Today on The Good Book Blog, Carl Laferton speaks to Mike McKinley about his new book, Passion.
Passion is a book about the last day of Jesus' life, leading up to the cross. There are A LOT of books about the cross! Why is this one different?
Well, Passion certainly doesn't break any startling new ground. I think that's probably a good thing! But there are three features of the book's approach that I hope make it particularly helpful: First, it’s expositional. The book is rooted in the text of Luke. I hope that by the time the reader is finished with the book, they have a fresh grasp of the what the Scriptures tell us about the suffering of our Lord. Second, it’s applicational (if that’s a word!). The writers of the New Testament saw the cross of Christ (alongside his resurrection) as one of the foundational realities of the Christian life. The cross applies to our lives right now; we are meant to live and love and believe in light of what Jesus did for us there. Third, it’s slow.There is a lot of action packed into Luke's account of that day. My goal in Passion was to slow down and look carefully at all of those events and what they mean to us.... continue reading
1. 10 Steps to Reading 50 Books in 2013
Josh Stringer looks at 10 ways to read 50 books in a year.
2. Lessons for a Young Preacher: Preach the Word
Dan Green shares 10 lessons he's learnt from the book 'Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry'.
3. Advice on Counselling Unbelievers
Mike McKinley highlights this advice from the Journal of Biblical Counselling.
4. 20 Directions for New Believers
Mike Leake shares these directions from Richard Baxter.
5. And finally...
Our video of the week, Mike McKinley introduces his new book, Passion:
And here, to whet your appetite, is an extract from Mike McKinley's brand new book, Passion.
Barabbas is famous for being the man who was set free instead of Jesus. We only know a few things about him. We know his name. Barabbas means “son of the father” (bar=”son”, abba=”father”). Some early manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew tell us that Barabbas’ full name was Jesus Barabbas.
We also know that he was in jail, having been found guilty of starting a riot and committing a murder. He was a dangerous criminal, a killer.
Barabbas is the opposite of the people we’d like to be, and like to think of ourselves as. But for a moment, put yourself in his shoes. You are sitting in a Roman jail awaiting your death. You know you will be crucified for your crimes. And, in your more honest moments, you know you deserve it. There aren’t many worse ways to die. And so day after day you sit in this jail, anticipating the nails, the mockery, the excruciating pain, the blood filling your lungs, the breaking of your legs. That’s your future. You don’t know when it’s coming, but you know it is coming.... continue reading
The cross of Jesus is the centre of human history. It's the centre of the Christian faith. And it changes everything we are, everything we have been, everything we will become. Or at least it should ... But it's all too easy to let the wonder that is the cross seem routine, in our thinking it can become just an historical fact that will one day get us a free pass to eternal life. All too often it doesn't always have the pivotal place in our lives that it deserves. Which is why we're so excited to be launching Mike McKinley's new book today: Passion.
Through its pages, Mike takes us on a tour of the last day of Jesus' life. He draws out the awfulness of Jesus' execution and the awesomeness of the salvation it buys in ways that will inspire and equip. Through the questions for reflection at the end of each chapter, the implications of Jesus' death are gently but challengingly brought to bear. So whether you're exploring Christianity, a new Christian or have been following Jesus for many years, this book is a great opportunity to reflect on how Christ's Passion can change everything - absolutely everything.
To buy Passion with at least 15% saving, click here if you're in the UK, or for our US customers buy Passion here. Or check back later today for a the chance to read an extract from the book ...
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2 v 1-2
Christians still mess up and sin. But God has given us the ultimate solution to sin — Jesus Christ. He sacrificed His own life to atone for our sins — to make things right with God. If we trust in Him, Jesus comes to our defence. We’ve all sinned and deserve God’s punishment, but Jesus is our defence lawyer — pointing to His own death in our place to rescue us from the death sentence.
In the light of continuing discussion this week about the Biblical view of marriage, here's an excellent book on the subject, that you can pick up for 40% off.
The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller, draws a profound portrait of marriage from the pages of Scripture that neither idealises nor rejects the institution but points us back to the relationship between God and man. The result is a vision for marriage that is refreshingly frank and unsentimental, yet hopeful and beautiful.
It retails for £12.99 but you can pick it up for the next 72 hours for only £7.79, saving 40%. Use code marriage at checkout.
On January 18th 1779, Peter Mark Roget - compiler of Roget's thesaurus - was born. He's a minor hero of mine. I like words. I like long words. And, personally, I don't think we use the phrase "systematic floccinaucinihilipilification" anywhere near enough.
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Prominent Christian leader Steve Chalke has declared himself in favour of accepting homosexual couples who are in committed same-sex relationships. In an article to be published in Christianity magazine Chalke says that after a long struggle, he has decided to announce his support for faithful same sex relationships. What are we to make of this?
If you’re reading this and you’re in (or would like to be in) a gay relationship, we’re so glad you’re here—and you could be forgiven for being a bit confused. Not about your own feelings, but about the church’s feelings towards you, and (much more importantly) God’s feelings towards you? Does He love you, or hate you?... continue reading
