Books & Resources

Video Resources

Spoken Gospel

Spoken Gospel’s video resources for family worship for the last year has been a huge blessing! The introduction videos to books of the Bible showing Jesus as the focal point is tremendous, captivating for my kids, wife and me. The Leviticus intro video is a must watch! The 3-minute video devotionals are also worthwhile (Genesis and Exodus have been my favorite series).

https://www.youtube.com/user/Breathforthemute

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Books by the Author

Colossal Christ

Colossal Christ points to distractions often lure us away from our all-sufficient Jesus–religion, traditions, church activities, good causes, you name it. “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6 NASB).” Colossians may be the greatest book in the Bible on how to walk the Christian walk. 

The Physician & The Pharmacy

The Physician & the Pharmacy is a collection of meditations and insights that spotlight Jesus Christ in the book of James. The book of James presents Jesus Christ as the Physician and cure our sick souls need that no other book in the Bible shows in quite the same way.

Note: These books are at the lowest price possible (but Amazon still has to make their money too). If I could choose to make $0 on them, I would. It is my strong conviction that freely I’ve received, so freely I give. The beauty of books like these are they present my best thoughts on Christ for your benefit to see Him better.

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Recommended Christ-Centered Books

I narrowed down the many books I’ve read over the years to a select handful that I consider having been the most impactful in my seeing and enjoying Jesus Christ in Scripture. I pass them along for your consideration.

DISCLAIMER: Although I have enjoyed Christ through these various authors, it does not mean that I agree with all their opinions or every point of their doctrines.

Jesus on Every Page by David Murray

This is an excellent treatment geared for beginners (and not-so-beginner’s) to understand how to see Jesus in the Old Testament. I loved it, especially finding the latter chapters on the covenants and Christ in Proverbs particularly insightful. Very rooted in Scripture. A must read!

The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ (A-G) by Charles J. Rolls

The Progress of Doctrine in the New Testament by Thomas Bernard

Don’t let the title fool you (sounds kind of boring, doesn’t it?)  The understanding of how the life of Jesus presented in the Gospels all fits together in a divinely planned tapestry in Acts, the Epistles and Revelation is something I think every Christian should read at least once in their lifetime.  I’ve used the work devotionally and return to it every couple of years for a refresher.  A must read!

Devotionals by John Piper

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Of the numerous books I’ve read by John Piper, these are the best in my opinion for enjoying the excellencies of Jesus Christ. The short devotional formats have really engaged my heart with the Lord.

Love is doing whatever you need to do to help people see and savor the glory of God in Christ forever and ever.

Pierced by the Word, p. 15 (context: John 11:5-6 of Jesus loving Martha and Mary to allow Lazarus to die so that they could witness a greater glory)

Bruchko by Bruce Olson

I love missionary books. While an engineering student at Valparaiso University, a friend recommended it to me and has since become my all time favorite missionary tale. I have read this with all my kids. What I love about it is seeing God work in a variety of ways–obvious miracles and not-so-spectacular sovereign ways–through an ordinary young Minnesotan who just wants to follow Jesus.

600 Skeletons of Sermons by Charles Simeon

An excellent treatment of all the Old Testament types as highlighted by the New Testament writers. Makes for great devotional reading, too!

A More Excellent Way

The Lord blessed me with the privilege of writing several articles for a smaller Christian magazine called A More Excellent Way. Here is one of several Christ-centered articles that were published.

The Mighty Glory of Christ Winter 2012 (Volume 5 / Number 1)

Our Christian life began by coming to the Lord Jesus as a helpless sinner.  Yet even after being born again, forgiven, adopted into God’s family, and filled with the Holy Spirit, we are still helpless.  What a glorious day it is when we finally realize that we are absolutely, 100% powerless to change ourselves!  God’s mighty power, though, does not make up for where we come up short.  No, to enjoy victory over the seemingly invincible giant of indwelling sin we need His mighty power to raise us up out of deadness—zero strength—to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ.  But what is God’s power supply and how do I tap into it?  Is it by praying more?  Fasting?  Reading my Bible or Christian books?  Hearing sermons?  Going to Christian conferences?  Listening to praise music?  How can I get off the treadmill of frustration and perpetual discouragement of a defeated Christian life?

First of all, we must be convinced by God’s Word that Christ, the glory of God, is God’s power source.   Some might say, “Isn’t the gospel the power of God?”, citing Romans 1:16.  Yes, indeed it is, in particular Paul calls it “the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor 4:4).  Paul sheds light on the combining of God’s glory and His might: “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might…” (Col 1:11, ESV).  The phrase “his glorious might” literally says in the Greek, “the might of the glory of Him”.  Have you ever considered that God’s glory has might?  Does that sound strange to your ears as it did mine?  Perhaps this strangeness influenced the translators to shy away from the literal rendering, “the might of His glory”.  Yet Paul does not shrink back from proclaiming this wonderful truth. 

In the resurrection of Jesus, God’s power and glory are united:  “…Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father…” (Rom 6:4).The glory that raised Jesus from the dead was no low wattage nightlight alighting upon Jesus’ body in the tomb.  In Ephesians Paul calls attention to “the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead…” (Eph 1:20).  So Paul asserts that the resurrection of Christ was caused by the glory of the Father and by the working of His great might, “the immeasurable greatness of His power”!  There is much mystery here, but no contradiction, for the Lord Jesus Christ was raised by the Father’s glory and by the Father’s power.  The Father’s glory is the manifestation of His mighty power!  These are beautifully intertwined in the phrase “the might of His glory.” 

God designed the physical world to communicate spiritual realities.  The sun is the light of world, but it ultimately pictures Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world that illumines every man.   The rays of the sun are its glory.  This glory has incredible might!  According to my Internet “wiki” sources and calculator skills, every hour the glory of the sun lifts up into the rainclouds about 350 trillion pounds of water—the estimated weight of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain!  The glory of the sun is what makes possible all life on the earth.  Through the process of photosynthesis, the leaves of plants convert the sun’s rays into life-sustaining energy.  Our physical world testifies that glory has might!

Though Paul’s prayer applies the might of His glory specifically towards bringing forth fruit in “all patience and longsuffering with joy,” the broader principle is more easily seen in Romans 6.  The chapter begins with a question, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”  Paul exclaims, “By no means!”  His answer revolves around the might of His glory.  “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (6:4).  Our union with Christ in His death of necessity includes our union in His resurrection.  So the means of getting more grace after we’ve been united to Christ is not by sinning more (or trying harder to be good!).  We receive grace and power to walk in the newness of life—to live the Christian life—by receiving the glory of God.

The glory of Jesus Christ is God’s mighty power.  For many years I thought tapping into God’s power was through spiritual disciplines like fasting, prayer and getting up really early to read the Bible.  That was touching the outside but never quite getting to God’s heart on the matter.  So how do I receive the might of God’s glory?  The answer is found in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”  Paul explains that the transforming “glory of the Lord” is “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (4:6).  The context of these passages is that when we turn towards the Holy Spirit (3:16-17), He lifts the veil over our minds and our Bible to show us the transforming glory of Jesus Christ! 

So should we pray?  Yes, but purposing to see the glory of Jesus Christ.  Should we read our Bibles?  Yes, but with a heart desperately dependent upon the Spirit to unveil to our hearts the exceeding riches of the glory of Jesus Christ.  Then as God reveals the Christ of glory to us, we shall abound in the riches of walking in the newness of life!