Book Review: Wonder-Working God

The Wonder-Working God. Jared C. Wilson. 2014. Crossway. 192 pages. [Source: Review copy]

In March, I reviewed Jared C. Wilson's The Storytelling God: Seeing the Glory of Jesus in His Parables. I was happy to be able to review The Wonder-Working God: Seeing the Glory of Jesus in His Miracles. Both books are excellent, by the way. Both focus on God's glory as revealed in Jesus Christ. Wilson argues that "miracles are pictures of what happens when God's will is manifest on earth as it is in heaven."

From the introduction:

What if the miracles in the Bible— and miracles today, should they still occur— are not God trying to convince us he’s “up there somewhere,” looming out there in heaven and trying on earth to get us to acknowledge him, but are actually God showing us that he is right here and right now in charge? What if, in other words, God is not an interloper in our world, but the things we find so familiarly “everyday”— sin, corruption, injustice, decay, death— these very “laws of nature,” are interlopers in his? When we are able to see the world that way, we get closer to the heart of the gospel. The miracles of Jesus serve that end, and when we see the world through the reality of the kingdom of God, the miracles become just as provocative, just as scandalous, in this day as they were in first-century Palestine. We post-postmoderns pride ourselves on being beyond all that superstitious hokum, but we place our hopes in the same sorts of sentimental magic as the ancients. We worship our accomplishments and our knowledge, because we worship ourselves.

The Wonder-Working God is a book that closely examines the miracles performed during Jesus' ministry. There is a big-picture focus: how do the miracles fit into the big picture of the kingdom? what do they reveal? what do they reveal about us? what can they teach us about ourselves? what do they reveal about God?  what can they teach us about God? But Wilson spends plenty of time focusing on the details of some of the miracles. Again stressing what miracles reveal about the kingdom of God. By the way, if you're looking for a deeper understanding of the phrase "kingdom of God" and what it means, then, this book has it! This is a King-exalting book!!!

But in the proclamation of his kingdom, something special, something different, is happening. The reign of God is finally and directly being pressed into the brokenness of the world— the sins of men and the rebellion and injustice of mankind— fulfilling God’s promise to one day set things back to rights. The church often gets “the kingdom” wrong, because we equate it so often with the church or with the place of paradise we call heaven. But while both the church and heaven are integral to the purposes of God’s kingdom, neither is itself the kingdom. The kingdom is God’s reign, his sovereignty, his will being done… The kingdom of God broke into the world in and through the person of Jesus. There can be no kingdom without a king, and ours comes announcing that God is now forgiving sins, restoring peace and justice, reversing the curse, and setting in motion the end of days. This is— finally— good news for a creation that is groaning for redemption. All that is left for us to do is repent and believe, and the kingdom blessings will be ours, too. But only through Jesus. No Jesus, no blessing.

and

Because the entire world has been affected by mankind’s sin, the way the Bible talks about the kingdom’s coming seems somewhat cataclysmic. This place is broken, but because we have become so accustomed to living with the brokenness, the very restoration of the place can seem like a breaking. And it is. It is a breaking of the way things have been and a resetting to the way they ought to be.

I loved this book. I loved it because I learned so much from reading it. I loved the focus on Scripture. And I loved some of the insights the book provides about what the gospel is and what the kingdom is. I loved the focus on Jesus' ministry, the closer examination of his preaching and healing, of Jesus' disciples, of the crowds both believing and  unbelieving.

Favorite quotes:

Something for nothing? That is the exchange offered in the gospel of Jesus. Bring your nothingness, and he will give you his everything. It’s the only exchange Christ will make.

There is one great sign that you are loved more than you thought. It is the cross. And there is a still further sign that you will live in this love forever. It is the empty tomb.

There are a lot of reasons for difficulties and sufferings in the world, but a powerless, passive God isn’t one of them.

Like the Bible that reveals it, the gospel is not about us but for us. The story is chiefly about God’s glory. But in the gospel, we are partakers of that glory. So part of the story of Christ’s death and resurrection is the story of the captives being freed from sin and shame.

We love for Jesus to fix our circumstances and our pains, but we often don’t want him doing the invasive surgery his gospel is designed for.

So often we try to have Jesus without his cross. We carry on, assuming the Christian life should be typified by comfort rather than suffering, assuming sin will disappear without its being intentionally killed, assuming Jesus saves us because we’re essentially awesome people. But the Savior without the cross is no Savior. The Messiah without the cross is no Messiah. The King without the cross is no King. So to take Jesus and remove the offense of the cross is a satanic act. When you seek to have Christ without taking his cross, you are not aligning with Christ but with the Devil.

It is perhaps a modern myth of the church that every lost person feels lost. The reality for many of us is that we are too satisfied with our ambitions.

The incarnation is crucial to the good news of forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. The reality is this: only man should pay the price for the sins of mankind, but only God could pay the price for the sins of mankind. Thus, in Jesus Christ, the “man should” and the “God could” unite in perfect payment and pure pardon.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Week in Review: August 3-9

NKJV

• Ruth
• 1 Chronicles
• 2 Chronicles 1-9
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Solomon
• Isaiah 1-15
• Luke 5-24
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians

KJV

• Mark 9-16

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: In Perfect Time

In Perfect Time. Sarah Sundin. 2014. Revell. 416 pages. [Source: Review copy]

In Perfect Time is the third book in the Wings of a Nightingale series by Sarah Sundin. The first two novels in the series are With Every Letter and On Distant Shores. Lt. Kay Jobson has appeared in earlier books in the series. In Perfect Time is her story.

Lt. Kay Jobson has an interesting backstory. Readers finally learn more about this flirtatious nurse who is resistant to the gospel. Kay has a habit of mistrusting Christians. As you might expect, there is a reason. But Kay doesn't tell just anyone, especially at first. So it's not fair for me to tell you either!

Lt. Roger Cooper is a pilot with dreams of being a drummer in a big band. He loves the Lord, and, he's committed to living a holy life. For him that means distancing himself from women and from dating. He doesn't see dating as a game. He thinks dating should lead somewhere, to marriage. And he knows he's not ready for marriage. He does not want to put himself in situations where he could be tempted. He wants to guard his heart and mind.

On the surface perhaps, Roger and Kay are unlikely friends. But after sharing a conversation or two, Roger feels led to give her something very personal: his very own Bible with his notes. He barely knows her. He does know that she needs the Lord.

In Perfect Time is a lovely story about a man and woman discovering and perhaps rediscovering the good news and God's overflowing grace. It is an exciting read in terms of action as well.

I would definitely recommend this series!

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Worth Quoting #12 Call to Discipleship

From The Wonder-Working God by Jared C. Wilson:

Where we get the idea that Christianity excludes suffering, I don’t rightly know. It likely comes mostly from our flesh, from our prideful idolization of comfort and pleasure. It comes somewhat from just plain ol’ crappy doctrine. It certainly does not come from the Bible. 

In the story of the man whose house is built on the rock (Matt. 7:24-27), the firm foundation does not keep the storm away. In fact, according to the Scriptures, being a Christian means being willing to take on more suffering than the average person. Not only must we endure the same pains, stresses, and diseases of every other mortal, but we agree to take on the added burden of insults, hardships, and persecutions on account of our faith. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes: "The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death— we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." (Cost of Discipleship, 99)

The call to discipleship, in other words, is not an invitation for one of those popular Christian cruises. I can see the advertisement in the Christian magazine now:

Jesus! Shuffleboard! Seafood Buffet! Join Jesus Christ and twelve other influential teachers for seven luxurious days and six restful nights on the maiden voyage of our five-star, five-story ship of dreams, the S.S. Smooth Sailing. Enjoy karaoke with your favorite psalmists on the lido deck or splash your cares away in our indoor water park with a safe crowd of people who look just like you! 

Instead, Jesus calls us into nasty crosswinds in a boat specifically designed to make us trust totally in him. And if the boat even appears to offer safety from the waves, Jesus may actually call us out of it and into the sea (Matt. 14:29). But in either place, he will be there with us, not to help us worry but to help us believe. Thus, it is imperative that we have our theology straight before we even get in the boat.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

My Year with Spurgeon #31

Indwelling Sin
Charles Spurgeon
1856
“Then Job answered the Lord and said, Behold, I am vile.”—Job 40:3-4.

When we believe in Jesus Christ all our sins are pardoned; yet the power of sin, albeit that it is weakened and kept under by the dominion of the new-born nature which God doth infuse into our souls, doth not cease, but still tarrieth in us, and will do so to our dying day. It is a doctrine held by all the orthodox, that there dwelleth still in the regenerate, the lusts of the flesh, and that there doth still remain in the hearts of those who are converted by God’s mercy, the evil of carnal nature.

But scarcely do I need to prove this, beloved; for all of you, I am sure, who know anything about the experience of a living child of God, have found that in your best and happiest moments sin still dwells in you; that when you would serve your God the best, sin frequently works in you the most furiously. There have been many saints of God who have abstained, for a time, from doing anything they have known to be sin; but still there has not been one who has been inwardly perfect.

How wrong it is of any of us, from the fact of our possessing evil hearts, to excuse our sins.

Some persons, who profess to be Christians, speak very lightly of sin. There was corruption still remaining, and therefore they said they could not help it. Such persons have no visible part nor lot in God’s covenant.

The truly loving child of God, though he knows sin is there, hates that sin; it is a pain and misery to him, and he never makes the corruption of his heart as an excuse for the corruption of his life; he never pleads the evil of his nature, as an apology for the evil of his conduct. If any man can, in the least degree, clear himself from the conviction of his own conscience, on account of his daily failings, by pleading the evil of his heart, he is not one of the broken-hearted children of God; he is not one of the tried servants of the Lord, for they groan concerning sin, and carry it to God’s throne; they know it is in them—they do not, therefore, leave it, but seek with all their minds to keep it down, In order that it may not rise and carry them away.

But indwelling sin does more than that: it not only prevents us from going forward, but at times even assails us, as well as seeks to obstruct us. It is not merely that I fight with indwelling sin; it is indwelling sin that sometimes makes an assault on me. You will notice, the Apostle says, “O, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Now, this proves that he was not attacking his sin, but that this sin was attacking him. I do not seek to be delivered from a man against whom I lead the attack: but it is the man who is opposing from whom I seek to be delivered. And so sometimes the sin that dwelleth in believers flies at us, like some foul tiger of the woods, or some demon, jealous of the celestial spirit within us. The evil nature riseth up: it doth not only seek to stop us in the way, but, like Amalek, it labours to destroy us and cut us off utterly. Did you ever feel, beloved, the attacks of inbred sin? It may be, you have not: but if not, depend upon it you will. Before you get all the way to heaven, you will be attacked by sin. It will not be simply your driving out the Canaanite; but the Canaanite, with chariot of iron, will attempt to overcome you, to drive you out, to kill your spiritual nature, damp the flame of your piety, and crush the new life which God has implanted in you.

The evil heart which still remaineth in the Christian, doth always, when it is not attacking or obstructing, still reign and dwell within him. My heart is just as bad when no evil emanates from it, as when it is all over vileness in its external developments. A volcano is ever a volcano; even when it sleeps, trust it not. A lion is a lion, even though he play like a kid; and a serpent, is a serpent, even though you may stroke it while for a season it slumbers; there is still a venom in its sting when its azure scales invite the eye. My heart, even though for an hour, it may not have had an evil thought, is still evil. If it were possible that I could live for days without a single temptation from my own heart to sin, it would be still just as evil as it was before; and it is always either displaying its vileness, or else preparing for another display. It is either loading its cannon to shoot against us, or else it is positively at warfare with us. You may rest assured that the heart is never other than it originally was; the evil nature is still evil; and when there is no blaze, it is heaping up the wood, wherewith it is to blaze another day. It is gathering up from my joys, from my devotions, from my holiness, and from all I do, some materials to attack me at some future period. The evil nature is only evil, and that continually, without the slightest mitigation or element of good.

Nothing shows blackness like exposure to light. If I would see the blackness of my own character, I must put it side by side with spotless purity; and when the Lord is pleased to give us some special vision of himself, some sweet intercourse with his own blessed person, then it is that the soul learns, as it never knew before, with an agony perhaps which it never felt, even when at first convinced of sin, “Behold, I am vile.”

If I must trust my God when I first set out, because of the difficulties in the way, if those difficulties be not diminished, I ought to trust God just as much as I did before. Oh! beloved, yield your hearts to God. Do not become self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency is Satan’s net, wherein he catcheth men, like poor silly fish, and doth destroy them. Be not self-sufficient. Think yourselves nothing, for ye are nothing, and live by God’s help. The way to grow strong in Christ is to become weak in yourself. God poureth no power into man’s heart till man’s power is all poured out. Live, then, daily, a life of dependence on the grace of God. Do not set thyself up as if thou wast an independent gentleman; do not start in thine own concerns as if thou couldst do all things thyself; but live always trusting in God. Thou has as much need to trust him now as ever thou hadst; for, mark thee, although thou wouldst have been damned without Christ, at first, thou wilt be damned without Christ now, unless he still keeps thee, for thou has as evil a nature now as thou hadst then.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Bridge to Haven

Bridge to Haven. Francine Rivers. 2014. Tyndale House. 468 pages. [Source: Library]

Filling his lungs with cool October air, Pastor Ezekiel Freeman started his morning vigil. He had laid out the route on a map when he first came to town. Each building brought people to mind, and he upheld them before the Lord, giving thanks for trials they had come through, praying over trials they now faced, and asking God what part he might play in helping them.

In 1936, Pastor Zeke finds an abandoned newborn baby under the bridge. He and his wife take the baby into their home for five lovely years. But when his wife dies, Pastor Zeke finds it too difficult to continue to care for Abra. For better or worse, he feels Abra deserves a better home, a home with a mom and a dad. There was another couple from the very beginning who wanted to adopt Abra. They have a daughter, Penny, and they'd always wanted her to have a sister. So he makes a difficult decision. To give away Abra. It's a decision that Abra does not understand at all. It's a decision that Joshua doesn't understand. Joshua has just spent five years of his life having a little sister, and, now she's gone and given away to another family!

Bridge to Haven is Abra's story start to finish. It's a very human story with touches of unconditional love and merciful grace. But it also serves as a testimony of the world's fallenness. Abra is emotionally troubled. She knows her mom left her on the side of the road essentially. She knows that her dad, Pastor Zeke, gave her away. From her point of view, she has no reason to trust her new mom and dad. She knows that more than likely it's just a matter of time before they want to be rid of her too. Her relationship with her sister, Penny, is a trial. The rivalry between these two is fierce. Abra does not know what it feels like to be loved and accepted. This is in part a perception issue. Abra doubts what people tell her. She can hear the words I love you, I want you, but she doesn't FEEL them to be true.

Abra learns lessons the hard way. And sometimes that is what it takes. Abra finds herself far from home, lost and confused, and full of regrets. Feeling a little shame for what led her to Hollywood leads her to making bigger mistakes, thinking that it is too late for her, too late to go home, too late to turn her life around.

I loved Bridge to Haven. I loved the community of Haven. I loved meeting all the people. I loved seeing Mitzi and Abra together. Mitzi's friendship provides stability, and, so does her tell-it-like-it-is honesty. Mitzi also teaches her to play the piano. Through spending years with Mitzi, she learns all the hymn in the hymnals. And it is the hymns that will speak to her in her lowest moments decades later. The setting, as I said, was fabulous. I also loved the characters of Pastor Zeke and Joshua. Readers get to know Joshua very well. The book even follows Joshua to the Korean War. I wasn't expecting that! But it was great to spend equal amounts of time with the hero and heroine.

I would definitely recommend this one!!!

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Week in Review: July 27 - August 2

KJV

• Psalm 73-150
• Jeremiah 37-52
• Lamentations
• Mark 1-8
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter
• 1 John 
• 2 John
• 3 John
• Jude
• Revelation

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible