Which Bible?

• Though I typically teach from the original New International Version, of the many translations of the Bible, I like the New King James Version best. I enjoy the beautiful way it reads, and I feel it expresses the original writings as well as anything in the English language.

Some excellent books...

(I am reluctant to “highly” recommend any book other than the Bible, as all other books, no matter how good, are still penned by the hand and mind of man. The Bible is God’s Word and thus His voice. In light of this fact, I feel there are a few books worth mentioning only because they have pointed me to Jesus Christ and given me better ears to hear.)

• “The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer This little, short book took Tozer decades to write. If you are not on your knees by the end of the first chapter, you may want to check if you are saved...!

• “The Jesus Style” by Gayle D. Erwin This is an amazingly simple book with a sublime premise that the modern church seems to either have forgotten or abandon: that God singly intends to reproduce the nature of Jesus Christ in us, nothing more and nothing less. Our church will never be the same. Thanks Gayle.

• “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers Still the finest daily devotional I have ever read.

• “Romans, Verse by Verse” by William R. Newell This is the only commentary on my list. I like many commentaries and disagree with at least something in most of them. Newell is no exception. I have found, however, that Mr. Newell’s “Romans” is not only an excellent commentary, but a tremendous work of the heart. Newell does not merely exegete the Scriptures, he is quite obviously thrilled by them. And his ecstasy is contagious: I fell in love with the Bible all over again.

• “The Greatest Thing in the World” by Henry Drummond This is a short, but affecting walk through 1 Corinthians 13. If you want to better understand the Love of God, Mr. Drummond has a way with words.

• “Notes from My Bible” by D. L. Moody I bought this book at the Salvation Army for a dollar. To my joy I discovered that it was a journal of margin notes taken verbatim from Moody’s personal Bible. It is filled with sermon notes, wonderful one-line comments, and a lot of that unique Moody wisdom.

And some notable sermons…

• “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards This is positively the most powerful and devastating sermon ever preached. You will repent, and you will not regret it.

• "Payday Someday” by Ronald Lee Gee This is an amazingly colorful sermon. The content is excellent, but the delivery is astounding. A must read for ministry students and preachers.