Books with author J. D. Greear

Why does God often feel more like a doctrine we know about than a Person we know? Why do so many of us think of Christianity as a lifestyle to which we conform, rather than a God with whom we commune?Jesus gave his disciples the audacious promise that it was to their advantage he go back to heaven because the Holy Spirit could then come to live inside of them. How many of us consider our connection to the Holy Spirit so strong and so real that we would call his presence in us better than Jesus beside us?Author J.D. Greear asks those questions because throughout his Christian life he felt disconnected to God and unsure about how to interact with him. Although he had learned a lot of truths about God, he sensed very little relationship with him—at least, not the dynamic, two-way relationship he really wanted. He tried to have such a relationship, but all of God’s work seemed stockpiled in the past: he created the world, died on a cross, and left a Bible. God seemed like a busy teacher who had given an assignment and then stepped out of the room, leaving students to get the work done on their own.But Greear discovered it doesn’t have to be like that. Not at all. In clear and practical language, he explains how any follower of Jesus can have a satisfying, powerful relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.While many books about the Holy Spirit get stuck in secondary questions that divide believers, The God Factor focuses on a central, truth that unites us: God wants to be vitally present in and through his people. This truth, though central, is sadly neglected. This generation of Christians—mission-driven but burned out, weary, and longing for joy—desperately needs to recover the dynamic presence of God. And the good news is that God wants us to have exactly that.

Is Christianity Dead? People may think Christianity is dying, but this pronouncement is a little premature. Jesus promised to build His church, declaring that the gates of hell wouldn’t prevail against it. Along with this promise, Jesus gave clear instructions for how the church would overcome. He promised to build it on the rock of the gospel. In this Bible study J. D. Greear examines what it means for believers to place the gospel above all other priorities in our lives and in our churches. This Bible study will help you: • Overcome the temptation of worldly distractions and keep your focus on the gospel above all • Develop a greater awareness and engagement with gospel culture, gospel multiplication, gospel renewal, and gospel unity • Gain a fresh perspective on the greatness of the gospel above all other prefences and priorities Features: Videos featuring author J.D. Greear with contributors David Platt, Jen Wilkin, Vance Pitman, Walter Strickland, Rosaria Butterfield, Greg Laurie, Albert Mohler, and Kevin Smith — available with the purchase of a Leader Kit8 small-group sessions with personal devotion exercisesLeader guide helps to facilitate discussion with small groups (located at the back of each Bible study book)Personal study segments to complete between group sessions At the age of twenty-seven, J.D. Greear became the pastor of a forty-year-old neighborhood church. In the years since, that congregation of four hundred has grown to more than five thousand in weekly attendance. Today, the Summit Church—located in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina—is one of the fastest-growing churches in North America. Pastor J.D.’s messages aren’t intended just to show people how to live better lives; his goal is to leave people in awe of God’s amazing love. Because of his belief in the power of the gospel, pastor J.D. has led the Summit to set a goal of planting more than one thousand gospel-centered churches in the next 40 years. Pastor J.D. holds a PhD in systematic theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also lived and worked among Muslims in Southeast Asia for two years and wrote Breaking the Islam Code. J.D. and his beautiful wife, Veronica, have four ridiculously cute kids: Kharis, Alethia, Ryah, and Adon. Unless God calls him elsewhere, pastor J.D. plans to stay at the Summit Church until he preaches his last sermon at his own funeral before saying goodbye and hopping into the casket.

Jesus cannot be dismissed as one in a long line of religious gurus peddling peace, fulfillment, and a better version of yourself. You Don’t Get Your Own Personal Jesus, excerpted from J.D. Greear’s book Not God Enough, captures the liberating truth that God is exactly who he says he is. You may prefer a God who is small, safe, and domesticated, a God who thinks like you think and likes what you like. You may prefer a God you can manage, predict, and control. But what if this small version of God is holding you back from genuine, confident, world-transforming faith? God is not just a slightly better, slightly smarter version of you. He is infinite and glorious, and an encounter with him won’t just change the way you think about your faith. It will change your entire life.

Jesus cannot be dismissed as one in a long line of religious gurus peddling peace, fulfillment, and a better version of yourself. You Don’t Get Your Own Personal Jesus, excerpted from J.D. Greear’s book Not God Enough, captures the liberating truth that God is exactly who he says he is. You may prefer a God who is small, safe, and domesticated, a God who thinks like you think and likes what you like. You may prefer a God you can manage, predict, and control. But what if this small version of God is holding you back from genuine, confident, world-transforming faith? God is not just a slightly better, slightly smarter version of you. He is infinite and glorious, and an encounter with him won’t just change the way you think about your faith. It will change your entire life.

Many students struggle with assurance of salvation. Despite God’s desire that they be fully assured of their place with Him, students still struggle to to know that they belong to Jesus and He belongs to them. This six-session study based on the book by author and pastor J.D. Greear will help students find assurance that can seem so elusive. They will understand that salvation isn’t about just saying a prayer, walking an aisle, or holding up their hand. They will understand that salvation rests solely on their response of repentance and faith toward the finished work of Christ.Features:Student Book-Six sessions-80 pages-4 color cover / 2 color insideBenefits:-Students will know that God wants them to be assured of their relationship with Him.-Help students find true assurance of their salvation.-Provide students with clear understanding of belief and repentance-Provide straightforward answer to the question of can a person lose their salvation

Is Christianity Dead? People may think Christianity is dying, but this pronouncement is a little premature. Jesus promised to build His church, declaring that the gates of hell wouldn’t prevail against it. Along with this promise, Jesus gave clear instructions for how the church would overcome. He promised to build it on the rock of the gospel. In this Bible study J. D. Greear examines what it means for believers to place the gospel above all other priorities in our lives and in our churches. This Bible study will help you: • Overcome the temptation of worldly distractions and keep your focus on the gospel above all • Develop a greater awareness and engagement with gospel culture, gospel multiplication, gospel renewal, and gospel unity • Gain a fresh perspective on the greatness of the gospel above all other prefences and priorities Features: Videos featuring author J.D. Greear with contributors David Platt, Jen Wilkin, Vance Pitman, Walter Strickland, Rosaria Butterfield, Greg Laurie, Albert Mohler, and Kevin Smith (11-26 minutes each)8 small-group sessions with personal devotion exercisesLeader guide helps to facilitate discussion with small groups (located at the back of each Bible study book)Personal study segments to complete between group sessionsPromotional content including Bible study promotional videoSocial media assets for the group leader ALSO AVAILABLE Bible study book, eBook, and digital leader kit available at LifeWay.com/GospelAboveAll EXTRA LEADER RESOURCES in this leader kit include a redemption code for a free Wordsearch Bible digital library valued at more than $200. At the age of twenty-seven, J.D. Greear became the pastor of a forty-year-old neighborhood church. In the years since, that congregation of four hundred has grown to more than five thousand in weekly attendance. Today, the Summit Church—located in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina—is one of the fastest-growing churches in North America. Pastor J.D.’s messages aren’t intended just to show people how to live better lives; his goal is to leave people in awe of God’s amazing love. Because of his belief in the power of the gospel, pastor J.D. has led the Summit to set a goal of planting more than one thousand gospel-centered churches in the next 40 years. Pastor J.D. holds a PhD in systematic theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also lived and worked among Muslims in Southeast Asia for two years and wrote Breaking the Islam Code. J.D. and his beautiful wife, Veronica, have four ridiculously cute kids: Kharis, Alethia, Ryah, and Adon. Unless God calls him elsewhere, pastor J.D. plans to stay at the Summit Church until he preaches his last sermon at his own funeral before saying goodbye and hopping into the casket.

Jesus, Continued Bible Study Book includes a small-group experience for eight sessions, individual study opportunities for each day of the week, applicable Scripture, a personal note from author J.D. Greear, “How To Use This Study,” and a group discussion guide. Back matter includes some tips for the leader.Why do so many of us think of Christianity as a lifestyle to which we conform, rather than a God with whom we commune? Jesus gave His disciples the audacious promise that it was to their advantage that He go back to heaven because the Holy Spirit could then come to live inside of them. How many of us consider our connection to the Holy Spirit so strong and so real that we would call his presence in us better than Jesus beside us?Throughout his Christian life, J.D. Greear felt disconnected to God and unsure about how to interact with Him. Although he had learned a lot of truths about God, these truths didn't seem to bring him any closer to Him. He tried to have such a relationship, but all of God’s work seemed stockpiled in the past: He created the world, died on a cross, and left a Bible. God seemed like a busy teacher who had given an assignment and then stepped out of the room, leaving students to get the work done on their own.But Greear discovered it doesn’t have to be like that. And this Bible study has been created to help you relate to the Holy Spirit in new ways. Over the course of this study, you’ll see how you can have a satisfying, powerful relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. Sessions include: Why "God in Us" is Better The Gospel of God's Presence Surrendered to the Spirit for Mission You are Gifted The Spirit Shepherd Hearing the Spirit Speak When God Seems Absent God's Greatest GiftFeatures:Biblically rooted and gospel-centered content Leader tips Eight-session Bible Study Book with group and personal componentsBenefits: Replace guilt-driven missional living with gift-driven empowered living Overcome the paralysis of indecision by experiencing God’s promised presence Leave the stale and dry doctrinally driven faith for a fresh and dynamic Spirit-driven faithAuthors:J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC and author of Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary (2011) and Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved (2013). Two main things characterize The Summit Church: its gospel focus and sending culture. J.D. has also led the Summit to further the kingdom of God by pursuing a bold vision to plant one thousand new churches by the year 2050. In the last ten years, the church has sent out more than 300 people to serve on church planting teams, both domestically and internationally. J.D. completed his Ph.D. in Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where he is also a faculty member, writing on the correlations between early church presentations of the gospel and Islamic theology. Having lived serving among Muslims, he has a burden to see them, as well as every nation on earth, come to know and love the salvation of God in Christ. He and his beautiful wife Veronica live in Raleigh, NC and are raising four ridiculously cute kids: Kharis, Alethia, Ryah, and Adon.Trevin Wax is managing editor of The Gospel Project, a gospel-centered small group curriculum for all ages, published by LifeWay Christian Resources. A contributor to numerous publications including Christianity Today and World, Trevin writes daily at Kingdom People, a blog hosted by The Gospel Coalition. He is also the author of Gospel-Centered Teaching; Clear Winter Nights: A Journey into Truth, Doubt, and What Comes After; Counterfeit Gospels; and Holy Subversion. A former missionary to Romania, Trevin was recently named by Christianity Today as one of 33 millennials leading the next generation of evangelicalism. He lives in middle Tennessee with his wife, Corina, and their three children.

Why does it feel like God doesn't speak clearly to us? Does God really have our back? If so, why does it often feel as though God's timing is off? Greear struggled with similar questions. For years he thought he knew the answers, but those answers didn't help him love or even know God. That's when he realized that the answers to those questions weren't the issue. His vision of God was. Greear was asking these important questions to a too-small version of God -- a God much smaller than the one talked about in the Bible. With warm humor and a grounded, personal style, Greear introduces readers to a much bigger God than the one they've imagined. God is not just a slightly better, slightly smarter version of ourselves. God is infinite and glorious, and an encounter with him won't just change the way you think about your faith; it'll change your entire life.

Why does it feel like God doesn't speak clearly to us? Does God really have our back? If so, why does it often feel as though God's timing is off? Greear struggled with similar questions. For years he thought he knew the answers, but those answers didn't help him love or even know God. That's when he realized that the answers to those questions weren't the issue. His vision of God was. Greear was asking these important questions to a too-small version of God -- a God much smaller than the one talked about in the Bible. With warm humor and a grounded, personal style, Greear introduces readers to a much bigger God than the one they've imagined. God is not just a slightly better, slightly smarter version of ourselves. God is infinite and glorious, and an encounter with him won't just change the way you think about your faith; it'll change your entire life.