What is the Gospel?
How can a 2000 year old story relate to a modern multicultural age that consists of Smart phones, Ipads, and High-speed internet?
In the church as a whole today, it is hard to hear the true gospel. Almost every message preached is focused on "felt" needs. We have sold our birthright for a bowl of porridge.
In his book, Trevin Wax shows a list of Gospel counterfeits:
The Therapeutic Gospel - God can make me happy. Instead of sin, my problem is lack of self-esteem. Another thing this gospel proclaims is, "Come to Jesus and he will fix your problems. In truth, God does make us joyful, but this isn't the true gospel. Joy is a byproduct of the true Gospel, but not the Gospel itself. God will not fix all of our problems just because we are saved.
The Judgmentless Gospel - Everyone is going to heaven. In this age no one wants to think about death and where we will spend eternity. This false gospel removes all thoughts of standing before God in judgment.
The Moralistic Gospel - God wants us to be good. This false gospel says that God just wants us to live right. He wants to make us better people. The real Gospel says we can't live right until God changes us and that being good isn't what gets us to heaven. We live right because we have been saved, not the other way around.
The Quietist Gospel - Salvation should only effect the individual. This false gospel says salvation is not to effect community. Christians should not be involved in the world of politics. They should focus on their individual selves.
The Activist Gospel - The gospel is only there to make the world a better place. This false gospel seeks change in our society. There is nothing wrong with that, but both conservatives and liberals use Jesus to promote their agendas.
The Churchless Gospel - You don't have to go to church to be a christian. This false gospel says as long as you read your bible and listen to a service on the radio, you are OK. In reality the bible tells us not to forsake assembling ourselves together.
When we share the Gospel, we should present the whole biblical story. Wax says we need to present four key questions:
1. How did it all begin? (Creation.)
2. What went wrong? (Fall.)
3. Can anything be done? (Rescue.)
4. What will the future hold? (Restoration.)
I enjoyed this book. It really gave me something to think about, especially when sharing the gospel to unbelievers.
I give it 4 stars.
*This book was provided free by Moody Publishers for the purpose of an honest review.
Wow, this book has it all; History, Doctrine, encouragement, etc. Calvinism is so much broader than most people think. Beeke along with a great number of Reformed theologians and pastors, show the multifaceted aspects of Calvinism. Starting from the history of Calvinism, the book moves to Calvinist distinctions in a variety of subjects from Scripture to Church Government.
When on the subject of Calvinism, many think predestination is the only subject most Calvinist are interested in. This book proves that kind of thinking is totally false.
The authors show that Calvinism, not only consists in the five points, but also includes many subjects i.e. holiness, prayer, church government, scripture, worship, preaching, evangelism, marriage, family, work, Politics, ethics, and so much more.
If you are a Calvinist or you are just interested in what Calvinism consists of, this is the book for you.
Packed full of quotes from modern authors, past Reformers, and the Puritans; this book not only informs, it also sends you to a more in-depth study with each end note. At the end of each chapter there are discussion questions for personal or group review.
I found myself writing down a list of books to search for with each chapter. This book is on my list to read again in the future.
This is a great companion to another book by Beeke called “Meet the Puritans”
I highly recommend it to all believers and non-believers alike.
*This book was provided free of Charge by Reformed Trust in exchange for an honest review.
What a great story!
I honestly ordered this book by accident. I was going to look at the details and ordered it instead. I am now very glad I did. This was a very good book.
It is a memoir of Chad Williams. He takes you through his life as he becomes a Navy SEAL. He shows all the torture someone has to go through to become a SEAL. What made it even worse was what he went through after becoming a Christian.
Chad starts out as a skateboarder. He seems to excel in everything he does. Later on he starts down a road of drinking that leads to loneliness and boredom. One day, out of nowhere, he decides to become a SEAL. This book gives you a closeup look at the drills, training, sleep deprivation, and torture each SEAL has to endure.
I have read a lot of Biographies. Some are better than others. I would place this in the "better than others" category. Written in a simple, to the point style, this is a good book to give a friend or family member who doesn't know Christ. It has it all - humor, grief, and triumph. I couldn't put it down.
I highly recommend this book. 5 stars
* This book was freely provided by Tyndale House for the purpose of an honest review.
If you are interested in getting a signed copy of, "SEAL of God" go here: http://store.sealofchrist.com/products/seal-of-god
