The Everlasting Kingdom: Why the Church Is Still Here by Ric Keaster
Empires rise and fall. Movements gather crowds and then fade away. Why is the church still here?
By any human measure, the church should have died young. It was born under the shadow of Rome, opposed from the first day by the religious leaders of Judaism, and later pressed hard by the rise of Islam. Its members were jailed, beaten, and killed. Almost two thousand years later, the kingdom Jesus promised is still standing and still growing. In The Everlasting Kingdom, Dr. Ric Keaster sets out to explain why.
How This Book Helps
Ric Keaster spent his career in education studying how lasting change takes hold in an organization. Here he brings that experience to the Bible. He begins with what the prophets foretold about a kingdom that would never be destroyed. Then he lays God's plan for the church alongside the well-known research of Gene Hall and Shirley Hord on how change becomes permanent, and shows that God supplied every condition that change requires, from a prepared setting and a clearly communicated vision to the resources and ongoing help that made it last.
What's Inside
Twenty-one chapters in two parts. Part 1 traces the prophecies of the church's endurance and walks through the change process step by step in the first-century church. Part 2 looks at the modern idea of the "change agent" and finds that Jesus fits it better than anyone. It then examines the changes He brought about. Topics include:
- Old Testament prophecies of an unshakable kingdom
- Jesus as the model change agent
- The letter to the Hebrews and the end of the Old Law
- The purpose of miracles in establishing the church
- The inclusion of all nations in the gospel
- The access and hope Christians have through Christ
- Historical evidence that the church is still going strong today
Format & Features
A 158-page, 6 x 9 paperback written to be read straight through. Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version and printed in red to set them apart from the narrative.
Who It's For
Preachers, elders, Bible class teachers, and any Christian who wants firmer footing for the confidence that the gates of Hades will not prevail against Christ's church. Church leaders will find the material on change and leadership especially useful.
Common Questions
Is it a workbook?
No. It is a book meant to be read straight through, though it would serve well as the basis for an adult class.
Do I need a background in leadership or organizational research?
Not at all. The author explains each idea in plain terms before applying it to Scripture.
About the Author
Dr. Ric Keaster has spent a lifetime teaching and serving in both the church and academia. A former schoolteacher and administrator, he earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership and became a professor, department head, associate dean, and Professor Emeritus. He teaches and preaches at the Rome Church of Christ in Proctorville, Ohio. His other books include God and Prayer: Merging Scripture and Reality and Twisted Scripture: The Importance of Context.
Product Details
- Author: Dr. Ric Keaster
- Publisher: Spiritbuilding Publishers
- Chapters: 21
- Pages: 158
- Format: Paperback, 6 x 9
- Translation: New King James Version
- ISBN: 9798142493941