“The kingdom of which Christ spoke was not intended to be a far-off and distant kingdom to be experienced only in the afterlife; no, Christ’s proclamation of the kingdom of heaven was a call for a redeemed world order populated by redeemed people—now.“
-Matthew 5:3-10
I finished reading ‘The Hole In Our Gospel‘ a couple of weeks ago, and MAN I cannot tell you what a profound impact it has had (and continues to have) on me! I keep picking it up and re-reading random parts that I highlighted. I told my friend Shannan as I was reading it that I felt sure my highlighter was going to dry out before I finished the book. It was THAT good. (Funny story: Shannan said she had a similar experience with a great book she read in college, and that after highlighting so much of it, she wondered if she should’ve just highlighted all the text she *didn’t* want to highlight instead- ha!)
It’s a divine invitation to go deeper into Christ’s mission for the world, and it throws open the door to every believer who longs to follow in the footsteps of Christ and make a lasting difference in the lives of men, women and children around the world. I’ve been recommending it to everyone I see, and I reeeeeally hope you’ll read it too!
In Chapter 1, author Richard Stearns writes, “The kingdom of which Christ spoke was not intended to be a far-off and distant kingdom to be experienced only in the afterlife; no, Christ’s proclamation of the kingdom of heaven was a call for a redeemed world order populated by redeemed people—now“.
Here’s to remembering what God expects of us in this life: to proclaim and be the good news, here and now.
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Sounds interesting. I will have to read it. I know you have mentioned before the name of the church you and Kevin attend. Can you tell me the name of it? It appears to have had an enormous impact on your lives and I would like to see if they have podcasts to listen to.
Thanks and peace be with you, shar
That is so true!! Jesus isn’t “out there” He lives in all of those who believe and who put their trust in Him!!! Hallelujah!!!!
Thank you for this post! It is so wonderful to be able talk about the Lord and to actually do so! I am going to get that book, sounds like a good one to have 🙂
Amen. This just what I needed to read today. Thanks for sharing!
Not just proclaim but BE – yes! Thanks for the encouragement.
The Hole In Our Gospel is one of the best books that I have ever read. I am so glad that you felt the same way, too!
Jesus lives within us.
God has 2 promises for us; some will live here on earth, perfect and clean. Others will be beside him, caring for and loving us in his perfect earth.
Thank you, Layla, for sharing your heart. You have blessed my Monday! Looking forward to reading more from one of my favorite bloggers.