Andrea Sterk

Compassion, humility, faith, perseverance. We long for the beauty of Christ to be reflected in our lives. Such character comes only as the Spirit of God transforms us through the Word of God. These Bible studies will help you become the person God wants you to be. The top-selling LifeBuilder Bible Studies have helped millions of people dig deeper into the Bible, individually and in groups. This revised edition features additional questions for starting group discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, together with expanded leader's notes and an extra 'Now or Later' section in each study.

More. Better. Quicker. Richer. Are the values of our consumer society invading the church? Are we looking for overnight success in following Jesus? For instant godliness? Discipline is not a popular word today, but the disciplined Christian life produces a depth that is life-enhancing, bringing joy and freedom. Christian Disciplines looks not only at the foundational disciplines of the Christian life – the ‘quiet time’, prayer, worship and Bible study – but other crucial disciplines such as evangelism, giving, social justice, managing time and gifts, mission.

This companion to "History of the World Christian Movement explores how varied and multi-cultural Christian origins and history really are.

Although an ascetic ideal of leadership had both classical and biblical roots, it found particularly fertile soil in the monastic fervor of the fourth through sixth centuries. Church officials were increasingly recruited from monastic communities, and the monk-bishop became the dominant model of ecclesiastical leadership in the Eastern Roman Empire and Byzantium. In an interesting paradox, Andrea Sterk explains that "from the world-rejecting monasteries and desert hermitages of the east came many of the most powerful leaders in the church and civil society as a whole." Sterk explores the social, political, intellectual, and theological grounding for this development. Focusing on four foundational figures--Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, and John Chrysostom--she traces the emergence of a new ideal of ecclesiastical leadership: the merging of ascetic and episcopal authority embodied in the monk-bishop. She also studies church histories, legislation, and popular ascetic and hagiographical literature to show how the ideal spread and why it eventually triumphed. The image of a monastic bishop became the convention in the Christian east. Renouncing the World Yet Leading the Church brings new understanding of asceticism, leadership, and the church in late antiquity.

Depth. Strength. Wisdom. Maturity. We long to be people who exhibit such qualities. We want to strengthen our character and deepen our relationship with Christ. But spiritual depth requires spiritual discipline. This twelve-session LifeGuide(R) Bible Study by Andrea Sterk and Peter Scazzero is designed to help us learn how God intends for us to live and show us how God helps us grow to maturity. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions--making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.

Compassion, humility, faith, perseverance. We long for the beauty of Christ to be reflected in our lives. Such character comes only as the Spirit of God transforms us through the Word of God. This twelve-session LifeGuide(R) Bible Study will help you along your journey toward becoming all that God created you to be. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions--making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.