RESOURCE
Groups may choose a resource to study, including (but not limited to) the following pre-approved resources. Church leadership can help select a different study approved for ICC Community Groups.
Resources are listed according to ICC's measures of a transformed disciple.
DESPERATE DEPENDENCE
A posture of abiding in God's presence, longing for His power,
and depending upon His promises.
DESPERATE DEPENDENCE SERMON SERIES
This sixteen week Sunday series from spring 2019 led our church into a renewed focus on and passion for prayer. If your Community Group is looking to grow in prayer and dependence, this series' podcasts and sermon reflection guides are a great resource for you!
REASON FOR GOD: TIMOTHY KELLER
Using literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and potent reasoning, Keller explains how the belief in a Christian God is, in fact, a sound and rational one. To true believers he offers a solid platform on which to stand their ground against the backlash to religion created by the Age of Skepticism. And to skeptics, atheists, and agnostics, he provides a challenging argument for pursuing the reason for God.
KNOWING GOD: J. I. PACKER
Knowing God brings together two important facets of the Christian faith― knowing about God and also knowing God through the context of a close relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. Written in an engaging and practical tone, this thought-provoking work seeks to transform and enrich the Christian understanding of God. This guide leads readers into a greater understanding of God while providing advice to gaining a closer relationship with him as a result.
None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different from Us (and why that's a good thing): Jen Wilkin
God is self-existent, self-sufficient, eternal, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign, infinite, and incomprehensible.
We're not. And that's a good thing. Our limitations are by design. We were never meant to be God. But at the root of every sin is our rebellious desire to possess attributes that belong to God alone. Calling us to embrace our limits as a means of glorifying God's limitless power, Jen Wilkin invites us to celebrate the freedom that comes when we rest in letting God be God.
GOSPEL CENTRALITY
An identity rooted in the grace of Jesus, realizing sufficient
satisfaction, security, and purpose in Him.
The Gospel-Centered Life: Robert M. Thune & Will Walker
Lots of Christians talk about the gospel, but how many really understand the gospel and know how to apply it to their lives? Featuring nine self-contained lessons with discussion questions, articles, practical exercises, and comprehensive leader's notes in the back, The Gospel-Centered Life helps participants understand how the gospel shapes every aspect of life.
Above All: The Gospel Is the Source of the Church’s Renewal: J.D. GreEar
Is gospel Christianity dead?
Pundits are writing the obituary of historic, orthodox Christianity, but pastor and author J. D. Greear (Gospel, Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart) believes the postmortems are premature. Jesus promised to build his church. He said that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. The church is not going away.
Along with this promise, Jesus gave clear instructions for how the church would prevail. He promised to build it on the rock of the gospel.
The most pressing need for Christianity today is not a new strategy. It is not an updated message. It is a return to keeping the gospel above all.
CENTERED: The Book of Galatians: Sermon Series
This eleven week Sunday series from fall 2018 led our church toward a greater understanding and passion for what it looks like to live a gospel centered life and be a gospel centered church. If your Life Group is looking to grow in prayer and dependence this series podcast and sermon reflection guides are right for you!
jesus is better: The book of HebreWs: sermon series
This Sunday series from fall 2020 walked through the book of Hebrews chapter by chapter. The main theme that arises again and again throughout Hebrews is "JESUS IS BETTER!" If your Community Group is desiring hearts that are greater satisfied in the person and work of Jesus, this series' podcasts and sermon reflection guides could be a great resource for you!
COVENANT COMMUNITY
A choice to live in authentic relationships, selfless
interdependence, and loving unity with other believers in the local church.
The Compelling Community: Mark Dever & jamie dunlop
God’s people are called to a togetherness and commitment that transcends all natural boundaries―whether ethnic, generational, or economic. But such a community can be enjoyed only when it relies on the power of God in the gospel. In The Compelling Community, pastors Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop cast a captivating vision for authentic fellowship in the local church that goes far beyond small groups. Full of biblical principles and practical advice, this book will help pastors lead their congregations toward the kind of community that glorifies God, edifies his people, and attracts the lost.
The 8 Graces of Marriage: d. james fleming & David & Vicki Frazier
The 8 Graces of Marriage is a unique, informal training to learn how grace can revolutionize your marriage. Whether you have been married for years or are newly engaged, the 8 Graces could be a great resource for you!
Many of you grew up assuming that marriage would meet all of your needs and unlock God’s purposes for you. But God has far more planned for you than your future marriage. Not Yet Married is not about waiting quietly in the corner of the world for God to bring you “the one,” but about inspiring you to live and date for more now. If you follow Jesus, the search for a spouse is no longer a pursuit of the perfect person, but a pursuit of more of God. He will likely write a love story for you different than the one you would write for yourself, but that’s because he loves you and knows how to write a better story. This book was written to help you find real hope, happiness, and purpose in your not-yet-married life.
PASSIONATE PURPOSE
A daily ambition to know and live for Jesus in my family, job, and
community,
Don't Waste Your Life: John piper
The American Dream beckons people to spend their lives on trivial diversions, slipping through life caught up with seeking success, comfort, and pleasure above all else. But God designed people for far more than this.
In this best-selling book, John Piper makes a passionate plea to the next generation to avoid the dangers of a wasted life, calling us to take risks and make sacrifices that matter for eternity―with a single, soul-satisfying passion for the glory of God that seeks to make much of him in every sphere of our lives.
Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work: Timothy Keller
With deep conviction and often surprising advice, Keller shows readers that biblical wisdom is immensely relevant to our questions about work today. In fact, the Christian view of work—that we work to serve others, not ourselves—can provide the foundation of a thriving professional and balanced personal life. Keller shows how excellence, integrity, discipline, creativity, and passion in the workplace can help others and even be considered acts of worship—not just of self-interest.
From the short New Testament letter of Philemon, pastor and author Dhati Lewis unpacks key principles that Paul applied to being an advocate in the midst of division. The divisions of our day don’t look the same as Paul’s, but the principles are timeless. We need godly advocates in every sphere of life. This book will specifically apply these principles to issues of ethnic division. Are you willing to call any division caused by discrimination, prejudice, or racism a sin? Do you want to grow in your ability to navigate tense and emotional conversations about ethnic divisions? Are you ready to become an advocate?
MISSIONAL MINDSET
A clear calling and active involvement to live to see the gospel spread
and churches planted at home and around the world.
Let The Nations Be Glad!: John Piper
"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate." Let the Nations Be Glad! has become a modern missions classic. A trusted resource for thousands of missionaries, pastors, church leaders, and laypeople, it provides a biblical basis for missions and worship.
RADICAL: David Platt
It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily...But who do you know who lives like that? Do you? In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus.
EXPANDING DISCIPLESHIP
A commitment to grow in relationship with Jesus and
intentionally invest my life in others to do the same.
RADICAL TOGETHER: David Platt
In Radical Together, David Platt challenges us to unite around a gospel-centered vision. Writing to everyone who desires to make an impact for God’s glory—whether you are an involved member, a leader, or a pastor—Dr. Platt shares six foundational ideas that fuel radical obedience among Christians in the church. With compelling Bible teaching and inspiring stories from around the world, he will help you apply the revolutionary claims and commands of Christ to your community of faith in fresh, practical ways.
Multiply: Francis Chan
Jesus gave his followers a command: “Follow me.” And a promise: “And I will equip you to find others to follow me.” We were made to make disciples.
Designed for use in discipleship relationships and other focused settings, Multiply will equip you to carry out Jesus’s ministry. Each of the twenty-four sessions in the book corresponds with an online video at www.multiplymovement.com, where New York Times bestselling author David Platt joins Francis in guiding you through each part of Multiply.
The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home: Russell Moore
Why do our families have so much power over us? In The Storm-Tossed Family, bestselling author Russell Moore teaches readers whether you are married or single, whether you long for a child or shepherding a full house, you are part of a family. Family can be the source of some of the most transcendent human joy, and family can leave us crumpled up on the side of the road. Family can make us who we are, and family can break our hearts. Why would this social arrangement have that much power, for good or for ill, over us? Family is difficult because family—every family—is an echo of the gospel.
