Post
by _Steve » Thu Apr 28, 2005 8:12 pm
Here are some of my favorites that I read when I was young, and which had a lot of positive influence in my life. I am working from memory, so I may misspell an author's name or word a title or two slightly differently than it should be:
For General edification and challenge to godliness:
"The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life" by Hannah Whital Smith (I've read this six times!)
"True Discipleship" by William MacDonald
"The Pursuit of God" by A.W. Tozer (and anything else by Tozer)
"Thoughts For Young Men" by J.C. Ryle
"Foxe's Book of Martyrs" by John Foxe
"Journals" by Jim Elliott
"The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan
Anything by E.M. Bounds (wrote many books on prayer---dynamite!)
"Disciple" By Juan Carlos Ortiz *
Puritan writers:
"Christian Perfection" by William Law
"A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life" by William Law
"All Things For Good" by Thomas Watson
"The Art of Divine Contentment" by Thomas Watson
"The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" by Jeremiah Burroughs
"The Christian in Complete Armour" by William Gurnal
Most Puritan writers are very edifying (though they get off on Calvinistic detours at times). Banner of Truth Trust has published many of their works in inexpensive paperbacks.
Biographical Works:
"Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians" by James Gilchrist Lawson
"Through Gates of Splendor" (Jim Elliott) by Elizabeth Elliott
"No Compromise" (Keith Green) by Melody Green
"Wisdom of the Sadhu" (short biography and compilation of writings of Sundar Singh)
Any biography or writings of George Mueller
"Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret" (or any biography of Hudson Taylor)
"Tortured for Christ" by Richard Wurmbrandt
"The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
"God's Smuggler" by Brother Andrew
Also, books about historical revivals are always encouraging.
Commentaries**
Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (various authors)
Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (various authors)
Anything by F.F. Bruce
From my youth, I have also read and re-read a great deal of C.S. Lewis, whom I highly recommend...especially the books "Mere Christianity" (which I have read, probably, six times) and "God in the Dock" (which I have read at least three times).
This is a partial list, but if anyone would even read just these books, it would greatly enrich his/her spiritual life, and get him/her started along "the road less travelled by," which I also chose to follow at a young age, for which I thank God continually!
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* I've read the book "Disciple" at least four or five times. Sadly, the second half advocates the "shepherding movement", with which I strongly disagree, but the first half abundantly makes-up for this defect, and is worth double the price of the book! Strangely, the author later hooked-up with the Crystal Cathedral and the current edition of his book has a foreword by Dr. Robert Schuller (who is majorly off-the-wall). The strange thing about this association is that the two men's messages are just the opposite of one another's!
** There is no commentary out there with which I agree 100%. However, some are more even-handed and valuable than others. You should never read a commentary in order to decide what you believe. You read the commentary to learn what the commentator believes...then you test it by scripture, and hold fast to whatever is good (1 Thess.5:21).