RecommendedResources - Lake Region Bible Church

Recommended Resources

{for Christian Living and Gospel Ministry}

by Marcus Johnson ● Pastor of Lake Region Bible Church

Last updated on 08/13/2010.

This webpage includes a selection of books taken from a longer list.

To see the complete list, click on Expanded List.

For a devotional study on The Gospel according to Mark, click on: Discipleship.

For a devotional study on the Incarnation, click on: Pastor's Devotional.

Please note the following: The paragraph at the bottom of this page explains the guidelines used in determining what resources have been recommended. For a perspective that is biblically faithful to the gospel message and to living out the gospel (in my opinion), see our Statement of Faith, as well as the theology and vision of ministry articulated by The Gospel Coalition.

Helpful Hint: Descriptions and reviews for many of the books listed below can be found on-line by visiting websites such as CBD or Amazon and by typing in the book title and author’s name. CBD (Christian Book Distributors) has descriptions of many of these books. Both CBD and Amazon offer customer reviews of the books they sell, and sometimes they include pictures of selected pages within a book (i.e. the index page, the first page of a chapter, etc.).

Recommended Websites (Click on the title to go to that website: other websites are found on the Expanded list page)

ESV Study Bible (you must purchase the ESV Study Bible to make full use of this website)

Rose Publishing (Apologetics: offers full-color easy-to-use Bible reference materials).

The Gospel Coalition (Conservative-Evangelical organization: offers sermons, devotionals, theological resources, etc.)

RZIM (website for Ravi Zacharias, a highly respected and biblically faithful evangelist-apologist).

Missiology (Missions education: offers missiological/cross-cultural training in gospel ministry)

Sacred Tribes Journal (Christian/Academic-based study of new religious movements: Trinity Graduate School)

Voice of the Martyrs (Updates on the persecuted church)

CCDA (Christian organization: equipping the church in reclaiming & restoring under-resourced communities)

Joni and Friends (International Disability Ministry: Serving Special Needs Persons)

Real Clear Politics (daily-updated links to articles written from multiple-political perspectives)

Order of Books & Other Resources: Under each category, the "easier reads" are listed first, followed by the "average reads", and then the "more difficult" reads are listed last. The categories themselves are listed in the following order: beginning with topics related to basic Christian growth, and ending with topics of a more advanced theological or academic nature. Note: some theology books are listed under the first section on discipleship, as theology is part of Christian growth; and some books are listed under more than one category on the expanded list).

Bold-face/Color-coded Chart:

● Red titles = easier reads (high school level or below) ● Blue titles = average reads (high school to college level)

● Green titles = more difficult reads (college to graduate level) ● Yellow = an article posted on-line

Discipleship & Spiritual Growth (see also "Christian Theology" below)

Who is this Jesus?, by Michael Green
How to Be Born Again, by Billy Graham
NIrV Adventure Bible for Kids, by Zondervan
ESV Study Bible, by Crossway
The Green Letters (Principles of Spiritual Growth), by Miles J. Standford

Living the Spirit Formed Life, by Jack W. Hayford (charismatic pastor, The Church on the Way)

Bible Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem
Exodus, by Peter Enns (NIV Application Commentary)
Mark, by David Garland (NIV Application Commentary)

Biographical & Inspirational

Sojourner Truth (American Abolitionist), by W. Terry Whalin (a freed slave turned evangelist; c.1800's)

Black and Free, by Tom Skinner (former Harlem gang member turned evangelist; c. 1950's)

No Compromise: the Life Story of Keith Green, by Melody Green (a Christian musician; c. 1970's)
Just Give Me Jesus, by Anne Graham Lotz
Prodigals and Those Who Love Them, by Ruth Bell Graham

Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur, by Frank L. Houghton (a missionary to India; started a children's orphanage; c. early 1900's)

In-God’s Underground (Christ in the Communist Prisons), by Richard Wurmbrand (founder of Voice of the Martyrs)

Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor, by D.A. Carson

A Prophet with Honor: the Billy Graham Story, William C. Martin

Here I Stand: a Life of Martin Luther, by Roland H. Burton

Godly Living (Relationships, Stewardship, Work, Citizenship)

Fit to Be Tied: Making Marriage Last a Lifetime, Bill & Lynne Hybels

Winning God's Way, by Loren Cunningham (founder of Youth With a Mission)

Boundaries with Teens, by John Townsend (also co-authored Boundaries & Boundaries in Marriage)

How to Manage Your Money, by Larry Burkett (an in-depth Bible study on personal finances)

Faith in the Game: Lessons on Football, Work, and Life, by Tom Osborne

God and Government, by Chuck Colson

The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus (Guard the Truth), by John Stott (Bible Speaks Today Series)

Church & Ministry (see also "Gospel Ministry" & "Leadership" below)

Loving God, by Chuck Colson

Total Surrender, by Mother Theresa
Restoring At-Risk Communities, John M. Perkins (Editor)
The Mark of Jesus, by Timothy George and John Woodbridge
Vision for Ministry (from The Gospel Coalition)
Contrasting Missional and Church Growth Perspectives , by Gailyn Van Rheenen (Missiology website)
Companion to the Poor, by Viv Grigg
Acts, by Ajith Fernando (NIV Application Commentary)
The Book of Revelation, by Robert H. Mounce (New International Commentary on the New Testament)

Gospel Ministry (Evangelism, Making Disciples, Missiology)

Out of the Salt Shaker and into the World: Evangelism as a Way of Life, by Rebecca Manley Pippert
Living on the Devil’s Doorstep, by Floyd McClung
How to Give Away Your Faith, by Paul Little

Master Plan of Evangelism, by Robert E. Coleman

The Gospel of Jesus Christ , by D.A. Carson (The Gospel Coalition)
Contextualization and Syncretism , by Gailyn Van Rheenen (an on-line posting of the 1st chapter of the book listed below)
Contextualization and Syncretism, Gailyn Van Rheenen (Editor) (missiological insights written by multiple authors)
Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church, by D.A. Carson (addresses postmodernism and gospel faithfulness)
The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, by Leslie Newbigin (long time missionary to India)
The Great Commission, Martin Klauber & Scott Manetsch (Editors)

Prayer & Spiritual Warfare

Is that Really You God? Hearing the Voice of God, by Loren Cunningham
E.M. Bounds Man of Prayer, by Lyle W. Dorsett
The Three Battlegrounds, by Francis Frangipane
The World of the Spirits, by A. Scott Moreau

Historical, Cross-Cultural & Educational

The New Foxe's Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe (updated Harold J. Chadwick)
Why We Can’t Wait, by Martin Luther King Jr. (includes his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”)

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley

Breaking Down Walls, by Raleigh Washington and Glen Kehrein (on racial reconciliation)

Christian Schools: Training God's Soliders or God's Peacemakers , by Laurie Matthias (Sacred Tribes Journal)
Worldview (United States Relations with Native Americans) , by Michael T. Cooper (Sacred Tribes Journal)

Harvest of Empire (A History of Latinos in America), by Juan Gonzalez

The Middle East (The History, The Cultures, The Conflicts, The Faiths), published by TIME Books, Kelly Knauer (Editor)

Pocket History of the Church, by D. Jeffrey Bingham

History of Christianity, Tim Dowely (Editor)

Apologetics & World Religions
Who is this Jesus?, by Michael Green

The Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel

Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis

Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad, by Timothy George

Creation vs. Evolution Debate, by Ron Rhodes (10 Things You Should Know...)

A Ready Defense, by Josh McDowell (complied by Bill Wilson)
The Kingdom of the Cults, by Walter Martin (Ravi Zacharias – Editor)
The Historical Realiability of the Gospels, by Craig Blomberg
The New Testament Documents: Are they Reliable?, by F.F. Bruce

Leadership & Pastoral Ministry

In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership, by Henri J. M. Nouwen

Brothers We are Not Professionals, by John Piper

Spiritual Leadership, by J. Oswald Sanders
The Message of 2 Timothy (Guard the Gospel), by John Stott (BST

Christian Theology/Doctrine

Who is this Jesus?, by Michael Green

How to Be Born Again, by Billy Graham

Knowing Scripture, by R. C Sproul

LRBC Doctrine (the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America)
Confessional Statement (from The Gospel Coalition)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ , by D.A. Carson (The Gospel Coalition)

The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story, by D.A. Carson

Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem (the original & longer version of Bible Doctrine)
Arminian Theology, by Roger E. Olson
Pocket History of Evangelical Theology, by Roger E. Olson
The Cross and Salvation: the Doctrine of Salvation, by Bruce Demarest
Globalizing Theology, Craig Ott & Harold A. Netland (Editors)
The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas J. Moo (New International Commentary on the New Testament)

Biblical Studies

What the Bible is All About, by Henrietta Mears
ESV Study Bible, by Crossway
Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, by Grenz, Guretzki & Nordling
Encountering the Old Testament, by Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer

Encountering the New Testament, by Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough

Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity, by Paul Barnett
Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible, Kevin Vanhoozer (Editor)

Please note the following: 1) The information above (and on the "Expanded List" page) references websites, books and other sources related to Christian living and gospel ministry (including related subjects such as history and culture). 2) Some of these materials referenced are not written from a Christian perspective, but give helpful insights into various topics nonetheless. 3) In some cases, resources have been recommended that offer different or contrasting perspectives with one another, which help us think more deeply through the issues (challenging our own preconceptions and biases) and better understand, with humility, the perspectives we disagree with. 4) I do not endorse everything promoted or stated in these resources (including those written by Christians), but nevertheless, believe these materials contain helpful insights for us. For biblically sound doctrine, see our Statement of Faith. I also strongly recommend the theology and ministry of The Gospel Coalition. 5) I have not read all of the information contained in these resources below. Obviously websites are continually updated, and I also wanted to create a list that was not limited to my own studies. Some of the books referenced are ones that I have not read (or have only skimmed), but they are written by authors who I respect, and/or they are books recommended by others who have insights greater than myself. This is a work in progress and will be updated as time goes on.