NEW BELIEVERS
Books Every New Believer Should Read, Study, Implement…
Below are three books I recommend every New Believer read, study, and implement into their life. Besides the Holy Scriptures, these three books will have the most positive and powerful impact on a person’s journey!
Here they are:
Book #1: Strengthening Your Grip: How to be Grounded in a Chaotic World, by Charles Swindoll
WHY THIS BOOK: This is by far the best book I have ever read on Christian living! It covers all of the most crucial areas of development for New Believers. In short, if you want to live a life that pleases God, this is your book!
Here are the chapters:
1. Strengthening Your Grip on Priorities
2. Strengthening Your Grip on Involvement
3. Strengthening Your Grip on Encouragement
4. Strengthening Your Grip on Purity
5. Strengthening Your Grip on Money
6. Strengthening Your Grip on Integrity
7. Strengthening Your Grip on Discipleship
8. Strengthening Your Grip on Aging
9. Strengthening Your Grip on Prayer
10. Strengthening Your Grip on Leisure
11. Strengthening Your Grip on Missions
12. Strengthening Your Grip on Godliness
13. Strengthening Your Grip on Attitudes
14. Strengthening Your Grip on Evangelism
15. Strengthening Your Grip on Authority
16. Strengthening Your Grip on the Family
Book #2: Heaven: A Comprehensive Guide to Everything the Bible Says About Our Eternal Home (Clear Answers to 44 Real Questions About the Afterlife, Angels, Resurrection, and the Kingdom of God), by Randy Alcorn
WHY THIS BOOK: I don’t often hear many pastors or priests teach in-depth sermons on this topic. And, I believe every New Believers should know more about the places where they will spend after passing from this life! NOTE: Did you know The Scriptures talk about the four (4) Heavens and the two (2) Earths? If not, you definitely need to check out this book!
Here are the chapters:
PART I: A THEOLOGY OF HEAVEN
Section One: Realizing Our Destiny
1. Are You Looking Forward to Heaven?
2. Is Heaven Beyond Our Imagination?
3. Is Heaven Our Default Destination . . . or Is Hell?
4. Can You Know You’re Going to Heaven?
Section Two: Understanding the Intermediate Heaven
5. What Is the Nature of the Intermediate Heaven?
6. Is the Intermediate Heaven a Physical Place?
7. What Is Life Like in the Intermediate Heaven?
Section Three: Grasping Redemption’s Far Reach
8. This World Is Not Our Home . . . or Is It?
9. Why Is Earth’s Redemption Essential to God’s Plan?
10. What Will It Mean for the Curse to Be Lifted?
Section Four: Anticipating Resurrection
11. Why Is Resurrection So Important?
12. Why Does All Creation Await Our Resurrection?
13. How Far-Reaching Is the Resurrection?
PART II: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT HEAVEN
Section Five: Seeing the Earth Restored
14. Where and When Will Our Deliverance Come?
15. Will the Old Earth Be Destroyed …or Renewed?
16. Will the New Earth Be Familiar…like Home?
Section Six: Celebrating Our Relationship with God
17. What Will It Mean to See God?
18. What Will It Mean for God to Dwell Among Us?
19. How Will We Worship God?
Section Seven: Ruling on the New Earth
20. What Does God’s Eternal Kingdom Involve?
21. Will We Actually Rule with Christ?
22. How Will We Rule God’s Kingdom?
Section Eight: What Will the Resurrected Earth Be Like?
23. Will the New Earth Be an Edenic Paradise?
24. What Is the New Jerusalem?
25. What Will the Great City Be Like?
26. Will There Be Space and Time?
27. Will the New Earth Have a Sun, Moon, Oceans, and Weather?
Section Nine: What Will Our Lives Be Like?
28. Will We Be Ourselves?
29. What Will Our Bodies Be Like?
30. Will We Eat and Drink on the New Earth?
31. Will We Be Capable of Sinning?
32. What Will We Know and Learn?
33. What Will Our Daily Lives Be Like?
Section Ten: What Will Our Relationships Be Like?
34. Will We Desire Relationships with Anyone Except God?
35. Will There Be Marriage, Families, and Friendships?
36. Whom Will We Meet, and What Will We Experience Together?
37. How Will We Relate to Each Other?
38. What Will New Earth Society Be Like?
Section Eleven: What About Animals?
39. Will Animals Inhabit the New Earth?
40. Will Animals, Including Our Pets, Live Again?
Section Twelve: What Will We Do in Heaven?
41. Will Heaven Ever Be Boring?
42. Will There Be Arts, Entertainment, and Sports?
43. Will Our Dreams Be Fulfilled and Missed Opportunities Regained?
44. Will We Design Crafts, Technology, and New Modes of Travel?
PART III: LIVING IN LIGHT OF HEAVEN
45. Reorienting Ourselves to Heaven as Our Home
46. Anticipating the Great Adventure
Book #3: Money, Possessions, and Eternity: A Comprehensive Guide to What the Bible Says about Financial Stewardship, Generosity, Materialism, Retirement, Financial Planning, Gambling, Debt, and More, by Randy Alcorn
WHY THIS BOOK: Two of the more essential AND complicated areas of Christian living every New Believer will have to contend with are having to deal with money and possession. Our Lord spoke extensively about the use of money and possessions during His ministry on Earth. This book addresses those topics comprehensively – better than any other book I’ve read!
Here are the chapters:
Part One: The Challenge of Money and Possessions
1. Money: Why Is It So Important to God?
2. The Weakness of Asceticism
3. The Nature of Materialism
4. The Dangers of Materialism
5. Materialism in the Church
6. Prosperity Theology: The Gospel of Wealth
Part Two: Seeing Money and Possessions in Eternity’s Light
7. Two Treasuries, Two Perspectives, Two Masters
8. The Steward’s Eternal Destiny
9. The Steward’s Eternal Rewards
10. The Steward and the Master
11. The Pilgrim Mentality
Part Three: Giving and Sharing Our Money and Possessions
12. Tithing: The Training Wheels of Giving
13. Giving: Reciprocating God’s Grace
14. Helping the Poor and Reaching the Lost
15. Ministry Finances and Fund-Raising: Special Ethical Concerns
Part Four: Handling Our Money and Possessions
16. Making Money, Owning Possessions, and Choosing a Lifestyle
17. Debt: Borrowing and Lending
18. Saving, Retiring, and Ensuring
19. Gambling, Investing, and Leaving Money
20. Battling Materialism in the Christian Family
21. Teaching Children about Money and Possessions
Conclusion: Where Do We Go From Here…
Reading all three books might take you several months, but that’s OK. By combining these books with Scriptural readings (and doing the required work), God’s Spirit will begin to work in your life in a way unlike any other time.
If you have any questions or comments, email me here.
In His Name,
Roy