Check out what Pastor Mark has to say about one of his favorite books, “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer!
“This is a book that many of us first read when it came out in the 1970s. It is a wonderfully practical book on the attributes of God. It is filled with Scripture and insightful commentary on how God being known in His greatness and glory is the greatest tool of spiritual growth.”
Here are a few of his favorite quotes:
“Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives. As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesmen to fly him to London, put him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it .The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold, as it were , with no sense of direction, and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.”
― J.I. Packer, Knowing God
“There is tremendous relief in knowing His love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me , so that no discovery can disillusion him about me , in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench his determination to bless me.”
― J.I. Packer, Knowing God
Here is a book recommendation by Mike Candy! See what he has to say about on of his favorites, “The Great Omission” by Dallas Willard.
This book is all about the Great Commission found in the gospel of Matthew 28:18-20- “18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The book works through the need to live as disciples of Jesus personally and then what it looks like to go and make disciples. The call – GREAT. The cost of NOT making disciples – maybe even greater.
Favorite quote:
“For at least several decades the churches of the Western world have not made discipleship a condition of being a Christian. One is not required to be, or to intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship.”