“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” —Matthew 13:31–32 When Jesus began his ministry, he announced that the kingdom of God was at hand. But many modern-day Christians don’t really understand what the kingdom of God is or how it relates to the message of the gospel. Defining kingdom as the King’s power over the King’s people in the King’s place, Patrick Schreiner investigates the key events, prophecies, and passages of Scripture that highlight the important theme of kingdom across the storyline of the Bible—helping readers see how the mission of Jesus and the coming of the kingdom fit together. Part of the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series.

The principal liturgies of Holy Week underwent a series of revisions between 1951 and 2011. In this book, noted liturgist Paul Turner charts the rubrics and prayers of the current rites paragraph by paragraph, explaining the historical development of individual components, how and why the post 'Vatican II liturgical reform made its revisions, and where the Roman Missal, Third Edition has added nuances. This book will help ministers, liturgists, catechists, and all the faithful enter more deeply into the mystery of the cross of Christ, their glory and their hope.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham explores the seven last sayings of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels, combining rich historical and theological insights to reflect on the true heart of the Christian story. For Jon Meacham, as for believers worldwide, the events of Good Friday and Easter reveal essential truths about Christianity. A former vestryman of Trinity Church Wall Street and St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Meacham delves into that intersection of faith and history in this meditation on the seven phrases Jesus spoke from the cross. Beginning with “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” and ending with “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” Meacham captures for the reader how these words epitomize Jesus’s message of love, not hate; grace, not rage; and, rather than vengeance, extraordinary mercy. For each saying, Meacham composes an essay on the origins of Christianity and how Jesus’s final words created a foundation for oral and written traditions that upended the very order of the world. Writing in a tone more intimate than any of his previous works, Jon Meacham returns us to the moment that transformed Jesus from a historical figure into the proclaimed Son of God, worshiped by billions.

In many ways, Easter is supposed to be the high-point of the year for Christians, where we remember the three days that changed history for ever. But for many of us, the day quickly comes and goes without us really feeling any different. Yet for centuries Christians around the world have marked the season of Lentthe forty days leading up to Easteras a way of reflecting on their need for forgiveness and anticipating Christ's work on the cross. These daily readings present deep theology in a concise and understandable way, allowing you to soak up the real meaning of Christ's death and resurrection. Each week, you'll read through one or two chapters of John's Gospel. The Sunday reading provides an introduction to the passage as a whole, while the rest of the week's reflections work through it in smaller sections. A carefully selected prayerdrawn from the rich work of writers throughout church historyis included each day. So this Lent, prepare your heart with 47 days of short and st

The Power of the Cross The cross of Jesus is the epicenter of God’s glory for His creation. What happened when God reconciled the world to Himself through Christ is a spectacle of ever-unfolding majesty. Simple enough for a child to fully experience, the cross is a demonstration of God’s perfection and your key to inner harmony. Every effect has a cause, and every cause an effect. The cross changes everything. It is not a past-tense event. The moment Jesus uttered, “It is finished,” a supernatural storehouse became the possession of all who find their place beneath its shadow. The cross is your history made and yet to be discovered. Through The Power of the Cross Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda invite you to enter a new personal encounter with the Presence of God. Come receive His transforming glory for manifest miracles in your life and begin to transmit that energy to others. Bio (Word count: 64) Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda lead a worldwide apostolic ministry. With over three miracle-packed decades of experience, the Chavdas have led more than one million people to Christ, and seen thousands healed. Authors of numerous best-sellers, they are co-founders and senior pastors of All Nations Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia and lead a global prayer movement called the Watch of the LordTM. Their television program, The Watch, is viewed world-wide.