GROUNDED IN THE GOSPEL: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way by J.I. Packer and Gary A. Parrett

This amazing collaboration of two men whose lifelong passion has been to edify the individual and collective Body of Christ and to glorify their Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ is a call for the Church to return to its roots and go "old school" in missions, evangelism, and discipleship. It is a well articulated plea to once again use "catechesis" as the primary means of grounding believers as well as guiding seekers into the faith once delivered. It is amazing how God seems to lead us in "our" reading selections. I just finished THE EMMAUS ROAD, THE CHURCH AWAKENING, and THE MISSION OF GOD'S PEOPLE. All books of a similar bent, i.e. we (The Church as individuals and collective Body of Christ) need to develop stronger relationships with our triune God and our brothers/sisters in Christ. All these books bemoan the ignorance of today's believers regarding the Gospel, the Scriptures, and the foundations/fundamentals of our faith. The consequences of that ignorance is readily apparent in the pathetic state of the Church today.

I have been chastised, challenged by Paul the Apostle's example. How many of us, when asked by a seeker/believer, "How do I LIVE the Christian life," could say as Paul did, "Imitate ME?!!!"  I am haunted by that question and its followup, "Why not?!

These books also mention some good resources: New Tribes FIRM FOUNDATIONS, the ALPHA course, and CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED. I have the New Tribes materials and they are OUTSTANDING! I also like THE NAVIGATORS courses on discipleship and also a book by Derek Prince on the foundations of our faith (sorry can't remember the name right now).

Let's answer His UPWARD call!

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  • Thanks for sharing this. Sounds like one I want to read. I find myself being drawn back to the "Old" too. There's depth and richness of faith that isn't always found in more contemporary literature. In an effort to make things "seeker sensitive" things seem to get watered down. Personally, I walk away hungry from much of it.
  • I hear you, Jenni. I read somewhere that Jesus NEVER read the NEW Testament. He often referred to the Prophets, The Law, and The Psalms as speaking of Him. I would have loved to been on the the Emmaus Road disciples and heard that amazing Bible study conducted by Jesus Himself! You know?

    I just finished a study in the Book of Isaiah. It is amazing how clearly you can see Jesus in those scriptures.
    Jenni Biegler said:
    Thanks for sharing this. Sounds like one I want to read. I find myself being drawn back to the "Old" too. There's depth and richness of faith that isn't always found in more contemporary literature. In an effort to make things "seeker sensitive" things seem to get watered down. Personally, I walk away hungry from much of it.
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