come down to touch His child. God saw the pain, the loneliness, the need, and was telling me that I was not forgotten. It was too easy to focus on my troubles. I needed to remember that His love is stronger, more real, than the pain I was suffering at that moment. Was I going to focus on His love, or on the pain?” Join Lisa Leidenfrost as she walks through trial after trial and learns to keep her eyes on God, whom she finds by her side through it all. This book is especially recommended for anyone experiencing a long-term health challenge or other hardship with an uncertain outcome.
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“I had never read anything like this in the religious books of the Hindus.” After years of searching for something more than the hopeless existence her religion offered to those not born into a high caste, Pandita had at last discovered someone who could uplift the downtrodden women of India—and every land. “To me, who but a few moments ago ‘sat in the region and shadow of death, light had sprung up’ (Matthew 4:16).” In An Honorable Heritage, Pandita Ramabai tells her story of being born into the privileged Brahman caste and leaving tradition behind for something far better—the light and hope she found in Christ.
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Jim Wilson prayed his first real prayer at a Youth for Christ meeting on the night of October 18, 1947. He was introduced to the Father through Jesus Christ, and his life was changed. He describes his prayer life since as sometimes strong, sometimes wavering, “but always to the God who is always faithful.” The quality of our spiritual life depends on the closeness of our walk with God. A major component of that walk is prayer. 1 Thess. 5:17 tells us to “pray constantly.” We are in a spiritual war, and God is our source of spiritual nourishment, protection, and direction. Via prayer we make our needs known, ask help for others, praise Him for victories, confess our defeats, and, most importantly, have fellowship with Him. In Answered Prayer: The Faithfulness of God Made Manifest, you will learn what the Bible teaches about prayer, study its examples of answered prayer, and read Jim’s personal stories from seven decades of walking with the Lord. “My prayer is that this book will help you get into the habit of praying. You may be surprised at the results. As I look back at my own history and all the answers God has provided, I wonder that I am not praying every minute of the day.” – Jim Wilson Have an Audible subscription? This title is also available on Audible here.
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What is it like being a missionary in Africa? Danger, joy, love, and lots of laughter.
A missionary's life is not just danger, hard work, and culture shock, interspersed with moments of high joys and deep sorrows. In this book consisting of both narrative and letters to her church, Lisa Leidenfrost shows that it also consists of the small, daily things, the quotidian experience which makes life at the edge of a village as familiar as life in America. This book features the ordinary and extraordinary, the solemn and playful, the mundane and exotic—all coming together to create a down-to-earth portrait of the Gospel at work in a family and a society .From the Book:
"Step into our world, a place of laughter and tears, trials and hopes, events captured and stories told. They are stories of life, lived out on the mission field in Africa where the hand of God is ever present in every situation. They are stories of daily events, of cultural experiences recounted, of friends loved and lost, and of trials surmounted. They are stories of bothersome situations turned to laughter as God gives us the ability to find humor in various hardships—a humor that has kept us sane over all these years. They are mostly stories of the familiar things in life, the little things that lend spice to our daily experience. Not all of missionary life is extraordinary or bizarre. Most of it is just normal, common events that unfold one day into another. And because God is good, there is a beauty in living, a purpose beyond our own mere existence that can make even the smallest things we do burst with life and meaning, laughter and delight. Too often these small, commonplace things go unnoticed unless they are caught and brought to life in words, words which become a lens that can, even if for a single moment, bring this ever-present beauty into focus." -
New Devotional Readings - Who We Are & What We Do in Christ Being Christian has St. Paul's ambitious goal: to present every person perfect in Christ. With that in mind, this wide-ranging devotional is full of strong texts and short teaching, all organized into bite-size readings. You will find applicable wisdom on every page, as Being Christian is the product of Jim Wilson's practical advice and scriptural meditation over the past thirty-five years. Throughout every chapter you will read a huge variety of powerful, concentrated Scriptures, covering fundamental topics like prayer, evangelism, everyday holiness, joy, love, family, and (of course) what it means to be a Christian. "Strong teaching makes strong Christians. And it makes soft-hearted, tender, loving Christians. But soft teaching makes hard, callused Christians. Soft teaching is for people who have itching ears. They do not wish to have their lives interfered with." ~ JIM WILSON, from the preface
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Does revival come only in great soul-shaking outpourings of the Spirit? "NO!" says Norman Grubb. Revival is within reach of everyday people and can be experienced in your heart, home, and church. Follow the author as he takes you through his experiences and the effect on his life of the brokenness and ongoing personal revival he found as a result of his exposure to the revival movement in Rwanda, East Africa in 1950. Learn the working secret which brought continuous revival to thousands over a period of sixteen years. Read this book and let the Reviver do His work in you.
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Disobedience. It’s normal, right? For hundreds of years, the Church has struggled with how to overcome sin in the Christian life. We know that the cross takes care of our past sins at salvation and assures us life after death. But what do we do with the time in between? Many Christians go through life sinning and confessing, sinning and confessing, but they never get beyond that. Is that better than sinning and not confessing? Absolutely: but it is not enough if you want to grow. Contrary to most evangelical teaching today, Christian obedience is meant to be glad-hearted, willing, and normal. In Dead and Alive, Jim Wilson discusses the neglected requirement of obedience and explains God’s provision for it from Scripture. May the thoughts in it lead you into a victorious, obedient life in Christ. "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'” (1 Pet. 1:15–16) Have an Audible subscription? This title is also available on Audible here.
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In this sequel to At the Edge of the Village , Lisa Leidenfrost describes life in her village in Côte d' Ivoire. Although there are exciting stories about the local witch doctor and escaping from a civil war, life as a missionary is often surprisingly normal. Family life need not be crowded out by frenetic translation schedules and fundraising furloughs. Whether it’s the humorous cultural differences in hospitality or courtship, or the kids’ adventures with driver ants, snakes, bees, a bushbaby, or a parrot, From the Village to the Ends of the Earth shows what it is like to raise a family while building the kingdom of God in Africa.
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Are you looking to strengthen your prayer life? Do you want to get into the habit of praying daily but don’t know where to start? Join Heather Torosyan as she walks through the prayers of Scripture with this 40-day prayer journal. At the end of each day’s reading, Heather offers a suggested prayer and leaves space for you to write in your own prayers. I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. (Psalm 57:9-11 NIV)
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God is good, all the time. Jim Wilson was born in 1927 and raised in a Depression-era farming family. At the age of sixteen, at the height of World War II, he became the primary breadwinner for his parents and four younger siblings. At age seventeen, eager to fight for his country, he enlisted in the Navy. Germany surrendered while he was in the recruiting office, and the war was over by the time he entered boot camp. But God had a plan for Jim Wilson in the U.S. Navy…
Through adventures of sickness, poverty, hard work, and war, this is the story of God’s provision and protection in the life of one Nebraska farm boy turned ardent evangelist.
“For sixty years, Jim helped me apply my Christian faith to life—not through eloquence, power, or wealth but through a demonstrated commitment pointing the way to life’s Source. This is the story of an American life well lived.” - John Knubel, Lt. Cdr. USN Retired, Naval Academy Class of ’62.
"My Grandfather has been telling fantastic stories for as long as I can remember, and living them for far longer than that. His influence is a huge contributor to my own career as a story teller, and I’m incredibly grateful—for myself and my kids—that he found the energy to compile his life story in book form. Just one caution: don’t go thinking he’s a reliable narrator. He isn’t. He undersells himself constantly, but only because his eyes are so firmly locked on the true Author, the One who wrote every one of these Jim Wilson stories while the concrete for time’s foundation was still wet and churning in the trucks." - N.D. Wilson, author
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How do you know God answers prayer? Rosalind Goforth writes, “When in Canada on our first furloughs, I was amazed at the incredulity expressed when definite testimony was given to an answer to prayer. Sometimes this was shown by an expressive shrug of the shoulders…sometimes more openly by the query: ‘How do you know that it might not have happened so, anyway?’” The stories in this book are Rosalind’s answer to those doubts. She tells of her family’s ministry on the front lines of the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, God’s comfort and protection on the mission field, and their repeated rescue through the prayers of people at home whom God moved to pray at just the right time. Rosalind reminds us that there is no trouble too small for God, and that He loves to answer our prayers. “As truly as I delight to be sought for by my child when he is cold or hungry, ill, or in need of protection, so is it with my Heavenly Father.” She wrote in hope that you, too, will be able to say from a full heart, I know God answers prayer.
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Bitterness often grows out of a small offense - perhaps a passing word, an accidental shove, or a pair of dirty socks left in the middle of the living room floor. Yet when bitterness takes root in our hearts, its effects are anything but small. In this collection of short articles, Jim Wilson and others discuss what it means to live as "imitators of God." As the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians, we have been called to leave the bitterness and anger of the world and instead embrace the love and compassion of our God. The authors remind us that we are to forgive others just as we have been forgiven, pointing to Scriptural admonitions and examples as they offer sound teaching on the trials and temptations of everyday life. Have an Audible account? Get this title on Audible here. Did you know we give away more copies of How to Be Free from Bitterness than we sell? These copies are paid for entirely by donations. Have you been blessed by this booklet? You can help fund copies for someone else by making a tax-deductible gift to the literature fund here.
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The thoughts you have when you’re depressed come from the devil. The good news for you is that the devil is a liar. Do you feel weighed down all the time? Perhaps, although you are a Christian and know you’re going to heaven, your spiritual life seems mediocre at best. You know the Bible says to rejoice always, and you’d like to be living joyfully, but you just don’t know how. In this sequel to How to Be Free from Bitterness, Jim Wilson returns to talk about how to deal with (and get rid of) depression, feelings of guilt, and problems with self-esteem. Many Christians feel like they are enslaved to these sins, like there is no way out. But this is not true. The truth is that Christ has freed us from the penalty of sin and the power of sin. If you are a Christian, you are already free. Depression, guilt, low self-esteem—whatever your problem is, it can be put to death. “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32).
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Do you feel weighed down by sin? Is there one area where you keep tripping up? Or perhaps although you know you are a Christian, your spiritual life seems mediocre. You’d like to be living joyfully, but you just don’t know how. In this sequel to How to Be Free from Bitterness, Jim Wilson returns to talk about how to get rid of those persistent “besetting sins.” Many Christians believe they are enslaved to particular sins. But this is not true. The truth is that Christ has freed us from the penalty of sin and the power of sin. If you are a Christian, you are already free. Anger, envy, worry, depression—whatever your problem is, it can be put to death today. “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Have an Audible subscription? This title is also available on Audible here.
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“The unity of the Body is one of the most forceful apologetics for the divinity of Christ. Conversely, disunity is Satan’s most successful tool.” – Otto Helweg
God’s glory in us is the basic provision for Christian unity. “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:20-23).
The primary assumption in this book is the authority and inspiration of the Scriptures. There are promises, prayers, and commands in the New Testament concerning the church’s unity in Christ. The Christian church is made up of individual members of the body of Christ. This book is written to those individuals. The church as a whole cannot obey God. Only the parts can.
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There have probably been times in your life when you could say that your joy was full. Jesus is interested in this being your normal state of affairs. “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:9–11). “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and…you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). In this collection of short meditations, Heather Torosyan explores the theme of joy in Scripture and discusses how it applies to our daily lives. This is not an academic treatise, but a study meant to encourage the reader—that you also may be filled with inexpressible, overflowing joy.
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In the study of warfare, great men have concluded that there are some overriding principles which, if followed, will always tend toward success in battle, and if neglected or ignored, will tend toward defeat or even destruction. These principles have been entitled the "principles of war." But not all warfare is waged on a battlefield: every Christian is called to be a soldier. Our fight is against Satan, our objective is the acknowledgment and fulfillment of God's commands, and our ammunition is the power of the Holy Spirit. In Principles of War, Jim Wilson outlines the time-tried, fundamental principles of war and explains how we can employ them in our daily spiritual battles as we fight a war which our commander in chief has already won for us.
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“Revolutionary love” sounds like an oxymoron. Revolution is usually a negative, violent, and destructive change, while love is positive, peaceful, and contented. But true love always changes people. And Christ’s love brings the most revolutionary change of all. Festo Kivengere (1919–88) experienced both kinds of revolution. He escaped Uganda when the brutal regime of Idi Amin seized power. But he could not escape the pursuit of Jesus, who came into his life with radically transformative grace. In Revolutionary Love, Kivengere tells his story of learning to freely receive Christ’s love and freely share it with others. Have an Audible subscription? You can also get this title on Audible here.
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How should Christians react when the culture around them is disintegrating and drifting towards chaos? Should we hunker down, praying and waiting for relief - consoled by God's ultimate control and authority? Or is our calling and commission to respond instead with hopeful vigour and positivity to these unfamiliar testing times? This book calls us to the latter option. There is hope; this is Christ's world; all authority has been given to Him. He is King of kinds and He is bringing all things under His control. And we are His instruments, His hands and feet - so there is work for us to do. This books sets out the grounds for this hope, explains our role in bringing it about, and, above all, tells us how we must begin - by preaching the kingdom.
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Evangelism on the Front Lines Coming from decades of faithful witnessing as a pastor, a U.S. Navy officer, and a door-to-door evangelist, Taking Men Alive shares Jim Wilson's extensive wisdom on evangelism. Jim's insights have been gleaned from a huge variety of personal interactions and straightforward (yet surprising) exegesis of biblical accounts of evangelism. Entertaining and intensely practical, Taking Men Alive is an inspiring evangelistic meditation and powerful handbook for determining what spiritual state your neighbor is in and how you should approach taking his heart for the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Roy Hession, a successful evangelist in England, knew he had lost the power of the Spirit in his life - a terrible feeling as he led his evangelistic campaigns. In 1947, Hession met leaders of the East African Church which was then experiencing a sweeping revival, and recognized his deep personal need. It was like starting the Christian life over as he came humbly to the Cross. The principles which the Lord taught him were first published in 1950 as The Calvary Road and are now available in over 70 languages. Do you long for revival and power in your life? Learn how Jesus can fill you with His spirit through brokenness, repentance and confession in this updated version of Hession’s classic work.
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Put on your armor—it’s time to fight. We are in a spiritual war, William Gurnall reminds us, and “the Christian’s safety lies in resisting. All the armour provided is to defend the Christian fighting, none to secure him flying; stand, and the day is ours; fly or yield, and all is lost.” This hard-hitting volume is packed with biblical wisdom for day-to-day Christian living, as helpful today as it was when first published nearly four hundred years ago. Although history left us little knowledge of William Gurnall’s life, it preserved this book—a legacy that has encouraged many generations of saints to fight sin, love Christ, and live holy and faithful lives as Christians who have clothed themselves in the complete armor of God. “Amongst all the Puritan writings that have come down to us, none…are more practical than this one.” – Hamilton Smith Have an Audible subscription? You can also get this title on Audible here.