1. The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon- Lee McDonald


2. The Knowledge of the Holy - AW Tozer


3. Death of Death- John Owens


4. Practice of the Presence of God-- Brother Lawrence


5. Strong Concordance -- Not exactly a book, but a very useful research tool


6. The Pursuit of God-- AW Tozer


7. The Chisel 'I Will Build My Church...' by "mike peters and co"?
---VERY good about sanctification
**Free book from http://www.jesuslifetogether.com/***


8. Truth in Translation- Accuracy and Bias in New Testament Translations-- Jason BeDuhn
-- answered some of my last trinity research questions, including John 1:1


9. Pilgrims Progress-- John Bunyan


10. Lost Scriptures- Books that did not make it into the New Testament-- Bart Ehrman
-- Good for; Shepard of Hermas, Ep. of Barnabas, The Didache, I Clement, each of which was at one time considered at least regionally to be canon. **Warning do NOT RECOMMEND EHRMAN!!!!!!!!! This is a resource tool, divorced from the ideas of Ehrman it is ok.


Any books on your top ten **not including the bible** that would be unique or different that have taught you alot?

Acts 17:10-12 (New King James Version)

Ministering at Berea

10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.

The biblical Ideal of truth-seeking

When I read this I see two groups--- one Paul, an apostle in the place of Judas, and the town of Berea. One is learned and very educated, the other willing to learn and test. The Bereans did not just trust Paul, they did not blindly believe, but with readiness examined and tested what they have been shown to see if it is true

What Christians read

Joel Osteen -- the intellectual level of a shelled sea urchin
Joyce Meyers -- Does a lady need more then the bible to figure this out?
"Love Languages" -- I remembering being told that in order to get married I had to read this first... I guess no man got married before it, eh?
"The Shack" -- A fictional piece of reading that purports to try and explain the common understanding that god is a suicidal schizophrenic. (This is opposed to the One true God, YHWH who sent his son to be a sacrifice for His people--
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD)

Why should Christians care?

1. They should be able to defend what they believe--

1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear

2. They need to test to see if it is TRUE--

John 4:23
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

3. We need to know enough to judge righteously--

1 Corinthians 6:3
Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

4. We need to be able to tell what is man's law, and what is GOD's law--

Matthew 15:9
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men

5. The false teachers exist and they TAKE YOUR MONEY.

2 Peter 2:1-3
1But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

6. Because the path is small, and there cannot be a large number of christians if Jesus was right. So we need to find what is true and follow that instead of just what we are taught.---

Matthew 7:13
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it."
Matthew 7:14
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 13:24-30 (New King James Version)
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' 28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' 29 But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."

The reason I believe that the ideals of the Bereans are Dead

VERY VERY FEW list truth as an interest.
People are not willing to test what others believe to see if they themselves are wrong.
People do not seek material that challenges their own beliefs and look for only things that support it, giving them a weak foundation.
Ladies, who lead the society through their desires are looking for people who ascribe to a set belief pattern instead of people who look for truth.
Men, do not stand up for truth, instead defend error with lies, and deceit. I RARELY see men who use "common sense" when dealing with biblical topics... most either bury their ideas in jargon that confuses the fact that it does not follow logic, or they defend lies with emotional outbursts devoid of factual support.