Reading to help stir you out of a mediocre faith …

Jesus doesn’t want to be a part of your life, He insists on being your life!

Jesus reigns supreme over all, yet for many who profess to be followers of Christ, their followership is mediocre at best. We forget that Christ must be pre-eminent:

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it,” Colossians 1:15-23.

Living a mediocre or “lukewarm” Christian life is distasteful to Jesus (e.g., Rev. 3:15-16), and if lukewarm has been an accurate description of your Christian walk, maybe it’s becoming distasteful to you, too. Maybe you’re ready to stir yourself out of a mediocre faith to a thriving life of discipleship. To help you challenge yourself to a more robust followership, here are some books that can stir you to re-examine the condition of your walk with God:

“Radical.”
This book by David Platt exploded onto the scene in 2011, and I mean “exploded” because Platt’s assertive call to replace the American dream with a radical discipleship caused quite a stir … I think a good and needed one! Check out my original review of the book here.

“Risky Gospel.”
Two years after “Radical” was published, a book by Owen Strachan titled, “Risky Gospel” was released. After reading it, I referred to it as one of 2013’s best books. I also noted, “… make no mistake about it, ‘Risky Gospel’ is a full-throttle challenge to readers in the likes of the best-seller ‘Radical,’ only better.” Check out my original review of the book here.

“The Great Appointment”
An important book to help you understand your role in God’s great mission. You can find it on the SFC website here.

“Jesus Called, He Wants His Church Back.”
Yes, that’s a really cheesy title, but a really good book. Check out my original review of it here.

“Futureville.”
You might think a book with the title “Futureville” would be about the future. It isn’t. But what we think about the future profoundly impacts how we live today. Author Skye Jethani starts there, then takes you much deeper. Check out my original review of this book here.

“Supernatural Power for Everyday People.”
If you’re going to follow Jesus with a radical discipleship, you’re going to need some supernatural power. Explore how God makes that possible for you in this book by Jared Wilson. You can find my original review of the book here.

Here’s to praying that God revitalizes your relationship with him into a radical, robust discipleship!

Scotty