FINALLY, a book that takes you beyond programs and spells out exactly how to put spiritual growth on steroids in your church. Here is an exciting way to think synergistically and dramatically accelerate authentic life change. There has never been a book more urgent to read than this one in our impersonal society and spiritually impoverished world. Radical Small Groups is a cutting edge resource to bring vitality to your group and transformation to your church! The foundational concept here is that small groups should be an intrigal part of a dynamic approach to ministry, not an isolated program. The result? A powerful synergism between Sunday school, worship, Bible studies, and small groups all producing true life change! Bring true vitality to your group or church with the biblical principles taught here. No other book will give you such a comprehensive and practical vision of the Great Commission to, "make disciples". If you read only one book this year to add purpose to your life, and life in your church, this is the one! Whether you are starting a group, beginning a small group ministry, or want to take existing groups to a new level, this revolutionary book is a must read! In this book you will be challenged to: Develop dynamic and healthy small group Gain a new vision to accelerate community in your church See how to develop a vital transformational mall group ministry Think outside the box for radical life change! "If you want to travel fast, go alone. If you want to travel far, go together." ~African Proverb

Making Radical Disciples A complete training system for mission trips, house churches, disciple groups, and believers wanting to fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20. Developed and field-tested in Southeast Asia over a seven-year period, learners experience hands-on training in how to imitate Christ in their daily lives.

Taking as his starting-point Jesus' saying in Matt 8:22, "Let the dead bury the dead," Professor Hengel subjects Jesus' discipleship sayings to a rigorous historical scrutiny. The sharp break with contemporary Jewish mores in Matt 8:22 leads Hengel to a consideration of other contemporary forms of discipleship -- Cynic, Rabbinic, and Zealot. Rejecting the view that Jesus was some kind of rabbi, Hengel argues that there are, despite the obvious fundamental differences, closer similarities between Jesus and the charismatic-prophetic leaders of the Maccabean-Zealot tradition. Both his call to leave all and go after him and his freedom and authority over against the Law place him closer to the Zealots than to the scribes and their disciples whose relationship was foremost that of teacher and pupil. Thus Professor Hengel's magisterial command of Jewish and Hellenistic first-century material is here brought to bear on the figure of Jesus and we are given a remarkable series of historical insights into the character of Jesus' ministry and his work with his disciples. What emerges is a picture of Jesus fully as a man of his time but one whose authority is unique and whose call to share his fate in the service of the imminent Kingdom is without equivalent among his contemporaries. It is Professor Hengel's belief that the way to a proper understanding of Jesus' teaching can be only through the detailed critical study of the whole body of the synoptic sayings and pericopae. What he offers here takes its starting point in only one such pericope; yet the flood of light that this study sheds on Jesus' teaching and life is such that this book stands as one of the most important contributions to the continuing enquiry into the historical Jesus.

What can we do when we feel stuck? Sam Van Eman has found that our spiritual lives need disruptive experiences to jolt and reorient us. Filled with concrete examples of how ordinary people are shaped by pursuing these out-of-the-ordinary experiences, this book provides a path to deeper faith on purpose.

This provocative study argues that the 'believers' church' should draw on Catholic, Reformed, and Lutheran thought to find a solid basis for Christian political action. The book believes that a 'believers' church' ethic has points of continuity with the quest for social justice in the larger society. Rather than separating discipleship from political life or uncritically baptizing political projects, the believers' church may appeal to natural law as a basis for cooperation with others toward the end of a more just society. The volume draws upon various historical theologians and a variety of contemporary figures to affirm a God-given moral capacity in humans that makes a tolerably just political order possible.

"The life and ministry of Manny Mill is another evidence that a reformed vision of God’s sovereign grace ignites radical, risk-taking ministries of mercy, not passive fatalism. May his story set ten thousand captives free—including those who have never been in prison." — John Piper, founder, Desiring God Ministries --------------------------------------------------------------- “I could have been dead so many times. I always spent more money than I had, I was always in over my head, and I was always involved in too many things at one time…Everything I did was with me in mind.” — Manny Mill Descending into a life of debauchery, Manny Mill found himself teetering on the edge of personal and financial disaster. In this candid and vividly personal book, Manny tells how His pursuit of pleasure led him to the depths of human despair. A declared fugitive of the law, he was running from the FBI when he ran into Christ and a life of radical redemption. Manny’s experiences will thrill you. His faith will inspire you. And his words will challenge you to think about your life, your relationship with the God of the universe, and your own need for a radical redemption.

Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory: Text and Readings provides students with the best of both worlds—carefully-edited excerpts from the original works of sociology′s key thinkers accompanied by an analytical framework that discusses the lives, ideas, and historical circumstances of each theorist. This unique format enables students to examine, compare, and contrast each theorist’s major themes and concepts.