As we prepare to help people grow in their understanding of Scripture, at some point those we teach have questions not only about the content of the Bible but also how the Bible came to be. Thankfully there are plenty of resources on this subject, and Desiring God has compiled a list of books they recommend in these three categories:
The formation of the canon (how it was decided which books are included in the Bible)
One point of application I took away from Nic’s sermon yesterday came right off the bat- as he mentioned John G. Paton’s story and how reading about missionaries has encouraged and inspired him, I decided I wanted to do more of that myself. I suggested he put out a blog post with some recommendations…he responded by assigning me the work instead- well played. Here is the fruit of that discussion:
Why Read Biographies of Christians?
John Piper wrote a short chapter on why to read Christian biography in his book Brothers, We are Not Professionals. He points out that Hebrews 11, a summary of many of the greats of faith in the biblical story, is written to compel us to run the race of our faith well. If an author of Scripture sees value in sharing stories of faith lived out to spur his readers on, it makes sense for us to seek these too. Continue reading Learning the Stories of Christian Missionaries→
Why do we need to go to church? Why does participation in a congregation play such a central role in our lives of worship? You may ask yourself these questions or find yourself trying to answer this for someone else. Here are 12 points Donald Whitney makes in his book “Spiritual Disciplines within the Church”:
Engage & Equip 