Christian Focus

"An exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ by a thorough-going treatment of the Lord's Supper, a praise-provoking theology of the Holy Spirit, a brief but crucial introduction to Trinitarian salvation from Ephesians, and a manual on prayer in short compass - how many books do that in less than 130 pages?! If you are a pastor, the author reminds you of the wonders of sound exegesis, the essential nature of the means of grace, our Lord's kind maintenance of His churches in giving us the Lord's Supper as taught by the Apostle Paul, and our rich confessional history of observing the ordinance. From the introduction by Dr. Renihan, through the Preface and chapters of Dr. Barcellos' thorough work, every page is densely packed with helpful information, capped with persuasive pastoral application in the final chapter. If you are a layperson but wanting some meaty material for meditation, do not let the helpful Greek work intimidate you; you also will find much here to feed your soul and increase your appreciation of our Lord's provision. I heartily recommend this book to every pastor and believer; you will find yourself pausing to bow before the Triune God in praise, wonder, and thanksgiving as you read and ponder the truths so well communicated."

Larry Vincent, Pastor, Heritage Baptist Church, Mansfield, Texas

There are very few books I can recommend without a single caveat or reservation. Richard Barcellos' new book, The Lord's Supper as a Means of Grace: More than a Memory, is one of them. Writing in an incredibly clear, straightforward style (unlike so many other theological works these days), Barcellos spells out exactly what his aims are in this book: to demonstrate how the sacrament of the Lord's Supper is a means of grace to the faith of believers in Jesus Christ. He then proceeds to do exactly that, presenting arguments based on sound exegesis of several Scripture passages. He then turns to historical Reformed Confessions and Catechisms to show that he's not presenting a novel idea, but rather perhaps reminding his readers of what has often been forgotten. Key points include the meaning of "communion," how the Spirit applies Christ's work to our souls, and how prayer (also a means of grace) is crucial to our understanding of the sacraments.

I heartily recommend this book for the following people: students, teachers, pastors, Baptists who want to understand historic Baptist doctrine, PCA members, Roman Catholics, students of biblical Greek, bloggers, anyone who wants to understand the distinction between an "ordinance" and a "sacrament" (it's probably not what you think), and basically everyone else.

More than a mem'ry
Grace transcending time and space
All should read this book

Patrick McWilliams, ConfessingBaptist.com