Bøker av Michael Kotch

Bible Summary for Adults and Students is an excellent resource to get a complete overview of all the major events and teaching of the Bible in a connected chronological format. The majority of the scripture in the Bible is stories of the lives of its main characters: the story of Adam and Eve, the story of Abraham and his descendants, the story of Moses, the story of Jesus, etc. Bible Summary for Adults and Students presents most of its information just as the Bible presents most of its information, which is story after story of the lives and events of every major character in the Bible, but in summarized form. Almost all the characters in the Bible are chronologically connected, and Bible Summary for Adults and Students takes its reader on a connected journey from the events of Adam and Eve all the way through to the return of Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation. When the reader finishes Bible Summary for Adults and Students, he or she will have a comprehensive knowledge of all the major events and teachings of the Bible, an understanding of how all the characters chronologically form a connected storyline of events from Adam and Eve to the Second Coming of Jesus and an understanding of how everyone and everything in the Bible points to the need of Jesus as our Savior. Bible Summary for Adults and Students is fantastic textbook to teach high school students a comprehensive overview of the Bible, and it is a great tool for any adult to learn about all the connected events in the Bible in a clear and easy-to-understand format.

As a Christian counselor, I am often asked why people go through suffering. The Bible actually gives several answers to this question. This book highlights these answers and it is divided into two sections.The first section takes an in-depth look at the question "Can Christians share in the suffering Jesus went through on the cross?" A Bible passage written by the apostle Paul may suggest this. This Bible passage is closely examined in the book, and the implications of this are explored.The second part of this book highlights what the Bible says are the benefits of suffering for Christians. These include following Jesus's example in his suffering; using personal suffering combined with faith as a powerful evangelization tool; suffering develops useful godly traits in Christians; and the Bible tells us that Christians may suffer in this world because of demonic attacks. Additionally, the Bible tells us that Christians are from God and not from this world; therefore, the world may be against us because of it.

Some Christians have not read much of the Bible and therefore are unaware of the information in it given to us by God. I have met many people who believe the Bible is just a book of rules or laws to be followed and a list of the punishments for those who do not follow them. This is the furthest thing from the truth. The Bible is actually full of information about the wonderful things God will do for those who love and follow Jesus. This book is a collection of statements in the New Testament that specifically reveal the good things Jesus will do for those that love and follow him. The good things that Jesus will do for his followers are divided into three sections in this book. First, Jesus does many good things for the people that follow him. An example of this is Jesus will remove and eliminate the sins of his followers. This both makes them righteous before the eyes of God, and it allows them to enter heaven when they die. God also answers their prayers and gives them help in their daily lives. Next, Jesus does good things to his followers. While they are still on earth, the Holy Spirit enters them and their soul comes alive, a term called "born again." The Holy Spirit living inside a follower of Jesus progressively transforms that person into acting like Jesus if that is what that person wants in his or her life. Additionally, the Holy Spirit gives that person strength, wisdom, and guidance to do God's will on earth. Once a follower of Jesus dies and goes to heaven, the remaining transformation of that person is spectacular. We are transformed into something equivalent to, yet different from, the angels. In heaven, we will be adopted children of God the Father and actual brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. We will receive all of the benefits of being an immediate family member of God's family. Finally, there are good things God does through people that love and follow Jesus. While on earth, we are God's children, conducting work in his family business as his personal ambassadors to the rest of the world. With our cooperation, the Holy Spirit inside us uses us as instruments to do his will in positively impacting and helping the rest of his children on earth. As you will see, God in the Bible promises wonderful things for those that love and follow him.

After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, it was a very small group of apostles who told people about Jesus in a way so convincing that the message eventually spread throughout the whole worldand billions of people since then have been saved due to the persuasiveness of this message. How did this very small group of apostles and disciples of Jesus do this? Faith through Your Hardships Draws Others to Christ argues that the apostles accomplishment was due to an unshakable faith while undergoing extreme suffering to the point of death. Without the combination of unwavering faith through suffering, the apostles may not have effectively spread Christs message throughout the world, and author and Christian counselor Michael Kotch ties in two personal experiences of witnessing people maintain unwavering faith through severe hardships, which built and strengthened his own faith in God. Accepting and following Jesus as ones savior is the only way to eternal life, and the first step for anyone to accept Jesus is to hear about him from someone else. The goal of Faith through Your Hardships Draws Other to Christ is to teach Christians that maintaining their strong faith during hardships may bring witnessing nonbelievers to Christ, as well as strengthen the faith of fellow Christians.

The purpose of this book is to show Christians that they have God-given tools to handle problems in their lives that the holiest person in the Old Testament did not have. God himself said that Job, who lived in Old Testament times, was the most blameless and upright man on earth. Severe, painful tragedies hit Job and they took away all of his most loved earthly treasures. Job endured a great trial. A purpose of a trial, for those who love the Lord, is to expose flaws and weaknesses in that person who needs to be perfected. Job lived in Old Testament times before Jesus came as our Savior. Benefits of having Jesus as a Savior include having him as our personal advocate between us and God the Father. Additionally, it was only after Jesus's death and resurrection that the Holy Spirit came to live in followers of Jesus, giving them strength, wisdom, and help. Job, and the rest of mankind, did not yet have these supernatural benefits in his day. They had to rely only on their own human abilities. Christians today have this immaculate benefit. Job did not. Job's trials exposed a weakness common to everyone who does not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior-he had to rely on his own human righteousness to get through his trial. It was insufficient for him, and he failed greatly. This book shows Christians that they have weapons at their disposal to handle problems in their lives that the most blameless and upright man in the world did not have-namely, the Son of God as his personal Savior and Advocate to God the Father, and the Holy Spirit living inside of him. We, Christians, today have these. We need to use them.