Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
Ephesians 1:3-10
The blogosphere (or at least the Christian bit of it) has lit up this week in response to Steve Chalke's latest pronouncement, this time on his view that the Bible contains mistakes and that sometimes when God is recorded as speaking, he in fact was being misheard.
This blog ends up with the serious matter of Steve Chalke and what the Bible actually is, but begins with the considerable hilarity around the office as several of us have taken an online test to see whether our actual beliefs match up to the policies of any particular political party.The results have been interesting.
Last week, on The Good Book Blog, we looked at the two newest titles in our Questions Christians Ask series - Why did Jesus have to die? and Is forgiveness really free? That brings the series to six titles now and there will be more following shortly. We gave you a great deal on the back catalogue ebooks on Tuesday but I know some of you prefer the tree book option so here is an amazing deal for you!
Again, celebrating the new releases in the series, we're giving you the chance to get the four back catalogue titles as a bundle for just £4.99!
That means ALL of these great titles for less than a fiver:
Read more about the books HERE. To purchase this great bundle, just use the code qcab0214 at the checkout. But hurry - the offer ends midday Monday.
Poll: Christianity under attack, losing culture war
U.S. Christianity growing, changing through immigration
Indonesia’s religious freedom ‘in peril’
South Australian missionary John Short, detained in North Korea, has son in the Army
Church of England launch app to encourage stressed commuters to pray
Disclaimer: The Good Book Company is not responsible for the content of external sites and does not necessarily agree with the content of articles listed.
Shock. Fear. Anger. Denial. Devastation. Panic. Emptiness.
Powerful words. Strong emotions. But that can be what happens when someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness. That moment when we learn a cancer or degenerative disease has passed the point of no return has to be one of the scariest moments any human can experience.
We know mortality will catch up with us one day. Unless Jesus returns within the next few decades, there is no getting away from the fact we will die. But most of us want to assume that day is a long time in the future. When the doctor gives us – or someone we love – the news that there are only months left, we can feel as if everything has been ripped apart. Our plans, our dreams, our relationships, our very beings torn in two.... continue reading
We all think about things we want from time to time - that car, that house, that holiday or new iPad air - but I imagine all of us know a brother or sister in Christ who goes beyond the occasional musing, an individual who is driven by the accumulation of wealth. Even in the most faithful churches, where the Bible is taught carefully week by week, people can still find themselves being sucked into the world’’s way of thinking – lots is good, more must be better.
Greed is a dangerous path to tread. No-one can serve both God and money as Matthew 6:24 reminds us. So how can we gently encourage our fellow-believers who struggle in this area to come back to whole-hearted worship of their loving King? Here, continuing our Wednesday afternoon pastoral series, are our tips:... continue reading
This week sees the launch of our exciting new product, The Third Day - a graphic realisation of Luke 22-24.
Today, we bring you a glimpse of the behind the scenes process with a look at some of the character development sketches ... Enjoy!
When was the last time you were surprised by the Bible? I've just had an email from a seven-year-old who uses XTB Bible-reading notes for children. He says:
"Thank you for making XTB I really like it. I was really surprised when Solomon turned away from God!"
That got me thinking: Do I need to read the Bible (in some ways, at least) with the eyes of a child?
1. Do I know Bible stories so well they don't surprise me any more?... continue reading
1. Selected ebooks - just 99p until midday Thursday
Ebook titles in the Questions Christians Ask series for just 99p each.
2. Top Ten Reasons for Choosing a Paper Book over an eBook
An infographic about paper books and ebooks.
3. Christians Get Depressed Too Films
A series of films from HeadHeartHand Media.
4. TGC Book Review: Original Jesus
A book review of Original Jesus by Stephen Witmer at The Gospel Coalition.
5. Three Questions to Ask Before Watching a Movie
Jonathan Parnell at Desiring God look at these 3 questions.
6. And finally...
This week's video of the week, 'The Third Day Teaser Trailer’:
Found something that you think should make it on to the On to a Good Thing round-up? Send it to: ontoagoodthing@thegoodbook.co.uk
The Christian life is full of living between the tension of two truths.
So God’s kingdom is here, but not yet here. We are joyful in Christ even as we grieve the state of our world. In our weakness, God shows his strength. And so on.
Here’s one that has struck me recently. The Christian life is about being exhausted, and restful.
Exhausting Labour
Speaking of his desire to keep Christians going in faith until the Lord returns, Paul writes: “To this end I labour, struggling…” (Colossians 1 v 29). To “labour” means to work exhaustingly. Labouring causes things to be a struggle. Jn this state of struggling on, Paul finds “his [Christ’s] energy, which so powerfully works in me.” But it’s not that Christ provides his energy for Paul before Paul reaches the point of feeling unable to keep going; it’s that he provides it once Paul reaches that point.... continue reading
