Sunday, March 1, 2015

Jesus Swagger by Jarrid Wilson



This fast-paced book is a mixture of how-to, why-to and motivational writing. The title is meant to attract attention. The book is a wake-up call to end what the author calls "poser Christianity" in our local churches, which is not Christianity at all. It is time to end just claiming to believe in Jesus and to actually and completely follow him. This author uses many subheadings throughout his book, making it very easy to read and follow in a literary sense. His introduction and the first chapter provide a blistering description of the problem and includes questions meant for our self-evaluation in our role in it. The rest of the book provides principles to prod us to end our complicity in our part of the problem and shows us how to be part of the solution. Some footnotes are provided at the end of this book.

This book proved incredibly easy to read. I read it it only a few sittings. But it is not emotionally easy to read! Painfully conscious of the areas in my life which are not what I know God wants them to be, I found myself convicted of them in this book. I was thinking especially of the area of social anxiety, where the author includes a segment where he admonishes the reader to make it a lifestyle of practicing love for others by socially engaging with the casual people we encounter daily, including strangers. That was an "ouchie" for me. I'm a person who has never gone out of my way to talk with strangers, even though my rational mind tells me that being outgoing and loving people in this way is a God-honoring thing and would even improve my social life. Also, the author includes a chapter on fear, and I was convicted when he declares that cultivating fear of God (in the sense of reverential awe for Him) will drive out all other fears and he backs this up by including quotes from sources, including the Scriptures. It just left me thinking: If I fear God, then why do I fear these other things? He seems to address all the areas in which I struggle most and so this book hit where it hurt. I would have been totally discouraged and turned off by this book if this author did not include enough Gospel and grace messages about the power of grace to forgive us and then empower us to live as we should. This author avoids any topics that divide the Christian community, keeping the focus solidly on our crying need to live without "poser Christianity" and to be light to the culture. I got the sense that this whole book is just a vastly amplified version of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount for modern-day followers of Jesus.

Who do I recommend this book for? It is obviously directed to all people in the realm of the organized Christian Church in the West, especially in America. This author is clearly on a mission to shatter the lukewarmness, apathy and complacency of many in Christendom who attend worship services but who do not embrace Jesus as the center of their lives. He calls out people who use Jesus as a means to an end, whether fire insurance from Hell or personal happiness, but who do not bow to His Lordship in their lives. I recommend this book to all Pastors, especially to the many who water down the Gospel and make services "seeker-friendly" and give ear-tickling messages for the entertainment of the hearers. I recommend this book for every person who attends worship services and who fill positions of church leadership. If you are one of the many in Christendom, the institutionalized Church, you will be profoundly challenged to answer the call to "take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Jesus." You will take yourself out of the ranks of those many who will hear Jesus' terrifying words on Judgment Day, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"

I received this book free of charge from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to give a positive review of this b

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