A Groundbreaking Resource for Preaching
If the church wishes to converse effectively with a culture, it must learn the culture's language. Today, shifts in technology mean that language is increasingly one of symbols and metaphors, stories and images-not words.
So what does this mean for the sermon, that long-standing, word-based tradition of Christianity?
In this ground-breaking resource, bestselling author Leonard Sweet offers an alternative to traditional models of preaching, one that is fitting to a new culture and a new mode of thinking. The first book of its kind to move preaching beyond its pulpit-centric fixation and toward more interactive, participatory modes of communication, Sweet presents both a challenge and a path forward for a church struggling to maintain its relevance in a post-modern, media-saturated culture.
Accompanying images and interactive content is included in the audiobook companion PDF download.
Jesus says, "The Scriptures point to me!" (John 5:39 NLT). But what does that mean exactly?
The twenty-seven books of the New Testament are largely a commentary on the Old Testament, and each part of the Bible is a signpost to Jesus. Once this is properly understood, everything changes, including our own identities. In this magisterial work you will discover a Jesus who is larger, more glorious, and more challenging than most of us have ever imagined.
Biographies of Jesus generally have been written by those trying to investigate the historical Jesus with little attention given to the grand narrative of Scripture. On the flip side, those interested in tracing the theology of Scripture are typically disinterested in historical Jesus studies. These two approaches have yet to converge...until now.
Jesus is written for the average listener as well as scholars. Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola (authors of Jesus Manifesto) unfold the greatest story ever told in a fresh and invigorating way. So whether you are a seasoned Christian, a new believer, or someone who is intrigued by Jesus, this audiobook unveils the discoveries of a lifetime, transforming the tired and familiar way we have read the Bible into an electrifying journey of rediscovering Christ.
Introducing a new kind of Jesus biography.
In this compelling work, authors Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola reclaim the entire Bible as a gripping narrative about Jesus Christ.
Virtually every other "Jesus biography" begins with the nativity account in Bethlehem. In this groundbreaking audiobook, Sweet and Viola begin before time, in the Triune God, and tell the complete interconnected story of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation.
Written to combine historical Jesus studies with biblical theology, crafting together one breathtaking saga that tells the Jesus story in both Old and New Testaments, this flagship audiobook demonstrates clearly that every bit of Scripture is part of the same stunning drama, what the authors refer to as the theography of Jesus Christ.
What Lies Ahead for Christians around the World?
If you follow the works of bestselling authors Malcolm Gladwell, Faith Popcorn, Daniel Pink, and other trend forecasters, you'll appreciate learning about over 25 rings of fire that lie ahead for Christians around the world.
Len Sweet once again maps the future for the church in this sweeping survey of the twenty-first century. In the face of eruptive and disruptive culture changes from economics and communications to bioethics and beyond, how do we fight fire with fire, not only catching up to our culture but leading our friends and neighbors toward the feet of Christ? No one has done more to startle the church from its slumber than Len Sweet, and no one has equipped the church as effectively. This is a benchmark book from a seminal leader of the modern evangelical movement.
Mark Chironna provides incisive questions to stimulate creative thinking for individual or group study and an afterword that ties Len's expansive work together and sets us on the right course for decades to come.
No one shapes our heritage or affects our legacy like our mother.
Most people know Leonard Sweet, one of the world's most influential evangelicals, as a sharp cultural critic who helps us see how to get in front of the future rather than be bowled over by it. One of his greatest influences was his mother, a groundbreaking (and sometimes controversial) minister who defied convention while honoring tradition. In this exceptionally personal work, Len Sweet opens his mother's memory box, and in the process he helps us all embrace the future with confidence while tethering us to a faith that transcends time. Through Len's experience, we all will better understand and process how our own heritage affects our legacy.
An ideal resource for mothers, adult children, and families seeking resources to set up their kids to flourish.
Did Jesus have bad habits?
In our culture, we have a tendency to describe Jesus in ways that soften his revolutionary edge. Len Sweet uncovers and presents to us the offensive and scandalous Jesus described in the Bible.Did he disappear when people needed him most? Yes.Did he refuse to answer questions directly? Yes.Did Jesus offend the people of his day? Absolutely, yes.Popular author and speaker Len Sweet examines the words and actions of Jesus and places them in context. We need to understand who Jesus really is if we are to follow him wholeheartedly. That is why it is so crucial to see the \u201crebellious rabbi for who he is and not for who we may imagine him to be.
The Bad Habits of Jesus will help you see the untamed Jesus, who isn't sanitized for our culture. That Jesus just might transform how you live out your life and advance God 's Kingdom here and now.
In this compelling work, authors Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola reclaim the entire Bible as a gripping narrative about Jesus Christ. Virtually every other "Jesus biography" begins with the nativity account in Bethlehem. In this groundbreaking book, Sweet and Viola begin before time, in the Triune God, and tell the complete interconnected story of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus: A Theography is the first book ever written to combine historical Jesus studies with biblical theology, crafting together one breathtaking saga that tells the Jesus story in both Old and New Testaments. This flagship book demonstrates clearly that every bit of Scripture is part of the same stunning drama, what the authors refer to as the theography of Jesus Christ.
It's time to leave the leadership obsession behind. It's never been about leading.
“Leadership” has become a runaway obsession for those who are called to equip the body of Christ for service in the Kingdom of God. The concept of “followership” is all but lost in the wake of this leadership fetish, a near hypnotic obsession. Jesus’ clear call, and the pattern of New Testament leadership, are actually found in a pattern of followership. We’ve been told otherwise but when it comes to a movement in our churches, our families, or the workplace, everything rises or falls on followership.
Sweet proposes an intentional shift from leadership cults to followership cultures. He critiques the issue of leadership obsession but focuses on reigniting a passion for the ""follow me"" theme found throughout the gospels and the entire New Testament. Building on a set of metaphors/images, he stirs the imagination by showing what it means to be a follower of Christ and explains the vital cog that followership and the first follower play in helping others enter into the Kingdom of God.
I Am A Follower moves readers:
from leaders that are over to followers that are among
from sages and gurus to scouts and guides
from Saul's armor to David's sling
from having the right answers to asking the right questions
from architects to gardeners
Pay attention.
Brace yourself. This audio book is set to revolutionize your understanding of evangelism. That revolution stands to affect not just your everyday habits, including encounters you have with other people, but the very roots of your faith, the range of your mission, and the limits of your freedom.
In the tradition of The Gospel According to Starbucks, this groundbreaking audio book dares to ask: Instead of bringing people to Jesus, how about joining Jesus in what he is already doing?
Author Leonard Sweet challenges you to use all five senses to interact with God and others. Nudge will remind you that for God to do something through us, God must be doing something in us.
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An epic tale of good and evil based on the four horsemen of the Apocalypse found in the book of Revelation.
Using the four horsemen of the Apocalypse to symbolize the four Gospels, four transcendentals, and four forces of the universe (air, water, earth, and fire), Sweet and Wagner weave a fast-paced, end-times tale of good vs. evil and the promise of a new dawn for humanity.
Set in 2048, when planet Earth is suffering from the damaging effects of years of misuse and abuse, cultural history professor Paul Binder receives a mysterious letter that leads him to examine a lost 2nd-century Diatessaron manuscript. Ancient prophecies, cryptic letters, and strange events set him on a course to uncover the missing clues that could lead humanity into a new age. Each character embodies elements of the four horsemen in a race to save the world from total destruction. Layered with forgotten symbolism from the ancient Jewish and Christian traditions, the book is a story in which the main character's journal serves as a guide to the reader in interpreting clues and understanding the conclusion.
What is Christianity? It is Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. Christianity is not an ideology and not a philosophy. Christianity is the Good News that beauty, truth, and goodness are found in a Person. And conversion? It's more than a change in direction; it's a change in connection.
Since the release of Halftime in 1994, more than 150,000 people have purchased the book and begun a journey from success to significance. In a way that no one could have predicted, this book has started a widespread movement that views midlife as an opportunity rather than a crisis. It helped men and women between the ages of 35-50 realize that they have at least another thirty years of active, vibrant living ahead of them and that retirement is not the optimal option.
But now, readers feel stuck. More than eighty percent of people who began the journey got sidetracked. Now they want to know how to get 'unstuck.' Stuck in Halftime is written for the person who is trying to successfully make it through the midlife journey of 'half time.' It shows readers how to get past the barriers that stand in the way. It outlines eight 'myths of half time' that distract people trying to move from success to significance. It also explains the new rules of this journey, since the old rules of the first half do not work anymore. And it uses stories of those who were stuck in a similar way to illustrate ways to become unstuck. This book is of enormous help to those who heard the 'still, small voice of God' calling them to a life of significance. It is a book of encouragement, hope, and practical guidance.
