Adult Resources

At Riverstone, we take seriously our role to "equip the saints for the work of ministry." (Ephesians 4:11-12). On this page you'll find a variety of recommended books, articles, podcasts, and studies that we are confident will help to equip you to grow to become more like Jesus and help others to do the same. We can't list everything we'd recommend, but this is a good places to start if you're looking.

Sadly, Christians often appear no different than the rest of the world in the way we interact with others about divisive topics. Now more than ever we need to think carefully and biblically about how our opinions are formed, how we express them, and how we dialogue with those who disagree. These resources are good introductions into how we can be a biblical, gentle, and reasonable people in a culture of ever-increasing unreasonableness and hostility. 

Books

• Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ by Andy Naselli and J. D. Crowley
• Christ-Centered Conflict Resolution: A Guide for Turbulent Times by Tony Merida
• How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? by Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli

Articles

•  “Church, Don’t Let Coronavirus Divide You” by Brett McCracken
• “12 Principles on How to Disagree with Other Christians” by Andy Naselli
• “4 Ways to Disagree Graciously with Other Christians” by Gavin Ortlund
•  “The War of Words” by Collin Campbell
• “Politics, Conscience, and the Church” by Andy Naselli
• “Christians Are Not Immune to Conspiracy Theories” by Joe Carter

Sermons

• “Romans 14:1–12” by Tom Allen
• “Romans 14:13–23” by Tom Allen
• “How to Welcome a Weaker Brother (Romans 14:1–6)” by John Piper
• “Each One Should be Fully Convinced in His Own Mind (Romans 14:1–9)” by John Piper
• “Do Not Destroy the Work of God (Romans 14:14–23)” by John Piper

On God

• Knowing God by J. I. Packer
• None Greater by Matthew Barrett

On the Gospel and the Christian Life

• Basic Christianity by John Stott
• What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert
• Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart by J. D. Greear
• A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent

On Theology

• Evangelical Convictions by the EFCA Heritage Committee
• 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith by Gregg Allison
• Concise Theology Essays by the Gospel Coalition

On the Church and Ministry

• What is a Healthy Church Member? by Thabiti Anyabwile
• Shaped by the Gospel by Tim Keller
• The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne

On Marriage and Family (be sure to check out our family resources page as well)

• The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller
• Marriage Matters by Winston Smith
• Show them Jesus by Jack Klumpenhower

On Disciple-Making

• Tactics by Greg Koukl
• One to One Bible Reading by David Helm
• Discipling by Mark Dever

• The Gospel Coalition has a daily devotional from D. A. Carson's For the Love of God. It includes readings from 4 biblical books and a reflection written by Carson.

• The Good Book Company offers a great devotional called Explore that works through books of the Bible verse by verse. You can get it as an app and download the biblical books you want a very little expense. There are also devotionals from the Good Book Company for teenagers, 11-13 year-olds, 7-10 year-olds, and preschoolers.

• Ligonier Ministries offers a monthly devotional magazine called Tabletalk in both online and print editions. Each volume includes biblical readings and reflections for each day of the month. A subscription is required, but it is less than $2 a month!

• John Piper's "Look at the Book" Bible study labs are a great place to both learn Scripture and learn how to study Scripture from a masterful teacher and lifelong student of God's Word. They make great daily devotionals. They're all free on the Desiring God website.

• The Riverstone Studies Library features an archive of recordings and resources from our previous Guided Bible Studies, arranged conveniently for study and reflection. Resources for current Guided Bible Studies are posted here as well.
• Mining God’s Word: How to Study the Bible
• Micah: Judgment and Salvation
• Colossians: Christ is All
• Ruth: The Lovingkindness of God
• Handling the Word: A Crash Course in Bible Study (coming fall 2020)
• 1 Peter: The Sojourn of the Saints (coming winter 2020)

• The Gospel Coalition offers free courses on a variety of topics, many of which have audio and video components. If you're looking for a way to supplement your discipleship this is a good place to start. Here’s a few recommended to start:
• God's Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible  
• What is the Gospel? 
• Seven Arrows: The Basics of Bible Study
• Parenting: Equipping for Life