The Gospel According to Paul

The Gospel According to Paul is John MacArthur's breakdown of Paul's letters in the Bible as well as the missionary trips Paul undertook. John takes care to expound on the truths contained in Paul's letters as they relate to the teachings of Jesus. Not only that but John helps us to understand key passages in the Pauline letters. This book functions almost like a commentary on key passages of Pauline Epistles. 

John MacArthur makes sure to examine key passages in the Pauline letters. MacArthur asks some key questions that are the foundation of our faith and answers them with Scripture and uses Paul's letters to do so. Some of those questions are:

What is the gospel?

What are the essential elements of the gospel?

How can we be certain we have it right?

We NEED to know and understand and digest the gospel. We should know what the gospel is and be able to explain to the next person as well as know Scripture to back it up. We should know the essential elements of the gospel like who is Jesus, who is the Holy Spirit, who is God. We should know their relationship and how they relate to us. We should know the function of the church and those within the church like your pastor. We should know what God likes and dislikes. We should know why God allowed Jesus to come here. And those are the types of questions that John MacArthur asks and helps us to understand.


{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

Pastoral Theology

This book seems to focus on the what rather than the do of pastors. What do they believe, why do they believe it and how it impacts those they lead. 

I believe this book is hugely important because pastors play such a role in the body of Christ that they are responsible for shepherding God's people and their hearts. And that is what this book addresses. It addresses the different rhetoric and ways that we fall by the wayside. It helps those in ministry (even those not pastors) to see the areas in which they are relying more on theology and knowledge rather than God, Himself. One of my favorite quotes is that "The required characteristics establish the pastor as a representative of the One whom he ultimately serves and to whom he must give an account." To be a pastor is more than preaching on Sundays and collecting an offering. It is more than a platform. But rather a pastor is a representative of God and ultimately that is who they serve and report to. The church board is not the highest authority the pastor is accountable to. And as such pastors must be aware of and meet the characteristics set forth by God's Word. This even applies to those who simply operate a ministry but may not be a pastor. 

The book approaches pastorship and ministry from a theological, Christological, pneumatological, anthropological, ecclesiological, missiological, ministerial, homiletical, and familial perspectives. By approaching from these many perspectives (each receiving their own chapter) the authors help us view pastorship and ministry from different angles so that we grasp the accountability of the roles we find ourselves in. And how we are responsible for them. 

I recommend this book to those in any form of ministry, not just those in a pastorship, although I highly recommend those in or training for the pastorship.

{FYI, I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.}

Kingdom Family Devotional

Every family that chooses to walk as followers of Christ is a kingdom family. And as much as we would like it to be just ingrained knowledge. It isn't. It takes consistency in boundaries and consistency in trusting God to guide us in guiding our children.

Many Christian parents will tell you that they know they need God and His Word in rearing their children BUT they don't know where to start in scripture or how to make spending time in God's Word a consistent element of their family's routine.

That is what Kingdom Family Devotional does for Christian families. It helps us with the framework for actively and consistently engaging in God's Word as a family. It doesn't require a whole lot of knowledge to do but the willingness to do.

It is a weekly devotional with individual devotions for Monday-Friday. Each week focuses on a specific topic and each day in that week delivers on that week's topic. Each day starts with a Scripture reading (which you have to look up so it is quite wise to keep a bible handy) and goes into the devotional.

I definitely recommend this for families that want or need that initial guideline to spending time together in God's Word.



{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}