Desiring the Kingdom, by James Smith

I was assigned this book as part of a Theology Discussion group at church. So I was a bit unsure of what I was getting into as I opened the pages. The book is "academic" to say the least. When you approach the book do so with paper and pencil in hand and a good bit of time to devote to each reading. You will be challenged to think, digest, react and then decide, do you agree with Smith or disagree with Smith.

The main tenant of the book appears to me to be the thought that man is a liturgical being. He is born to worship! He desires to worship! He lives to worship! The question is, "what will he worship?" John Piper rightly tells us in his book, "Let the Nations be Glad" that Missions exists because Worship doesn't. When God created the world and then created man He created man with the purpose of bringing Honor and Glory to God and to delight in God, in other words to Worship God.

But our world has delved into a world of sin, paganism and worldliness that God never intended. Even the most gracious of humans, the most gentle of humans, the most kind and caring of humans have succumb to the sin nature of man. We all have a tendency to "worship" something and usually that worship is not the God of our Bible.

Smith will argue that there are several things taking the place of our rightful worship. He will use the examples of The Mall, The Sporting Event and The American University to show that we have replaced the Worship of God the Father with the worship of materialism, sports, entertainment, celebrities and the Intellect.

He will delve into the Philosophical worldviews that have developed and then continue on into a Christian Worldview, but he won't stop there, he will actually go further to declare that even a Christian worldview is not where we should land. You will need to read to learn where he lands.

He also will write that we have put to much credit on the intellect, to much weight on the necessity of learning and have made books, learning and the University things to be worshiped more than the God of the Bible. He will argue that God did make us intelligent beings, but that God gave us his Emotive character and that our faith needs to reside not in our intellect but in our Gut. That's correct, we are emotional romantic people who are pushed more towards the belief in something by our emotions and romance than necessarily by intellect. He will argue that the world / advertisers have it correctly, we are pushed more towards decisions by sex than we are by anything else. That may fly in the face of many Christians but I think he may have a very strong point here. Sex sells. Just watch a little TV and you will know that.

He reminds us that as Christians we often preach and teach, use your intellect to over ride the sex drive. Use your brains to over ride your emotions. Use your wisdom to put down your feelings.

But didn't God make us feeling creatures? So, the question is not that our feelings are bad, but how do we attune ourselves to our feelings, allow them to talk to us and move us without allowing them to drive us to sin. That same phrase could be used with the word "intellect". Yes, our intellect can also drive us to sin when it is mishandled, look at the amount of Pride in some people.

This book is not one that I completely agree with, but it did make me stop and think. I did not buy all of his arguments, but I did have to pause and wonder about them. I think he points out many areas that Christians need to be concerned with and meditate on.

This is not a simple read. It is not for the new Christian. It is not for someone looking for a devotional book. This is a serious read for a serious study and will take you time to work through it. I would recommend that you not read it in isolation, but that you read it as part of a study group that can pick it apart and grow from what you learn.

God bless and Enjoy!

The Hole in our Holiness, by Kevin DeYoung

As DeYoung starts out his book on Holiness he has a basic premise that we will find over and over again in the text.  "The problem of holiness is that we don't really care about it."  That can sum things up pretty well.  According to Scripture God calls us to 'holiness.'  He says to us, Be Holy for I am Holy.  So, if God calls us to that how can we accomplish it?  Can we accomplish it?  Or are we to sinful to even think of accomplishing it?

In the first chapter DeYoung points out to us that there is a gap between our love for the Gospel and our love for Godliness.  We say we love the gospel but by our actions we display that we don't particularly care about godliness (holiness).  DeYoung states, "No matter what you profess, if you show disregard for Christ by giving yourself over to sin--impenitently and habitually--then heave is not your home."

With that concept in mind there are many people attending church on a weekly basis that heaven is not their home.  They may think it is but it can't be.  Why is that?  I think it is mainly because we don't want to grasp the truths of Scripture and apply them to our lives.  We want to love the Savior but not love His commands.  If you truly love the Savior you will desire to fulfill His commands and you will attempt with all your heart, soul, mind and strength to live a godly life.

Given the layout of the book I believe that the reader will discover that the most powerful chapter is chapter six.  "Spirit-powered, Gospel-driven, Faith-fueled Effort."  This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. DeYoung gives us a well articulated chapter on what it means to plug the hole in our holiness and put into action the truths that we have been taught and want to believe can make a difference in us.

Bottom line, you can live a godly life with the help of the Holy Spirit.  You can lead a godly life that will show others who God is and how He can take a repentant sinner and turn his life around to be a useful instrument for the Lord to use.

This book is for every believer but especially for the believer that is grappling with what it means to live a godly live and to be holy as He is Holy.  Take seriously the call to become part of the Royal Priesthood that Peter talks about in his writings.

Enjoy!

Dangerous Calling, by Paul David Tripp

I want to thank Crossway Publishing and especially Angie Chetham for sending me an advance copy of Dr. Tipp's new book.  This book will be released for purchase on October 31, 2012.  But it can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com at this time.

This new book by Dr. Tripp is one that every Pastor should put in his library and one that they should make a point of reviewing (re-reading) at least every 18 months or so.  The book is an encouragement to Pastors about how serious the calling to Pastoral ministry is.  It is also a reminder that if we are not careful we will fall into some very bad habits and wrong thinking that will bring harm to the Kingdom and disrepute to the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This book is also one that every Elder Board should take a look at.  It will be helpful to remind them of the dangers of the Pastoral Calling and Ministry and what they can do as the church board to hold their Pastor’s accountable as well as bring encouragement into their Pastor’s lives.

The main concept that struck me most from this work was the idea that, “We do not teach well the word of God or serve the church well unless we are awestruck by the Power & Nature of our Lord and Savior.”  This was a central theme that was well developed, especially in Part two of the book.  Most Pastors enter the Pastorate because at some point in time in their life they were “awestruck” by the power and majesty of the Lord.  But as they continue to serve they often times find that the “awe” of the Lord starts to diminish.  In place of that “Awe of God” they start to have an “awe of themselves!”

The book is divided into three sections. 

·              Section one examines the “Ministry Culture” that Pastors fine themselves in. 

·              Section two examines the “Danger of losing your Awe, i.e. forgetting who God is.” 

·              Section three deals with forgetting who you (the pastor) are.

Dr. Tripp in section one deals quite a bit with reminding Pastors that they are taught in seminary that they should be a bit aloof from their congregation.  They should live in isolation because of their calling.  But he points out the dangers of this type of life style, how it has the tendency to cause the Pastor to feeling as though he is a bit above others, when in actuality we are the same when it comes to the chance of Satan hitting us with a bout of pride or arrogance.  Now, he isn’t saying that the Seminaries are teaching wrong things; he is just concerned that sometimes Pastors don’t get a good picture of their need for accountability and how to be transparent and vulnerable with their congregation in ways that are building for them and the Kingdom.

I found myself in such agreement with the many things that Dr. Tripp wrote, and also found myself convicted of where my own attitudes and life style have fallen short, that I have ordered a case of these books to be delivered once they are printed so that I can share them with many Pastors whom I care about and feel will benefit from this book.

This book is not written for laypeople, it is written specifically for the clergy.  BUT, if you are a layperson and you care about your pastor and the dangers that he faces on a regular basis you will also learn much from this well written text.  Maybe you could also purchase the book as a gift for your pastor and give it to him along with a note of encouragement from you that you care about his life and ministry.

The Sword, by Dr. Bryan M. Litfin

The Sword is the first book in a trilogy called, Chiveis Trilogy.  Chiveis is a town is a village in the year 2440.  But while it is in the future it is living in the past.  Dr. Litfin is a professor of Theology at Moody Bible Institute, but he decided to write a trilogy to bring Biblical principles to bear in a way that literary people would enjoy.  As I read this first book I couldn’t help but think of the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.  I believe that Dr. Litfin has penned a story that is just as riveting.

The book takes place in the future, but the people live in a Medieval setting.  The reason for this is because there has been a nuclear holocaust in the year 2042 that was brought on by a Pandemic that was sweeping the world.  The Plague was killing off 40% of mankind and in doing so it was not kind to any class of people or any region of the world.

As the turmoil of the Pandemic forced countries into hysteria there were several smaller, nuclear, countries that decided that they could possibly take over their regions.  So, they unleashed a barrage of nuclear missiles that devastate the major capitals of the world.  But not to be outdone, those countries, the United States, China, Russia, and Israel unleash their weapons of mass destruction and plunge the world into a nuclear winter that almost succeeds in wiping out humanity.

Now four hundred years later there are small enclaves of humanity trying to rebuild civilization.  Chiveis is one of those small enclaves.  Our story revolves around the exploits of Captain Teofil of the Royal Guards.  He is a warrior extraordinaire.  But as the story starts he is about the meet his end at the hands of a bear.  He has fallen and is about to die when the bear is brought down by the arrows of a hardened woodsman / hunter, who actually turns out to be a beautiful woman, the daughter of farmers.  Her name is Anastasia. 

This first volume in the series will revolve about Teofil and Ana and the adventures that bring them together and expose the hatred and violence of the local region of Asbtrilbel.  Teo and Ana will fight for their lives and in the process they will uncover a Religious Book (the Bible) that was hidden four hundred years earlier by a man who wanted God’s word preserved for the future generations.

Teo and Ana will be sent on a path of discovery to try and determine if this God of the ancients is the one true God and the one that they should truly be worshipping.  As they determine that he is they will find that their lives are pushed the limits in trying to get the people of Chiveis to leave their old religion and come to the true religion.

The problem, the High Priestess of Astribrel has no desire for the true word of God to be exposed and the people to rally around it.  She will do everything in her power to continue to worship Satan and to make his name the most powerful.

This is truly a great book and I look forward to reading the next two installments.  I believe that anyone who loved The Lord of Rings will love this book.  Any Theology student will be given much to think about, especially in the realm of thinking about a people who have never, repeat, never heard the word of God spoken.  How will they respond?  How will they be won?  How will God prove victorious in the long run?

Enjoy!