Five Who Changed The World

Daniel Akin's book, Five Who Changed The World, is a collection of sermons written and preached by Dr. Akin that incorporate historical recollections of five Baptist missionaries into the exposition and presentation of Scripture. Though only 95 pages, the book is creative. The historical narratives within each sermon serve to illustrate the selected Scripture passages very well.

Five Who Changed The World, is a book that might seem repetetive to some pastors who are up on their baptist and missionary histories, but for the lay person, this book is surely a gem. I was blessed by it and I am certain you will be too. The book briefly outlines the lives of William Carey, Adoniram and Ann Judson, Bill Wallace, Lottie Moon, and Jim Elliott. Take up this quick read and be challenged by the missionary commitments of these who lived and died on the mission field for the Glory of God!

Membership Matters

Dr. Chuck Lawless is the dean of the Billy Graham School of Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His book, Membership Matters provides an in-depth look into the how and why of creating membership classes and expectations for members in the local church.

If you are struggling with getting people involved in your church, moving them from pew sitters to workers, or stopping the revolving door of church membership, Membership Matters is a tool that can help you. The book is multi-denominational and well-researched. Further, Dr. Lawless served many years as a senior pastor and he has seen this work first hand. He writes, not from the ivory tower of academia, but as one in the trenches attempting to grow the church of God.

Doctrine That Dances

I love to read, but I do not love every book I read. I love Doctrine That Dances. I have underlined over and over again within the pages of this book (I switched to underlining when my wife got tired of hearing the hightliter squeak in bed). As an African American man, Robert Smith preaches in ways that I cannot, but there is much to learn from Smith, not only because of his African American heritage, but because of his call for preachers to return to doctrinal preaching.

Doctrine does not have to be boring, and Smith makes that apparent as he compares the sermon to jazz music...living, moving, and active. Smith's book is ripe with illustrations and practical wisdom. It is as well written as it is researched, and he closes to book with two sermons to show that he can not only write about preaching, he can also construct sermons that make doctrine dance.

I was most impacted by Smith's emphasis on creating word pictures in our preaching. The sermon needs to come alive, people must experience it as well as hear it, and it is through the preacher's ability to relate doctrine through experience, illustration, and carefully crafted story-telling, that the hearer is able to experience and be impacted by the sermon.

This is a valuable new book that any serious expositor of the word can learn from. I am thankful to my friend David Easler for this gift, it has impacted my preaching in a great way.

True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In

I read about True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In in Christianity Today this month and had to have it. Choung, an IVP staffer, has created a way to share the gospel through the big picture of redemption history with a series of diagrams that will fit on a napkin. I know that as you read this, you must certainly think that is too simplistic, but remember, your tracts are smaller than a napkin!

I like Choung's focus on biblical theology and the entire picture of redemption, from creation, to the fall, to the cross, and ending not with salvation, but with the Great Commission. The youth of our world are interested in making a difference in their world, but unfortunately, many do not see how Christians make and positive difference at all. In True Story, Choung outlines his evangelism method in a narrative form that is very readable and educating. He closes the book with an overview of The Big Story of redemption. One very exciting thing about this book is that you can buy a $1.50 booklet version of the last chapter that outlines The Big Story. The booklet version would be perfect to use in training sessions. I strongly recommend this book.