Bøger af Stephen Manley

Acts chapter three transitions from what happened at Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to the early Church engaged in aggressive evangelism. Luke begins to show the early formative years of the Church as it grows from a small localized cluster to a worldwide movement of believers. He begins the chapter with a miracle which sets the stage for the preaching and persecution that follows. After this dramatic healing of a lame beggar by Peter and John, a crowd gathered at Solomon's Porch, giving Peter the opportunity to preach the Gospel. You will discover through this expositional commentary on Acts 3 that from the miracle to Peter's message Jesus was the focal point of the early church and now must be in your life. Nothing should distract you from intimacy with Him. Do not let the good or the bad, the institution or the organization, the theology or the program, the ceremony or the rules, or the emotions or the mind become a substitute for Him. Don't let anything or anyone distract you from Jesus. Come back to Him. You must be intimate with Jesus! The Cross Style Commentary series combines expositional study in the Word of God with practical application for real-world living.

Pentecost has just occurred! Astonished and bewildered, a crowd gathers asking: "What does this mean to be?" Peter stands up, raises his voice and gives a life-changing sermon on the explanation of Pentecost. What was going on in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is now taking place in the lives of the 120...which is also promised to you.The Pentecost event (Acts 2:1-4) shakes the known and the unknown world. Things will never be the same again. Data and organized facts make little difference. But truth changes things forever! Once truth is realized, there is no turning back. Man lost what God intended for him in creation, and now God is restoring His original plan. Man is again filled with the Spirit of God. In this study through Acts 2:14-28, Stephen Manley investigates Peter's explanation of Pentecost. A combination of exegetical commentary and expositional preaching, this book reveals Jesus as the answer. Not a simplistic Sunday School story, In My Eye will provide a deeper understanding of the essence of Pentecost.

The purpose of Pentecost is the filling of the Spirit of Christ "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." - Acts 1:8Christ comes to live within us for the purpose of flowing through us to accomplish a purposed plan. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was to bring to death all self-sourcing. As Jesus constantly lived in the filling of the Father, so we are to constantly live in the filling of the Spirit of Christ. As Jesus was consistently sourced by the Father, so we are to be sourced by the Spirit of Christ. Think of the life that could be lived in the power and sourcing of God!

I fear we have been wrapped up in what Jesus can do for us, rather than who Jesus is.The "being experience" is vitally different.It shouts the truth that Jesus does not want to give you anything; rather He wants to BE something within you. Jesus does not want to GIVE you forgiveness; He wants to BE Forgiveness within you. Jesus does not want to GIVE you strength; He wants to BE Strength within you. This basically means one thing: the need of your life is singular. You do not need happiness, joy, peace, forgiveness, life, truth, strength, etc. You need Jesus. When you possess Him, all of these things are possessed as a by-product of His great presence! Therefore, the Christian experience is the presence of another Person (God) inside your life.

God became man! When the angels sinned God brought instant judgment upon them. But when man sinned, God decided to become man, birthed into humanity (Hebrews 2:16) to save us from our sin. The New Covenant, the dream of God, demands humanity. Angels cannot take our place. Jesus desperately wants you; He wants to be intimate with you. His dream for you is not service; He created angels as ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:14). He made you to be sons! During the Christmas Season of 2013, Stephen Manley preached from Matthew 1:18-25 giving five messages focused on the Virgin Birth. The heart of each message dives into the truth of Scripture and desires that the Spirit of God would transform our lives through the expositional study of God's Word. This book contains the commentaries from these sermons.Jesus took on flesh!

Chapter one of the Book of Acts is the lighting of the fuse. Chapter two of the Book of Acts is the explosion. Chapter three and following of the Book of Acts are the rippling effects. Luke begins with the preparation of those who are to be source; he continues with the production of the sourcing; he concludes with the product of a sourced life. He examines; he experiences; he expands. It all revolves around Acts chapter two! A theological experience of "Acts chapter two" is to believe differently. A philosophical study of "Acts chapter two" embraces a new perspective. An exposure to the historical facts of "Acts chapter two" is to see His story. A careful study of the details of "Acts chapter two" is to think differently. If one will allow the reality of "Acts chapter two" to invade their life, they will live differently. If "Acts chapter two" is experienced, you will know God! The Cross Style Commentary series combines expositional study in the Word of God with practical application for real-world living.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8)Acts chapter one lays the foundation for the entire book of Acts. Through Luke's introduction, the ascension, and the first business meeting of the early church, you will discover that Jesus, through His Spirit, is the great need of our lives. Jesus would never have been victorious in redeeming a world through the cross, nor would the disciples have experienced revival throughout the world, without the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is our only chance as well. Our family, our personal victory, and our evangelism are all dependent upon one factor-the infilling and sourcing of God's Spirit! This expositional commentary will lead you from the start of the early church to the preparations for Pentecost.The Cross Style Commentary series combines expositional study in the Word of God with practical application for real-world living.

In this exegetical commentary on the second half of Matthew 5, beware of the jolt. What Jesus proposed for the formation of the Kingdom was radical-focusing on our weaknesses instead of our strengths is the opposite action from all other religions. To declare our helplessness is to admit we cannot "do it." All other religions encourage us to try harder, work more, and be stronger.Now, in the application, Jesus steps into the arena of our daily lives. He talks about the best that our attempts, tries, and struggles can do. He compares this with what the unity of God and man in the Kingdom brings about. This relationship is not a new set of rules or a list of duties for us to perform. This is the Spirit of Jesus moving in us! He contrasts self-sourcing with Spirit- sourcing. Man's best effort is compared with the best effort of God and man united in the Kingdom. He declares that man's discipline cannot be compared with the wonder of Jesus' Spirit of discipline in the man. That declaration is the big jolt!The Cross Style Commentary series combines expositional study in the Word of God with practical application for real-world living.

The Bible as a whole has one purpose-to lead us to fellowship with God. Every experience taught in Christian theology must have that one intent. Is there anything higher than man in intimate fellowship with his God? So this is the purpose of my journey: to see each segment of the Christian life in the glorious light of fellowship with God."In these pages, Stephen Manley shares the gleanings of his study and observations concerning the reality of redemption. He probes the depths of inner-life experience as contrasted with a nominal commitment and an intellectual acquiescence to doctrine. He stresses an all-too-frequently neglected aspect of conversion life, in what he correctly terms 'a Christian's progress, ' which is from prevenient grace, to repentance, to conversion, to initial sanctification, and onto entire sanctification, and finally to glorification." - Dr. William M. Greathou

Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to those of old 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ... Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery." (Matthew 5:27-32). We are surrounded by a culture obsessed with impurity. As Christians, how are we to live with godly sexuality and walk in victory, triumph, and purity in every area of our lives? In this study of Matthew 5:27-32, Dr. Stephen Manley discusses Godly sexuality, morality, and marriage. As he says, "I come to this passage with fear and trembling. My heart has no condemnation or judgment toward anyone joining me in the study. Jesus' grace is sufficient for all, despite our past or marital status. The depth of God's grace is astounding. We all stand guilty in the truth of this passage. All men and women have lusted and been unfaithful in their heart's response if not in their physical action. Although we admit that everyone is guilty of lust in the heart, we must never make light of it. The purpose of acknowledging our guilt is a simple reality; only by the power of Jesus are we able maintain sexual purity." For anyone looking to gain a biblical understanding of practical Christian living in the area of purity, romance, morality, and marriage, this study will encourage and press you into Jesus Christ.

Acts chapter four is the powerful continuation of Peter and John's interaction with the lame beggar and the response from the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. Peter's exhortation caused a significant stir and resulted in threats and difficulty-which led to greater unity, boldness, and ministry in early Church.Through this expositional commentary on Acts 4, you will discover that just like the early Church, the world should realize we have "been with Jesus" (4:13)-that His presence dominates our lives and is declared through our lips. We must remember that all the resources of God are available to the believer, and all the resources of the believer are available to God! This principle must dominate the relationship between God and man. There is no merger without it. The Cross Style Commentary series combines expositional study in the Word of God with practical application for real-world living.

Teenager Pam Ackerman is looking forward to the promising life she sees before her. She loves her hometown and parents, and her father's career as an attorney has set the family up with a comfortable life of opportunity.Then the unthinkable happens: her father abandons the family. While her mother scrambles to earn a living, Pam is sent to a tiny Tennessee town for the summer. Heartbroken and feeling uncertain in her new environment, Pam doesn't know how she'll survive till fall to see her mother and friends again.And then the miraculous happens: she falls in love. In Obion Summer's more innocent time of the 1980s, before the ease of communication associated with social media and cell phones, Pam must find a way to balance love of home with romantic love.Stephen Manley has crafted a love story of more than one kind-one to home, one to romance, and one to the charm and beauty of small-town northwest Tennessee. Obion Summer is both a heart-wrenching and a sweet novel for preteen and teen readers.

Since 1981, Dr. Stephen Manley has saturated within the Gospel of Matthew, both proclaiming and writing the Truth of the Message. A combination of exegetical commentary and expositional preaching, this commentary investigates Matthew 1-2, seeking to know and experience the Person of Jesus.