Renowned evangelical theologian Gerald Bray provides a clear and coherent account of the church in biblical, historical, and theological perspective. He tells the story of the church in its many manifestations through time, starting with its appearance in the New Testament, moving through centuries of persecution and triumph, and discussing how and why the ancient church broke up at the Reformation. Along the way, Bray looks at the four classic marks of the church--its oneness, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity--and illustrates how each of these marks has been understood by different Christian traditions. The book concludes with a look at the ecumenical climate of today and suggests ways that the four characteristics of the church can and should be manifested in our present global context. This accessible introduction to the church from an evangelical perspective explores ecclesiology through the lenses of church history and doctrine to reveal what it means for us today. Bray discusses the church as a living reality, offering practical ways churches and individuals can cooperate and live together.

Existing scholarship on World Christianities tends to privilege the local and the regional. In addition to offering an explanation for this tendency, the editors and contributors of this volume also offer a new perspective. An Introduction, Afterword and case-studies argue for the importance of transregional connections in the study of Christianity worldwide. Returning to an older post-war conception of ‘World Christianity’ as an international, ecumenical fellowship, the present volume aims to highlight the universalist, globalising aspirations of many Christians worldwide. While we do not neglect the importance of the local, our aim is to give due weight to the significant transregional networks and exchanges that have constituted Christian communities, both historically and in the present day. Contributors are: J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Naures Atto, Joel Cabrita, Pedro Feitoza, David C. Kirkpatrick, Chandra Mallampalli, David Maxwell, Dorottya Nagy, Peter C. Phan, Andrew Preston, Joel Robbins, Chloe Starr, Charlotte Walker-Said, Emma Wild-Wood.

What is a church? This can be a difficult question to answer and Christians have offered a variety of perspectives. Gregg Allison thus explores and synthesizes all that Scripture affirms about the new covenant people of God, capturing a full picture of the biblical church. He covers the topics of the church's identity and characteristics; its growth through purity, unity, and discipline; its offices and leadership structures; its ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper; and its ministries. Here is a rich approach to ecclesiology consisting of sustained doctrinal reflection and wise, practical application. Part of the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series.

“This book is an invaluable one-stop reference for deploying, configuring, and managing Windows Server 2008. It’s filled with John’s unique and hard-earned nuggets of advice, helpful scripts, and shortcuts that will save you time and money.” --Mark Russinovich The Start-to-Finish, Comprehensive Windows Server 2008 Book for Every Working Administrator and Architect To make the most of Windows Server 2008 in production environments, you need a deep understanding of its technical details. However, accurate and reliable information is scarce, and even most skilled Windows professionals don’t know Windows Server 2008 as well as they should. The Complete Guide to Windows Server 2008brings together more than 1,500 pages of practical Windows Server 2008 insight and in-depth knowledge that you can't find anywhere else, all based on final code. John Savill—one of the world’s most visible and trusted experts on Windows Server technology—specializes in helping real companies use Windows Server 2008 to run their businesses. His access to Microsoft’s product team as a Microsoft MVP and one of 50 elite “Windows Server 2008 Delta Force Rangers” benefited this book’s accuracy and value. Coverage includes Deployment planning, implementing, and managing new features, including Windows Server Core and Hyper-V virtualization Choosing the right installation and upgrade options for your environment Securing Windows Server 2008: authentication, authorization, BitLocker, certification services, and more Implementing TCP/IP, advanced network services, remote access, and thin-client Terminal Services Active Directory in depth, including Federated Services, Lightweight Directory Services, and Rights Management Providing high availability through Network Load Balancing and failover clustering Using Windows Deployment Services to quickly deploy multiple servers Supporting complex distributed environments with the Distributed File System Automating server management with PowerShell and the command prompt Integrating Windows Server 2008 with UNIX, Linux, and legacy NetWare servers Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 and Vista environments, including an intuitive “how to” index to quickly locate answers to commonly asked questions www.savilltech.com/completeguidetowindows2008

In relation to leading new believers, we have the following publications: Messages for Building Up New Believers by Watchman Nee and The Crucial Truths in the Bible in Chinese. After serious consideration before the Lord, I feel to give some practical material for teaching new believers. Lesson 1 is ?Knowing That We Are Saved.? In leading new believers, we need to lay a firm and solid foundation in the matter of salvation. Otherwise, we cannot expect them to grow, to walk the way of the Lord, to consecrate, or to serve the Lord. A person must be clear concerning his salvation, having a firm and solid foundation, in order to grow, walk, consecrate, and serve the Lord properly. Hence, the foundation is very important.

If the divine liturgy really is as beautiful as we claim, wouldn't more people attend? Wouldn't the church grow? Driven by our desire for growth, we count, we analyze, we make charts, and we strategize, but often with few discernible results. That is probably the result of focusing on secondary aspects of church life. As we know, the very existence of a church is a gift of God's presence and not the result of any particular actions taken by human beings. For that reason, church is primarily about being something rather than doing or achieving something. So the growth of the church is not reflected in ever-increasing numbers, dollars, and activities, but rather in steadily growing conformity to the divine ideal. So in order to evaluate ecclesial growth, we will first have to ask what the church is supposed to be. One answer to that question is captured in the four marks of the church given in the creed: Oneness, Holiness, Catholicity, and Apostolicity. These four characteristics serve as a matrix or framework within which we can focus on the primary aspects of ecclesial being and help it grow and become what it was intended to be.