Redeeming Reads

As people of the Word, we understand the power of language. Jesus Christ is the living Word (John 1:1), and since the beginning of time, God’s Word has defined and ordered His creation. In the same way, it is words that define and order our thoughts. This week, we’ve asked two of our elders to recommend some of their own favorite titles; if you’re interested in reading that is both edifying and engaging, be sure to take advantage of these valuable resources.

January 2023


We Will Not Be Silenced by W. Lutzer

We Will Not Be Silenced is a sobering account of the forces that are attempting to dismantle our Scriptural values to make way for a godless future. Tracing the unraveling of the American culture, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, pastor emeritus of the Moody Church, notes how the secular left is attacking our Judeo-Christian values with the goal of destroying the nuclear family, importing sexually explicit curriculum into our public schools, suppressing our spiritual values, and curbing individual rights. For this to become a reality, he demonstrates how the education of our children is being taken out of our hands as parents and is being surrendered to the state.

Fearful we are allowing this secular culture to inform our thinking or even raise our children, Dr. Lutzer shines a light on current issues such as diversity, race, gender, media, and free speech. He exhorts us not to remain silent but to respond courageously to the current attacks on Christianity. He encourages us to keep our focus on the gospel, to identify the toxic responses that secular culture disguises as solutions, and to show compassion and gentleness to those outside the faith without affirming their beliefs. It is a must-read, especially for parents and students. To be forearmed is to be forewarned!

—Irv Busenitz, Commissioned

Christ and Calamity by L. Senkbeil

James 1:2 instructs us to “rejoice my beloved brethren when you encounter various trials…” Trials, pain, grief, loss, disease, and persecution are all guaranteed for believers in this life. In his brief book, Christ and Calamity, Harold L. Senkbeil addresses a biblical understanding, attitude, and response to calamity when it touches our lives. He brings decades of pastoral experience to this work, which is evident from the shepherd’s heart within its pages. As he states, “Christ and calamity go together. As Jesus said: ‘in this world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33). When calamity strikes, you need Jesus.”

Senkbeil begins each chapter with a verse of Scripture which becomes the theme of each chapter, and he reminds us that in our weak faith, Christ is utterly faithful, and that we need to look to Him as our initial and constant source of comfort and strength. Included at the end of the book are prayers to be used individually or in a Bible study or group. This is an encouraging and essential read for anyone going through calamity themselves, and as a resource that can be used to aid and counsel others in victoriously enduring the inevitable trials that of life. I strongly recommend it.

—Jon Scott, Jr. High Ministry, Foundation

May 2022


Reprobation and God’s Sovereignty by Peter Sammons

This book is a clear, biblical and very helpful explanation of how our sovereign Lord has ordained that unrepentant sinners receive what they deserve: eternal hell. As with other doctrines that the author deals with in the book, he carefully explains from Scripture “not history, emotions, logic, or philosophy,” but the truth about this doctrine.

Peter Sammons truly accomplishes what he intends to do from the beginning of this book: “not to gain some sort of spiritual edge in an argument, but rather that the believer may have a greater admiration for God that elicits higher praise, reverence, and trust
in who the Bible reveals God to be.” Do you need to strengthen your trust in the Lord and His Word? Read this book. Are you suffering in the midst of a trial? Read this book. Do you need encouragement to preach “the gospel with fervency . . . without compromise,
compassionately, openly, passionately, consistently”? Read this book.

I think the best recommendation for this book comes from the last two phrases of the conclusion: “Studying out difficult truths such as reprobation draws Christians to pursue and know the Holy One yet more. And that alone is the worthiest pursuit any of us will endeavor toward—even through eternity.”

—Luis Contreras, Grace en Español

Praying the Bible  by Donald Whitney

Martin Luther once said that prayer is a difficult yet vital spiritual discipline. Indeed, often the well-intentioned Christian finds their mind wandering during their time of fellowship with God through prayer. One way to focus the intentions and affections during this time is through praying the Scriptures. Praying the Bible is a very good resource to help develop this discipline.

Whitney shows us that praying the Bible not only allows us to receive the spiritual nourishment of reading God’s Word in prayer, but it also brings to mind a wealth of prayer topics (suffering, redemption, praise, thankfulness, God’s glory, overcoming obstacles, a heart for the lost—to name a few) which keeps prayer fresh, particularly in those moments when prayer becomes familiar.

I would give just one caution with the author’s approach. In my view, he does not place enough emphasis on understanding the point of the passage which you are praying. We must be careful in simply praying the first thing that comes to mind; instead, it is best to read and understand the text as best possible, then pray accordingly. This caution is not of enough concern, however, to dissuade any potential reader. This book is still an incredibly helpful means to stimulate what Jonathan Edwards thought to be the greatest way to privately advance the Kingdom of God—praying to the God of heaven and earth to move in the hearts and souls of men.

—Carl Hargrove, Grace Advance

January 2022


The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

“By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored." (Leviticus 10:3). “Be holy, for I am holy.”  (Leviticus 11:44; I Peter 1:15-16). “The failure of modern evangelicalism is the failure to understand the holiness of God.”  (The Holiness of God, pp. 179)

Standing alone, each of those three sentences would provide ample incentive for reading R.C. Sproul’s, The Holiness of God.  While emphasizing God’s justice, love and patience, Sproul explains and clarifies each of those sentences, while also addressing a number of other aspects of God’s holiness, in a book that has rapidly become a classic for the church at large.

While thoughtfully and carefully written, the book reads easily.  The topic has profound theological depth but is addressed in a manner that is extremely practical and applicable to the Christian’s daily life.  Of particular value is its help in understanding that the antipathy and rejection that we can experience from unbelievers, and even sometimes within the church, is often ultimately directed not at us, but at the holiness of God that should be demonstrated in our lives.  The book deserves to be read both carefully and widely within our church.  

—George Crawford, Anchored Fellowship Group

A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God's Love by Milton Vincent

At the end of John Newton’s life, he is often quoted for saying, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior!”

Newton exemplifies the fact that even as mature believers, as we fight the sanctification battle for Christ-likeness, it is imperative that we never stop deepening our understanding of the blessed truths of the sospel. There is no loftier thought than meditating upon the redemption realities that God elected us before the foundation of the world, regenerated our dead hearts, granted us faith, declared us righteous, adopted us into His family, gave us His Spirit, preserves us in grace, and will glorify us completely on the last day.

Vincent brings these realities into view in his book, helping the reader both understand and live worthily of the gospel and, for this reason, it is a book worthy to be read by both Christian and non-Christian alike.

—Josiah Grauman, Grace en Español

April 2021


Passions of the Heart by John Street

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the World. —1 John 2:16

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourselves, so you too will not be tempted. —Galatians 6:1

Since the 1960s, our culture has been engulfed in the normalization of sexual sin. The internet and smart phones have made the temptations ever present, and today’s culture worships the freedom to indulge unhindered in every sin. Christians are not immune to these temptations.

Passions of the Heart is a product of Dr. Street’s doctrinal dissertation, distilled through his forty years of biblical counseling experience into a practical tool for counseling those entangled in sexual sin. This book is the most exhaustive and helpful resource that I have ever run across. It gets right at the heart idols which are the actual root cause of the sinful heart’s desire—the lusts that trap and ensnare so many today.

—Don Carr, Commissioned Fellowship Group

August 2021


The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen

There is no more worthy pursuit in the world than the knowledge of Christ and Him crucified. The Apostle Paul resolved to know nothing else (1 Corinthians 2:2), for to know Christ is the essence of eternal life (John 17:3). And Christ is most intimately known where He is most thoroughly revealed—namely, in His great work of atonement. He is our Great High Priest, the Mediator between God and man, who satisfies the wrath of God against our sins by bearing our punishment as our Substitute. If theology is the Queen of the Sciences (and it is), the atonement of Christ is the Queen’s crown.

Scripture’s doctrine of atonement is therefore worthy of our study and meditation. One of the greatest books ever to take up the subject is John Owen’s classic, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. A work of polemical theology, it defends the biblical teaching on Christ’s cross-work against errors that are still common today. But it also is rich with devotional insight and praise to Christ. The patient reader will find his mind well-instructed and his heart stirred to worship the Savior for the great gift of salvation accomplished by the atonement.

—Mike Riccardi, GraceLife Fellowship Group

Holiness by J.C. Ryle

What must we have in order to see the Lord Jesus? The author of Hebrews charges us to pursue “holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Outside of the Bible, no book has shaped my thinking about practical holiness in my life more than Holiness by J.C. Ryle.

While Ryle wrote in the 1800s, his discourse on holiness could not be more necessary for the Christian today. Ryle lamented that “Politics, or controversy, or party spirit, or worldliness, have eaten out the heart of lively piety in too many of us. The subject of personal godliness has fallen sadly into the background.” Had I not known that this was written in the 1800s, I would have thought that this was a description of our times.

How then does one begin his or her pursuit of holiness? Ryle surprisingly but appropriately begins the book with a chapter on sin, explaining, “He that wishes to attain right views about Christian holiness must begin by examining the vast and solemn subject of sin.” To be holy, you must hate sin! Ryle’s work will both convict you of your sin and compel you to a holy life—without which no one will see the Lord.

—Joe Zhakevich, Sojourners Fellowship Group

April 2021


Passions of the Heart by John Street

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the World. —1 John 2:16

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourselves, so you too will not be tempted. —Galatians 6:1

Since the 1960s, our culture has been engulfed in the normalization of sexual sin. The internet and smart phones have made the temptations ever present, and today’s culture worships the freedom to indulge unhindered in every sin. Christians are not immune to these temptations.

Passions of the Heart is a product of Dr. Street’s doctrinal dissertation, distilled through his forty years of biblical counseling experience into a practical tool for counseling those entangled in sexual sin. This book is the most exhaustive and helpful resource that I have ever run across. It gets right at the heart idols which are the actual root cause of the sinful heart’s desire—the lusts that trap and ensnare so many today.

—Don Carr, Commissioned Fellowship Group

January 2021 Recommendations


The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur

“There has been one book that I have recommended over the years more than any other because it was instrumental in bringing me to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; and that book is The Gospel According to Jesus, by our pastor, John MacArthur. In 1992, a member of Grace Church sent it to me in the mail while I was still an unbeliever after he had tried to explain the gospel to me twice. Though I was very reluctant to read it, once l opened the cover, heaven’s gate was opened to me, as well.

“Originally, The Gospel According to Jesus was written to address the opponents of “Lordship Salvation,” challenging those in evangelicalism who taught that “believing in Christ” was merely a mental assent to certain facts about His life and teachings as Savior, instead of teaching that “believing in Christ” was a call to loving obedience to Him as Lord. But to me as an unbeliever at that time, I wasn’t reading the book to debate any strand of doctrine; I was reading the book to debate the staunchness of my unbelief.

“It was there in those pages that I discovered what it means to really follow Christ as Lord and Savior by submitting to Him in faith and obedience. It was the way Pastor John examined key passages in the New Testament and explained the meaning of those texts in their historical context, chapter by chapter, that opened my eyes and convicted my heart as to what it really means to believe in Jesus Christ.

“I would recommend The Gospel According to Jesus to both those who are seriously grappling with the truth of the gospel, as well as those who need a refresher course to ignite their faith once again. It’s a classic!”

—Tom Patton, Joint Heirs & Congregational Care Ministries

Leading with Love by Alexander Strauch

“At its core, the Christian life is marked by love. One author once wrote, ‘Love is the most attractive quality in the world. And it lies at the heart of Christianity.’ We love because Christ first loved us, and we are compelled to follow His model and command to love God and love others (Matthew 23:27–39).

“In Leading with Love, Strauch provides a thoughtful exposition of 1 Corinthians 13 as a basis for how Christians make love central when they lead, teach, evangelize, and serve. Whether you lead in an official capacity, or your leadership is through discipleship and service to others, this book offers a great reminder that love is indispensable to you and your ministry.”

—Matt Poladian, High School Ministry

If you’re looking for a redeeming read, our campus bookstore carries hundreds of edifying titles. Located south of the Worship Center, Grace Books is open after each Sunday service and on Monday through Friday during the week.