Great Books for New Believers

These two books are awesome in understanding your position of grace and unconditional love under Jesus Christ's care.  In "The Prodigal God" by Tim Keller, the most revealing descriptions were of the two sons in the parable of "The Prodigal Son," in describing what they were truly searching after. He assessed the first as searching after moral duty and the second for self discovery. Further, he detailed how these pursuits would have cost their father greatly.

Keller reminds readers that the parable has an open ending, leaving you with a question of how the story can be applied. For myself, I took a more serious look at my own longing for self discovery in the past. With the Lord's leading, I have been able to have much victory over sinful areas that I've wrestled with over the years, but with my own "fixing" or "searching" I've also led myself down roads that brought distance in my relationship with Jesus and distracted me from spiritual matters. I appreciated his insight on the dangers of self discovery.

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My favorite quote in the book come from one of the attenders at Keller's church.  She said, "If I was saved by my good works-then there would be a limit to what God could ask of me or put me through.  I would be like a taxpayer with rights.  I would have done my duty and now I would deserve a certain quality of life.  But if it is really true that I am a sinner saved by sheer grace--at God's infinite cost, then there's nothing he cannot ask of me."

Keller adds, "She could see immediately that the wonderful-beyond-belief teaching of salvation by sheer grace had two edges to it.  On the one hand it cut away slavish fear.  God loves us freely, despite our flaws and failures.  Yet she also knew that if Jesus had really done this for her--she was not her own.  She was bought with a price."

Now, with "Be Transformed" I was immediately drawn to the cover.  Every time I look at it I am inspired.  This study was written through the discipleship process.  It is amazing what is covered and how well everything is explained.  The study covers dealing with guilt, managing emotions and dealing with expectations.  I came across this study because a dear friend uses it with people who have questions in their faith.  He has permission from the publisher to give a "copied" first chapter to them, and if they keep going, he'll buy the book for them.

How inspiring is that?  I am blessed to know him and want to emulate this kind of investment to those who are searching for truth.  Scope Ministries have done an excellent job in articulating the love of God, and my favorite illustration is of the garbage in the basement!  (that's all I'm gonna say about that, you'll have to read it for the whole story!)