Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4
Rowena Mellor is making the most of her retirement! Early 2013, she began to do Christianity Explained with an International student from China who we shall call Maggie. “Maggie said it would take years to become a Christian because she knew nothing about the Bible. We shook our heads and said, “No,” and took her through the six Christianity Explained lessons.”
“So we began to meet once a week to do Christianity Explained one-on-one in my back garden. I asked a friend, Suzanne, to come for support. I led and Suzanne would extend some points. During the fifth session Maggie wanted to become a Christian.
“I found the course very effective as it was taking Maggie through the Gospel as well as an English lesson. Putting out the resources for her to read was very effective and the book illustration, in Study 2, was quite powerful. I have been a believer for decades but this was the first time I have personally led someone else to faith in Jesus. What a thrill!... continue reading
Judges for You is flying off the shelves and it has been exciting to hear how Christians across the globe are using it to get to know God better.
Today, on the Gospel Coalition website, there's a great interview with author, Tim Keller. Click HERE to read more.
And to buy a copy, click HERE.
The summer is nearly over. The children will soon be back at school. A new term at church is about to begin. So why not get even better equipped for service by attending one of the many training events being put on in the coming months? There really is something for everyone...
What's on? Here's just a taster:
For preachers:
Preaching with Precision and Power in London - September 5th
Preaching with Precision and Power in Cambridge - September 6th
Preaching Revelation in Northern Ireland - November 11th & 12th
For those involved in discipling others:
Deep: The Trinitarian Life - September 14th
For those involved in evangelism:
Practical Evangelism Course - September 28th
The Evangelists' Conference South - October 8th
The Evangelists' Conference North - October 10th
For women:
The Midlands Women's Convention - October 5th
The Northern Women's Convention - October 12th
The Irish Women's Convention - October 12th
The London Women's Convention - October 19th
For teenagers:
Sorted - November 9th
For musicians:
London Music Ministry Conference - November 16th
For administrators:
The Administrators' Conference - November 18th
For youth and children's workers:
Growing Young Disciples Southampton - October 12th
Growing Young Disciples London - November 23rd
Do you share The Good Book Company's vision and values? Are you looking for an entry-level position? Are you happy to work in Surrey, England? Then one of our three fixed-term vacancies may be for you!
We are currently recruiting for an IT Intern, an Editorial Intern and an Operations Assistant. Each post is for 6 months and will include on-the-job training.
Job specifications and details of how to apply can be found on our website.
We look forward to hearing from you.
1. Grace Has Come - So Has Our New Album
Check out Sovereign Grace Music's new album from the book of Romans.
2. Free Download: "Jeremiah" from the Gospel Transformation Bible
The complete book of Jeremiah free to download from Crossway.
3. Five Back-to-School Basics
Some basics from Desiring God for going back to school.
4. 140 Articles on the Christian Life
An index of articles from David Murray at HeadHeartHand.
5. First day back to work
A free extract from Gospel Centred Work by Tim Chester.
6. And finally…
Our video of the week, why not share it with a friend? From Christianity Explored, 'I'm a decent person, surely I'll be fine?':
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
Who: John Calvin
When: 1509-1564
Where: Geneva, Switzerland
So what?
John Calvin is the Marmite of church history – people tend either to love him or hate him. The bare facts are: he was brought up a French Catholic… studied to become a priest and then a lawyer in Paris… became a convinced Protestant… wrote a letter to the King of France to defend Protestants from the charge of being rebels, and attached to it a book about Protestant doctrine (the famous Institutes)… and ended up as a pastor in Geneva with some influence, then great influence, over the church in that city-state.
Here are a few facts you may not know, or false truths you thought you knew, about Calvin.... continue reading
The Christian life is hard. I'm sure you will have noticed! We are saved from sin and heading for eternal bliss but at this moment in time we're far from perfect and still rubbing shoulders with messed up people in a messed up place. We live in tension. The tension that comes from having a foot in two worlds - the present age and the age to come. And every day brings a struggle of some description.
Of course, we don't like that tension. Most of us would prefer it to disappear. Sometimes we try to make it disappear either by compromising our faith to make life easier or by believing the misinformation that some teachers spout - that we can have wealth, ease, almost complete victory over sickness and temptation in the here and now. If only!
John Chapman's book is to the point. It's real about what life is like. It helps us to gain perspective on this daily tension. It teaches what the Bible says about life between Jesus' first coming and his second. And it spurs us on to live faithfully, in the power of the Spirit, gradually becoming more like Jesus while in the thick of the mess that characterises our world and our hearts. And it does all that in about 75 pages.
As with all books penned by Chapman, it's accessible, engaging, biblical and practical. There are moments which will make you smile and moments that will convict your heart. It's packed with examples from his personal experience which brings great warmth to the writing. But its real strength lies in its simplicity. It's perfect to read in one sitting (though if you want to move more slowly and use the discussion guide at the back, that's fine too). And it simply spurs you to keep persevering in the present and keep rejoicing in the future. No compromise. No false hope. Just a clear call to fix your eyes on the wonder of Jesus and keep putting one foot in front of the other. And, quite frankly, that's message we all need to hear from time to time.
Want to buy a copy of A Foot In Two Worlds? Click HERE.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
Police recently released the pictures of the 25 people who are on their most wanted list for identity theft. They've allegedly stolen other people's personal details and then used their own photographs to get passports, driving licences and other documents. These documents in turn have opened up access to applications for mortgages, bank loans and benefits.
Identity theft is the fastest growing type of fraud in Britain and hit an all time high in 2012 with over 150,000 identifiable victims according to CIFAS, the UK's Fraud Prevention Service. So we have to be careful: careful to protect our own identity and careful about making assumptions about the identity of others.
As Christians, we place our faith in the person and identity of Jesus Christ. But how can we be sure of who he is and indeed his actual existence as a real person? There are many in the world who suggest his existence - and certainly his miracles and resurrection - were little more than fraud.
In The Case For Christ, Lee Strobel, a former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, tests out what the Bible says about Jesus. Who he is, what he did and why he came. He explores the evidence for Jesus' existence - in the Bible and out - and assesses whether this man truly is who he says he is.
Read more and see for yourself just how we can be sure of the identity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Get Case for Christ HERE for just £3! - use promo code cfc08 at the checkout.
