2 stars (SECRET HIDDEN LOST KINGDOM MESSAGE OF JESUS) - Looks a lot like rehash in modernized garb of 19th century liberalism Quest-for-Historical-Jesus and the "real original recipe" Kingdom message. Much of it is known nowadays as (debunked/discredited) "Jesus Seminar" or "New Perspectivism". What did Jesus really say? Can we be sure He was quoted accurately? If so, then what did Jesus really mean by "Kingdom of God/Heaven"? What is Christ's "Cryptic Message" that must be decoded and deciphered for today's emergent audience?
"Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.The time has come. The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news! Blessed are those persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the Kingdom of heaven. Unless your righteousness surpasses the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. When you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: the Kingdom of God is near.' I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for that town. If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. Anyone who speaks a word against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven has been given to you (true disciples), but not to them. The one sowing good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed are the sons of the Kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one and the enemy is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels and they will weed out of His Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. The Kingdom of heaven is like a net let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When full, the fishermen pulled it up on shore, sat down and collected the good fish in baskets throwing the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all these things? If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Better to enter life crippled than have two hands or feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. Better to enter life with an (eyepatch) than to have both eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. When the King came in to see the guests, He noticed a man not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. Then the King told the (bouncers), 'Tie him hand and foot and throw him outside, into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are invited, but few are chosen. When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All nations will be gathered before Him and He will separate the people one from another like sheep from goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come you who are blessed by My Father, take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.' Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from me you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment but the righteous to eternal life. The Kingdom of God does not come visibly nor will people say, 'Here or there it is', because the Kingdom of God is within you. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road leading to life, and only a few find it. I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of Mine who did not want Me to be King over them, bring them here and kill them in front of Me. Unless a man is born from above, born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. My Kingdom is not of this world, but now My Kingdom is from another place. You are right in saying I am a King. In fact for this reason I was born and came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on truth's side listens to Me. Pilate fastened a notice to the cross. It read, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. When King David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried and his body decayed. But the (King) whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. Therefore I want you to know that through (Messiah King)Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified by Moses' law. We must go through many tribulations to enter the Kingdom of God. In the past, God overlooked idolatrous ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a Day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead. I am Jesus Whom you are persecuting. I am sending you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Me. The acts of sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God. No immoral, impure or greedy person - such is an idolater - has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. You will be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which you are suffering. He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give you relief. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the Presence of the Lord and from His powerful majesty on the Day He comes to be glorified in His holy people. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming Fire. To Him Who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a Kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. To Him Who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and power for ever and ever! The four living creatures said Amen! and the elders fell down and worshiped. The Kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign for ever and ever. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be His God and he will be My son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, idolaters and all liars - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur, the second death. Nothing impure will ever enter the New Jerusalem, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. The Throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face and His name will be on their foreheads. And they will reign for ever and ever. I warn everyone hearing the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this prophecy book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and the Holy City described in this book. Yes, I Am coming soon. Amen. Come Lord Jesus."
1 stars (A Garrulous Heterodoxy) - When the book started, there was hope of real dialog and discussion about what it means to be Christian. By the end of the book, everything narrowed to the author's own perspective which became too confining and rigid against any historical, traditional, conservative, reformational position.
As I read chapter by chapter, I truly wondered if the man understands the value of what God accomplished through servants like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox in protesting against doctrinal and moral departures by catholicism away from Bible truth. "Justification by faith in the crucified/risen Jesus is the article by which the church stands or falls." "Scripture is the sole authority by which our consciences are bound." Was the Reformation really a deformation? That's what this book would have us dogmatically believe without careful reflection or critical due diligence. Should we take this fellow's word for it against all the cumulative historical witness of the past 500 years? Is the body of Christian faith we received from our pastors and parents really that messed up that we need this guy to set us straight with his quoted contemporary scholars, philosophers and writers who are beyond question authoritative over our souls? Makes one wonder who the author is beholden to: the Holy Spirit or the spirit of the age?
This eclectic collection of personal opinions is nothing more than accomodation to modern preferential spirituality rampant in our culture. If medicine were practiced the way this gentleman practices his theology, physicians would be sued for malpractice and quackery and their licences revoked.
Yes, the writer has the right to be wrong and try to preach his gospel to others who are taken in by the rhetoric. But I wonder if the Reformers were right after all. Is it The Bible plus nothing that determines metaphysical truth value for all time? Or is it Bible-as-I-prefer-it-to-mean + smattering of non-Christian scriptures + man-made philosophistication borrowed from mostly modernist mapping of contra-biblical spirituality?
3 stars (A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical...) - I like the general thrust of the book, but find that the topic may be too broad for a single edition. For example, I found that the author's information about the Anabaptist/Anglican section limited. In other parts, he was able to list notable authors, but he listed none in this section. In fact there are some notable individuals. One being Richard Foster, a founder of the Renovare movement. There are others too. I'm also concerned that in some ways the author is suggesting that it is time to put aside the differences between the different groups of Christians. However, that means we should negate truth. For example, there were some very legitimate reasons for the reformation. I remain a protestant who is in protest. There are certain aspects of the Catholic church I find disturbing, which is what prompted the reformation movement in the first place. |
