Tim Chester

The Father delights in his Son. This is the starting point of mission, its very core. 'Mission' means 'sending', but for centuries this was only used to describe what God did, sending his Son and his Spirit into the world. World mission exists because the Father wants people to delight in his Son, and the Son wants people to delight in the Father. Tim Chester introduces us to a cascade of love, flowing from the Father to the Son through the Spirit. And that love overflows and, through us, keeps on flowing to our Christian community, and beyond us to a very needy world. Mission matters. This book is for ordinary individuals willing to step out and become part of the most amazing, exciting venture in the history of the world, understanding its rich biblical context. This title is brought to you by Keswick Ministries as part of their wide range of resources.

1 Samuel is the story of battles and murders, schemes and betrayals, and shepherds and giants. It is also the history of what happened when God gave his people the king they wanted, and then gave his people the king they needed. And through it all, it paints a wonderful picture of the ultimate King God has chosen for his people, his Son Jesus. With his trademark insight and clarity, Tim Chester unpacks this part of the Old Testament for small groups, enabling them to appreciate Jesus' rule for his people, and to see how to live as his subjects today.

Tim Chester shows how the gospel makes a real difference as he takes us to this little-read, life-changing New Testament letter. With clarity and insight, he helps small groups to be excited about, and equipped for, letting the truth transform their lives, their churches, and their mission. These five studies will help small groups and individuals see how to live the good life.

In the message of Hosea we see the passion of God. We see the jealousy of God, the commitment of God, the heartbreak of God, the enthusiasm of God, the love of God. People often talk about what they feel about God. Hosea tells us what God feels about us. It is the author’s prayer that as we explore the message of Hosea the Spirit of God would reveal God’s passion so that He stirs our passion: our jealousy for God, our commitment to God, our heartbreak at sin, our enthusiasm to serve, our love for the lost.

If you're easily distracted when praying, you're not alone. In fact, if you struggle to pray in the first place, that's not unusual either. Tim Chester tells us how we can be great pray-ers. And he admits that that's a really bold claim. 'The secret of great praying has nothing to do with human effort or skill,' he explains. 'Lots of people would like to think that it does because they want to make prayer an achievement.' But the secret of great praying is ... Knowing three things about God: * That God the Father loves to hear us pray * That God the Son makes every prayer pleasing to God * That God the Holy Spirit helps us as we pray Tim looks at: why prayer is easy (how we pray), why prayer is difficult (why we pray) and the arguments and priorities of prayer (what we pray). Prayer is a child asking her father for help. And that's not beyond any one of us.

This accessible manual on preaching unpacks the core of how a preacher must think and what they must do and focuses our eyes on the central message - the Gospel. Use this resource to train yourself and others as a new preacher, to develop your thinking and skills as a growing preacher, and to encourage and sustain yourself as a seasoned preacher.

Help them or tell them? Be like Jesus or talk about Jesus? Social action or gospel proclamation? It seems the two are often pitted against each other, as if they are mutually exclusive. But the New Testament paints a different picture where both aspects are valued. In this plea for a renewed understanding of the Christian calling, Chester argues that faithfulness to the gospel necessitates a commitment to evangelism and social involvement. To that end, he structures the book around three basic theses: 1.) evangelism and social action are distinct activities, 2.) proclamation is central, and 3.) evangelism and social action are inseparable. Responding to Christians in both camps, Chester helps people to talk the talk and walk the walk.

Who is this ascended Jesus? He is King, Priest and man and is still at work. Ultimately he is humanity in the presence of God. Here we discover how we are a part of the Ascension. With the Spirit’s enlightening we can begin to understand the Ascension. Tim Chester introduces us to this important doctrine.

Think of the thriving evangelical churches in your area. Chances are they will be in the 'nice' areas of town and their leaders will be middle class. Tim Chester once attended a lecture where the speaker showed a map of Sheffield. The council wards were coloured different shades, according to social indicators: educational achievement, household income, benefit recipients, social housing, criminal activity, and so on. Slide after slide showed that the east side of the city was the needy, socially deprived half, compared to the more prosperous west. Where are the churches? Counting all the various tribes of evangelicalism, the large churches are on the west side. The working-class and deprived areas of our cities are not being reached with the gospel. There are many exciting exceptions, but the pattern is clear. According to Mez McConnell from Niddrie Community Church in Edinburgh, of the fifty worst housing schemes in Scotland, half have no church, and most of the others only have a dying church. Very few have an evangelical witness. This book is about reaching deprived, urban, working-class areas, often estates or schemes. It offers us the combined experience of the Reaching the Unreached working group, an informal network of Christian leaders from different parts of the UK. This book doesn't claim to be the final word. But it presents us with a vision of what can be done. We pray that it will capture imaginations and start a vital process in our hearts and minds.

Sympathetic to our struggles... clear and concise... rooted in the Bible... relevant to our everyday experience... The Gospel-Centered Life shows how every Christian can follow the way of the cross as they embrace the liberating grace of God in Christ. Use this workbook to help you, your small group or your whole church grow into Christian maturity.

Meals have always been important across societies and cultures - a time for friends and families to come together. An important part of relationships, meals are vital to our social health. Or as author Tim Chester puts it, 'Food connects.' Tim argues that meals are also deeply theological - an important part of Christian fellowship and mission. He observes that Luke's Gospel is full of stories of Jesus at meals. And these meals represent something bigger. In six chapters Tim shows how they enact grace, community, hope, mission, salvation and promise. Moving from New Testament times to today, the author applies biblical truth to challenge our contemporary understandings of hospitality. He urges sacrificial giving and loving around the table, helping readers consider how meals can be about serving others and sharing the grace of Christ.

This study guide on Christian marriage focuses on how the Gospel shapes the practical realities of everyday life. Author Tim Chester lifts the lid on many of the common pressure points that modern couples face, and shows how a proper understanding of the Gospel can shape a response.

An evangelistic Bible course designed for people with little or no Bible background. Ever wondered how the Bible fits together? Have you begun to find out about God but do not know much about his Word? The World We All Want is an introduction to the Bible story. Follow it and you'll learn what happened at the beginning of the world, where Adam and Eve fit in, and God's promise to mankind - what it is and how it's still coming true. Clear, exciting and essential for newcomers to the Bible, there are sure to be people in your church whose faith will benefit.

The meals of Jesus represent something bigger. They represent a new world, a new kingdom, a new outlook. Tim Chester brings to light God’s purposes in the seemingly ordinary act of sharing a meal—how this everyday experience is really an opportunity for grace, community, and mission. Chester challenges contemporary understandings of hospitality as he urges us to evaluate why and who we invite to our table. Learn how you can foster grace and bless others through the rich fare being served in A Meal with Jesus.

Pornography is everywhere. Far too many Christians regularly use and are addicted to it, warping their perception of sexuality and relationships, destroying marriages and ministries. But Christians who struggle with porn also long for change. When we realize the unfulfilling emptiness of porn, we come to yearn for freedom from it. But what do we do? Tim Chester says that we can be captured by a better vision--a liberating confidence that God offers more than pornography does. Moving beyond pat answers or mere willpower, Chester offers spiritual, practical and corporate resources for living porn free. He exposes the false promises of porn and redirects us to the true promises of God. With assurance of God's grace and cleansing power, we can change our desires and escape the traps and temptations of pornography. However great the challenge, God's grace is even greater. And we can come to a place where we no longer feel the need to use porn. Close the window on porn. And open the door to freedom, integrity and new life.

Packed with diagrams, illustrations and timelines, this accessible Bible overview unlocks the storyline of the whole Bible how God promised and then brought about the plan to save our fallen world. But this is no book of arid theological ideas. It is a story that will encourage effective, active Christian living in today's world.