Our first and highest recommendation is the Bible. Before starting your journey into any of these other books, we would encourage you to systematically immerse yourself in God’s Word, as it is the only inerrant and authoritative revelation that needs no qualifications. The Bible itself commends those who weigh all things by the Scriptures (Acts 17:11), speaks of its own ability to furnish christians “for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17), and praises all its own perfections (Ps. 119). It is said to be truth (John 17:17), unbreakable (John 10:35), living and powerful (Heb. 4:12), and our life (John 6:63). Thus, we encourage above all else to read scripture and look for Jesus everywhere (Luke 24:27, 44-47).
Although we fight for the sufficiency of God’s ability to save, sanctify, and glorify us by His Spirit, through His Word, we also understand that the Lord has blessed his body with “apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12). With that in mind, we recommend the books below, so that through the gifting of these men and women via their writings, we all might be equipped for the work of service (ministry) and for the helping (building up) of others in Jesus’ church (the body of Christ).
Bible Study:
Living By the Book, by Howard Hendricks
Exegetical Fallacies, by D.A. Carson
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, by Gordon Fee and Douglass Stewart
Interpreting the Pauline Epistles, by Thomas Schreiner
Basics of Biblical Greek, by Dr. William Mounce
Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, by Dr. Daniel Wallace
Basics of Biblical Hebrew, by Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt
Bible:
The Canon of Scripture, by F.F. Bruce
The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? by F.F. Bruce
From God to Us: How We Got Our Bible, by Norman Geisler and William Nix
A General Introduction to the Bible, by Norman Geisler and William Nix
God:
The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer
Knowing God, by J.I. Packer
Jesus:
The Person of Christ, by Donald Macleod
The Holy Spirit:
He Who Gives Life, by Graham A. Cole
Living Water, by Chuck Smith
Sin:
Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin, by Cornelius Plantinga
Respectable Sins, by Jerry Bridges
Gospel:
The Prodigal God, by Tim Keller
What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert
The Explicit Gospel, by Matt Chandler
The Cross-Centered Life, by C.J. Mahaney
Prayer:
The Prayer of Jesus, by Hank Hanegraaff
Prayer: Awe and Intimacy with God, by Timothy Keller
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, by Jim Cymbala
Personal Holiness
Ordering Your Private World, by Gordon MacDonald
Before You Hit the Wall, by Danny Lehman
The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer
Service/Giving:
On Being a Servant of God, by Warren Wiersbe
The Next Big Thing, by Danny Lehman
The Treasure Principle, by Randy Alcorn
Mission(s):
What is the Mission of the Church? by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert
Let the Nations Be Glad, by John Piper
A Vision for Missions, by David Wells
From Jerusalem to Irian-Jaya, by Ruth Tucker
Eternity in Their Hearts, by Don Richardson
Church:
The Church, by Ed Clowney
Center Church, by Timothy Keller
The Deliberate Church, by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander
The Church, by Mark Dever
9 Marks of a Healthy Church, by Mark Dever
Creature of the Word, by Matt Chandler, Josh Patterson, and Eric Geiger
Vintage Church, by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
Doing Church as a Team, by Wayne Cordeiro
Community, by Brad House
Church Discipline, by Jonathan Leeman
Church Membership, by Jonathan Leeman
Apologetics/Evangelism:
The Reason for God, by Timothy Keller
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, by J.I. Packer
I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek
Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis
Evangelism, by Mack Stiles
Pastoral Care:
Lectures to My Students, by C.H. Spurgeon
Pastoral Ministry, by John MacArthur
Counseling, by John MacArthur
Competent to Counsel, by Jay Adams
Redemption, by Mike Wilkerson
Rid of My Disgrace, by Justin Holcomb
Leadership
Missing Voices, by John Johnson
(Theology and Character):
Biblical Eldership, by Alexander Strauch
Leaders Who Last, by Dave Kraft
Spiritual Leadership, by J. Oswald Sanders
Church Elders, by Jeremy Rinne
(Competence)
Next Generation Leader, by Andy Stanley
Leading On Empty, by Wayne Cordeiro
The Unity Factor, by Larry Osborne
7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven Covey
Good to Great, by Jim Collins
Making Vision Stick, by Andy Stanley
Worship
Whatever happened to Worship? by A.W. Tozer
Counterfeit gods, by Tim Keller
Worship by the Book, Editor: D.A. Carson
OT Survey
Old Testament Commentary Survey, by Tremper Longman
Old Testament Survey, by Paul House
Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament, by William LaSor
A Popular Survey of the Old Testament, by Norman Geisler
An Introduction to the Old Testament: Second Edition, by Tremper Longman III and Raymond B. Dillard
NT Survey
New Testament Commentary Survey, by D.A. Carson
An Introduction to the New Testament, by D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo
Church Planting:
Church Planter, by Darrin Patrick
Church Planting is for Wimps, by Mike McKinley
Doctrine (Various Doctrines):
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
Basic Theology, by Charles Ryrie
Systematic Theology, by Norman Geisler
Christian Theology, by Erickson
Preaching
Biblical Preaching, by Haddon Robinson
Preaching, by Tim Keller
Christ-Centered Preaching, by Bryan Chapell
Salvation:
The Cross of Christ, by John Stott
The Cross and Salvation (Hardcover): The Doctrine of Salvation, by Bruce Demerest and John Feinberg
Biblical Theology:
The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments, by Thomas Schreiner
Church History:
Church History in Plain Language, by Bruce Shelley
Marriage:
The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God, by Timothy and Kathy Keller
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts, by Gary Chapman
Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs, by Emerson Eggerichs
Parenting
Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus, by Elyse M Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson
Grace Based Parenting: Set Your Familiy Free, by Tim Kimmel and Max Lucado
Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full: Gospel Meditations for Busy Moms, by Gloria Furman
Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches, by Rachel Jankovic