The calling of elders is to be "shepherds of God's flock." Yet across the world elders are struggling to do that well. This very practical investigation identifies the obstacles to pastoral care from the side of the clergy, the elders, and the people themselves. A practical way forward is developed using an approach that enables the local elders themselves to find a solution.

Have you ever been deceived, rejected, hurt, despitefully used, and abused by those you love and trust? Ever suffered though the pain and shame of martial infidelity, sexual abuse, and betrayal? Well, I have! My life was a putrid pit of miry clay. No matter how hard I tried to climb out of it, I kept sinking deeper and deeper. I finally lost hope and gave up on myself and everyone else! However, Christ never gave up on me! When my circumstances were about to overwhelm me, He pulled me Out of the Miry Clay and set my feet upon a rock. Christ rescued, healed, and restored me! This book is an astounding testimony of Christ's love, mercy, grace, and healing power! Do you crave restoration, renewal, and healing? Jesus Christ can restore, heal, and rescue you from the Miry Clay of your life! Let Him minister to you through this book. Reverend Monita Dukhia has been preaching the Gospel globally for the last decade. She has a heart for those considered the least of Christ's brethren and her ministry has taken her to war-torn Sri Lanka and the jungles of Peru! She is an anointed and faithful minister of Christ, who will labour for Him under the worst circumstances. Reverend Dukhia is no stranger to grievous trials and afflictions: she bears them graciously in the name of Christ and for the sake of His Gospel. She faithfully presses onto the mark of the prize of Higher calling in God through Christ Jesus. Her global ministry - "The Lion of Judah Ministries,"- is a beacon of hope to those lost without Christ in a dying world. The proceeds from this book will be used to plant Gospel churches, set up orphanages and empowerment centres for the poor in developing countries.

In Building the Body of Christ, Daniel C. Cochran argues that monumental Christian art and architecture played a crucial role in the formation of individual and communal identities in late antique Italy. The ecclesiastical buildings and artistic programs that emerged during the fourth and fifth centuries not only reflected Christianity’s changing status within the Roman Empire but also actively shaped those who used them. Emphasizing the importance of materiality and the body in early Christian thought and practice, Cochran shows how bishops and their supporters employed the visual arts to present a Christian identity rooted in the sacred past but expressed in the present through church unity and episcopal authority. He weaves together archaeological and textual evidence to contextualize case studies from Rome, Aquileia, and Ravenna, showing how these sites responded to the diversity of early Christianity as expressed through private rituals and the imperial appropriation of the saints. Cochran shows how these early ecclesiastical buildings and artistic programs worked in conjunction with the liturgy to persuade individuals to adopt alternative beliefs, practices, and values that contributed to the formation of institutional Christianity and the “Christianization” of late antique Italy.

First Published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Jesus is the true bread of life, come down from heaven. His flesh, His true humanity, is our bread of life; this He gives for the life of the world. We are in Him no longer the sinful and death-bound sons of fallen Adam, but the just and life-bound people of the last Adam. Christ gives us His flesh, His glorious humanity, so that we are remade into people of righteousness and eternal life. In this commentary the author maps out the glorious gospel of John, starting from the obvious parallel to Genesis 1 ("In the beginning was the Word") and through to the glorious conclusion of Christ's death and resurrection. Nothing more clearly reveals the gospel than Christ's atoning death and His resurrection. They tell us that Jesus Christ has destroyed the power of sin and death. John therefore deliberately limits the number of miracles he reports in order to point to and concentrate on our Lord's death and resurrection. The Jesus of history is He who made atonement for us, died and was resurrected. His life cannot be understood apart from this, nor can we know His history in any other light. This is why John's "testimony is true," and, while books filling the earth could not contain all that could be said, the testimony given by John is "faithful."

Jesus Christ came to give us the kingdom and proved this by casting out demons, signs and wonders, fulfilling scripture and the resurrection from the dead. Pentecost brought us into the life of Christ. This book explores this life, treating the following topics. It challenges us to a Christian life to reach the world with the gospel: Christian Heritage Theology Spirit baptism Sanctification Election Israel Spiritual warfare The gifts The law and prophets Christ's Kingdom End-times Missions Education Christian life

Are You Called to Ministry? Those who are involved in full-time ministry often say they have been “called” to do what they do. But what does that mean? Who does the “calling,” and how is it received? In Prepare Them to Shepherd, pastor Brian Croft unpacks the biblical model for preparing individuals for full-time ministry. In the past, training and sending individuals into full-time pastoral ministry and missionary work was viewed as the responsibility of the local church. Today, much of that responsibility has been delegated to Bible colleges, seminaries, and parachurch and mission organizations. The aim of Prepare Them to Shepherd is to challenge local churches to recover the biblical model for ministerial training and assume responsibility to identify and prepare gifted and godly individuals for service in Christ’s body. Part of the Practical Shepherding series of books, this insightful book provides pastors and ministry leaders with the practical help they need to test, train, affirm, and send those who are called into ministry.

Discover firsthand the Reformers' innovative readings of the Old Testament prophets Ezekiel and Daniel. Familiar passages like Ezekiel's vision of the wheels or Daniel's four beasts are revitalized as they take the stage at this pivotal moment in history.