IVP Classics

What's at stake in our worship? Everything. Worship is the dangerous act of waking up to God and God's purposes in the world. But something has gone wrong with our worship. Too often worship has become a place of safety and complacency, a narrowly private experience in which solitary individuals only express their personal adoration. Even when we gather corporately, we often close our eyes to those around us, focusing on God but ignoring our neighbor. But true biblical worship does not merely point us upward--it should turn us outward as well. In this prophetic wake-up call for the contemporary church, pastor Mark Labberton reconnects Christian worship with biblical justice. From beginning to end, worship must pursue justice and seek righteousness, translating into transformed lives that care for the poor and the oppressed. Labberton shows how to move beyond the comfort of safe worship to authentic worship that is awake to the needs of the world. Mark Labberton teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and directs the Lloyd John Ogilvie Institute of Preaching, which encourages the convergence of worship, preaching and justice (micahgroups.org). Previously Labberton served as senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, California. A senior fellow of the International Justice Mission, he is also the author of The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor. John Ortberg is teaching pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and author of many books, including God Is Closer Than You Think.

Jesus didn't see a sick woman, he saw a daughter of God. He didn't see an outcast from society, he saw a child of Israel. He didn't see a sinner, he saw a person in the image of the Creator. Are we able to see others with the eyes of Jesus? Seeing rightly is the beginning of renewal, forgiveness, healing and grace. Seeing rightly, says Mark Labberton, is the beginning of how our hearts are changed. Through careful self-examination in the Spirit, we begin to bear the fruit of love toward others that can make a difference. Here is a chance to reflect on why our ordinary hearts can be complacent about the evils in the world and how we can begin to see the world like Jesus. With each chapter broken into brief segments punctuated by questions, this book is ideal for both personal reflection and group discussion. See what happens when you take a chance on the dangerous act of loving your neighbor. Your vision might just be changed forever. Mark Labberton is president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He is also the author of The Dangerous Act of Worship.

"The way of the cross is a magnificent obsession with a heavenly pearl, beside which everything else in life has no value." Following Christ, says John White, is not cheap. The cost is substantial. There will be suffering and loss. But the benefits, rewards and joys that come with our commitment to him are well worth the sacrifices that must be made to answer the call to Christ. Consider the cost. Then take up your cross. And follow Jesus in the only life worth living. John White was born in Liverpool, England, on March 5, 1924, and grew up in Manchester. After serving as a reconnaissance photographer in the Fleet Air Arms during World War II, he completed medical training at Manchester University. He later participated in a variety of short-term missions efforts (including Bible smuggling!) and capitalized on many opportunities to encourage Christians behind the Iron Curtain during the beginning of the Cold War. On June 25, 1955, White married Laureate May O'Hara. From 1955 to 1964 he served as a medical missionary with New Tribes Mission. Later he was appointed associate general secretary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students of Latin America. White emigrated to Canada with his family in 1965 and later completed his residency in psychiatry in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He next filled the post of associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and also served locally as pastor of Church of the Way. He wrote 25 books as well as numerous articles and study guides. A much sought-after speaker, he lectured around the world at churches, conferences and leadership events. During his later life, White moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, helping to plant a Vineyard church there (Surrey Vineyard) and becoming involved in the larger Vineyard Christian Fellowship. John White died in 2002, but his written ministry lives on, with over 1.5 million of his books in print. Don Everts is minister of outreach at Bonhomme Presbyterian Church in Chesterfield, Missouri, where he spends time cultivating relationships with people who are generally skeptical Christians with a passion for evangelism and global justice. He previously served as an area director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Boulder, Colorado. His books include I Once Was Lost, Go and Do , and Jesus with Dirty Feet.

"Knowledge is indispensable to Christian life and service," writes John Stott. "If we do not use the mind which God has given us, we condemn ourselves to spiritual superficiality." While Christians have had a long heritage of rigorous scholarship and careful thinking, some circles still view the intellect with suspicion or even as contradictory to Christian faith. And many non-Christians are quick to label Christians as anti-intellectual and obscurantist. But this need not be so. In this classic introduction to Christian thinking, John Stott makes a forceful appeal for Christian discipleship that engages the mind as well as the heart. John Stott is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. His many books, including Basic Christianity and The Cross of Christ, have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages. Stott was honored by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

Prayers are windows, windows on eternity. Through the prayers in the Bible, we look into the profoundest issues of life and death, and the deepest longings of our own hearts. And we learn about the God to whom we pray, the one who wants to talk with us, the one who takes the initiative in our relationship with him. In this classic book on prayer, John White helps us listen to Abraham plead for Sodom and Gomorrah. We watch Jacob wrestle with the Angel of the Lord. We hear David confess his sin. We also see him dance before the ark of the covenant. We hear Hannah ask for a child. Finally, John White shows how Jesus' prayers on the cross present a model for facing our last hours as well. The ten prayers in this book will take you near to the holy one of the universe, the personal God of each person in the world.