The Bible Speaks Today Themes 2 (BST) (12 vols.)

by Peter Morden; Peter Hicks; Bruce Milne; Derek Tidball; Keith Warrington

and

8 more

Publisher:

Inter-Varsity

, 2000–2018

Overview

Companions to the Bible Speaks Today commentaries, the volumes of the Bible Speaks Today Bible Themes Series highlight the message of key biblical texts in support of various facets of Christian belief. Rooted in Christian heritage and conversant with contemporary culture, this series provides a rich resource for preaching, teaching and spiritual growth. This is a growing series and not yet complete, with more volume being published regularly.

Key Features

• Provides a thoughtful examination of important biblical themes
• Contains insights from various Biblical scholars
• Illustrates the contemporary relevance of Scripture

Product Details

• Title: The Bible Speaks Today Themes 2 (12 vols.)
• Series: The Bible Speaks Today (BST)
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Volumes: 12
• Pages: 3,332
• Christian Group: Evangelicals
• Resource Type: Monographs
• Topic: Biblical Theology

The Message of Discipleship: Authentic Followers Of Jesus In Today's World

• Author: Peter Morden
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 276

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Soon after Jesus began his public ministry, he called his first ‘disciples’. He would teach and train them and then, after his death and resurrection, commission and empower them to go to the nations to make more ‘followers’. The risen Jesus is still calling and sending people today. If we heed his call, the result can be just as transformative and as exciting as it was for the first disciples.

While there are no explicit occurrences of the term ‘disciple’ outside the Gospels and Acts, with only two further biblical references to ‘followers’ of Jesus, it is Peter Morden’s conviction that we need the entire Bible if we are going to be whole-life disciples. He reflects on Scripture and asks the primary question, ‘How do we live as committed disciples of Jesus today?’ He explores the foundations, resources and practice of discipleship in a range of Old and New Testament texts.

Peter Morden is Senior Pastor at South Parade Baptist Church, Leeds, and Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Spurgeon’s College, London. He previously served as Vice Principal at Spurgeon's.

The Message of Evil and Suffering: Light Into Darkness

• Author: Peter Hicks
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2006
• Pages: 288

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Evil and suffering may be a mystery to us, but they are not a mystery to God. The Bible writers have no time for an unreal idealism, in which the life of faith is free from anguish, pain and perplexity. They are confident that God's power and wisdom are great enough not just to cope with the realities of suffering and evil, but to overcome and transform them, and to enable us to be 'more than conquerors' in a broken and hurting world.

With warmth and clarity, Peter Hicks expounds a range of relevant biblical texts that enable us to set the issue of evil and suffering firmly in the context of the nature and purposes of God. Central to his approach is the conviction that the key lies in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the suffering and triumph of God himself. In valuable practical sections he explores the Bible's teaching on how we are to live in a world of evil and suffering.

Peter Hicks is a Baptist pastor who for many years was on the staff of London School of Theology, lecturing in philosophy and pastoral care. He is the author of a number of books.

The Message of Heaven and Hell

• Author: Bruce Milne
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2002
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

When death breaks into our lives, the great questions of human existence and destiny confront us. What is life? What is death? Is there an afterlife? Often it is only in the midst of tragedy that these issues are given much attention - but the basic orientation of Christianity is towards heavenly hope.

Bruce Milne takes us on a journey through the biblical teaching about the awesome realities of heaven and hell - destinies central to our understanding of God and humanity. He begins with an examination of some key Old Testament texts, then moves on to the teaching of Jesus, and finally surveys other relevant New Testament passages.

Bruce Milne was pastor of First Baptist Church in Vancouver, Canada, for many years. Today he travels the globe, preaching, teaching and encouraging pastoral leaders.

The Message of Holiness

• Author: Derek Tidball
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2010
• Pages: 304

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

“We are all flawed masterpieces,” says Derek Tidball. “In one way or another, and to one degree or another, the image of God in which we were formed has become marred and corrupted. Holiness is about the restoration of that image. In his innermost nature God is holy, and to be fully and truly human is to conform to and reflect his holiness in our lives.”

The concern for holiness has been central to the evangelical movement since its inception - and the way evangelical Christians have understood it has been far from uniform. In this wide-ranging volume, Tidball expounds key biblical passages by letting them speak for themselves, rather than adopting a systematic perspective. His ultimate objective is to see the lives of God’s people increasingly transformed, in conformity with his character.

Derek Tidball is a British theologian, sociologist of religion and Baptist minister. From 1995 to 2007 he was the principal of London Bible College which later took the name London School of Theology.

The Message of Mission

• Author: Howard Peskett
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 288

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The root of the word “mission” means “sending.” All Christian mission has its fountainhead in the God revealed in Scripture, who sent his Son for us, sends his Spirit to us, and summons all people to himself. The privilege and responsibility of his church, sent into all the world, is to testify by his words and deeds to Jesus Christ, God's unique son, crucified, risen and ascended.

The East-West partnership in missiological exploration expounds a variety of Old and New Testament texts, and examines a wide range of issues. The authors’ desire is that Jesus Christ might be glorified more and more in the church and in the world; their eager expectation is that one day the whole creation will find its consummation in him, and God will be all and in all.

Howard Peskett is the UK Scholarships Administrator of the Langham Partnership International, a program founded by John Stott, providing scholarships for Majority World students to do doctoral studies in various countries. Previously he worked in preaching, teaching and theological training in Singapore and East Asia with OMF International, and at Trinity College Bristol, where he was Vice Principal until 2006.

The Message of Prayer: Approaching The Throne Of Grace

• Author: Tim Chester
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 272

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Many books on the practice of prayer seem to be informed more by the experiences of their authors than by Scripture. However, the Bible not only teaches us about prayer, it also gives us many examples of prayer. It is God's Word to us, and it teaches us how to respond to that Word.

Tim Chester’s insightful exposition of this central aspect of Christian living is driven by the conviction that we need to reform not only our thinking and behavior in the light of God's Word, but also our praying. Drawing on a wide range of biblical texts, he explores the foundations and the practice of prayer, and shows that how we understand prayer is necessarily bound up with how we understand the gospel, and God himself.

Tim Chester (PhD, University of Wales) is a faculty member of Crosslands and a pastor with Grace Church, Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire. He is an author or coauthor of over thirty books, including A Meal with Jesus; Reforming Joy; and, with Michael Reeves, Why the Reformation Still Matters.

The Message of the Holy Spirit

• Author: Keith Warrington
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 272

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Despite the teaching of the Bible and church tradition, it seems that many Christians can still lack an appreciation of God the Holy Spirit. He has sometimes been valued more for the gifts he bestows than for who he is; or he has been viewed simply as the “third person of the Godhead.”

However, Keith Warrington's conviction is that the Holy Spirit is more important, more central, more immanently involved in his creation, the church, and individual believers, more often and more strategically, than many Christians realize. When Jesus left his disciples and went to heaven, he gave the best gift he could–the Holy Spirit–knowing that he will be our dynamic guide and partner as we seek to live as God's people. In this practical, biblically based exploration of the Spirit, Warrington encourages believers to recognize that the same Spirit seeks to encounter us and desires that we encounter him.

Keith Warrington is Vice-Principal and Director of Doctoral Studies, Regents Theological College, England

The Message of the Person of Christ: The Word Made Flesh

• Author: Robert Letham
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2013
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

From the earliest pages of the Old Testament, the person of Jesus Christ is the key to the Bible’s story of God’s unfolding plan to glorify himself in the salvation of the human race from sin, misery and death. At first oblique, the plot gathers pace, and as time passes the picture comes into ever greater focus, until eventually and in vivid clarity, all points to this one person, identified by angels, by John the Baptist, by the apostles and—above all—by his incarnation, life and works, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension: Jesus Christ, the Deliverer and Savior foretold and promised throughout.

Robert Letham’s purpose is to show how the Bible, progressively and in ever greater detail, speaks to us of its central figure, Jesus Christ. With clarity and conviction, he expounds a range of key Old and New Testament texts and investigates the main scriptural themes, in the order in which they appear, as he focuses on the narrative that traces the emergence of God’s plan. In doing so, he stands with the Christian church down the ages in affirming that this is the key to understanding what the Bible, in its essential unity, is all about.

Robert Letham (MAR, ThM, Westminster Theological Seminary; PhD, Aberdeen University) is professor of systematic and historical theology at Union School of Theology in Bridgend, Wales, and the author of a number of books, including The Holy Trinity, The Lord's Supper, and Union with Christ.

The Message of the Resurrection: Christ Is Risen!

• Author: Paul Beasley-Murray
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 192

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The message of the Resurrection, believes Paul Beasley-Murray, is not just for Easter. It lies at the heart of the gospel and of the New Testament. It is good news for every day of the year. This accessible and practical exposition takes us back to the firsthand, vivid accounts of the key witnesses who saw the risen and very tangible Jesus: Matthew, Mark Luke, John, Paul, Peter and others. We are brought afresh to the distinctive records that together provide a full-orbed picture of the dramatic days following Christ's resurrection. We see the true meaning of this event, which changed human history forever.

Paul Beasley-Murray is senior minister at a thriving Baptist church in southern England. A graduate of Cambridge University, he later earned his doctorate in New Testament studies at Manchester University. He has served as a missionary in Congo (Zaire) and as principal of Spurgeon's College in London.

The Message of the Trinity: Life In God

• Author: Brian Edgar
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 336

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The belief that God is a Trinity—one God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit—is fundamental to Christianity, central to the whole understanding of the divine nature and the story of human salvation. Although the term 'Trinity' does not appear in the Bible, it expresses thoroughly biblical teaching. It was developed by the early Christians as the only way to account for the revelation of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Brian Edgar’s conviction is that the Trinity is fundamentally simple, thoroughly practical and theologically central—not abstract, obscure or irrelevant. With warmth and clarity, he expounds a range of biblical texts to show that God can indeed be known, and experienced in Christian life and ministry, in his glorious three-in-oneness.

Brian Edgar is director of theology and public policy for the Australian Evangelical Alliance.

The Message of the Word of God

• Author: Tim Meadowcroft
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 288

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“Any coherent comment on what the Bible says about the Bible, the Christian Scriptures,” says Tim Meadowcroft, “must address the wider notion that God speaks.” Accordingly, his fresh, wide-ranging exposition of 'the message of the word of God' is structured around four key propositions.

The first is the extraordinary, fundamental reality that God speaks—and that when he speaks, he acts. This introduces us to the breadth of God’s speaking, both in the text of Scripture and by means of the world that he has created. Secondly, God speaks in the written words of Scripture in a particular way: this is because the biblical texts are unique. Thirdly, God speaks in Christ: the word of God is finally and fully revealed and heard in the person of Jesus, the incarnate Word. From this it follows that the word of God in Scripture is a witness to the revelation of God in Jesus, that Jesus provides a model for interpretation of the Scriptures, and that the Scriptures are best understood and interpreted in the light of Christ. The fourth proposition is that God speaks today: his voice continues to be heard in the light of Christ and through the reading of Scripture. Throughout, Meadowcroft shows how God's speaking is concerned with his glory, and calls into being his people—who themselves are to live out and declare the word of God to others.

Tim Meadowcroft is senior lecturer in biblical studies and head of the School of Theology, Mission and Ministry at Laidlaw College, Auckland, New Zealand. His books include a commentary on Haggai and a coauthored commentary on Daniel.

The Message of Women: Creation, Grace And Gender

• Authors: Derek Tidball and Dianne Tidball
• Publisher: IVP UK
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 304

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Women appear in key places and roles throughout the biblical story-line. In the Old Testament we find Eve in the garden of Eden; the matriarchs Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel; Deborah and Ruth in the time of the Judges; the prophetesses Huldah in King Josiah’s time; the capable woman of Proverbs 31; the passionate woman in the Song of Songs. In the Gospels, various women are involved in the life of Jesus, not least his mother Mary and the first witnesses to his resurrection. The book of Acts includes Lydia the converted businesswoman and Priscilla the fearless teacher. Furthermore, both testaments also contain much teaching about women's life and ministry, for example in prayer, in worship, in marriage and in leadership.

Derek and Dianne Tidball's wide-ranging exposition begins with some foundations about women in creation and in the new creation. Next, they survey women under the old covenant. Thirdly, they examine women in the kingdom of God, in the life and teaching of Jesus, and in the final section they deal with women in the new community of the early church, and grapple with some of the more controversial writings of the apostle Paul. Mindful of the complexities, challenges and debates, the authors seek to approach the Bible with humility and integrity, while addressing vitally relevant issues for Christians today with clarity and confidence.

Derek Tidball is a British theologian, sociologist of religion and Baptist minister. From 1995 to 2007 he was the principal of London Bible College which later took the name London School of Theology.

Dianne Tidball is currently the regional minister (team leader) of the East Midlands Baptist Association. She is author of the Crossway Bible Guides to Peter and Jude and John's Letters.