{"id":12367,"date":"2019-08-30T16:23:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-30T21:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=12367"},"modified":"2019-08-30T16:23:00","modified_gmt":"2019-08-30T21:23:00","slug":"book-review-above-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=12367","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Above All"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/AboveAll.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-12368 \" src=\"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/AboveAll-229x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"247\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/AboveAll-229x300.png 229w, https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/AboveAll.png 486w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 247px) 100vw, 247px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Above-All-Gospel-Churchs-Renewal\/dp\/1535934794\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=FPDVD54N54DA&amp;keywords=above+all+jd+greear&amp;qid=1567199971&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=above+all%2Caps%2C139&amp;sr=1-1\"><em>Above All,<\/em><\/a> the newest book from SBC President and Pastor of The Summit Church, <a href=\"https:\/\/jdgreear.com\/\">J.D. Greear<\/a>, is an excellent read on the gospel and the place of priority it must occupy in our lives. I&#8217;m grateful for the way that Greear points to the supremacy of the gospel from a Scriptural perspective and then explains how he personally walks that out in leading his church.\u00a0 This book is not a quick read if you approach it correctly.\u00a0 The goal of this book is to examine your heart in light of the choices you are making in the way you are spending your life.<\/p>\n<p>I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>How will the recovery of something we already know take us to places we\u2019ve never been? p. 2<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>God\u2019s power in the gospel is such that it will make up for many of our shortcomings\u2014our low budgets, our leadership deficiencies, our ministry misalignments, our political mistakes, and our strategic missteps. \u00a0But when the gospel is not above all\u2014when our focus is divided and we give priority elsewhere\u2014expertise in all those things won\u2019t make much difference. p. 5<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Paul\u2019s boast in the gospel is like sitting in a room of millionaires and boasting about your collection of food stamps. p. 26<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Each of North America\u2019s religious awakenings has had one thing in common: a bold declaration that what God demanded from people could not be found within their own hearts. \u00a0This has been the unifying theme of the preaching of Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, John Wesley, D.L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham. p. 34<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Tragically, most churches don\u2019t even have an explicit strategy for addressing this. \u00a0At our church we have adopted the phrase, \u201cWe exist to create a movement of disciple-making disciples in our area and around the world.\u201d \u00a0We have put forward \u201cplumb lines\u201d which we repeat ad nauseam, like \u201cEvery member is a missionary\u201d and \u201cWe measure our success by sending capacity, not seating capacity.\u201d We say that the best ministry ideas are in the congregation, and we end every service with, \u201cYou are sent.\u201d We are trying to ingrain into every member of The Summit Church the truth that the Great Commission belongs to them. \u00a0It takes time, repetition, and intentionality to create a culture, but it\u2019s one we desperately want to create. p. 58<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>If God, in one fell swoop, answered all the prayers that we prayed last week, how many new people would be in the kingdom? p. 59<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>If we really believe what the Bible says about the gospel&#8211;both the good news and the bad news that precedes the good news&#8211;how can our hearts remain unengaged?\u00a0 Charles Spurgeon was once asked by a student whether those who had never heard about Jesus could be saved.<\/div>\n<div>\u201cA troubling question indeed,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cBut even more troubling was whether we who knew the gospel and were doing nothing to bring it to the lost who could be saved.\u201d p. 60<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>We have a society seemingly designed to eliminate space for reflection. p. 64<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">If\u00a0you are a Christian, you are called. p. 75<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">The gospel travels faster around\u00a0the world in the mouths of ordinary people than it does from the journeys of apostles. \u00a0Ordinary people have been, and will\u00a0continue to be, the tip of the gospel spear. p. 83<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Why not live and work in a place where you\u00a0can be part of a strategic work of God? p. 87<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">\u201cWe must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. \u00a0Night is coming when no one can work.\u201d John 9:4 p. 88<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">God can accomplish more through one believer cooperating with the Holy Spirit than with the most dazzling array of talent\u00a0assembled anywhere in the world. p. 90<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">The only way we get where we want to go is by multiplication. \u00a0Not\u00a0by gathering members and hanging on but by empowering them and giving away. p. 96<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">How do you respond when God calls you to something and there\u2019s a\u00a0waiting period in between the calling and seeing\u00a0the calling come to pass? p. 103<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>As we sow spiritual seeds, God acquaints us with the discipline of waiting. p. 104<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Monuments to God\u2019s past works are\u00a0important, but they\u00a0should serve primarily as catalysts for faith in his present willingness. p. 109<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Gospel hope always produces a culture of extravagant and tender grace. p. 118<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Those of us who\u00a0believe the gospel will always oppose ideas that relegate others to any kind of subhuman class. p. 145<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">\u201cTo listen to someone is to love them.\u201d M. Scott Peck p. 149<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Ethnic diversity is not primarily a worthy goal that we pursue. \u00a0It is a\u00a0reality that God has declared over us in Christ. p. 157<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Multicultural harmony was one of the distinguishing marks of gospel\u00a0proclamation in the ancient world, and the\u00a0unifying power of the gospel hasn\u2019t faded. p. 157<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">\u201cThe church\u00a0should reflect the diversity of its community and declare the diversity of the kingdom.\u201d The Summit Church, p. 158<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>The road from awareness to gospel community has to go through intentionality. p. 162<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">We\u2019ve got to be candid with ourselves that a lot of our traditions have nothing to do with the gospel. p. 178<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">\u201cIt is my judgement, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.\u201d Acts 15:19 p. 181<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">\u201cThere is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry,\u00a0\u2018Mine!\u2019\u201d p. 188<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">We should be able to disagree charitably on these things while not questioning the spirituality of those who see things differently. p. 192<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Above All, the newest book from SBC President and Pastor of The Summit Church, J.D. Greear, is an excellent read on the gospel and the place of priority it must occupy in our lives. I&#8217;m grateful for the way that Greear points to the supremacy of the gospel from a Scriptural perspective and then [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,14,16,23,28,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-study","category-book-review","category-family","category-generosity","category-integrity","category-leadership"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12367\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}