Category Archives: Pastor’s Picks – Recommend Resources

These are recommend resources that we have been personally encouraged and challenged by and hope they do the same for you. It’s been said before that great leaders are readers, and we are committed to regularly reading through our Bible and never stop learning. May the Lord bless you as you grow! -Pastor Tim Molter

Book: Speaking of Jesus (The Art of Not-Evangelism) by Carl Medearis

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Tired of defending Christianity? There’s good news…you don’t have to.

Once we become a follower of Jesus we somehow pick up learning a new language called Christianize and some of us learn new ways to define who is in and who is out of the kingdom of God. But what if we are missing out on speaking to people on a level they understand and in a way we did before we came to faith in Christ? 

In “Speaking of Jesus”, author Carl Medearis draws on his experience of international reconciliation between Muslims and Christians to remind us of the heart of the matter: Jesus. In this thought provoking book he shares with us tools, stories, and the foundation we need to move beyond “us” and “them” and simply talk about the One who changes it all.

Many are ready to debate on moral positions but they can miss out on the who gave us our morals. As Carl writes, “While others are explaining and defending various -isms and -ologies we’re simply pointing people to our friend. The one who uncovers and disarms. Who leads people right to himself. The beginning and the end of the story. A good story indeed.”

This is a refreshing book about simply pointing people to Jesus and simply being reminded to speak of Jesus. The more you know Jesus the more your ready to share about Him with others (and if not spend some more time in the four Gospel accounts to learn how to engage with people in the midst of these ordinary conversations the way Jesus did).

The question I was left with after reading this book was: Where would Jesus be hanging out at in our local town, and if He would be there, why do I not go there and point people to Jesus?

How to get this resource:

 

Book: Your Home A Lighthouse (Hosting An Evangelistic Bible Study) by Bob and Betty Jacks

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If you want to reach your non-Christian friends, but church overwhelms them, this book demonstrates how to lead an evangelistic Bible study to share Jesus with others in the comfort of your own home.

Author Bob Jacks is a businessman who began to reach out to nonChristians through home Bible studies and through that ministry, he and his wife, Betty saw many come to Christ and reach their loved ones for Jesus too.

There’s no better way to warm your home than with a neighborhood evangelistic bible study. “We had never seen ourselves as evangelists or missionaries and still don’t,” write Bob and Betty Jacks. “But the relationship we had in knowing Christ was too good not to share it with others.”

So they apprehensively opened their home for a weekly Bible study. Surprised by the results, Bob and Betty quickly shed their fears and proceeded to make a significant impact on their community. This book is the practical guidebook that grew out of the Jacks’ years of experience with evangelistic studies.

In this book, you’ll learn how to start an Evangelistic Bible Study in your own home (or office or campus). You’ll find out who to invite. What to study. How to ask good questions. How to answer them. And when to encourage a decision for Christ. Remember that you can reach people your pastor never could and in your own neighborhood. 

Ultimately, what you’ll discover by reading this book is that the secret isn’t in your personal skills or influence with people. It’s in a simple, heartfelt concern for your nonChristian friends-and the power of God’s word. Now that’s the kind of housewarming your home needs!

How to get this resource:

See if the book is available from your local library – It’s free
Your Home A Lighthouse (Amazon) at: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Home-Lighthouse-Hosting-Evangelistic/dp/0891091270

Book: Tabernacle Of Promise by Will Glaspie

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Do you know the purpose of the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, or that the earthly one was a copy of the Heavenly one? There are many wonderful promises that the Tabernacle gives us and  it points us to all that we have in Jesus Christ. For example, the bread of presence and the Bread of Life, the lampstand and the Light of the World, and the mercy seat and the Cross of Christ.

All the colors, materials, measurements and procedures are symbols of God’s promise of reconciliation and they provide us with a picture of how God is making good on His promise. In this book ‘Tabernacle of Promise’, Administrative Pastor Will Glaspie of Calvary Chapel Chico shares the meaning behind the Tabernacle and it’s symbols from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

If you have ever wanted to study or learn about the Tabernacle then this is the book for you as it will walk you through why it is in the Bible and how it points us to Jesus Christ and the many promises we have as Christians. And, don’t forget that by studying the Tabernacle, we get a glimpse of what Heaven will be like as the real Tabernacle in Heaven is going to be even more spectacular.

How to get this resource:

Book: Tell Someone (You Can Share the Good News) by Greg Laurie

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The church of today has a choice: either we evangelize or we fossilize. Show me a church that doesn’t have a constant flow of new believers coming in, and I will show you a church that is stagnating. With the church of the first century, “each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

If you are like me, at some point in your past or even the present you’ve probably felt a bit of uncertainty about how to effectively share the “good news” of the Bible’s redemptive message. Understand, this book by pastor and author Greg Laurie is not written to condemn you if you have not engaged others with the gospel message. This book is written to encourage and inspire you.

Taken from the life and witness of Jesus, and tested over Greg’s forty years of ministry, these ideas are intended to mobilize every person in the church to “Tell Someone” about Jesus Christ. If you’ve struggled with evangelism then this book give you the tools you need to overcome some of the obstacles you face in sharing the gospel message. Personally I’ve appreciated the down to earth advice found in this book because it is grounded in the overriding principle of love.

How to get this resource: