Pastor Dr. James A. La Belle’s published works for your edification and nurture in Christ –
Governing & Guarding Your Heart
….. My charge to you, then, is to be a keeper of your own heart. You can’t do it in your own strength, but by God’s grace and in dependence upon the work and power of His indwelling Spirit, you can and must. And I know of no better treatise to help you understand what’s to be done and how to do it than Instructions About Heartwork by Richard Alleine. These outlines will take you through Alleine’s book step by step and will richly repay your diligent study. May God use it to bless your heart.
Training Elders to be Shepherds
….. It’s my heart’s desire and prayer to God that this training course might be used by God to serve that purpose. It begins with a summary overview of the Book of Church Order of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and ends with my own cliff notes taken from two excellent works, namely, Physicians of the Soul by Mark Lauterbach and Counseling Under the Cross by Bob Kelleman. But at the heart of this course is material I’ve gleaned and put together over the years on what it means for the church’s ministers and elders to be undershepherds in Christ’s church over the souls committed to their care. I fully realize the extent of what I’ve offered here, and that we will all fall short of it. But I believe that if we pray and strive to be faithful to our calling, the Lord will bless us and use us for His glory in His church.
Historic Principles,Conscience & Presbyterian Government
….. For all who read this book, it’s my sincere prayer that you might find it helpful to your service and worship in Christ’s Church and that it might serve as a reason to give thanks to God for the principles of biblical church government because it’s my sincere conviction that these principles are most conducive to the beauty of the church, the perfection of the church, the good of our eternal souls, and the glory of God on earth.
This volume contains the outlines for a series of expository sermons through the Epistle of First Peter. As these sermons were preached in the context of regular pastoral ministry, they arise from the heart of a pastor, whose sincere aim is to instruct the mind in the truths of God’s Word, to affect the heart with the grace of the gospel, and to move the will in the practice of holiness. Striving to be both edifying and transformative, Pastor La Belle moves, in the old paths of Puritan methodology, from the doctrines in the text to the practical uses which arise from them.
The Heart of Christ for Sinners
These two precious treatises by the renowned Puritan, Thomas Goodwin, get at the very heart of the gospel’s message and comfort by getting at the very heart of Christ Himself. In Goodwin’s mind, these treatises went together, with one being the sequel to the other. And in them both, he aims to help us rest our faith and assurance of salvation, not on how we feel or even on evidence seen in our lives, but on the very person and work of Christ Himself. He Himself is the object of our faith and His work itself is the ground of our assurance and the foundation of His promises.
Colossians and Philemon: A Resource for Bible Study and Personal Growth (Sermon Outlines)
This volume contains the outlines for a series of expository sermons through the Epistles of Colossians and Philemon. As these sermons were preached in the context of regular pastoral ministry, they arise from the heart of a pastor, whose sincere aim is to instruct the mind in the truths of God’s Word, to affect the heart with the grace of the gospel, and to move the will in the practice of holiness. Striving to be both edifying and transformative, Pastor La Belle moves, in the old paths of Puritan methodology, from the doctrines in the text to the practical uses which arise from them. (Sept, 2022)
Puritan Documentary: All of Life to the Glory of God
Pastor La Belle teaches on the Zeal of God as one of the guest speakers in the Puritan Documentary Disc series, All of Life to the Glory of God. In essence, the message being sent by the project is this: “The Puritans are the authors the men you listen to and love today are reading–and therefore you should be reading them too.” It’s a message being sent to the church of Christ on behalf of today’s Reformed pastors, encouraging the people in the pew to start reading the authors their pastors are reading.
http://www.puritandocumentary.com
DISC 1
Feature length documentary with contributions from theologians, pastors and teachers from around the world. Runtime: 100 minutes*.
DISC 2 and 3
15* teaching sessions on different Puritans and 15* teaching sessions on different Puritan themes.
WORKBOOK
Built around the teaching sessions for Disc 2 and 3.
INTRODUCTION TO THE PURITANS BOOK
A special, decorative, exclusive hardback book by Dr. Joel Beeke and Dr. Michael Reeves.
Additional Published Works…
Deepen Your Christian Life Series
From the late 1500s to the early 1700s, Puritan ministers wrote thousands of Christian books that contain massive amounts of biblical, doctrinal, experiential, and practical instruction to energize your Christian life. In the early seventeenth century, nearly twenty percent of the material coming off English presses consisted of Puritan sermon material popularized in book form. Unfortunately, many believers today find it difficult to read the antiquarian Puritan language and, when they attempt to do so, find themselves more frustrated than energized. This new series, Deepen Your Christian Life, presents in contemporary language the major teachings that several Puritans wrote on subjects that are seldom addressed adequately, if at all, today. Finally, you too will be able to enjoy the Puritans and see, by the Spirit’s grace, that they really do energize your Christian life.
Click on the links provided to order from Reformation Heritage Books.
Deepen Your Christian Life Series: Living by God’s Promises (2010)
In Living by God’s Promises, Joel R. Beeke and James A. La Belle draw from stellar Puritan treatises on divine promises by Andrew Gray, Edward Leigh, and William Spurstowe, and offer them in contemporary language for today’s readers. Moving beyond historical interest, this book explores a topic that is vital for Christian living. By God’s grace, it will help you treasure the promises that God establishes in Christ and conveys in His covenant love to comfort you in sorrow and strengthen your faith. With the Spirit’s blessing, this book will energize and deepen your life as you appropriate the precious promises in God’s Word.
Deepen Your Christian Life Series: Living Zealously (2012)
In Living Zealously, Joel R. Beeke and James A. La Belle address the much overlooked topic of Christian zeal. Having mined the depths of Puritan wisdom on what it means to live earnestly for Christ, they explain it in a way that is familiar to our modern ears and applicable to our souls. Beeke and La Belle do us a valuable service by helping us see the importance of Christian zeal and encouraging us to obtain it. Read this book and ask God to deepen your Christian life with a burning and holy zeal.
Deepen Your Christian Life Series: Living In a Godly Marriage (2016)
The Puritans believed that godly marriages were foundational for the future life of families, churches, and nations. Therefore, they wrote prolifically on the subject of marriage, seeking to bring biblical reformation to this subject in a comprehensive way. Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other previous Reformers had begun this task, but the Puritans took it much further, writing a number of detailed treatises on how to live as godly spouses. Out of the wealth of material available to us from the seventeenth century, Joel R. Beeke and James A. La Belle have gathered together insights from the past and summarized them in a contemporary form in order to encourage modern day coupled to glorify God in marriage.
Preparing for Marriage – Biblical Guidance from the Puritans
A focused excerpt from Living In a Godly Marriage.
Preparing for Marriage presents biblical principles for seeking and preparing for a spouse. You must first seek Christ as Lord and Savior, and then depend upon God to direct to your spouse in His timing. With this foundation, you must seek a spouse actively in God’s way: by much prayer for wisdom, depending upon God, and discerning if a potential spouse is suitable—by assessing reputation, countenance and demeanor, speech, apparel (and the motivations it reveals), companions, education, and counsel of parents. God will grant success if we renounce our own wisdom, practice self-denial, and avoid dependence upon outward appearances. This work is essential for parents and all young people before seeking a spouse.
Preserving the Honor of Marriage: Biblical Guidance from the Puritans
Preserving the Honor of Marriage explores the biblical command for marriage, “submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Eph 5:21). It is needed in our day when, in many cases, submission in marriage has become either oppressive or irrelevant.
But to honor our spouse is to honor the God of marriage and the covenant of marriage. Fulfilling our God-assigned roles is a matter of faithfulness to God. Two principles underlie mutual submission: Christ and His Church, and the marriage covenant. The love of Christ for His Church and the Church’s joyfully following Christ are the foundations for biblical submission. Submission is Christ-honoring when we see it as a vital part of covenantal commitment. This booklet is important for those who are married and those preparing for marriage.