Best Selling Books by Kevin Deyoung

The earliest Christians had the privilege of bearing the name of Jesus Christ to enemies of the gospel. They were residents of the Roman Republic, but also citizens of heaven. They were persecuted for their faith, but were unashamed of the gospel. They knew him whom they believed and were persuaded he was able to deliver them from evil. Fast-forward twenty centuries. Spiritual temperatures are again dropping. These citizens of heaven are now resident throughout the world, and are being granted the privilege of the early saints. As nations grow ever more hostile to Christ and his followers, Jesus summons those who bear his name to be unashamed. He is the only hope of salvation for all who repent and believe. In Unashamed of the Gospel, authors Matt Chandler, R. Albert Mohler Jr., John MacArthur, Thabiti Anyabwile, Mark Dever, Kevin DeYoung, J. Ligon Duncan III, John Piper, and David Platt come together for the gospel to encourage Christians with Paul''s pastoral plea to Timothy: "do not be ashamed about the testimony of our Lord" (2 Timothy 1:8).

Explaining key concepts like kingdom, gospel and social justice, this book helps us think carefully about what the church is sent into the world to do. Looking at the Bible''s teaching, it explores the what, why, and how of the church''s mission.

It has been five hundred years since Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the All Saints'' Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther''s theses called for the reform of the church and served as the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation. Its impact is still felt today. This Bible study examines the five core truths that came from the Reformation, now referred to as the solas. Group members will explore these essential convictions of the faith and emerge more immersed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The solas include: Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone) Sola gratia (by grace alone) Sola fide (through faith alone) Solus Christus (through Christ alone) Soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone) How is the Reformation still relevant today? As political pressure mounts, morality drifts with today''s culture, and evangelicalism becomes more and more refined in a post-Christian world, it''s even more important to hold the convictions of the great Reformation closer than ever. In short, the solas point us to vibrant Christian community as well as personal identity in Christ. As you''ll see in this study, the solas are more than cold Latin terms that academics throw around in church-history books. The five solas, like the Reformation itself, are intensely practical. They were the DNA of the Reformation and are still the DNA of the church today. They are grounded in a real-life, everyday following of Jesus. They''re the most important, basic scriptural truths you can ever believe. We stand on the shoulders of Christians in the past, and knowing where we came from will help us keep moving forward with passion and biblical clarity. Echoes of the Reformation Bible Study Book includes small-group experiences for six sessions, individual study opportunities, applicable Scripture, "How to Use This Study," and tips for leading a group. Features: - Biblically rooted and gospel-centered content - Six small-group sessions that include an introductory session and application of the five solas - Individual study opportunities for ongoing spiritual growth - Group and personal components Benefits: - Give group members a better understanding of the Reformation''s impact on today''s church. - Understand the weighty importance of the inspired Word of God. - Help group members discern the theological nuances of grace and its role in the life of a disciple. - Enhance a believer''s understanding of the biblical and historical depth of the Christian faith. - Realize that Christ alone provides all life''s answers. - Show group members how to live life for the glory of God and renew their commitment to this biblical mandate. Brandon D. Smith works with the Christian Standard Bible and teaches theology at various schools. He''s also the author of Rooted: Theology for Growing Christians and They Spoke of Me: How Jesus Unlocks the Old Testament, and co-hosts the Word Matters podcast. He holds a BA in Biblical Studies from Dallas Baptist University, an MA in Systematic & Historical Theology from Criswell College, and is pursuing a PhD in Theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. He lives near Nashville, Tennessee with his wife, Christa, and their two daughters.

Christ has authorized the congregation and its leaders to act with authority in our lives. That''s not a popular idea among Westerners, but this is the skeleton which keeps the body, otherwise healthy, from slouching to the floor. It''s the bowl which keeps the soup from spilling everywhere. Looking across the evangelical landscape, do you know what I see? A lot of splattered soup. Oh, it''s tasty soup, but it has nothing to contain it and the dogs have been licking it up for years.One illustration of this: con-sider the stereotypical evangelical youth group. You get gospel teaching. Sometimes gospel worldview formation. Sincere professions. And heart-felt worship. But there''s little formal account-ability, structure, and discipline because the group is not a part of the church. Result: the kids go to college and the majority abandon the faith or at least live like they have. You can see the splatter. The real problem is, how many churches operate this way. That brings us to this episode of the 9Marks'' "Polity is Kool Show." Today we turn to the theme of church member-ship. And, boy, do we have a show for you. Several brothers give us a biblical, historical, and sociological look. Several more of us consider the importance of membership. And then a few more offer wise pastoral advice on implementing membership in your church.

Several of us at 9Marks recently spent a long afternoon with a wise old friend talking about the conversation evangelicals are having about the mission of the church. There are two basic mistakes people keep making in this conversation, said our friendly sage. On the one hand, some people pit good things against one another-bodies versus souls, this world versus the next, and so forth. This group needs to view human beings whole cloth.On the other hand, some people fail to hold up eternal and temporal realities next to one another and ask which is more important. Everything is crammed under the label "equally important." But that doesn''t make sense. We need to treat the weighty things as weighty, and the weightiest things as the weightiest.Notice then what our friend was doing: he was avoiding the "either/or" as well as a simplistic "both/and." He was instead going for what Tim Keller, refer-ring to the relationship between evangelism and social justice, calls an "inseparable asymmetry." Things can be stuck together, but still differ greatly in their importance.Whatever you might think about our friend''s counsel, the conversation about the church''s mission is difficult, which is why we are devoting this Journal to reviewing the books on the topic. That way, you don''t have to just hear from us, but from people who have thought about these issues longer and more carefully than we have.

Our culture''s assault on gender differences and authority is generationally urgent because it''s unique to this Western moment, this time and place. So we must not take either set of problems out of our sights: the generationally urgent challenges to difference and authority andthe universally chronic challenge to equality. All this leads to our present moment: a reckoning for complementarianism.The task for complementarians more than ever is to continue reforming ourselves according to God''s Word. We must work to understand authority and difference as well as equality from the Bible. A right understanding and practice of each will be the best defense against abuse and abdication both. That way we will "Keep [our] conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when we speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:12).