Popular author, catechist, and creator of The Religion Teacher website Jared Dees learned a valuable lesson from his students: teaching is not the same as evangelization. He found instead—as in Jesus’ own ministry—if you focus first on healing the wounded, then proclaiming the Word of God, and finally teaching, you can bring people of all ages to Christ. Using examples from his own teaching, stories from the Bible, and the lives of the saints, Dees offers a fresh and engaging approach and practical ideas for following the ministry of Jesus in your own work. Jesus had a threefold ministry on Earth: to heal the sick and wounded, proclaim the Good News, and teach those who became his disciples. It’s an approach imitated by the saints throughout history and continues to be the cornerstone of successful ministry in parishes, Catholic schools, and other vibrant programs today. Jared Dees—author of 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator—will help you understand how Jesus’ ministry transformed lives through biblical examples such as Paul, Bartimaeus, the centurion’s servant, and the woman at the well. He shares the importance of healing through the ministries of saints, such as Mother Teresa, Br. André Bessette, Ignatius of Loyola, and Fr. Damien of Molokai. In To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach, Dees offers practical examples of how to apply Jesus’ threefold ministry to everyday life: allow yourself to be constantly evangelized; learn to help others through both good and bad times; and root yourself in community. He also suggests examples of ministries that are effectively reaching the faithful of all ages today, including Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Life Teen, Teens Encounter Christ, Theology on Tap, FOCUS, and Christ Renews His Parish. Dees will guide you with practical ways to imitate Jesus’ ministry in your own classrooms and faith formation programs at all levels. To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach was a 2017 winner of the Association of Catholic Publishers Excellence in Publishing Award: Resources for Ministry (Third Place) and the Catholic Press Association Book Award: Pastoral Ministry (Third Place).

Based on a close reading of New Testament passages, Choi counters the theses on repentance and restitution proposed by New Testament scholar E. P. Sanders.

This commentary for preaching Matthew, a companion to WJK's successful Preaching the Gospel of Luke, Preaching the Gospel of John, and Preaching the Gospel of Mark, works through every passage of Matthew's Gospel with exegetical insight and a keen sensitivity to the demands of preaching. Stanley P. Saunders' commentary follows the biblical text, divided into passages. After each passage, a number of possibilities are presented for how to preach that text. He includes a wealth of creative and pertinent tips to help preachers apply Matthew's narrative to the lives of today's churchgoers.

Life is a journey, and as we walk through life, we sometimes need guidance on how to go about reaching our final destination. This is due to the fact that life is full of challenges, issues, and temptations that it might seem like walking on a bumpy road full of potholes. In order for us to locate these potholes as we walk along, we need guidance as a warning sign so as to be aware when we need to slow down or avoid them in order to minimize damage along the way. Most drivers today use navigation satellite system, which guides them along the way when they are driving so that they can reach their final destination and minimize chances of getting lost, which could prolong the journey and also proves to be time-consuming. In the same way, we also need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to live a desired Christian life. The Holy Spirit is our perfect guide because He knows all things and is also ready to teach us everything we need in life that would help us go through challenges with less stress. He can warn us of any danger that we might encounter ahead of time and also equip us in order to overcome challenges and issues we might come across in life.

Re•lent•less (ri lent/lis): an attitude or posture that is resolute, uncompromising, persistent, unyielding, constant, unstoppable, ruthless. The opposite of slacken, waver, or concede. If ever there was a need for followers of Jesus to be resolute in purpose, uncompromising for truth, persistent in faith, unyielding in hope, constant in love, and unstoppable in advancing the kingdom…it’s now! God is ruthless in His love and pursuit of us; it’s time for His Bride to reflect the same passion. John Bevere explores how people of Bible times and today became relentless: John the Baptist spent years living in a barren desert. Jesus endured hardship in a desolate wilderness of temptation. Both men emerged strong in the “power of the Spirit,” relentless in not just getting through challenges but in ruling over their circumstances. Ultimately, they succeeded in their God-given life mission. In Relentless, you’ll learn how even seemingly impossible situations were never meant to stop you but to propel you forward in your journey. Discover in these biblically grounded truths how you can thrive no matter what your season of life. How you begin is not nearly as important as how you finish. Embrace your trials and become relentless! Questions for reflection and discussion included!

Ministerial Ethics provides both new and experienced pastors with tools for sharpening their personal and professional decision-making skills. The authors seek to explain the unique moral role of the minister and the ethical responsibilities of the vocation and to provide "a clear statement of the ethical obligations contemporary clergy should assume in their personal and professional lives." Trull and Carter deal with such areas as family life, confidentiality, truth-telling, political involvement, working with committees, and relating to other church staff members. First published in 1993, this edition has been thoroughly updated throughout and contains expanded sections on theological foundations, the role of character, confidentiality, and the timely topic of clergy sexual abuse. Appendices describing various denominational ministerial codes of ethics are included.

A book for all who want to respond to Jesus’ challenge to “Go and make disciples”.

Elder Moses Johnson Sr. and Elder Vivian Mackey-Johnson are ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Moses, educated in the West Indies at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Technology (UTech), both in Kingston, Jamaica, and at the Virginia Union University Theological Seminary, was a teacher at Tivoli Garden High School in Jamaica and Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School in New York State. Elder Vivian attended Norfolk State University on a full scholarship in journalism after which she worked for Newsday in Melville New York for nineteen years. Elder Vivian now works as an insurance sales manager for a prominent insurance company and ministers to the elderly in Orlando, Florida, where she lives with her husband and their son Moses Jr. God brought Elder Moses and Elder Vivian together, giving them a heart for evangelism, missions, and ministering to hurting people through the Word of God. They thank God for what He has done and look forward to what He will do in the future. Together they minister in Share Some Love House of Prayer Evangelistic Ministries, which started as a home Bible study in the year 2000. The ministry has expanded to include the website, a Facebook group, and a Facebook "Daily Encouragement" page. All their children are grown except Moses Jr., who was born in 2007 and is still at home. They have ministered together in many arenas, including serving as guest hosts of the New York Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) television show Praise the Lord. To God be the glory!

Grow your faith. Transform your life. Cultivate a deeper relationship with God through Adult Bible Studies. This resource, endorsed by the Curriculum Resources Committee of The United Methodist Church, offers a year-round, weekly Bible study plan for Sunday school classes and other small groups. Each weekly lesson offers background and focal Scriptures, key verses, and doctrinally sound and relevant biblical interpretation and application in a readable font size. Annual plans provide comprehensive coverage of the Bible, special lessons during the church seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter, and suggestions for developing spiritual practices such as prayer, worship, community, and service, among many others. Adult Bible Studies is a reliable companion and guide for learning and growing in Christian faith. The Kit includes a teacher’s book and a Concise Commentary that are supplementary and complementary to the Adult Bible Studies student book. The teacher’s book provides biblical background, exposition, and suggestions for leading weekly group discussions and nurturing spiritual practices among class members. Small group leaders, teachers, and facilitators—both seasoned and just starting out—love the easy-to-use format and the wealth of information provided to prepare for each week’s discussion. Based on the trusted Abingdon Basic Bible Commentary, the Concise Commentary provides expert biblical Commentary for the focal Bible passages used in Adult Bible Studies. The Commentary includes each Sunday’s focal Bible passages, unit introductions, and expert Commentary on each passage. Plus, you can pronounce everything correctly with the included pronunciation guide for Bible names and places. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to enhance your preparation and teaching with the help of these resources! With the help of the Adult Bibles Studies Student Book, Teacher/Commentary Kit, and DVD, your group will embrace that it’s not just about learning - it’s about living out biblical teachings. Additional information about Adult Bible Studies, Fall 2023 Theme: God Provides This fall, our Bible lessons follow the theme “God Provides” and remind us of the ways God meets our needs and of God’s call to us to help those who lack life’s essentials of food, water, and shelter. The writer of the teacher book is Clara Welch. Unit 1 Food Scripture recognizes that hunger, famine, and food insecurity make people vulnerable to a variety of threats. It also testifies to God’s generous provision of food for humans and wild creatures and to human responsibility to help those who are hungry and in need. From God’s provision of manna in the wilderness to divine provision during famine, from Jesus’ feeding of crowds to his teaching of a new way of being with the poor and marginalized through table fellowship, Scripture bears witness to God’s graciousness and our responsibility as its recipients. Bible lessons in this unit are based on Exodus 16, 1 Kings 19, Mark 6, and Luke 14. Spiritual Practice: Feasting Unit 2 Water Like food insecurity, water insecurity threatens human life and the earth’s species of plants and animals. Scripture uses the water motif in many ways. Water is dangerous as it represents a metaphor for chaos, historical enemies, God’s judgment, devastation of drought-stricken land, and personal distress. As well, water is a gift from God for the flourishing of all creation, refreshment for body and soul, and source of eternal life embodied in Jesus. Thirst for water and provision of water are metaphors for the human relationship with God. Bible lessons in this unit are based on Genesis 21, Exodus 17, Psalm 42, John 7, and Matthew 25. Spiritual Practice: Creation Care Unit 3 Shelter In major cities and small towns across the country, many people have lived experience with homelessness. One of the major causes of homelessness is rooted in childhood trauma. Mental illness, sometimes stemming from such trauma, is another contributing factor, among others. Exploring the theme of shelter in Scripture cannot find ancient analogies for what today is becoming a crisis compounded by economic and social vulnerabilities. Even so, we can imagine and extrapolate, based on related themes and texts, that the physical security of home is a relevant theological construct then as now. Although various texts may make it easy to rush to focus our attention on spiritual shelter in God’s presence, those who experience such a home in God find resources to extend hospitality and care through various means with those who today are experiencing homelessness. Bible lessons in this unit are based on Exodus 29, Psalm 27, Deuteronomy 8, and John 1. Spiritual Practice: Hospitality Visit AdultBibleStudies.com and sign up for the weekly newsletter to automatically receive the FREE Current Events Supplement and other information about these resources and more!