Book Reviews
Over the past three days, I read 2 Christian books written by Pastor J.D. Greear (the pastor of the Summit Church which I attend), "Stop Asking Jesus into your Heart" and "Jesus Continued...". The former is about the assurance of salvation for believers who struggle with doubt and anxiety about their faith, and the latter is about the Holy Spirit and how it works in our lives.
I loved both books, because it exposed me to a side of Christianity that I am all too familiar with. I'll start by reflecting on the first book, "Stop Asking Jesus into your Heart". Growing up in a Christian family, I had no dramatic conversion to the faith - rather, it was a slowly deepening assurance of the truth of the message of salvation. However, I wasn't spared from questioning the validity of my faith and salvation, and I even "made the decision" to accept Jesus into my heart more than once. One particularly embarrassing incident happened during an evangelistic Sunday School lesson where I was told by a (confused) Sunday School teacher that the altar call was for non-believers, not me. I went back to my seat, ashamed and still wondering if I had gotten the faith thing down pat. Because my faith didn't feel like an epiphany. It didn't feel like those wonderful convictions and transformations described by famous missionaries and preachers who did mighty things for God. I could definitely relate to Pastor J.D. who got baptized 4 times due to the lack of assurance regarding his salvation. The book was a candid, down-to-earth, humorous, comprehensive exposition on what saving faith is, and how we can be sure that we are saved. To those who know how Pastor J.D. preaches, he writes just like he preaches - illustrations, jokes, and theologically backed-up with Scripture references. I would recommend this to any believer who has similar struggles, and doesn't know what to make of the Bible verses where Jesus says that not all who call him "Lord" are saved. The one takeaway point that I got was this, and I quote : "Salvation is a posture (emphasis mine) of repentance and faith that you begin in a moment and maintain for the rest of your life."And it's okay if you don't know when exactly that moment was. All that really matters is that you are in that posture right now. I hardly do the book justice in one paragraph, though, so take it with a pinch of salt and get the book yourself!
Here's the Amazon link complete with better reviews and all. Not getting paid to advertise (F-2 visa, it's all your fault).=P
The second book I read was "Jesus Continued.." about the mystery of the Holy Spirit. Again, it's written like he preaches: For just about anyone to understand, not just the theologically trained. A self-declared "Type A" personality, Pastor J.D. honestly writes about how he'd prefer to have everything clear cut on spreadsheets and charts but the mystery of the Holy Spirit is anything but that. I could totally relate. In fact, I'm one of those he describes as 'believe (functionally speaking) in "Father, Son, and Holy Bible.' It's just so much easier to not deal with the subject of the Holy Spirit when I can't really sense or understand it. In this book, he deals with the common misconceptions or ideas that believers may have about the Holy Spirit, and how the Holy Spirit inside believers is indeed greater than Jesus Christ beside us. What really got me about this book is the part where Pastor J.D. talks about how we're convicted to give our lives and be living sacrifices, but that the needs of the world would always be too much for us to handle. There's always someone else in need, and where do you stop? Should you sell your house and give everything away to the poor? Use all your free time to serve the needy instead of taking a vacation? This can be crippling and discouraging (I personally totally relate to that). After all, since you can't help everyone, why even bother to help at all? But praise God, He doesn't need us to solve the problems in the world, and the Holy Spirit will (through the Word, our giftings and circumstances) direct us to our respective missions for God's glory. Again, this is just a personal reflection on what I've learnt, here's the Amazon link for better reviews.
Both books were really easy reads, yet deeply convicting. They took what I knew in my head and pounded it into my heart. It also really helped to know that I'm not alone in these thoughts and struggles and discouragement - there are others like me out there too! Type As of the world, unite! =P I recommend these reads for anyone who can identify with my struggles - if you thought I was being unnecessarily fangirl-ish then sorry for taking up your time BUT PICK UP THE BOOKS ANYWAY. Or at least click on those links. Okay toodles till next time. =)
I loved both books, because it exposed me to a side of Christianity that I am all too familiar with. I'll start by reflecting on the first book, "Stop Asking Jesus into your Heart". Growing up in a Christian family, I had no dramatic conversion to the faith - rather, it was a slowly deepening assurance of the truth of the message of salvation. However, I wasn't spared from questioning the validity of my faith and salvation, and I even "made the decision" to accept Jesus into my heart more than once. One particularly embarrassing incident happened during an evangelistic Sunday School lesson where I was told by a (confused) Sunday School teacher that the altar call was for non-believers, not me. I went back to my seat, ashamed and still wondering if I had gotten the faith thing down pat. Because my faith didn't feel like an epiphany. It didn't feel like those wonderful convictions and transformations described by famous missionaries and preachers who did mighty things for God. I could definitely relate to Pastor J.D. who got baptized 4 times due to the lack of assurance regarding his salvation. The book was a candid, down-to-earth, humorous, comprehensive exposition on what saving faith is, and how we can be sure that we are saved. To those who know how Pastor J.D. preaches, he writes just like he preaches - illustrations, jokes, and theologically backed-up with Scripture references. I would recommend this to any believer who has similar struggles, and doesn't know what to make of the Bible verses where Jesus says that not all who call him "Lord" are saved. The one takeaway point that I got was this, and I quote : "Salvation is a posture (emphasis mine) of repentance and faith that you begin in a moment and maintain for the rest of your life."And it's okay if you don't know when exactly that moment was. All that really matters is that you are in that posture right now. I hardly do the book justice in one paragraph, though, so take it with a pinch of salt and get the book yourself!
Here's the Amazon link complete with better reviews and all. Not getting paid to advertise (F-2 visa, it's all your fault).=P
The second book I read was "Jesus Continued.." about the mystery of the Holy Spirit. Again, it's written like he preaches: For just about anyone to understand, not just the theologically trained. A self-declared "Type A" personality, Pastor J.D. honestly writes about how he'd prefer to have everything clear cut on spreadsheets and charts but the mystery of the Holy Spirit is anything but that. I could totally relate. In fact, I'm one of those he describes as 'believe (functionally speaking) in "Father, Son, and Holy Bible.' It's just so much easier to not deal with the subject of the Holy Spirit when I can't really sense or understand it. In this book, he deals with the common misconceptions or ideas that believers may have about the Holy Spirit, and how the Holy Spirit inside believers is indeed greater than Jesus Christ beside us. What really got me about this book is the part where Pastor J.D. talks about how we're convicted to give our lives and be living sacrifices, but that the needs of the world would always be too much for us to handle. There's always someone else in need, and where do you stop? Should you sell your house and give everything away to the poor? Use all your free time to serve the needy instead of taking a vacation? This can be crippling and discouraging (I personally totally relate to that). After all, since you can't help everyone, why even bother to help at all? But praise God, He doesn't need us to solve the problems in the world, and the Holy Spirit will (through the Word, our giftings and circumstances) direct us to our respective missions for God's glory. Again, this is just a personal reflection on what I've learnt, here's the Amazon link for better reviews.
Both books were really easy reads, yet deeply convicting. They took what I knew in my head and pounded it into my heart. It also really helped to know that I'm not alone in these thoughts and struggles and discouragement - there are others like me out there too! Type As of the world, unite! =P I recommend these reads for anyone who can identify with my struggles - if you thought I was being unnecessarily fangirl-ish then sorry for taking up your time BUT PICK UP THE BOOKS ANYWAY. Or at least click on those links. Okay toodles till next time. =)
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