2018 Missionary Prayer Handbook now here!

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

The 2018 Missionary Prayer Handbook 

The 2018 Missionary Prayer Handbook features 49 new missionaries, two new country listings and a new missionary section.

To facilitate fervent prayer and communication, this vital tool lists about 700 missionaries commended from U.S. and Canadian assemblies and includes a description of their ministries and contact information. A new Handbook is printed each year.

Only $6 USD or $8 CAD!

Gift Editions of One Day At A Time!

One Day At A Time by William MacDonald

Now available in Paperback and Hardcover!

Order as a gift or for yourself today!

That’s the way you have to live life – one day at a time. But it is how you live each day that makes all the difference. One way to ensure that our days on earth count for God is to fill our minds and hearts with the “engrafted Word” that we might grow by it. For this reason we take pleasure in issuing this book of invigorating meditations on the Word of God from the crisp, Christ-exalting writings of William MacDonald. And there’s no better way to start the day than with an encouraging portion from God’s Word. Each daily meditation is just a page long, but with each scripture presented in a fresh way, William MacDonald stirs your heart to practical devotedness to the Lord. These devotionals are not intended to replace the reading of the Word, but to stimulate your thinking on Scripture, and, by God’s grace, to help you apply the truth to your daily walk.

What If….?

What If Jesus Meant What He Said?

Just arrived! Check this great book out!

What if Jesus’ words were never intended to fit into your existing lifestyle? What if they were meant to change everything? What if Jesus never wanted merely part of your life? What if He wants everything?

Instead of offering easy answers, these pages ask difficult questions, leading the reader on a journey with life-altering implications.

If Jesus meant what He said, how might His words affect our relationships, investments, speech, perspectives, discipleship, spiritual disciplines, and every other aspect of life?  What if the only balanced Christian life is all-out surrender to Jesus Christ?

 

A New Book by Alexander Strauch

Paul’s Vision for the Deacons: Assisting the Elders with the Care of God’s Church

Alexander Strauch has served in the leadership and teaching ministry of Littleton Bible Chapel (near Denver, Colorado) for nearly 50 years. As a gifted teacher and a church elder with extensive practical experience, Mr. Strauch has taught in more than 25 countries and has helped thousands of churches worldwide through his expository writing ministry. He is the author of Biblical Eldership, Men and Women: Equal Yet Different, The Hospitality Commands, Agape Leadership, Meetings that Work, Leading with Love, Love or Die and If You Bite & Devour One Another. These books have been translated into over 30 languages. In recent years, he has also made an impact on churches around the world through the ministry of BiblicalEldership.com.

Check out his new book Paul’s Vision for the Deacons: Assisting the Elders with the Care of God’s Church today!

New William MacDonald Reprint – True Discipleship with Study Guide

true-discipleship-2016_covTrue Discipleship, a much loved and much read book over the years, has a brand new look. We are excited to let you know that we have the new book in stock and are all set to ship out well in time for the holiday season.  Recently, the question was posed on Facebook, “What single book besides the Bible has impacted your life the most?” True Discipleship was one of the top books mentioned.

Below is Chapter 1 for you not only to enjoy, but to be challenged by as well.

1. TERMS OF DISCIPLESHIP

True Christianity is an all-out commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Saviour is not looking for men and women who will give their spare evenings to Him—or their weekends—or their years of retirement. Rather He seeks those who will give Him first place in their lives.

He looks today, as He has ever looked, not for crowds drifting aimlessly in His track, but for individual men and women whose undying allegiance will spring from their having recognized that He wants those who are prepared to follow the path of self-renunciation which He trod before them.¹

Nothing less than unconditional surrender could ever be a fitting response to His sacrifice at Calvary. Love so amazing, so divine, could never be satisfied with less than our souls, our lives, our all.

The Lord Jesus made stringent demands on those who would be His disciples—demands that are all but over-looked in this day of luxurious living. Too often we look on Christianity as an escape from Hell and a guarantee of Heaven. Beyond that, we feel that we have every right to enjoy the best that this life has to offer. We know that there are those strong verses on discipleship in the Bible, but we have difficulty reconciling them with our ideas of what Christianity should be.

We can accept the fact that soldiers give their lives for patriotic reasons. We do not think it strange that Communists or Muslims give their lives for political or religious reasons. But that “blood, sweat, and tears” should characterize the life of a follower of Christ somehow seems remote and hard to grasp.

And yet the words of the Lord Jesus are clear enough. There is scarcely any room for misunderstanding if we accept them at their face value. Here are the terms of discipleship as laid down by the Saviour of the world:

A SUPREME LOVE FOR JESUS CHRIST
“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). This does not mean that we should ever have animosity or ill-will in our hearts toward our relatives, but it does mean that our love to Christ should be so great that all other loves are hatred by comparison. Actually, the most difficult clause in this passage is the expression, “yea, and his own life also.” Self-love is one of the most stubborn hindrances to discipleship. Not until we are willing to lay down our very lives for Him are we in the place where He wants us.

DENIAL OF SELF
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross…” (Matt. 16:24). Denial of self is not the same as self-denial. The latter means foregoing certain foods, pleasures, or possessions. But denial of self means such complete submission to the lordship of Christ that self has no rights or authority at all. It means that self abdicates the throne. It is expressed in the words of Henry Martyn, “Lord, let me have no will of my own, or consider my true happiness as depending in the smallest degree on anything that can befall me outwardly, but as consisting altogether in conformity to Thy will.”

My glorious Victor, Prince divine,
Clasp these surrendered hands in Thine;
At length my will is all Thine own,
Glad vassals of a Saviour’s throne.
—H. G. C. Moule

A DELIBERATE CHOOSING OF THE CROSS
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross…” (Matt. 16:24). The cross is not some physical infirmity or mental anguish; these things are common to all men. The cross is a pathway that is deliberately chosen. It is, as C. A. Coates put it, “a path which so far as this world goes is one of dishonor and reproach.” The cross symbolizes the shame, persecution, and abuse which the world heaped on the Son of God, and which the world will heap on all who choose to stand against the tide. Any believer can avoid the cross simply by being conformed to the world and its ways.

A LIFE SPENT IN FOLLOWING CHRIST
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). To understand what this means, one need simply ask himself, “What characterized the life of the Lord Jesus?” It was a life of obedience to the will of God. It was a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. It was a life of unselfish service for others. It was a life of patience and longsuffering in the face of the gravest wrongs. It was a life of zeal, of expenditure, of self-control, of meekness, of kindness, of faithfulness and of devotion (Gal. 5:22-23). In order to be His disciples, we must walk as He walked. We must exhibit the fruit of Christlikeness (John 15:8).

A FERVENT LOVE FOR ALL WHO BELONG TO CHRIST
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). This is the love that esteems others better than oneself. It is the love that covers a multitude of sins. It is the love that suffers long and is kind. It does not parade itself, is not puffed up. It does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor. 13:4-7). Without this love, discipleship would be a cold, legalistic asceticism.

AN UNSWERVING CONTINUANCE IN HIS WORD
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31). For real discipleship there must be continuance. It is easy enough to start well, to burst forth in a blaze of glory. But the test of reality is endurance to the end. Any man who looks back after putting his hand to the plow is not fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). Spasmodic obedience to the Scriptures will not do. Christ wants those who will follow Him in constant, unquestioning obedience.

Keep me from turning back.
The handles of my plow with tears are wet,
The shears with rust are spoiled, and yet, and yet,
My God! My God! Keep me from turning back.
—Author Unknown

A FORSAKING OF ALL TO FOLLOW HIM
“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). This is perhaps the most unpopular of all Christ’s terms of discipleship, and may well prove to be the most unpopular verse in the Bible. Clever theologians can give you a thousand reasons why it does not mean what it says, but simple disciples drink it down eagerly, assuming that the Lord Jesus knew what He was saying. What is meant by forsaking all? It means an abandonment of all one’s material possessions that are not absolutely essential and that could be used in the spread of the gospel. The man who forsakes all does not become a shiftless loafer; he works hard to provide for the current necessities of his family and himself. But since the passion of his life is to advance the cause of Christ, he invests everything above current needs in the work of the Lord and leaves the future with God. In seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, he believes that he will never lack food and clothing. He cannot conscientiously hold on to surplus funds when souls are perishing for want of the gospel. He does not want to waste his life accumulating riches that will fall into the devil’s hands when Christ returns for His saints. He wants to obey the Lord’s injunction against laying up treasure on earth. In forsaking all, he says with David Livingstone, “It’s a pity I don’t have more to give.”

These then are the seven terms of Christian discipleship. They are clear and unequivocal. The writer realizes that in the act of setting them forth, he has condemned himself as an unprofitable servant. But shall the truth of God be forever suppressed because of the failure of God’s people? Is it not true that the message is always greater than the messenger? Is it not proper that God be true and every man a liar? Should we not say with an old worthy, “Thy will be done though in my own undoing”?

Confessing our past failure, let us courageously face up to the claims of Christ upon us and seek from this moment on to be true disciples of our glorious Lord.

My Master, lead me to Thy door:
Pierce this now willing ear once more.
Thy bonds are freedom; let me stay
With Thee to toil, endure, obey.
—H. G. C. Moule

¹H. A. Evan Hopkins, Henceforth, Chicago: IVF, 1954, p. 20.

True Discipleship is available here.

April / May 2016: Check out what’s new from GFP!

Here at Gospel Folio Press we have been working hard at publishing two new books – one brand new and one reprint!

faith_alone_b-1861Faith Alone
By: Paul Young

“You do not need a great faith, but faith in a great God.” Hudson Taylor

The word “faith” is so often subject to personal interpretations in our Western culture.  This book examines the biblical truth of faith in terms of its meaning and application.  The great people of God from the Old Testament as listed in Hebrews 11 reveal that the secret of success was their faith in the Lord.  This was not a vagueness but a relationship which tapped into God’s greatness and brought wonderful blessing.  That faith can be exercised today by true Christian believers.

Order your copy from Gospel Folio Press today!

 

 

12_mysteries_b-1656The 12 Mysteries of Scripture
By: W. E. Vine

The following pages open up in a very helpful way the “Mysteries of Scripture.” – W. R. Lewis

The word “mystery” in Scripture does not denote that which is mysterious. Its meaning therefore differs from that of its current use in English. In Scripture, it denotes that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit. In the ordinary sense, a mystery implies knowledge withheld; its Scriptural significance is truth revealed. Hence, the terms especially associated with the subject are “made known,” “manifested,” “revealed,” “preached,” “understand,” “dispensation.”

This modest volume seeks to explain, and expand on, 12 mysteries in the Word of God.

Order your copy from Gospel Folio Press today!

 

New GFP Title: Colossians: The Things Above

Colossians_Norbie_B-1809The purpose of this letter was to correct some false teaching that was infiltrating the church. There was a strain of Jewish legalism with an emphasis on certain foods and the keeping of Jewish holidays. There was also certain Gnostic ideas which would become fully developed in the next century. Some of these teachings claimed to give one a deeper insight into truth, “philosophy.” Matter was inherently evil and God was not the direct Creator. There were intermediate agencies.

Paul urges them to get back to the reality of the greatness of the Person of Christ, His incarnation, and the adequacy of the gospel. Salvation was the work of Christ, not the result of human effort or superior knowledge.

Use this commentary to work your way through the book of Colossians for an edifying study.

PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY

 

New Release: Living at the End of the Rope

living_at_the_end_B-1793

How can you go on when things are not getting better?

In this book, you will meet real people living with: the tendency to abuse alcohol, the memory of aborting a child, the death of immediate family members, the frustration of deteriorating health, the pain of unexpected divorce, the challenges of raising a child with special needs, the conflicting emotions arising from a mismatched marriage, and more.

Ron Hughes presents 10 accounts of the presence of God sustaining those who are living at the end of the rope. His work in media since the mid-70s and vocation in ministry since 1983 have provided him with hundreds of opportunities to interact with people in all kinds of circumstances. His subjects in these chapters made themselves vulnerable in unexpected ways which allow readers to identify strongly with the thoughts and emotions common to all of us who struggle.

Here, you will find no tales of instant deliverance, miraculous cures, or dramatic victories. Instead, these pages contain the stories of ordinary people walking day-by-day through the end-of-the-rope experiences which build faith and bring hope to life.

How can you go on when things are not getting better?

In this book, you will meet real people living with: the tendency to abuse alcohol, the memory of aborting a child, the death of immediate family members, the frustration of deteriorating health, the pain of unexpected divorce, the challenges of raising a child with special needs, the conflicting emotions arising from a mismatched marriage, and more.

Ron Hughes presents 10 accounts of the presence of God sustaining those who are living at the end of the rope. His work in media since the mid-70s and vocation in ministry since 1983 have provided him with hundreds of opportunities to interact with people in all kinds of circumstances. His subjects in these chapters made themselves vulnerable in unexpected ways which allow readers to identify strongly with the thoughts and emotions common to all of us who struggle.

Here, you will find no tales of instant deliverance, miraculous cures, or dramatic victories. Instead, these pages contain the stories of ordinary people walking day-by-day through the end-of-the-rope experiences which build faith and bring hope to life.

PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY