Christianity was never intended to be a noun. And when we turn it into a noun, it becomes a turnoff. Christianity was always intended to be a verb.
Finishing my advance copy of Mark Batterson's new book Primal, I find myself encouraged and challenged.I feel the heart of the Christian faith, primarily Jesus, is missing in many of our churches and it is encouraging to realize that I am not the only one that has noticed. But it is challenging to realize that it is not enough to recognize something is missing — and that this generation is responsible to rediscover the love of Christ
In Mark 12:30, Jesus says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
This 'Great Commandment' is the primary focus of Primal and Batterson's approach is simple and holistic. Taking from this verse, he covers four dimensions of what it means to love God: heart, mind, soul, and strength.
I continue to appreciate Batterson's writing voice as I did with his two previous books, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase. Both are excellent. Primal does not disappoint, bringing to light some great insight. As with his previous books, Batterson's illustrations shed great light on spiritual truths.
Unlike some other great authors I enjoy, Batterson has a great way of expressing truths in a way that does not divide. While offering rebuke, and pointing out shortfalls in today's church, I think he does so without alienating. And instead, Batterson offers bold challenges. I guess what I am saying is that Primal is accessible to a larger audience than say, authors Rob Bell or Erwin McManus.
Before posting, I briefly peeked on Facebook to see what people might be saying. Batterson is thanking people for such kind reviews of Primal, but my response is the same as another reviewer — as long as Batterson keeps writing such great books, I'll keep writing good reviews. Check Primal out on Random House's website here.
As usual, let me share a few of Primal's impacting truths:
- You cannot listen to just half of what the Holy Spirit has to say. It's a package deal. If you aren't willing to listen to everything He has to say, you won't hear anything He has to say.
- Minds often remain closed to truth until hearts have been opened by compassion.
- What does it mean to love God with all our heart? It means that our heart breaks for the things that break the heart of God. It means that inaction is not an option...
- What if, instead of sound quality or lyrical creativity, our litmus test for worship was a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God?
- Anytime you put an adjective in front of the gospel, you distort the gospel.
- Like love, faith is sometimes measure in dollars.
- Is it possible that we've settled for a god who fits into the constraints of our logical left brains instead of the God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can imagine with our right brains? Is it possible we've studied the God of logic without truly worshiping the God of wonders?
- Some things cannot be learned. They can only be revealed. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him – but God has revealed it to use by his Spirit."
- The older someone gets, the more it takes to fill the soul with wonder.
- We dissect scripture instead of letting scripture dissect us.
- I think many of us doubt scripture simply because we haven't done it. The way master a text isn't by studying it. The way you master a text is by submitting to it. You have to let it master you.
- The goal of knowing the Bible isn't Bible knowledge. The goal of knowing the Bible is knowing God.
- Most of us are already educated way beyond our level of obedience.
- Just like the Septuagint or King James Version, your life translates Scripture into a language that those around you can read.
- Somewhere along the way, most of us stop living out of imagination and start living out of memory. We stop creating the future and start repeating the past. ...Why? Because we stop learning.
- He doesn't just want you to worship Him with you memory. He wants you to worship Him with your imagination.
- God wants to sanctify every part of your mind for His purposes: sanctified logic, sanctified intuition, sanctified imagination, even a sanctified sense of humor.
- The church ought to be the most curious place on the planet. It ought to be a safe place where people can ask dangerous questions. but all too often we're guilty of answering questions that no one is even asking. We ought to be challenging the status quo, but all too often we're defending it.
- God doesn't just want you to worship Him. He wants you to know why you worship Him.
- To know Him is to love Him. And if you don't love Him, it's because you don't really know Him.
- His answer to our questions isn't knowledge. It's a relationship. And that relationship is the answer to every question.
- To become more like the Creator is to become more creative.
- Lack of faith is not a failure of logic. It's a failure of imagination.
- Taking out the garbage is romantic. Why? Because love isn't measured by word spoken. Love is used by calories burned.
- Christianity was never intended to be a noun. And when we turn it into a noun, it becomes a turnoff. Christianity was always intended to be a verb.
- And the end of the day, God isn't going to say, "Well said, good and faithful servant." There is only one commendation when everything is said and done: "Well done, good and faithful servant."
- I wonder if we're so afraid of doing the wrong thing that we never do the right thing...over-analysis always results in spiritual paralysis.
- If you try to logically figure out the will of God, you'll never take a step of faith. Why? Because the will of God is not logical. It's theological.
- Faith is not faith until acted upon.
- I've learned that when I think Jesus is wrong, it actually reveals what's wrong with me.
- Those who follow in the footsteps of Christ ought to be the most passionate people on the planet.
- Most church problems don't come from an abundance of sin but rather from the lack of vision.
- Without His power, we become nothing more than theological Christians. Our testimony is reduced to our words. Our impact is reduced to our abilities. And not only is that less than exciting, it's wrong.
- Loving God with all your strength really means loving Him with all his strength...In and of ourselves, we're not capable of loving God. We cannot manufacture love for Him. We can only respond to His love for us.
- Religion is all about doing things for God. Christianity is all about receiving what Christ has done for us on the cross. And what we do for God is a reflection of and a response to what God has done for us.
- All of us love miracles. We just don't like being in situations where we need one. But that is a prerequisite. You will never experience the power of God unless you put yourself into a situation that necessitates it.
- "The impact that God has planned for us doesn't occur when we're pursuing impact. It occurs when we're pursuing God." (Phil Vischer)
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