Good Books For the Christian

I've been asked several times over the last couple of months what are some of my favorite books.  I don't think it's because people respect my opinions as much as it's because people hear me preach and teach a lot and they want to know where in the world I got the kool-aid I'm drinking.  And that's cool, too.

Jesus wants us to read His Word and listen to His voice through it.  He is a Shepherd who calls us to come follow Him and learn from Him (John 10:27, Matthew 11:28).  He is alive today just like He was in Palestine 2000 years ago.  The differences are that a final sacrifice for sin has been made, He's fulfilled the Scriptural promises made about Him, and now He's risen, ruling, and reigning, seated in Heaven at God's right hand advocating for His people (Hebrews 1:4, 1 John 2:1-2), sure to return one day like He came the first time.  So the call is still the same as back then: "Follow me".  This is why Paul many times spoke of "the obedience of faith" (Romans 1:6, 6:17, 16:26): to believe in the Gospel (as Jesus commanded) is to obey Christ.  And obedience to Christ brings about new and eternal life (see John 3:36, Hebrews 5:9).
To bring this about, He has sent men and women with the message of "good news".  Just like God serves us in His creation from behind the veil of His creation, He calls us to himself through His Gospel preached by those who know and love Him. "For this I was made a preacher and apostle" Paul said (1 Timothy 2:7), and so "how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Isaiah 52:7).  In this vein, Jesus has given "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the saints for ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-12).  It's His will that people write books and articles, preach sermons, and speak about Jesus in conversation. 

Every book's truth claims should always be tested against the Scripture's truth claims.  If someone's writing something contrary to what the Holy Spirit wrote, don't buy it.  But a real Christian book is one that takes truth from Scripture and unpacks it in an accessible way, pointing the reader to the real good Book. There is no substitute for learning the Word of God directly from the source.  And with that in mind, it is good to get help, because God's blessed us with much of it.

I grew up hating to read.  I'd pick the books to read for school that had movies so I could watch the movies and avoid the book.  I'm a natural cheat.  But in Christ I'm being made new, and books have been a major part of that.  I didn't like to read in college either (yeah, in Bible college).  But as I've been in ministry, it's forced me to read more.  Often we come across books that help shape us when we're least expecting it, because we don't really think we need shaped.  Then we read something that forces us to think, and we're never the same.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, but one that hopefully helps you as it's helped me too. I'm going to have two categories below, and then later this week I'll post two more, and then after that two more.  Most of these can be found at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any other book distributor (and many for cheaper than retail).

Understanding the Bible and the God of the Bible

-JI Packers "Knowing God"--this book is a biblical study on God's nature and character.  It changed my life, and is considered to be a modern classic.  Roughly 300 pages, it's well written, and accessible, regardless of your reading level or theological foundation.
-AW Tozers "The Knowledge of the Holy"--Tozer was a pastor in Chicago in the early-mid 20th century.  He wrote short books (roughly 100-150 pages), and they are incredibly deep.  This book unpacks God's attributes and character in a way I've hardly read anywhere.  Clear, Biblical, and deep.
-Arthur Pinks "The Attributes of God"--Pink is polarizing: a Calvinist largely hated by non-Calvinists (which is ironic), but largely treasured by Calvinists.  His book is similar to Tozer's in length, but is written more from a theologian's perspective.  Some will have a hard time agreeing with him on every attribute, but one can't argue that he lifts his conclusions straight from the pages of the Bible in a way that makes sense.
-JI Packers "Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God"--this little book is a classic and must-read for anyone serious about understanding the Bible and doing ministry.  If one reads the Bible, they see two undeniable truths that appear contradictory: God loves us and wants us to know Him, and God is the One who saves the lost sinner by sovereign grace.  Instead of "picking a side" with this conundrum (as most do), Packer masterfully shows how these two truths are not contradictory but rather complimentary.
-Wayne Grudems "Systematic Theology"--Systematic theologies are typically extremely long treatises written to deal with one particular subject at a time, building on itself  to create one massive system of thought about the Bible.  These books are often 600-1000 pages long.  Grudem is a Reformed (Calvinistic) Charismatic who (while you won't agree with all his conclusions) masterfully unpacks the Scriptures in an easy-to-read, accessible way.  I think it's the best systematic theology there is.
-RC Sprouls "the Holiness of God"--this book changed my life as well.  Sproul is a master communicator, and this book shows the holy and righteous character of the God of the Bible.  An incredible read (and rather short, too).
-John Macarthurs "The Gospel According to Jesus"--Macarthur shoots straight.  He is polarizing.  But I've found his teaching on the Bible and Jesus' Gospel to be invaluable.  He has an entire New Testament commentary set that is unparalleled in recent church history, and this book will help you make sense of the differences in Jesus' tone between the four Gospels (ie, why do the parables sound so different than Jesus' teaching in John's Gospel?). 
-Jonathan Edwards' "The End For Which God Created the World"--Edwards lived in the 1700s and this is a difficult read.  But a good friend gave it to me once, and the second half of it (of two) was worth reading through what is a difficult first part.  In the first part Edwards masterfully answers philosophically what is possible the most important question we could ask, "Why?", and in the second, he masterfully answers the same question from Scripture, using thousands of citations.
-Jameison, Fauset, and Brown Commentary Critical, Experimental, and Practical--this is an old commentary from the 1800s written by (I think) 3 men with different ministry credentials.  It is out of print and hard to come by, but if you ever do, it's worth whatever you have to spend to get it for its historical analysis and exegetical notes alone.
-Mark Driscolls "A Book You'll Actually Read On the Old Testament" and "...On the New Testament"--these less-than-100-page booklets are excellent for the person with questions regarding whether or not we can trust the Bible.  Driscoll speaks clearly and helpfully on why we can.

Discipleship

-Dietrich Bonhoeffers "The Cost of Discipleship"--Bonhoeffer needs no introduction, but this book does. His concept of "cheap grace vs. costly grace" has indebted many a reader.  I honestly don't think I ever understood what it meant to follow Jesus as a disciple in a non-Christian world until I read this book.  If read carefully, this is a paradigm-shattering read, and you'll find yourself with a cross on your back at the end.
-Richard Fosters "Celebration of Discipline"--a modern classic on the discipline it takes to walk with Jesus, faithful to the Scripture.  While the yoke is easy walking with Jesus (because He bears it with you), the road is hard (because it's difficult in this world).  One must understand the call from the outset, and be ready to change.
-AW Tozers "The Pursuit of God"--considered by many to be one of the top 10 Christian books of the 20th century, this book calls Christians to follow Jesus with reckless abandon.  Tozer is forthright, honest, and clear about the call to discipleship.  It's short, too (only about 120 small pages).
-Shane Claibornes "Irresistible Revolution"--I read this little book in college, and it forced me to think about how fake my discipleship was.  I wasn't really trying to follow Jesus, and I wasn't really trying to serve and love others.  Claiborne challenged me when I needed it.  While I don't agree with him on many theological fronts, I did appreciate this books radical call to obedience.
-Donald Millers "Blue Like Jazz"--this is another book I read a long time ago.  Miller isn't necessarily orthodox in his theological views (from what I can tell), but he's an incredible writer, loves Jesus, and is honest about his feelings and thoughts.  While today I would recommend something from the first list before I would this title, this is still one that I'd endorse as being accessible, clear, and inviting to a non-believer.

Coming next week, Apologetics (reasoning for the faith) and Emotional Health.