On a Saturday night during baptisms, Chandler was struck with the reality that people could spend their entire lives in church and miss the gospel. The reality became even stronger when he realized that his children were growing up in church. Chandler realized that if the gospel was being assumed rather than explicit, people were missing it. Even worse than missing it, people were beginning to replace the gospel with “Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism”. Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism tells us that we can earn favor with God by modifying our behavior. It was in this moment that Chandler recognized the importance of an explicit gospel.

Chandler divides The Explicit Gospel into three main sections. In the first two sections he argues that there are two biblical vantage points when referring to the gospel. One way to see it is to zoom into the narrative as God, Man, Christ, Response. Chandler calls this view “The Gospel on the Ground.” This lens focuses on the power of grace for salvation. Man is confronted with the good news and a response is made. It is in this lens that we see the salvation made very personal. However, this is not the only vantage point. The second vantage point, called “The Gospel in the Air”, zooms us out to see the cosmic level of the gospel. We are introduced to a grand narrative of creation, fall, reconciliation, and consummation. From this vantage point, the glory of God is on grand display. God is making all things new. Chandler argues that the gospel must be seen from these two perspectives interchangeably. In fact, the third section is devoted to the pitfalls that occur when we focus on one lens too long and neglect the other. Both vantage points are needed as we begin to understand and marvel at the good news of Jesus Christ.

A Few Things About the Book

Firstly, I was surprised to see how much of Chandler’s voice made it into the book. Not only is Chandler a fantastic Bible teacher but also just a funny, gritty, and honest man. Anyone who has heard him preach will recognize his tone in the book. However, I am a little concerned for those who don’t know Chandler’s voice. Someone who has not experienced his preaching could easily mistake his tone as arrogant. Nevertheless, I was pleased to see Chandler on full display in his book.

Secondly, I loved the teaching in the book. Chandler is a great teacher. He is passionate about the gospel and this really makes its way into his writings. His chapters on Reconciliation, Consummation, and Moralism and the Cross were excellent. I always delight in learning from Chandler. His book was no exception.

Lastly, I enjoyed Matt Chandler’s heart in the book.  Whether you are listening to him preach or are reading The Explicit Gospel, you quickly realize how important the gospel message is to him. It’s for good reason, for it is the greatest news in the world. The Gospel must be made explicit in our lives. I am thankful for this book and the message it contains.

Overall, I deeply enjoyed The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler. The gospel is on full display as Chandler unpacks it in a clear and compelling fashion. Pick up this book.

An admirer of Lewis, Platt has studied and now written in the “fiendish correspondence” tradition that Lewis is so famously known for. Upon receiving the book, I was excited to see that Walter Hooper (a leading biographer on C.S. Lewis) gave it so much praise. Concerning the book, Hooper writes, “It reads as if C.S. Lewis himself had written it.” Having deeply enjoyed The Screwtape Letters, I was excited to read As One Devil to Another.

The book itself is a series of letters written from the grand master devil Slashreap training his young protégé, Scardagger. Throughout the letters, we are introduced to devilish schemes and plots that are employed to win souls to hell. Many contemporary topics are introduced and even examined as Slashreap teaches Scardagger how to use them to their advantage. It doesn’t take the reader long to realize that the vices mentioned are accurate to contemporary society today.

The layout of the book is a unique one. Because it is a series of letters, each chapter is 2-3 pages. The plot is fast paced and moves along fairly quickly. We are introduced to a “client” that young Scardagger has been assigned to tempt and win. Throughout the book we are introduced to other characters that the “client” comes into contact with. The plot line does not disappoint and contains an incredible twist at the end.

Overall the book is a fun read and even contains some fun Lewis references. It is insightful and alarming. I do not agree with everything the author says in the book but I don’t believe this disregards the value of the book. Anyone who reads it will not only be entertained but also enlightened. However, because of the genre of the book, proceed with caution as you read. In his “Note to Reader”, Platt writes, “I advise proceeding with caution. There is still wishful thinking in Hell as there is on Earth, and the Devil is still a liar”. The correspondence is devilish and this is a great caution.  Nevertheless, we can find truth in this book and see many of our idols and vices exposed. If you enjoyed The Screwtape Letters, you will also enjoy this book.

I received this book free from Tyndale Publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Tyndale has graciously given me one copy of As One Devil to Another to giveaway. Below you will find an entry form.  The giveaway will close May 14, 2012. I will notify the winner by email.

The book itself is broken into three parts. The first part of the book defines discipleship while deconstructing the false dichotomy between discipleship and evangelism. There has been a split between the two. Dodson argues that the gospel integrates the two and gives a more holistic view of discipleship. In the second part, Dodson examines the heart of discipleship. This section alone is worth the purchase of the book. Dodson isn’t concerned with just defining discipleship; rather he looks at the heart. He points out our twisted motivations while presenting gospel motivations. He finishes the section with a powerful chapter on the Holy Spirit.  In the final section of the book, Dodson shows the practical outworks of discipleship and applies the gospel to everyday life.  Dodson also presents fight clubs, which are small groups in his church that are applying the principles of discipleship that he presents in his book.

The book is well written and extremely powerful. Dodson takes believers right into the heart of discipleship and gives us both a theological and practical treatment of the gospel in our hearts. Over and over again, I was confronted with my false views of discipleship and presented with a gospel-centered view. I am thankful for this.

A few things I liked about the book.

Chapters four and five are worth the purchase of the book. In these two chapters, Dodson examines gospel motivations and power as it relates to discipleship. In chapter four, Dodson presents three gospel motivations. These are religious affection, God’s promises and warnings, and repentance. He then follows these up with a chapter on the Holy Spirit. The motivations are compelling but need the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the past failures of my discipleship was to neglect the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. I wanted performance or rules. I wanted discipleship that I could control. In turn, I was really left with no discipleship at all. The Spirit is vital in our discipleship. Dodson’s presentation of the doctrine of the Spirit was extremely powerful in my life. I will be revisiting these two chapters in the future.

I really enjoyed Dodson’s work on horizontal, vertical, and integrated discipleship. Dodson argues that horizontal discipleship is discipleship that is dependent on mission. When we live this way we focus on missional aspects such as evangelism, feeding the poor, etc. Yet this discipleship falls short. It often neglects personal holiness. We become self-righteous by how much we do missionally. Vertical discipleship is just the opposite. This discipleship focuses on prayer, reading the scripture, fasting, etc. This form of discipleship often leaves us self-righteous trying to cultivate our own holiness. This form of discipleship also falls short. The third form of discipleship is integrated discipleship. Dodson argues that this is gospel-centered discipleship. In this form, a disciple lives a life of faith in Jesus while growing in personal holiness and mission.  This form keeps Jesus in the center, and all things flow from a life of faith in him. This section of the book was excellent.

This book encouraged me to think of the kind of disciples I was making not just the act of making disciples. We are all making disciples. The question is, “What kind of disciples are we making?” Are we making clones of ourselves or of Jesus? I was challenged throughout the book with this question.

Overall, Gospel-Centered Discipleship is one of the rare books to which I plan to return often. It is an invaluable resource in my discipleship and ministry.  I was refreshed, encouraged, trained, and rebuked all throughout the book. Do yourself a favor and read it.

In her book, The Adolescent Journey, Amy Jacober sets forth an interdisciplinary approach to practical youth ministry. Her book “will explore the ways in which youth ministers can function as practical theologians as they help students navigate the difficult passage from childhood to adulthood, where new situations force theological reflection and theology forces a new way of seeing and responding to a real-life situation” (pg. 11). Jacober is taking theology and adolescents seriously rather than compartmentalizing the two. This is a great thing.

Jacober begins her book telling the story of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob. Jacober goes on to state that many youth pastors have become like Esau. We are selling our birthright, our work of reconciliation, for video games, 30-minute lessons, etc. We begin to outsource our ministry rather than fulfill our ministry. There are many results of this outsourcing, but a major one is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. Jacober goes on to quote Kenda Creasy Dean concerning our students’ practice of it writing “not because they have misunderstood what we have taught them in church. They practice it because this is what we have taught them in church.” (pg 10). Students aren’t just coming up with this belief system themselves. We are teaching it to them. Our Esau-models of youth ministry are highly ineffective.

The rest of the book unpacks three important insights into our ministry of reconciliation. They are:

1. Youth workers must be bilingual (able to correspond between social psychology and theology).
2. A practical theology of youth ministry unites three strands of existence: the individual, the communal, and the eternal.
3. A maturing adolescent is nurtured through the transformative power of Christ and the commingling virtues of love, justice and mercy.

A couple of things about the book:

If you are looking for a quick and practical book to help your ministry, this isn’t one of them. Jacober at times is very practical but more often than not she is pretty technical. There were many parts of the book where I had to slow down (a lot of this came from my lack of social psychology understanding). Nevertheless, I benefitted deeply from Jacober’s work. If you are willing to make the effort to work through this book, you will not be disappointed.

I was constantly reminded of the complexity of our youth today. The journey through adolescence really is a journey. Our students are wrestling with questions of identity, significance, meaning, purpose and more. I was encouraged to think deeply about theology and the psychosocial context of my students.

Overall, this book will challenge you to think deeply concerning adolescent development and theology. I believe that any youth pastor who reads this will greatly benefit from it.

The book itself is derived from a lecture series that Carson taught on 2 Timothy 3:1-4:8. And because it is taken from the lecture series, the flow of the book can seem choppy. However, the exposition is great. It is very short and could easily be read in one sitting. If you have ever read Carson, you know that he can undoubtedly be very heavy. This book is not. He writes with simplicity while at the same time displaying the clever Carson-wit that I have come to enjoy (I’ll share a couple quotes that I appreciated at the bottom).  With that said, let’s take a look at its content.

Carson begins the book defining what exactly the Bible means when it uses the phrase “last days” or “last hour.” Carson writes, “Commonly when the Bible speaks about the ‘last days’, it refers to the entire period between Christ’s first coming and his second. Similarly, the expressions ‘last hour’ and ‘last day’ usually refer to the entire period” (Kindle Locations 56-58). Paul, Peter, Timothy, and the others were living in the last days. Likewise we are living in the last days. Thus, when Paul teaches faithful principles to Timothy concerning living in the last days, they are also meant for us. After describing and explaining the last days in chapter one, Carson uses the remaining four chapters to gives us four principles to live by. They are:

1. Hold the right mentors in high regard (there is a great illustration in this section that makes the book worth reading)
2. Hold few illusions about the world
3. Hold on to the Bible
4. Hold out the Bible to others

These four sections provide great insight to the believer. I am thankful for Carson and his contribution to the church. He is certainly a mentor worth holding in high regard. I am thankful for his wisdom and writings. If you are seeking to live faithfully in the last days, this short book will not disappoint you.

Let me leave you with a couple of my favorite quotes (while certainly not all of them).

“The antithesis of loving God is worse than not loving God: it is loving something else supremely, most commonly ourselves or things that we covet. We become idolators: we do not love God supremely.”

“Paul’s point is surely important. It is built on the assumption that when the gospel comes to us it actually does change people. The gospel does not simply declare us to be just on the ground of what Christ has done, for salvation is more than justification. Salvation includes regeneration, Spirit-empowered transformation of life, such that Jesus himself can say, ‘By their fruit you will recognise them’ (Matt. 7:20).”

“You who are older should be looking out for younger people and saying in effect, ‘Watch me.’ Come – I’ll show you how to have family devotions. Come – I’ll show you how to do Bible study. Come on – let me take you through some of the fundamentals of the faith. Come – I’ll show you how to pray. Let me show you how to be a Christian husband and father, or wife and mother. At a certain point in life, that older mentor should be saying other things, such as: Let me show you how to die. Watch me.”

“This world is constantly trying to convince itself that we are all pretty good, that we are all saying the same things, that evil is not an endemic and systemic part of us, and that if we are nice, everything will be all right. Certainly there is no merit in being un-nice! But to hide the disagreements, idolatries, greeds, injustice, God-defying arrogance, materialist hedonism, unbelief, and just plain malice of the world is worse than naïve – it is blind. Christians will look at the rawness of history and the prevalence of evil people who become worse and worse, and they will hold few illusions. This is an essential element of faithful living in the last days.”

“But the Bible is not a magic book, as in: ‘A verse a day keeps the devil away’. It is a book that points us to Jesus, and this Jesus saves and transforms. This Jesus by his death and resurrection constitutes the good news that men and women may be reconciled to the living God. Here in this book there is instruction on what God has done in Christ Jesus; here there is the message of Christ dying for sinners, of whom I am chief;  here there is the promise of the Holy Spirit given in down payment of the ultimate inheritance; here there is transformation. These Scriptures make you ‘wise for salvation’.”

“In a world where there are many false ideas – many deceptive, selfish and anti-God ideas – what must we do to get orientated toward God himself? We go to God’s Word – we hold on to the Bible.”

I received this book free from Christian Focus. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

How the book is formatted

The book itself is intended to be a 10 week Bible study that can be used in personal or group settings. Each week, Guthrie invites the reader into a time of personal Bible study, a teaching chapter, a looking forward segment and finally a discussion guide. I enjoyed this format. In the personal Bible study section, Guthrie usually introduced the reader to the genre of the book along with some key themes and passages. This section is very interactive and really sets up the remaining sections to come. In the teaching section, Guthrie provides insight in a practical and Christ-centered way. I can remember numerous times reading the teaching on Job, Psalms, or Proverbs and asking myself how I never saw that before.  At the end of the teaching section is the looking forward section. In this section, Guthrie leads the reader in a short reflection showing how the ideas in that chapter point forward to Christ. Lastly, the discussion guide helps further examine the teaching as well as apply it. There is also a “Getting How It Fits into the Big Picture” question. I really enjoyed thinking through this question. It encourages the reader to think through how the teaching in Proverbs fits in with the larger redemptive story line of Scripture. The format of this study is great.

A couple of things I really enjoyed

I deeply enjoyed the aim of this book. Nancy Writes, “Over the coming weeks, as we make our way through the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, we’ll not only find wise principles for living life in this world as one who belongs to God but we’ll also see the wise person these books point to, the wisest person who ever lived, hidden in its drama and poetry and proverb and song” (pg. 24). Seriously, that statement alone gets me excited to dive into the Wisdom of literature. It is easy for me to look for wise principles while reading the Wisdom literature without ever slowing down to look for the wisdom of God, namely Jesus. I can imagine that this task was no easy one. Thus, I love that Guthrie undertook and, in my opinion, fulfilled this approach and aim.

The teaching in the book is great. It is relevant, practical and Christ-centered. Not only is Christ displayed in each book, but also the heart of the book itself is not neglected. What I mean is, the main theme of Ecclesiastes is not dismissed so that she can show you Jesus. No, Guthrie takes you to the heart of Ecclesiastes and shows you how Jesus is the one who brings it all together or makes sense of it all. I was thankful to not only learn more about Jesus, but to learn more about the themes and literature of the wisdom books. Bible studies can be extremely difficult to craft in a way were they remain both theologically faithful and applicable to life. There is a tendency to over emphasize one or the other. Yet, Nancy was able combine a practical and relevant approach while remaining Christo-centric.

Perhaps the greatest compliment that I can give to this book is the passion that it stirred up in me for the Old Testament. I know that the Old Testament is able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15). However, it seems so difficult to see this sometimes. Thus, I am thankful for the passion ignited by this book to search the Old Testament in a relevant, applicable, and Christ-centered way. Nancy Guthrie’s passion has certainly helped fuel my passion for the Old Testament and the Wisdom Literature.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to learn more about Christ from the Old Testament. Whether you are male or female, in a group or alone, you will profit from reading this book. You will not only find “wise principles”, you will also see “the wise person.” This book/Bible study is excellent.

I received this book free from Crossway Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Firstly, I love Tullian’s heart and passion for the gospel. The book from beginning to end exudes the gospel. Even the Acknowledgements are no exception. In it Tullian writes, “I have a confession to make: I’m addicted to the gospel. It burns inside of me. And it seems to get hotter every day. I can’t stop thinking about it, talking about it, writing about it, reading about it, wrestling with it, reveling in it, standing on it, and thanking God for it.” We get the meditations of a man who has thought deeply, wrestled at length, and is standing in the gospel. And the great part is this man is living the gospel. It isn’t just an idea to be rationalized for him. It is living and real and life changing. There is power in the gospel and God has chosen to move us deeper into it, not past it. As I read the book, I couldn’t stop thinking about the truths. I found myself quoting Tullian in conversations. God was using the truths of the book to shape me.

Secondly, I love Tullian’s passion and love for the doctrine of justification. Luther called the doctrine of justification “the article by which the church stands or falls”. We can never hear the doctrine of justification too much. We are prone to self-justification and thus we need to be reminded over and over of our justification by faith alone in Christ. Tullian does just this. He reminds us of our justification over and over again. He is perhaps, one of my favorite authors when it comes to writing on the subject. I never got tired of hearing this wonderful truth. Thanks, Tullian, for this.

Finally, Tullian writes with much excitement concerning the liberation found in the gospel. He begins the book by telling his story from the summer of ’09. He writes, “Never had I experienced anything so tough. I could hardly eat, had trouble sleeping, and was continually battling nausea. I felt at the absolute end of myself. God, what in the world are you doing? I needed resurrecting.” Many of us can relate to a time or period in our life where we felt like that. We were at our lowest. We were hurting. This is where Tullian was. His church plant had recently merged with the nationally known Coral Ridge Presbyterian in May 2009. By June 2009, opposition arose and false accusations were already arising. People were speaking out against Tullian. Again he writes, “There was a crescendo of misunderstandings, frustration, and pain.” Tullian was hurting. However, while on vacation, Tullian opened up to the book of Colossians and began to read. As he read, his eyes were opened and the words were jumping off the page. There was such clarity. The Spirit was active in illuminating the Scripture. It was in this moment that Tullian began to rediscover the gospel. He writes, “I sensed my miserable chains falling away. My true situation came into focus. I’d never realized before how dependent I’d become on human approval and acceptance until so much of it was taken away in the roiling controversy at Coral Ridge.” The gospel was exposing and destroying his idols and it was liberating. The chains were falling away. The gospel is so liberating, so freeing. It “doesn’t simply rescue us from the past and rescue us for the future; it also rescues us in the present from being enslaved to things like fear, insecurity, anger, self-reliance, bitterness, entitlement, and insignificance…” You can’t help but see this truth throughout Jesus + Nothing = Everything. Tullian has experienced the liberating freedom in the gospel, and he proclaims it. He wants every reader to experience it. Tullian does a masterful job detecting and defeating legalism, performancism, and moralism. The gospel frees us from those things. It is liberating!

Overall, I highly recommend reading this book. It would be hard to pick it up and not see the outworking of a man who is captured by grace. It really is Jesus + Nothing = Everything for Tullian. This truth is real and relevant for our life. I was constantly challenged, encouraged, and liberated as I read this book. Thanks again, Tullian.

I received this book free from Crossway Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Today’s Christian Young Men (I don’t consider myself too far removed) are fascinated with podcasts. We love sitting and listening to Matt Chandler or John Piper as the fruits of these men’s disciplines come alive. And all the awhile we are neglecting our own spiritual discipline.  The truth is, most of us don’t even know what it looks like to cultivate a godly disciplined life. This no longer has to be true.

Following the popular Disciplines of A Godly Man, Kent and Carey Hughes have teamed up to write Disciplines of A Godly Young Man. The book is written to young men around the ages of 13-18 and has provided them with a tool to cultivate spiritual discipline.

Discipline is a sweaty exercise. It comes from work, hard grueling and testing work. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:7, “train yourself for godliness”. The Hughes start their book discussing the importance of discipline, a Holy Sweat. This introduction provides a great framework for the rest of the book. Many of us are talented in an area of life and thus have natural advantages. Because of this, we expect it to translate to our spiritual life as well. On this, Hughes writes, “None of us can claim a natural spiritual advantage. In reality, we are all equally disadvantaged. None of us naturally seeks after God”  (pg. 18). Thus, discipline in the Christian life is extremely important.

After the Introduction, the book is then broken up into five different areas of life. These consist of Relationships, Soul, Character, Ministry, and Grace. Under each of these headings consist further subheadings that dive deeper into the area of life. (for a full list of areas discussed, consult below)

The Hughes are clear and concise. The chapters are fast paced yet pack punch all the while remaining practical.  At the close of each chapter there is a “food for thought” and “an application/response” time. The Hughes aren’t concerned with just teaching  a theologically sound disciplined life. No, they want to see students living a theologically sound disciplined life. It is one thing to know what that life looks like and another thing to live that life. This perhaps was my greatest encouragement concerning the book.

Overall, I believe this book is extremely relevant to today’s young men. The Hughes are calling out young men and challenging them to become the man of discipline that God calls them to be. Young Men, be encouraged and challenged by this book.

My Rating 5/5 Stars

 Book Outline

1. Introduction – Discipline is Everything, Discipline for Godliness
2. Relationships – Purity, Friendship
3. Soul – Mind: Refusal, Mind: Filling, Devotion, Prayer
4. Character – Tongue, Work, Perseverance
5. Ministry – Church, Giving, Witness, Ministry
6. Discipline – Grace

I received this book free from Crossway Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

What started as a collection of well-made videos telling stories of transformation has now reached its way into book format as well. Written by Doug Bender and Dave Sterrett, I Am Second tells the stories of both famous and unfamiliar people. Inside the book you are introduced to twenty different people who have all met Jesus and put him first in their life (hence, the title I Am Second).

The stories in the book are raw and honest. The reader is taken into the darkest and deepest moments in the individuals’ lives. No matter how thick the darkness, light bursts through and captures the hearts of each individual in the book.

There are a couple of things about the book that I enjoyed.

1. First and foremost, there is a clear gospel message at the end of the book. I was thankful for this.
2. Stories of transformation encourage me. The Gospel is the power to life change. The Cross of Christ is eternally effective. This is beautiful. Thus, I love stories of people being transferred from the “kingdom of darkness” to the “kingdom of his beloved Son”.
3. I really enjoyed the brevity of each story. Bender and Sterrett did a good job of story-telling without lingering or being too short. The testimonies are fast paced and capture your attention.
4. I also enjoyed the QR codes at the end of each story. These codes are placed beside other people whose testimonies are similar. This allows the reader to scan the code and go to the website to watch that person’s testimony online. I thought this was an excellent feature to the book.

I do have some personal concerns with the book.

1. I was disappointed with the lack of calling sin sin in the book. This is not to diminish the dark and painful stuff that people went through. However, I think our culture struggles to call sin sin. This concerns me out of preference more so than error.
2. I am also a little concerned with Jesus is first, I Am Second, everything is perfect now presentation in most of the stories (some stories speak of continual struggles). Even though Jesus is first in these people’s lives, they are not perfect, not yet anyway. God, through the Holy Spirit is sanctifying them. He is making them more holy. However, they have not arrived. Putting Jesus first does not always mean having your best life now, at least not in the American sense. Putting Jesus first does however mean having your best life forever. I don’t believe Bender and Sterrett are attempting to communicate this. However, the omission of sanctification in many stories does weigh on me a bit.

Overall, I was encouraged by this book. I value the testimonies of brothers and sisters in Christ who are justified, being sanctified, and one day will be glorified. If you enjoy stories of transformation, you will enjoy this book.

My Rating 4/5 Stars

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

At the beginning of each new year, I reflect back on my favorite books of the previous year. Sitting at the top of my list this year is Gospel Wakefulness by Jared C. Wilson (despite Wilson being a huge Patriot fan…haha).

Gospel Wakefulness is a gospel feast. In the foreword of the book, Ray Ortlund writes concerning Gospel Wakefulness, “It is the smelling salts of the gospel waved under our noses, startling us with realities in Christ more awakening in power than we have realized” (pg 9). This is a perfect description of the book.

We often wonder what makes our senses dull towards the Gospel. We fall into a spiritual laziness where we seem more asleep than awake. We run through systems and plans hoping to awaken to the realities of the Gospel. The truth is that it seems so far from us. Wilson writes to awaken us to the gospel.

On every page, Wilson is waving the gospel under our noses. With each pass, we are awakened to the deeps of the gospel. Let me be clear here. Wilson is not presenting an implied gospel with a set of rules to awaken us to the realities of Christ. After all, Wilson writes “An implied Gospel is a gospel FAIL.” (pg. 18). No, Wilson presents an explicit Gospel, page after page, which leaves us falling deeper in love Christ. This is what Gospel Wakefulness is. It is “treasuring Christ more greatly and savoring his power more sweetly” (pg 24).

Wilson lays out the book in thirteen chapters including an introduction and conclusion. He begins the book with a helpful explanation of what exactly he means by the term Gospel Wakefulness. I appreciated this chapter because I didn’t have a clear understanding of the meaning going into the book. The remaining chapters of the book are written for us to behold Christ. It is the gospel that wakens us. Therefore, Wilson reminds us that it is only the gospel that can change us. He can’t change us, nor is he seeking to change us. However, he can teach us and present us with beautiful streams of gospel truth and that is exactly what he does.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. No other book (besides the Bible) this past year has shaped and ignited my passion and wonder for the Gospel. I do not say that lightly. One of the biggest encouragements from the book is seeing Wilson’s passion for the Gospel along with stories of people changed by the Gospel. It is hard to read this book without seeing that the Gospel really has captivated and consumed the life of Jared Wilson and others. The Gospel really does captivate us. It really is power and it really is beautiful! Gospel Wakefulness is a testament to that truth.

A Caution for the Reader

I do, however, have a caution concerning a portion of the book. As a reader, it could be easy to get the idea or left feeling that there are tiers of believers. What I mean is that believers who are not Gospel waken are second class Christians. However, I want to caution you because I believe that Wilson writes enough clarification in the book to dispel this idea. I also truly believe that this is not Wilson’s intention at all. He even writes “This is not to set up tiers of Christian sanctification, as if there is a first-class discipleship and a second-class, and so on. Every believer is united with Christ on the same foundation, with the full access and authority granted by being made joint heirs with Christ. And in the final day, no matter where we are in our Christian walks, we will all reach the same destination on the same basis” (pg. 31).

So really, I mention this to be fair to the book and to the reader of the book.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. I would encourage you to sit under Wilson’s passion and learn from a humble man who dwells in the Gospel. It will stir your affections and drive you to worship our King Jesus. I plan on reading it again in 2012.

My Rating 5/5 Stars

I received this book free from Crossway Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.