How should Christians live? Some Christians stress the importance of keeping all the rules, while others see the Christian faith as setting us free from religious burdens. Inviting us to live a life in step with the Spirit, Christopher Wright teaches us how to feed on the Word of God, grow in Christlikeness, and live a fruitful life.

Ezekiel comes to us as a stranger from a distant time and land. Who is this priest who, on his thirtieth birthday, has a dazzling vision of God on a wheeled throne? Who is this odd prophet who engages in outlandish street theater and speaks for God on international affairs? Who is this seer who paints murals of apocalyptic doom and then of a restored temple bursting with emblems of paradise? Are we bound to take this literally, reading prophet and newspaper side by side? Or is there a better way?Christopher Wright is a proven interpreter and communicator of the Old Testament, and in this commentary he masterfully opens our eyes to see and understand the message of Ezekiel. Ezekiel's vision of the glory of God--its departure and return--is first set within Israel's history and then in the culmination of God's promises in Christ. Embedded in the pattern of the strange, the bizarre and the wonderful is a word that still speaks to God's people today.

Christianity Today 2024 Book Award (Missions/Global Church)

Outreach 2024 Resource of the Year (Mission and Cross-Cultural)

Highly regarded biblical scholar and speaker Christopher Wright shows us that how we read the Bible has a profound impact on how we understand what mission is. According to Wright, People read (and preach) the Bible in tiny bits and pieces, for its promises or rules or doctrines, and fail to take it . . . as the true story of the universe, past, present, and future, within the plan and purposes of God--a story in which we are called to participate as coworkers with God.

Wright encourages us to explore the Bible's grand narrative and to bring the whole counsel of God in Scripture to our understanding of who we are and what we must do as God's people. He helps us understand mission in its broadest sense, including our creational responsibilities. Wright's goal is to get us excited about the dramatic vista of the whole Bible and to help us understand the breadth and depth of missional engagement that we are called to live as actors in that drama. Now in paperback.

Has the Bible bound Christians to a narrow and mistaken notion of Jesus? To answer this question we need to know what story Jesus claimed for himself. In this revised and updated book Christopher Wright traces the life of Christ as it is illuminated by the Old Testament and describes God's design for Israel as it is fulfilled in the story of Jesus.

What does the Bible say about God's purpose for us, the witness of the church, and our mission to spread the message of the gospel?

Chris Wright's pioneering 2006 book, The Mission of God, revealed that the typical Christian understanding of missions encompasses only a small part of God's overarching mission for the world. God is relentlessly reclaiming the whole of creation for himself, and each of us fit into that big-picture plan.

In The Mission of God's People, Wright argues that having a strong biblical theology that shapes our thinking and behavior must be in place before answering the call of the Great Commission. Wright first steps back and answers some of the biggest questions of God's story and our place within it:

• Who are the people of God?
• What kind of people are we?
• What are the priorities and limits of our mission?
• What exactly is the gospel that lies at the core of our mission?
• What was it that made Christianity a missionary faith from the very start?

While answering these essential questions, Wright thoroughly details what the Old and New Testaments teach Christians about being God's people. He addresses questions of both ecclesiology (the theology of the church) and missiology (the practice and methodology of missions) with topics like called to care for creation, called to bless the nations, sending and being sent, and rejecting false gods.

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Part of the Biblical Theology for Life series, this practical and robust book will help you and your church ground your witness-bearing purpose and worship on the solid foundation of biblical understanding and reflection.

La mayoría de los cristianos estaría de acuerdo en que la Biblia provee una base para la misión. Christopher Wright está convencido de que, en realidad, hay una base misional para toda la Biblia: su fuente y su enfoque nacen en la misión de Dios.

Para entender la Biblia necesitamos una perspectiva de interpretación acorde con este grandioso tema misional. Es preciso captar el panorama completo de la misión de Dios y la manera en que cada parte de las Escrituras encuentra lugar en la extraordinaria narrativa bíblica.

En esta obra integral y de lectura accesible, Christopher Wright comienza su análisis en el Antiguo Testamento con el propósito de comprender quién es Dios, con qué propósito llamó a su pueblo, qué misión le dio, y qué lugar ocupan las naciones en la misión de Dios. Estos temas continúan en el Nuevo Testamento. A lo largo de todo el libro el autor enfatiza que la misión, tal como la define la Biblia, es intrínsecamente integral. La misión de Dios es redimir a la creación del efecto que el pecado y el mal produjeron en ella. La misión del pueblo de Dios debe reflejar la amplitud de la justicia de Dios y de su amor redentor hacia todo lo que fue creado por él.

We cannot know Jesus without knowing his story. And that story began long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The Gospels tell us clearly that Jesus himself, along with his earliest followers, understood who he was and what he came to do in the light of the story of Israel as told in the pages of the Old Testament. Like them, we too will find that our own understanding of both Jesus and the Old Testament is transformed as we see each in the light of the other. Engaging with the Scriptures, Christopher J. H. Wright uncovers Jesus' self- understanding as Son of Man and Son of God, following the path and fulfilling the call that God had placed before Israel. Through this we discover that the deeper we go into understanding the Old Testament, the closer we come to the heart of Jesus. In this revised and updated second edition Wright digs deeper into the Old Testament revealing the God whom Jesus embodied. Each chapter is followed with questions and exercises, which can be used either in personal study or in group discussion.

Nothing confuses Christian ethics quite like the Old Testament. Christopher Wright examines a theological, social, and economic framework for Old Testament ethics, exploring themes in relation to contemporary issues: economics, the land and the poor, politics and a world of nations, law and justice, society and culture, and the way of the individual.

There is no easy answer to the meaning of life--even when you believe in God.

The book of Ecclesiastes seeks to answer the question: What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? The book's central character is Qoheleth, who wants to understand the meaning of life as far as he possibly can with the tools of his own empirical observation and reason. He struggles to reconcile the beautiful world that we love and enjoy with the baffling world of injustice, suffering, and death. Qoheleth circles around an abyss of nihilism and pessimism. He lives with unanswered questions. Yet he remains a believer.

Old Testament scholar Christopher J. H. Wright invites you to join Qoheleth on a journey through wisdom literature from centuries ago, because the message of Ecclesiastes can be strangely reassuring as we put our faith to the test in today's post-modern era. There will be disorienting twists and turns and the occasional complete impasse as complex topics are discussed, like:

• The meaning of life
• Mysteries of time and injustice
• Ambiguities of work, politics, worship, and wealth

Hearing the Message of Ecclesiastes won't answer your questions about the meaning of life, but it will ultimately help you live in the tension of God's gifts in Genesis 1-2 and the fallen world of Genesis 3--and still go on trusting in the sovereign goodness of God.

Ezekiel comes to us as a stranger from a distant time and land. Who is this man? He is a priest who, on his thirtieth birthday, has a dazzling vision of God on a wheeled throne; an odd prophet who engages in outlandish street theater and speaks for God on international affairs; and a seer who paints murals of apocalyptic doom and then of a restored temple bursting with emblems of paradise. Should we take this literally, reading the text as we read the news or a history textbook? Or is there a better way?

Christopher Wright masterfully opens our eyes to see and understand the message of Ezekiel. Ezekiel's vision of the glory of God--its departure and return--is set first within Israel's history and then in the culmination of God's promises in Christ. Embedded in the pattern of the strange and the wonderful is a word that still speaks to God's people today.

Part of the beloved Bible Speaks Today series, The Message of Ezekiel offers an insightful, readable exposition of the biblical text and thought-provoking discussion of how its meaning relates to contemporary life. Used by students and teachers around the world, the Bible Speaks Today commentaries are ideal for those studying or preaching the Bible and anyone who wants to delve deeper into the text. This revised edition of a classic volume features lightly updated language and a new interior design.

Muchos predicaron se mantienen distantes del Antiguo Testamento porque les parece anticuado a la luz del Nuevo Testamento y dif cil de entender y explicar. Por otra parte, hay quienes predican a partir del Antiguo Testamento, pero no consiguen darle el tratamiento adecuado y terminan predicando nada m s que reglas legalistas o lecciones simb licas. En este libro, Christopher Wright, estimula a los predicadores a no ignorar el Antiguo Testamento. Se trata de la palabra de Dios, la Biblia que Jes s ley y us . Estamos frente a la primera parte de la gran historia b blica, desde la creaci n hasta la nueva creaci n; puesto que es el peregrinaje que nos conduce hasta Cristo, el Antiguo Testamento es tambi n parte integral de nuestra historia. Luego de explicar las razones por las cuales debemos predicar a partir del Antiguo Testamento, el autor pasa a mostrarle al lector el tratamiento que debe d rsele a las diversas clases de literatura que all se encuentran. Su recorrido nos lleva a trav s de la Historia, la Ley, los Profetas, los Salmos y la Literatura Sapiencial del Antiguo Testamento. Este es un manual que, entrelazo con ejercicios y ejemplos de sermones, ofrece un contenido de alto valor pr ctico para todo aquel que est comprometido con una predicaci n b blica aut ntica.

Combining three volumes into one, Knowing God Through the Old Testament brings together three of Christopher J. H. Wright's best loved books: Knowing God the Father Through the Old Testament, Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament, and Knowing the Holy Spirit Through the Old Testament.

Most Christians would agree that the Bible provides a basis for mission. But Christopher Wright boldly maintains that there is a missional basis for the Bible! Beginning with the Old Testament and its groundwork for understanding who God is, what he has called his people to be and do, and how the nations fit into God's mission, Wright gives us a new hermeneutical perspective on Scripture.

It's easy to see the Old Testament as confusing, out of date, or irrelevant. Using seven key sentences drawn straight from the Old Testament, Christopher J. H. Wright fits the pieces together, shows us the coherent whole, and points us toward Jesus. This short survey shows God's faithfulness and love for his people and illuminates how the Old Testament Scriptures prepared for the identity and mission of Jesus.

Many preachers ignore preaching from the Old Testament because they feel it is outdated in light of the New Testament and difficult to expound. On the other hand some preachers will preach from the Old Testament frequently but fail to 'handle' it correctly, turning it into mor- alistic rules or symbolic lessons for our spiritual life. In this book, Christopher J. H. Wright proclaims that preachers must not ignore the Old Testament. It is the Word of God The Old Testament lays the foundation for our faith and it was the Bible that Jesus read and used. Looking first at why we should preach from the Old Testament, the author moves on to show the reader how they can preach from it. Covering the History, Law, Prophets, Psalms and Wisdom Literature, interspersed with practical checklists, exercises and sermons, the reader is provided with an essential guide on how to handle from the Old Testament correctly.

The prophet Jeremiah addressed the people of Judah over a forty-year period leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. The book of Jeremiah addresses the exiles, especially those in Babylon, in the years after the catastrophe.

In this Bible Speaks Today volume, we encounter the prophet who delivered the word of God to the people of Israel at the most terrifying time in their history. Understanding Jeremiah's context is essential to understanding his life and message. Even more, Christopher Wright shows, we must encounter the God of Jeremiah--an encounter that should be both profoundly disturbing and ultimately reassuring, as it was for Jeremiah.

In the end, Jeremiah is a book about the victory of God's love and grace. God's redemptive work constitutes the book's portrait of the future--a future that we see fulfilled in the New Testament through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, and ultimately in God's dwelling with his redeemed people forever in the new creation.

Part of the beloved Bible Speaks Today series, The Message of Jeremiah offers an insightful, readable exposition of the biblical text and thought-provoking discussion of how its meaning relates to contemporary life. Used by students and teachers around the world, the Bible Speaks Today commentaries are ideal for those studying or preaching the Bible and anyone who wants to delve deeper into the text. This revised edition features lightly updated language and a new interior design.

What does it mean to be faithful disciples in a violent and unjust world?

Habakkuk described an era of rampant moral and social evil among his own people, and a vision of the rapid rise of the Babylonian empire under Nebuchadnezzar. The world he described is familiar in so many eras of human history, including our own. The frightening international tensions, confusion about political alignments and alliances, fractured moral and religious traditions, and social dissolution and degradation cause the same fear and anxiety today as they did back then.

Confusing is a mild world for it--international, political, religious, moral confusion. It was (and still is) a world of national wickedness and international turmoil and violence, a world in which God appears to be asleep on his watch and yet claims to be working a work in Habakkuk's day and ours.

Hearing the Message of Habakkuk walks through the questions the prophet asked God about injustice and the jaw-dropping answers he received. This popular-level exposition addresses:

• God's silence.
• God's sovereignty.
• Living by faith.
• God's judgement.
• Trusting God's Word.

What we learn from Habakkuk's dialogue with God can help us today as we struggle to work out what it means to believe in God's sovereignty, justice, and love, and to live as faithful disciples in an unjust world.

It is out of the unspeakable pain of the destruction of Jerusalem that Lamentations speaks, through poetry of astonishing beauty and intricacy. In this BST volume, Christopher Wright argues that the book of Lamentations offers deep challenge and deep rewards that come with wrestling with the massive theological issues that permeate it.

It's almost second nature for Christians to call God Father. Jesus taught his followers as much, although for them it was apparently a surprising practice. The worshiping community of the Old Testament used fatherly images for understanding God's character and actions, but Father was not a common way for believers to address God.In Knowing God the Father Through the Old Testament, Christopher Wright explores in depth the images that pervade the biblical narratives, psalms and prophetic texts of the Old Testament. God is acknowledged as tender yet terrifying, challenging to the nations and yet intimately personal, offering loving care, provision, discipline and forgiveness.This is the God whom Jesus knew, and whom we can know, as Father. Such knowledge of God is far from merely devotional or doctrinal, but governs our worldview, personal and social ethics, and expectations of the future.

We first meet the Holy Spirit in the second verse of the Bible, hovering there, speaking the world into existence. Christopher Wright begins here and traces the Holy Spirit through the pages of the Old Testament. He shows that the Spirit is knowable, and that the Spirit empowers God's people and sustains the earth.