Bigger Than Me - Week 1
Check out these resources gathered by our Resource Team!
RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ by Ray Ortlund
“In this timely book, Pastor Ray Ortlund makes the case that gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. In too many of our churches, it is the beauty of a gospel culture that is the missing piece of the puzzle. But when the gospel is allowed to exert its full power, a church becomes radiant with the glory of Christ.”
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels by Kenneth Bailey
“Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels, examining the life and ministry of Jesus. The work dispels the obscurity of Western interpretations with a stark vision of Jesus in his original context.”
Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Timothy Keller
“This is something more practical than just doctrine but much more theological than "how-to steps" for carrying out a ministry. Once this vision is in place, it leads church leaders to make good decisions on how to worship, disciple, evangelize, serve, and engage culture in their field of ministry—whether in a city, suburb, or small town."
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES:
Desiring God - Pray to See the Church as God Does
“If we could see the church as she really is, perhaps nine-tenths of our criticism would die. We would find ourselves standing in silent wonder at this family of God, body of the Lord, temple of the Spirit, and bride of Christ — awed not only by its beauty, but that we should be part of it.”
Ligonier Ministries - Why Study Church History?
“The study of church history is meant to provide more than just inspiration. Serious reflection on the past protects us from error, reminds us of God’s faithfulness, and motivates us to persevere.”
Got Questions Ministries - What is the Purpose of the Church?
Providing insight from many New Testament books and letters, this article includes the church being a people and gathering of teaching, fellowship, prayer, proclamation of salvation through Jesus, and caring for the needs of others. Take a look for yourself where these concepts are found within the text of the Bible.
RECOMMENDED VIDEOS:
Tim Mackie - Lecture on the Early Church and Politics (Bible Project)
This is a long one! Going all the way back to Genesis and the creation account, Tim Mackie walks through the role and importance of humanity being proper image bearers, though many stories within the biblical text that take place through political encounters of nations, kings, and rulers, to Jesus fulfilling proper Kingdom of God image bearing and commissioning his followers/the church to carry on his “manifesto” of love and service. God’s church is called to listen to the Bible/His word, not just use it as a tool to win arguments. This is an excellent bridge and companion teaching to go with our last sermon.
Spoken Gospel - The Mystery of the Gospel (Ephesians 2-3)
“This short Bible study devotional covers Ephesians 2-3. In this passage, the apostle Paul explains that God has planned from the beginning of time to include both Jews and Gentiles into one family. In Ephesians 2-3, we see that while the world wants to divide its people, in Christ, the Spirit unifies all people. And in Christ, there is only one nation, without borders, consisting of people from all tribes, tongues, and languages.”
Bible Project - Book of Ephesians Summary: A Complete Animated Overview
“Watch our overview video on the book of Ephesians, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Ephesians, Paul shows how the good news should create ethnically diverse communities that are unified by devotion to Jesus and to each other.”
RECOMMENDED SERMONS:
Matt Chandler - Animate (Ephesians 2)
“In order to see our vision for our church come to pass, we must receive the grace of God, embrace our calling in the kingdom, and ask the Lord to increase our faith.”
D.A. Carson - Ephesians 2:11-22
“God, through the work of Jesus Christ, has designed a new humanity. If we belong to this new humanity, we need to take it on as our responsibility to live and grow together—to build a building in which it is suitable for God to dwell.”
Francis Chan - Our Towers, His Temple (Ephesians 2:11-22)
“If someone were to ask you, “Why did Jesus die on the Cross?”, what would you say? In this message, Francis Chan shows us how our tendency to focus on ourselves can cause us to miss out on the entirety of God’s amazing plan of redemption and his purpose for the church.”
RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:
Welcome to The Warehouse! Has a Sunday sermon ever left you running to Google with new theological questions? Have you ever wished that you could peer behind the curtain to see how the message comes together? That’s where we come in! Here at Cornerstone Church, we spend hours every week talking about the Bible. This is the place to learn about Scripture, dive into its context, and study the Bible’s cultural background. Come to the Warehouse–where we’ll extend the stuff you learn from the stage.
Ligonier Ministries - 5 Minutes in Church History
“This weekly podcast provides an informal and informative look at church history. Join us each week as we take a brief break from the present to go exploring the past. Travel back in time as we look at the people, events, and even the places that have shaped the story of Christianity. Each episode offers an easily digestible glimpse of how the eternal, unchangeable God has worked in the church over prior generations and how this can encourage us today. This is our story—our family history.”
With the Perrys - A Random Convo About Church
“The Bible tells us we need other Christians and we’re missing something if we don’t gather together to hear God’s Word. But our relationship to church can still be complicated. Jackie and Preston’s conversation today covers topics like worship style preferences, doctrinally sound preaching and discipleship, the pressure that local pastors face because of social media, and the topic of church hurt.”
Bible Project - We Are the Royal Priesthood
“After Jesus’ disciples receive the Holy Spirit, they become God’s temple and the physical embodiment of Jesus on Earth. This has huge implications for our understanding of what it means to be the church today and live in unity.”