The Gathering
Why is church such a frustrating, ineffective experience for so many sincere believers?
Why does the church seem to repel the very people that Jesus attracted? Why is it, that for all the dollars spent on buildings, clergy salaries, and denominational hierarchies, the institutional church seems to remain so ineffective and powerless to change our communities, let alone genuinely impact our own lives?
The simple answer is that, for too many centuries, our institutional structures have been based on a lie. We have been sold the notion that the leadership hierarchies, the clergy system, and the auditorium-based cycles of Sunday meetings are what God instructs us to do in Scripture.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Revelation
YOU CAN UNDERSTAND REVELATION. It is not a complex serious of riddles, but a simple, powerful message of hope for all believers of all generations.
Revelation was written to first-century believers who were suffering for their faith. For them, it may have seemed like Jesus was not the King after all, and that God was not in control. Rome seemed to be winning. In images understood at the time, God spoke to their perplexity, fears and sorrows. He assured them that Jesus was King, that history was under control, and that they would share in the victory already won.
That simple message has been confused and buried under endless speculations about nuclear bombs, microchips, tattoos and all manner of mystical calculations. These wild speculations have universally neglected to take into account the circumstances of those first readers to whom it was addressed, and the literary genre in which it was written.
God was writing to bless, not to scare; to give hope and encouragement, not to create confusion; and to strengthen for daily living, not to make us preoccupied with every new scary story or technological development.
Women in Christ
Does the Bible really say that women should remain silent?
Must all women silently submit to all men?
Arguments based on words and phrases abound. However, a subject as significant as the silencing of fifty percent of all believers for all time needs a far stronger foundation than a finely tuned argument based on one or two verses. The discussion needs to begin with the Gospel.
In particular, it needs to address the serious question of why it is that men can be free from every stain of Adam’s sin and yet Christ apparently cannot free women from Eve’s deception or sin.
Women In Christ has the Gospel at its foundation. It re-examines the Biblical texts and the various arguments with the one core issue in mind: What does redemption mean for women?
The Gospel of John
Volume 1
Chapters 1-12
WE LIVE IN DAYS WHEN THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST is under assault. Along with the major cults, we have a surge in denials of his true nature and victory by TV preachers and even some mainline denominations. It was into just such an atmosphere that John wrote his Gospel, his parting gift to the Body of Christ.
John did not repeat the biographies already in circulation. He compiled a very different document, carefully selecting the words, actions and claims of Jesus, to prove once and for all time that ‘Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.’ (John 20:31)
In this brief, readable volume, Ray Barnett peels back the layers to show us how John’s knowledge of the Old Testament and his love for Christ combine to create a portrait like no other.
Whether a young believer, a study leader or Bible teacher, this guide to the public ministry of Jesus in John’s Gospel will enrich your understanding and warm your heart. Avoiding unnecessary technicalities, it opens a window into Jesus as John knew him.
