Recommendations of Good Books
There
is benefit to reading, and the reading of spiritual books is especially
beneficial to our knowledge and spirituality. This writer will be recommending
certain spiritual books to the brothers and sisters on two occasions this year
so that your interest in reading will be kindled and your spiritual lives may
grow. I consider the following ten books to be well worthy of your perusal.
The
following six relate to spiritual nurturing –
The
Root of the Righteous by A.W. Tozer
God
tells the Man who Cares by A.W. Tozer
The
Disciplines of Life by Raymond Edman
Men
from God’s School by J. Oswald Sanders
The
Beatitudes by Peter Liu
The
Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
Dr.
A.W. Tozer was a servant of God in the modern era who was greatly used by the
Lord, and has been reputed to be “A Prophet of the 20th Century”. He
possessed a keen sense of spiritual awareness, so that he had perceptive
insights into the Church and the trends of the age, and was proficient in
teaching Biblical truths. “The
Root of the Righteousness” and “God tells the Man who Cares” are the essence of
his many years of literary work. Each chapter is a distinct topic, suitable for
reading at a slow pace and careful meditation. The church library has both the
English versions and the Chinese translations.
The
life of a Christian must pass through many trials before its heavenly being can
mature and grow and be used by God. “The Disciplines of Life” by Raymond Edman
expands our spiritual realm, and further challenges those Christians who are
lazy and unproductive.
Pastor
J. Oswald Sanders was once a missionary with the China Inland Mission,
dedicated to promoting evangelical works. He had abundant experience in
nurturing and training church leaders and missionaries. In “Men from God’s
School”, he picked 18 great personages from the Bible and described the causes
and reasons for their successes and failures, ebbs and flows.
Brother
Peter Liu has some unique and penetrating insights into the “Eight Beatitudes”
expounded by Christ on the mount. His sharing is worthy of everyone’s review.
The
author of “The Pursuit of Holiness” shares with us 17 aspects of the attainment
of holiness by Christians. It is a classic tome regarding the pursuit of
spiritual life that is well worth a careful reading.
If
you are interest in biographies, “Sacrificial Love – Portraits of CIM
Missionaries” by Sik Pui Wong will not disappoint. The author collected and
edited the evangelical testimonies of 30 past missionaries from the China
Inland Mission. Because of their love of God and missionary zeal for the
Gospel, they willingly gave up their comfortable lives in their own countries
to move to poverty-stricken provinces in inland China and preached the Gospel
to the Chinese. Many of them in fact sacrificed their family members’ as well
as their own lives.
Besides
being well-versed in the Bible, Christians should also be familiar with Church
history. “The Pilgrim Church” by E.H. Broadbent is not a history of development
of what most would call the traditional church. The author chose instead to
chronicle the testimonies of some brothers who followed Christ single-mindedly
and were consecrated for the Lord, from the Early Church on through the
generations to the year 1930.
“The
Oracle of God 1: Authority of the Bible” by Li Cheng is the most exhaustive
study of the authority of the Bible written by a Chinese person. The author
spent many years collecting, analyzing and sorting data before he completed
this book. This writer encourages everyone not just to read it, but to obtain a
copy for ease of future reference.
“The
Biblical Basis for Modern Science” by Henry M. Morris adopts the viewpoints of
reason and science to establish the truth of the Bible. It is a great
apologetic treatise for the Church.
You
will find the foregoing 10 recommended books in our church library. If you are
interested in borrowing them, please do not take out more than one at a time,
and be sure to return each within 2 weeks so that other members may have an
opportunity to read them as well. You may also acquire copies for your own
private enjoyment.
By:
Daniel To