When I first started to read this book, I thought "Uh-oh. This is not going to be good." It seemed the book was all about business/corporate leadership being thrust into the Christian church. I thought it was going to be really boring, with lots of corporate CEOs and business practices.
Once I got past these first pages, the book suddenly blossomed into a wonderful view of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. I pulled out my highlighter and began marking away. The author takes great lengths to show us that we are to be followers and not seeking our own glory through leadership. The first half of this book is full of great quotes and insights. For this alone, I recommend this book. Here are my favorite parts of the book:
"To follow Jesus means that you are someone in love, someone who is hopelessly, head over heels in love with God. Followers are more than believers. The devil and the demons believe in Jesus. They know he's the Son of the Most High God [with more assurance than we humans do! They know 100% that he exists, while we may have some small percentage of doubt]. But while they believe in Jesus, they don't love him." Pg 45
"Many forms of Christianity are more like Judaism - in being firmly anchored in religious law. Living by a list of rules... The problem is that there are not enough rules for every situation. The Bible is NOT the savior: "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." [said Jesus]. Pg 76
"...the game trails of deer... change throughout the turns of the seasons. They become well worn in certain areas and grow faint in others a the animals change their travel patterns. As fewer and fewer followers (animals) travel along the way (trails), the way becomes harder to find. Encroaching vegetation can make the path faint and difficult to follow. Similarly, Christinaity flourishes or diminishes according to how followers follow. In walking with Jesus, they clear the path for others to follow. They keep the way distinguishable by being and doing the Way. They are both following and followable." Pg 80
"If the primary relationships of our church members lie in their relationship to the church en masse rather than in life-on-life connections with one another, then we have missed the sweet spot. We have attracted a congregation, but we have not developed a "Christbody" community. Pg 85
I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for this review but I did really give my honest opinion
No comments:
Post a Comment