Books I've Read - A God-Sized Vision: Revival stories that Stretch and Stir

God-Sized Vision
by Collin Hanses and John Woodbridge

The idea behind this book is to retell some of the stories of revival that God has sent in the past several hundred years.  There are stories in this book about revival in Wales, America, Korea and more.  I really think that authors of this book are correct in their assessment that we need to understand the great works of God in the past if we want to be a part of the great works of God in the future, but I found that I was somewhat underwhelmed by this book.  Maybe it was just me, but I couldn't fully get into the book.  I did enjoy the stories and found that it was still a useful read, but I just found it didn't enthrall me like I had a hoped a book on revivals would.  God has truly done some wonderful things in the past and we know he can do those same things again, and so a focus on the saints of the past, whether they were part of a revival or not, is a study well worth doing.  Let us look at our glorious past and work and pray towards even greater glory in our future!

One thing that did stand out to me from reading this book, was how often revival is opposed by those within in the church.  Revival almost always brings with it excesses and of course that means those excesses are the things we need to warn against if we were in a revival situation, but it made me wonder how often in those cases were people just scared of change?  How many of us truly want a revival?  Are we ready to have our comfortable world turned upside down by the Spirit of God?

Random Quote:
Dwight identified several means other than gospel preaching that God uses to reveal himself. These include Bible reading, prayer, talking with Christians, catechism, and self-examination. Not coincidentally, these are the same means Dwight employed as he promoted revival among Yale students. Yet even this moderate position that held God's absolute sovereignty and his ordinary means of grace in balance did not persuade everyone to support revival. Just as in his grandfather's [Jonathan Edwards] day, many venerable pastors wanted nothing to do with such outbreaks of religious fervor, no matter how orderly or biblically defensible. (page 67)

Books I've Read: Opening up Genesis

Opening Up Genesis
By Kurt Strassner

I believe there is a whole series of these coming out, and I found this book to be quite helpful.  It was a simple, practical and applicable book that helped draw out some of the application of the book of Genesis.  The intention of this book wasn't to be a commentary or to delve into the nuances of the theology, but rather  to give draw out some easily accessible application to our daily living.  My wife and I read this book together for our family devotions while we were reading through the book of Genesis, and found it a useful tool to get us thinking about what the passage or story we just read meant for us.  I would recommend this book as a gentle introduction to the wealth of wisdom that the stories of scripture can give us in our daily living.

Random Quote:
Maybe Lot's wife is the most modern of all the character in the account. Her life, it seemed, consisted in the abundance of her possessions. Is that true of us? If someone were ask us, "What are your chief ambitions in life?", would our answers be given in terms of job status, pay scale, and retirement possibilities? Would we speak of the dream house we've always wanted to build, the vacation we've always wanted to take, the financial security we hope to achieve, or the popularity we hope to attain? If so, there is a good chance that, when God calls us out of the world, we will find ourselves looking back...and left out of the kingdom. For Jesus says, "Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it" (page86)

Guilty! (and forgiven)

After watching that video, ask yourself this question: aren't we all a little like that dog? We do something wrong and what happens? We don't want to face the person. We try to placate them. We avoid them as much as we can. Of course the same thing also happens in our relationship with God.  When we are in sin, we avoid him. We don't talk to him. We try to appease him with our actions or try to ignore him and pretend that he doesn't exist.

This is why confession of sin needs to be a daily part of our lives.  We need to constantly turn our sins over to God and leave them at the cross. Those of us in the Protestant tradition do not go to the confessional and tell all to the priest, but nonetheless there is something we can take to heart from that tradition. We do need to confess our sins.  We need to confess to those we have wronged, and every sin that we do wrongs God, so we need to continually be bringing our sins before him.

Many Evangelical Protestants seem to think that salvation is a one time thing.  "I was saved on May 16 when I asked Jesus into my heart." or maybe for some, "I was baptized as a baby and grew up in a Christian home."  I'm certainly not trying to belittle any of these experiences, but salvation is so much more than that! In some of our lives there is that pivotal 180 turn point.  The point were we suddenly saw the light clearly and turned our faces away from sin and towards the Saviour. But, that's only one tiny point in the story we call Salvation.  The rest of the story is about walking towards the Saviour that we now love, and unconfessed sin is a barrier to that.  We become like that dog, unwilling to look at our Master, and we lose sight of where it is that we are heading.

Salvation isn't just about asking Jesus into my heart, and salvation certainly isn't just about being born and baptized into a Christian home and church.  Salvation is about walking towards the Saviour we love.  Its about gazing on him and growing closer to him day by day.  Its about daily struggles.  Struggles to know him better.  Struggles to love him better. Struggles to obey him better.  Its about his loving help in these struggles. Its about confession of wrongs.  Its about forgiveness that he gives again and again and again. Its about his unconditional love for us.  Its about the swelling notes of music in our hearts that rise as we think about these things. 

Are you saved because you were baptized? No!  Are you saved because you asked Jesus into your heart?  No! Its not what your pastor has done, and its not what you have done that can save you, its what Christ has done. Many of those who were baptized go on to live a life that shows no signs of salvation or walking towards the Saviour. And many of those who answered the alter call also walk away from the faith.  These things do not save you! If you are trusting in the fact that you were baptized or that you walked down the church aisle to save you, you are in trouble! 

You are saved because you are in relationship with God. That is where your trust needs to be.  You are are saved because your gracious loving Saviour sent his Spirit to stir your heart towards him.  Cultivate that relationship!  Treasure it! Confess your sins. Bring them to the cross and leave them there. Keep that vision of your Saviour clear and walk in his paths.  Work out your salvation with fear and trembling!  And what if you don't have a relationship like that?  Ask God for it and He'll give it to you.  He's not a stingy God. Just ask Him for this gift, and when he gives it to you, cherish it like that treasure that it is.