Christians in every generation are called, as Jude put it, to “contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.” If we are not to fail in this calling, we must understand what contending for the faith looks like in our day and age. The mainstream cultural air we all breathe celebrates tolerance and pressures us to embrace perceived unity as the highest good. In this climate, any sort of division is seen as hateful and wrong. Yet to humbly explain and demonstrate the gospel of Jesus Christ to believer and unbeleiver alike is the greatest kindness and the most loving act possible.

The ultimate question about Jesus today is the same as when he walked the earth: is he or is he not who he claimed to be? He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). With the entire Christian faith standing or falling on the validity of such an utterly exclusive and uncompromising claim, doctrine that truly aligns with Jesus will cause division. When we represent our faith honestly, it is simply inevitable: at times we will be at odds with others—friends, relatives, perhaps even other Christians.

Yet we are called to contend—in obedience to and for the sake of the most divisive person in history. And the challenge is to do it in the way Jude describes: as an act of mercy toward those who doubt and those who have been deceived, regardless of whether they claim faith in Christ.

CIA operative Titus Ray is searching for answers.
Meanwhile, an assassin is searching for him.
Learning the truth . . .
Veteran CIA officer Titus Ray–on the run from the Iranian secret police–finds shelter with a group of Iranian Christians in Tehran. While urging Titus to become a believer in Jesus Christ, they manage to smuggle him out of Iran to freedom in Turkey.

Dealing with the past . . .
Returning to the States, he discovers his Iranian mission failed because of political infighting within the Agency. In a hot-tempered outburst, he delivers a scathing indictment against the Deputy Director of Operations, and, as a result, the deputy forces Titus to take a year’s medical leave in Oklahoma.

Facing the future . . .
Before leaving Langley, Titus learns he’s been targeted by a Hezbollah assassin hired by the Iranians. Now, while trying to figure out what it means to be a follower of Christ, he must decide if the Iranian couple he meets in Norman, Oklahoma has ties to the man who’s trying to kill him, and if Nikki Saxon, a local detective with an intriguing past, can be trusted with his secrets.

· Can a man trained to lie and deceive live a life of faith?

31 Women of the Bible: Who They Were and What We Can Learn from Them Today
Author(s): Holman Bible Staff
Publisher: B&H Publishing
Price: $2.99       (Ends Jan 29)

31 Women of the Bible features 31 profiles of important women in the Bible. Each profile includes the related scripture reference, character summary, and application questions to help the reader discover who these women were and what we can learn from them today. Featuring a full-color interior with illustrations on every page and a unique concise format, this book can be used for daily study or carried in a purse or backpack for reading on the go.

Features Include:

• 31 profiles of important women in the Bible with life application questions.
• Full-color interior with illustrations on every page.
• Ideal for daily study or reading on the go.
• Concise format that is easy to carry and fits well in a brief case or backpack.
• Study tool that provides a greater understanding of important women in the Bible.

31 Men of the Bible: Who They Were and What We Can Learn from Them Today
Author(s): Holman Bible Staff
Publisher: B&H Publishing
Price: $2.99       (Ends Jan 29)

31 Men of the Bible features 31 profiles of important men in the Bible. Each profile includes the related scripture reference, character summary, and application questions to help the reader discover who these men were and what we can learn from them today. Featuring a full-color interior with illustrations on every page and a unique concise format, this book can be used for daily study or carried in a briefcase or backpack for reading on the go.

Features Include:
31 profiles of important men in the Bible with life application questions.
Full-color interior with illustrations on every page.
Ideal for daily study or reading on the go.
Concise format that is easy to carry and fits well in a brief case or backpack.
Study tool that provides a greater understanding of important men in the Bible.