Good Reading

The pastor's group I am involved with is slowly reading the book Heaven written by Randy Alcorn. Needless to say the book is fascinating. It's basically a biblical theology of heaven. Alcorn is really stretching us as he brings us verse after verse of Scripture arguing that the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21:1) will someday (in God's timing) be right here on this earth (though renewed), thus it will be a very physical place. I recommend the book. It will make you think about your preconceived thoughts and beliefs of eternity. And it's amazing how many Scriptures Alcorn uses as he writes. Great book so far as I read.

I also just started reading a book titled, What Is a Healthy Church written by Pastor Mark Dever. The first chapter of this book also stretched me. I can't wait to read and digest the rest of it. The first chaper deals with those who call themselves Christians but are not involved in a local church. Dever says on page 26, "And never does the New Testament conceive of the Christian existing on a prolonged basis outside the fellowship of the church." In my experience as a pastor there are many, many people who call themselves Christians (and tell others they are) but never ever meet with a local church congregation. To me those people are a spiritual contradiction at best and at worse self-deceived and unsaved. Like Dever I've not found any evidence in the New Testament where the writer's say it's okay for a believer to be lax or uncommitted to a local church. In fact the opposite is true from God's word (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:24-25).

So I encourage you to read GOOD Christian books that are will stretch you spiritually. Maybe you and a group of Christians could choose a book and commit to read a chapter a week and get together and discuss it. If you do you'll grow to love it and you'll grow spiritually as well.

Dan