This past Sunday, you may have noticed some books on the shelves of the welcome desk in the foyer. These are resources we would like to highlight to the congregation for a period of time.
The theme for these resources is Live in light of Jesus' return – Enlarge your faith, grow your love. They have been selected to fall into five categories. Categories and titles include; Theology: Knowing God by J.I. Packer. Sanctification: The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges. Christian Biography: Jonathan Edwards by Iain Murray. Church History/Cultural Evaluation: Strange New World by Carl Trueman. The Church: The Compelling Community by Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop.
The purpose of highlighting these resources is simply to put biblically solid, Christ-exalting, affection-fueling resources in the hands of the members at Summit Woods for their personal growth in the Lord, to equip them to do the work of ministry, and for use in discipleship relationships.
Perhaps you’ve been looking for a new book for yourself to read in your devotional time, or perhaps you’ve been wanting to get together with a brother or sister in the Lord and desire to encourage them in their walk with the Lord – these resources are there to be readily available for you in addition to the books provided in the resource room.
Today's highlight is The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges.
You are never beyond the reach of God’s grace. Neither are you ever beyond the need of God’s grace. Without grace we’d never come to Christ. But being a Christian is more than just coming to Christ. It’s about growing and becoming more like Jesus. This pursuit of holiness is hard work, and as we enter into this discipline, we sometimes lose sight of grace. Jerry Bridges helps us steer clear of this disastrous distraction, offering a clear and thorough explanation of the gospel and what it means to every believer. Explore how the same grace that brings us to Christ will also grow us in Christ.
– The Discipline of Grace back cover
Jerry Bridges in the preface to Preface to Discipline of Grace
Shortly after my book The Pursuit of Holiness was published in 1978, I was invited to give a series of ten lectures on that subject at a church in our city. One night I titled my lecture “The Chapter I Wish I Had Written.” The nature of that message was that the pursuit of holiness must be motivated by an ever-increasing understanding of the grace of God; else it can become oppressive and joyless.
The study and reflection that went into that lecture started me down the path of further study on the grace of God, culminating in a later book, Transforming Grace. As I sought to relate the biblical principle of living by grace to the equally biblical principle of personal discipline, I realized that it would be helpful to bring these two truths together in one book. That is the purpose of this volume.