Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations

Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations
Tony Evans
Moody Publishers
Published in 2009
ISBN 9780802485786

Review by Ryan Ho

There are a lot of sermon illustration books on the market. Unfortunately, so many of them reproduce the same stories that were published in other volumes, simply re-categorizing them to make the sale. In addition, many of these volumes are heavy on one-sentence anecdotes and quotes but light on stories, providing little that can meaningfully fill out a sermon.

Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations is a breath of fresh air in the midst of the plethora of stale material currently available.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I could not find a single story in Tony Evans’ book that I’d heard previously. This volume is jam-packed with new illustrations. Almost every story took about half a column of the two-columned page to print, some even taking up the entire page.  Even better, most of the stories are truly meaningful. I could see myself using nearly every one as a sermon relief point or as a sermon introduction–something I cannot say for any other sermon illustration book.

Each sermon illustration is arranged alphabetically by topic, like most other sermon illustration books. Unlike some other books, however, the topics are very relevant and should make finding meaningful illustrations easy. There aren’t too many, but they are also not too simple. Examples include “Fellowship,” “Holy Spirit,” “Sin,” and “Word of God.”

Of all the books that I have seen come through our bookstore this year, this volume is easily on my top three list and is vying for #1. If you do any amount of preaching or teaching at all, this is a book that you absolutely must purchase. For everything it offers, I’d gladly pay double the price that Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations sells for. Buy this book today, say a word of thanks to your worn copy of Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations as you put it back on the shelf, and start preparing a fresh and meaningful sermon for Sunday worship.

 

A Book You’ll Actually Read

A Book You’ll Actually Read:
On Church Leadership
On the New Testament
On the Old Testament
On Who Is God?

Mark Driscoll
Crossway Books
Published in 2008

Review by Ryan Ho

I’m excited about this new series.

For those who don’t know, Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and the author/co-author of several books. This series, titled “A Book You’ll Actually Read,” consists of four books – On Who Is God?, On the New Testament, On the Old Testament, and On Church Leadership.

Whereas most little books lack both content and quality, these books contain lots of valuable information and insights. On Who Is God? tackles several very tough trinitarian issues, but thankfully Driscoll is both clear and orthodox in his treatment. On the New Testament and On the Old Testament both include sections that examine each biblical book and are full of helpful explanations. On Church Leadership examines each of the major roles in ministry, such as deacons, elders, etc., clarifying what the Bible has to say about each. All four books include a section dedicated to answering common questions on the topic, and each ends with an appendix list of books and magazines for those who want to do further reading.

If you don’t have trouble reading a commentary or theology dissertation from cover to cover, these books aren’t for you. If, however, you can’t remember the last time you finished a book, take a look at this series. The books are short and sweet, but at the same time jam-packed with useful knowledge. Overall, Driscoll’s new series is a great starting point for anyone wanting to learn more.

 

Discipline of Spiritual Discernment

The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment

Tim Challies
Crossway Books
Published in 2007
ISBN 9781581349092

Review by Ryan Ho

I first heard of Tim Challies while surfing through reviews on Amazon.com. His reviews stood out to me as incredibly intellectually and theologically discerning, so I decided to read his book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, in order to discover his critical method. As I read, I sought to develop my own “discipline” of spiritual discernment further and hoped that Challies could help me in that venture. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed.

Challies views spiritual discernment as something that is not only important for Christians but absolutely necessary. The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment is divided into ten easy-to-follow chapters. In each chapter,  Challies uses a variety of means to demonstrate why we should value spiritual discernment. Throughout, Challies shows how the Bible calls believers to practice spiritual discernment in their own lives. Challies exhorts believers to treat spiritual discernment as they would any other spiritual discipline, seeking to develop it and integrate it into ministry.

Although The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment isn’t perfect – I’ll never remember all 17 actions listed in the last chapter, and I was sick of reading John MacArthur quotes by about the fourth chapter – it is a much needed book dealing with an oft-overlooked topic in today’s church. The church is indebted to individuals such as Challies who aren’t afraid to stand up for what is true and right, and I recommend The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment to anyone longing to grow in spiritual depth and maturity.

 

To the Jew First

To the Jew First
Edited by Darrell L. Bock and Mitch Glaser
Kregel Publications
Grand Rapids, MI
ISBN: 9780825436581

Review by Ryan Ho

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).

To the Jew First is a comprehensive look at the biblical, theological, historical, and practical basis for Jewish evangelism. The book features a number of leading theologians from a range of theological views, including Dallas Theological Seminary’s Dr. Bock and Dr. Burns.

To the Jew First breaks itself down into three major sections. In Part One, “Bible,” the writers examine the meaning and application of the Bible in regard to Israel and Jewish evangelism. Part Two, “Theology,” engages the various issues regarding Israel’s future and Jewish evangelism from a variety of theological perspectives. In Part Three, “Mission,” the authors discuss the practical outworking of the theology discussed throughout the book in relation to Jewish missions in the new millennium.

If you have every wondered about the meaning of Paul’s phrase “to the Jew first” or longed to understand more about Jewish evangelism, then To the Jew First is a book worth checking out.