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Writings / Books
Following are some wonderful writings by authors new and old that we
have grown to love and respect. More shall be added as time goes on.
Also included is a book list we have put together of all sorts of books
written through the ages that we highly recommend.
George Fox
(1624-1691) was born in
England, the son of Puritan parents. At the age of 19 he gained deep,
personal assurance of his salvation and began to travel as an itinerant
preacher, seeking a return to the simple practices of the New Testament.
He abhorred technical theology, and preached a faith borne of
experience, freshly fed and guided by the immediate presence of the Holy
Spirit. Fox was persecuted almost daily, yet his
power of endurance was phenomenal. He was beaten with dogwhips, knocked
down with fists and stones, brutally struck with pikestaves, hard beset
by mobs, incarcerated eight times in the pestilential jails, prisons,
castles and dungeons - yet he went straightforward with his mission as
though he had discovered some fresh courage which made him impervious to
man's inhumanity.
He undertook as far as possible to let the
new life in Christ take its own free course of development in his
ministry. He shunned rigid forms and static systems, and for that reason
he refused to head a new sect or to start a new denomination, or to
begin a new church. He would not build an organization of any kind. His
followers at first called themselves "Children of the Light," and later
adopted the name "The Society (or Fellowship) of Friends."
Fox preached and traveled for forty years
throughout England, Scotland, Holland, and America. His life
demonstrated the truth of his famous saying, "One man, raised by God's
power to stand and live in the same spirit the apostle and prophets were
in, can shake the country for ten miles around." William Penn, a true
Christian man, established Pennsylvania and was its first governor. He
founded the capital of Pennsylvania and named it Philadelphia, which
means "the City of Brotherly Love" in Greek, after one of the towns named
in the Revelation in the Bible. He was a close friend of George Fox, and
wrote an excellent introduction to him printed in the beginning of The
Journal of George Fox. Click on the button to read it:
Amy Carmichael wrote much insightful literature about the Christian
life. She was born in Ireland in 1867. At the age of 26 she was sent
to Japan as a missionary. Her stay in Japan was shortened as a result of
poor health and she returned to Great Britain in just under two years.
Being advised that the climate in Bangalore, India, would benefit her
health, Amy, at the age of 28 arrived in Bangalore and began her
ministry by traveling with several Indian sisters to the surrounding
villages, sharing the Gospel message of hope. In these early travels she
was exposed to the horrors of temple prostitution that many beautiful
girls were subjected to, whether because of a "sacred vow" by family
members or for money. In 1901 Amy returned from a year of ministry to
the villages and was greeted by a sweet, seven-year-old girl, Preena (or
"Pearl Eyes"), who had escaped from the temple and looked to Amy for
help. And so began the work of what would later be known as Dohnavur
Fellowship. God used Amy's "mother's heart" to minister to children. She
spent fifty-three years in India setting up orphanages to rescue
children and ministering to the people she met. Amy affected the lives
of countless Indians, giving them a hope for a future on earth and in
heaven. While serving in India, Amy received a letter from a young lady
who was considering life as a missionary, she asked Amy, "What is
missionary life like?" Amy wrote back saying simply, "Missionary life is
a chance to die." Amy's desire was to be totally abandoned to the Lord
Jesus, not to lead a life of ease but to give one's life for others.
George W. North, a dear man of God and our
friend for many of his later years, ministered
the power of God that can deliver us from sin to a new life of love,
purity of heart and holiness of life.
This is a short but powerful and clear explanation of the glorious truth
of Freedom from Sin.
This was first written in book form in 1978. It clearly and wonderfully
sets forth the one spiritual new covenant baptism as seen in four old
testament figures.
John Wesley
was an 18th
century English preacher used by God in a great way. When he died, John
Wesley left behind an England
moved to the very depths and a Church thrilled through and through with
an awakened spiritual life. John Wesley was a man who truly possessed
both apostolic vision and gifts who lived in view of eternity. "Consumed
by the thought of the shortness of time, the great work to be done, and
the need for haste in doing it, on he marched, preaching, pleading,
warning and guiding . . . John Wesley, as well as the other early
Methodist preachers, was both a bold advocate and a living example of
sanctification. Wesley preached with unceasing zeal that complete
holiness was the primary fruit of a vibrant faith in Christ. Counseling
another minister, Wesley wrote, ". . .till you press believers to expect
full salvation from sin, you must not look for any revival."
George MacDonald (1824-1905) wrote
novels, sermons, poetry and literary criticism. Born in Scotland, he
graduated from Kings College, Aberdeen with a degree in chemistry
and later moved to England to earn a degree in theology. After a few
years as a church minister, MacDonald became a full-time writer and
lecturer in 1853. Admirers and literary beneficiaries in the 20th
century include G.K. Chesterton, J.R.R. Tolkien and CS. Lewis.
MacDonald produced about fifty books in a forty year period. His
faith and imagination remained strong. A handful of his writings are
considered masterpieces and classics, but all of his books convey a
unique and consistent vision of the harmony of creation and the love
of the Creator. We first saw this poem in the home of some brethren in China, in
the often-gray city of Xi'an, where the Caring for China work is based.
Thomas Cook (1859-1913) was a
tremendous soul winner, evangelist, missionary, teacher and writer. His
book, New Testament Holiness, is a long standing foundation in the
teaching of Christian Holiness from a Biblical perspective.
Kim Seim has written a short history of the life of Enid Miller,
one of the women who comes often to our church. You can read of God's
hand in Enid's life and see a bunch of photos of her young years as well
as her time in Africa where she served the Lord for 37 years.
Resurrection Life
Church
– Recommended Books
SOME EXCELLENT QUOTES
“The cloak that I left
at Troas with Carpus, when you come, bring with you, and the books, but
especially the parchments” (2 Timothy 4:13).
“The man who does not
read is no better than the man who cannot read.”
“Books are adding
machines that present totals and put them in easy reach for us to read.”
“Books are laboratories
out of which come the rich food for hungry minds.”
“Books are masters who
instruct us without rods or blows, without words or anger and without
bread or money.”
“If I get a little
money, I buy books. Then, if there is any money left, I buy food and
clothes.” - Erasmus
“If religious books are
not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know
what is going to become of us as a nation., if truth be not diffused
error will be: if God and His Word are not known and received, the devil
and his works will gain the ascendancy: if the evangelical volume does
not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature
will: if the power of the Gospel is not felt throughout the land;
anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness
will reign without mitigation or end.” - Daniel Webster, 1823
SOME THOUGHTS ON READING
1. Meetings are vital
because of the personal revelation God gives to us and through us as
individuals and as a church when we meet together.
2. However, meetings
won’t provide all the teaching and revelation a person needs. Another
vital way of getting this is though reading.
3. Place the Bible first
and foremost in your reading.
4. God has given “some,
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors
and teachers; for the perfection of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).
Their teaching can come in spoken or written form.
5. Before reading a
book, know of the author’s life and testimony. “Beloved, believe not
every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many
false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). A book cannot
be judged by its cover or title. When you are satisfied that the writer
is of God, read the book.
6. Seek to read with
discernment. Though no writer is infallible, much can be gleaned from
many writers as long as we simply guard against believing all we read
without question.
7. Read for your own
edification, encouragement, and for a more fully-rounded understanding
of the Christian life.
8. Read to better
understand and communicate the truth to others.
9. Read authors who have
preached and lived the highest standards.
10. Read church history.
A knowledge of church history is beneficial in order to see how God has
worked, to learn from past accomplishments or mistakes, and to help us
in making wise choices in the future.
11. Read biographies of
Christians, “whose faith follow, considering the end of their
conversation” (Hebrews 13:7), for edification, challenge, and example.
12.
Read doctrine for broad perspective, insight and revelation.
I: HISTORY
Eusebius, The History
of the Church (New York, New York: Penguin Books, 1981). Written in
the 4th century. Covers the development of the Church up to that time.
Broadbent, E. H., The
Pilgrim Church (London: Pickering and Inglis, Ltd., 1931). Traces
the true Church through the centuries. Excellent.
Latourette, Kenneth
Scott, A History of Christianity (San Francisco: Harper and Row,
1975).
D'Aubigné, Merle J. H., History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century (Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1987).
Fox, George, The
Journal of George Fox (Philadelphia: Religious Society of Friends,
1985). A stirring account of the beginnings of a move of the Spirit
called the Society of Friends, better known as the Quakers, in the 17th
century.
Hodgkin, L. V., A
Book of Quaker Saints (London: Friends Home Service Committee,
1972).
Guyon, Madame, Madame
Guyon (Chicago: Moody Press). Recounts the trials and perseverance
of a French woman of God in the 17th century.
Purves, Jock, Fair
Sunshine (Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1982).
An account of some brave Christian men called Scottish Covenanters who
stood against the King of Scotland’s command to call him the head of the
Church in the 17th century.
Faust, Clarence,
Jonathon Edwards. A man of God who lived in America in the 18th
century who made a tremendous impact on the country.
Edwards, Jonathon,
Life of David Brainerd. A man full of passion for souls in the 18th
century in America.
Wesley, John, The
Journal of John Wesley (Chicago: Moody Press). A tremendous account
of the Lord’s work in John Wesley, the early days of the move of God
later called the Methodists, and the impact of the move on England and
the world.
Telford, John, ed.,
Wesley's Veterans (Salem, Ohio: Schmul Publishers, 1976). Great
stories of men who worked with Wesley in the 18th century.
Smith, J. Oswald,
Fletcher of Madeley. A great man of godly character who lived in
France in the 18th century.
Woolman, John, The
Journal of John Woolman (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1871). An
American Quaker who sought to live a simple and holy life in the 18th
century.
McCheyne, Robert Murray, Memoirs of McCheyne (Chicago: Moody Press, 1978). A Scottish
minister who died young but left his mark as a holy man in the 19th
century.
Finney, Charles G.,
An Autobiography (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell
Company). A powerful American preacher in the first half of the 19th
century.
Choy, Leona, Andrew
Murray. A well-loved minister of the gospel in Africa who wrote many
excellent books.
Taylor, Hudson, The
Autobiography of Hudson Taylor. Taylor spear-headed a tremendous
work in China in the late 19th century.
Müller, George, The
Autobiography of George Müller (Springdale, Pennsylvania: Whitaker
House, 1984). Known for his simple but tremendous faith, and for the
orphanages that were a result of that faith.
Townsend, W.J.,
Robert Morrison. Great missionary to China.
Stead, W. T., General
Booth (London: The Salvation Army). A man of tremendous passion for
purity of heart and love for God and man, he was greatly used for the
salvation of souls and was used of God in the beginnings of the
Salvation Army in England in the late 19th century.
Hall, Clarence W.,
Samuel Logan Brengle, Portrait of a Prophet (Atlanta, Georgia: The
Salvation Army Supplies and Purchasing Dept., 1976). A great man of God
in the Salvation Army in the late 19th century in America.
Larsson, Flora, My
Best Men are Women. Accounts of women in the Salvation Army. Great!
Penn‑Lewis, Jessie,
The Awakening in Wales (Poole, England: Overcomer Publications). An
account of the move of the Spirit in Wales in the early 20th century.
Taylor, Mrs. Howard,
The Triumph of John and Betty Stam (China Inland Mission, 1935).
Taylor, Mrs. Howard,
Behind the Ranges. The inspiring account of the missionary life of
James Fraser in China.
Carre, Captain E.G.,
Praying Hyde. A man of prayer in India!
Carmichael, Amy,
Ragland, Spiritual Power (London: S.P.C.K., 1951). A moving account
of a missionary in India who loved souls.
Skoglund, Elizabeth R., Amma - The Life and Words of Amy Carmichael (Barker Books, 1994).
Bartleman, Frank,
Azusa Street. An eye-witness account of a move of the Spirit in Los
Angeles in the early 20th century.
McCasland, David,
Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God (O.C. Publications Association,
1993).
Cable, Mildred and
French, Francesca, A Desert Journal. This and the following two
make for great reading concerning missionary experiences in the far
east.
Cable, Mildred and
French, Francesca, Something Happened.
Cable, Mildred and
French, Francesca, The Story of Topsy.
Bull, Geoffrey T.,
When Iron Gates Yield (London, England: Hodder and Stoughton, Ltd.,
1955).
Elliott, Elisabeth, Shadow of the Almighty (Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1977). The stirring biography of
Jim Elliot by his wife. Jim was martyred with 4 others in Ecuador in the
1950's.
II: TEACHING
Baxter, Richard, The
Reformed Pastor (Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Banner of Truth Trust,
1983).
Rutherfurd, Samuel,
Selected Letters of Samuel Rutherfurd (London: SCM Press Ltd.,
1957).
Penn, William, Some
Fruits of Solitude (Richmond, Indiana: Friends United Press, 1978).
Penn, William, No
Cross, No Crown (York, England: William Sessions Book Trust, 1981).
Barclay, Robert,
Barclay's Apology in Modern English (Manasquan, New Jersey: Dean
Freiday, 1967).
Fenelon, Francois de
Salignac de La Mothe, Christian Perfection (Minneapolis,
Minnesota: Dimension Books, Bethany Fellowship, Inc., 1975).
Fenelon, Let Go.
Law, William, A
Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (Grand Rapids, Michigan:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1977).
Wesley, John, A Plain
Account of Christian Perfection (Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill
Press of Kansas City, 1966).
Wesley, John, John
Wesley's Forty‑Four Sermons (London: Epworth Press, 1944).
Asbury, Francis,
Heart and Church (Salem, Ohio: Schmul Publishers, 1978).
Smith, Hannah Whitall, The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life (Old Tappan, New Jersey:
Spire Books, 1980).
Taylor, Dr. and Mrs.,
Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret (Chicago: Moody Press).
Goforth, Jonathan, By
My Spirit (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany Fellowship, Inc.).
Morgan, G. Campbell,
The Crisis of the Christ.
Morgan, G. Campbell,
The Acts of the Apostles.
Simpson, A.B., The
Self Life and the Christ Life.
Chadwick, Samuel,
Humanity and God (Salem, Ohio: Schmul Publishing Co., Inc., 1982).
Murray, Andrew, Like
Christ (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany Fellowship, Inc., 1974).
Murray, Andrew, With
Christ in the School of Prayer (New York: Fleming H. Revell
Company).
Murray, Andrew, How
to Raise Your Children for Christ.
Murray, Andrew,
Humility.
Booth, William, The
Training of Children (Salem, Ohio: Schmul Publishing Co., Inc.).
Booth, Catherine, The
Writings of Catherine Booth (Atlanta, Georgia: The Salvation Army,
1986).
Brengle, Samuel Logan, The Soul‑Winner's Secret (London: Salvationist Publishing and
Supplies, Ltd.,1960).
Brengle, Samuel Logan, Helps to Holiness (Atlanta, Georgia: The Salvation Army Supplies
and Purchasing Dept., 1984).
Cook, Thomas, New
Testament Holiness (Salem, Ohio: Schmul Publishers, 1978).
Penn‑Lewis, Jessie,
War on the Saints (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: Christian
Literature Crusade, 1988). How the devil seeks to destroy the Church.
Penn‑Lewis, Jessie,
Dying to Live (Poole, England: Overcomer Publications).
Penn‑Lewis, Jessie,
The Centrality of the Cross (Poole, England: Overcomer
Publications).
Allen, Roland, Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours?
Chambers, Oswald,
Biblical Psychology (Cincinnati, Ohio: God's Revivalist Office,
1914).
Chambers, Oswald, The
Philosophy of Sin (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: Oswald Chambers
Publication Association and Christian Literature Crusade, 1975).
Chambers, Oswald,
Baffled to Fight Better (Basingstoke, Great Britain: Oswald Chambers
Publication Association and Marshall Pickering, 1986). Great
encouragement from the story of Job.
Carmichael, Amy, Gold
Cord, the Story of a Fellowship (Fort Washington, Pennsylvania,
1983). An account of the Lord’s work in a fellowship in India in the
early 20th century.
Nee, Watchman, The
Normal Christian Life (London: Victory Press, 1961).
Tozer, A. W., The
Root of the Righteous (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Christian
Publications, Inc., 1955).
Tozer, A. W., The
Knowledge of the Holy (New York: Harper and Row, 1961).
Huegel, F.J., Bone of
His Bone.
Huegel, F.J., Forever
Triumphant.
Huegel, F.J.,
Enthroned Christian.
Smith, J. Oswald,
Spiritual Leadership.
Wigglesworth, Smith,
Ever Increasing Faith.
Maxwell, L.E., Born
Crucified.
Hiebert, Paul,
Anthropological Insights for Missionaries. Excellent for anyone
considering mission work.
North, G. W., One
Baptism (Exeter, England: The Publications Secretary, 1978).
North, G. W., The Generation of Jesus Christ (Bradford, Great
Britain: The Horton Trust, 1971).
III: REFERENCES / HELPS
Young’s Concordance.
Vine, W.E., An
Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan, New
Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1966).
Wilson, William, Old
Testament Word Studies.
Henry, Matthew,
Commentary On the Whole Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1981).
Wesley, John,
Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament (London: The Epworth Press,
1924).
Edersheim, Alfred,
The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.
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