By Mark A. Taylor
It”s one of the greatest joys I have in life. Nothing compares to the experience of baptizing people who have become so enamored by the person and work of Jesus Christ that they choose to receive him as their Savior and leader. Their enthusiasm is genuine. Their joy is infectious. Their faith is simple. And their lives and souls are transformed forever.
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That paragraph, written by Gene Appel, begins one of six articles in a new 12-page downloadable resource from Standard Publishing. It”s called Simply Christians, and it offers a winsome and persuasive apologetic for nondenominational Christianity today.
This material originally appeared several years ago as a special issue of The Lookout magazine. Now you and your church can have it again.
Other writers include Mike Shannon, who expresses the blessing of being in our fellowship: “I can”t think of a group I would rather belong to.”
David Eubanks gives a simple history of the Restoration Movement. Robin Underhill describes the blessings of being “Christians only” in our times.
In my short piece, I propose that “just Christian,” is “just enough”: “We believe we will all grow closer to Christ””and to each other””if we will settle for his name alone. Can any of us suggest a good reason why we need anything more?”
David Faust chimes in with a vision that transcends history:
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The work of restoration is ongoing, and it”s more than just a set of ideas. God”s goal is restoring people. He wants to restore our souls (Psalm 23:3). He calls us to gently restore others caught in sin (Galatians 6:1). When we”re faithful to this work, “the God of all grace” promises to restore us and make us “strong, firm, and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10).
This isn”t just our history. It”s our mission: the restoration of lost people and the ongoing reformation of the church so we can accomplish the task. These ideals need to be understood, embraced, explained, and passed along to future generations.
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With this attractive download, we”re helping you do just that. For one fee, you can make as many uses of this material as you wish. Duplicate it. Distribute it. Teach from it. Post it on your church”s Web site.
Communicate the genius and plea of our whole movement with “Simply Christians.”
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