I first read Kyle Idleman's writing when he released Not a Fan. And I am a fan of Not a Fan. If you're not familiar with that book, it's a challenge to consider whether you're really following Jesus or if you prefer just to be His fan. Admiring what He does without getting too caught up in the demands and costs of discipleship. When I read that book, I did a lot of underlining and vehement nodding, and mental list-making of people I suspected could benefit from the truth of that book. (Just kidding on the last part.)
So when I found out about Grace is Greater, I knew I wanted to read it. And I want to say right up front, that I think the reason Kyle wrote this book is commendable. He shares in the beginning that after presenting the Not a Fan material (with much passion and holy-boldness gusto) at a conference, a gentleman came to his book table and handed him a scrap of paper with a Scripture reference written on it. Though normally such anonymous scraps would have been lost in the pocket-trash shuffle, he pulled this one out later and read it, looking up the verse to see what it said. Hebrews 12:15 - "See to it that no one misses the grace of God."
With that, Kyle felt conviction to make sure his Not a Fan message continued, but continued saturated in grace. Greater grace, less pulpit pounding. Yes. The message of Not a Fan is still true and important, but so is the grace of God. Grace that is greater than a whole passel of things we tend to put above it.
I'm pretty sure this is the exact message Satan hopes none of us ever fully grasp. When we realize the depth and fullness of God's grace, the devil loses a lot of ground, and that doesn't work for him. So he puts in a lot of overtime hoping we'll continue to believe that our guilt, brokenness, regrets, wounds, bitterness, vengeance, resentment, disappointments, weaknesses, and despair are all-consuming. Bigger than who we are. Bigger than God. And Kyle spends this entire book, refuting every one of those lies, chapter by chapter.
Maybe you never knew about grace. (It's not given much air-time in some churches.) Then again, maybe you have heard a lot about grace, but you've heard a misrepresentation of it. That happens in some churches, too. I appreciated Kyle's approach throughout the book, because he is honest about the bigness and freedom that comes with grace, but he's also honest about the repentance and consequences our actions require to receive that grace.
Another thing Kyle does well? Presenting truth beautifully with a trace of humor. He's just a flat out funny guy, and several times, I stopped to read stories to Ryan because they were just funny. But he didn't spend so much time trying to be funny that he sacrificed the truth of this important message.
A few of my favorite lines from throughout the book:
"Before we collide with the grace of God, we must collide with the truth of our own sin. I wonder what hard thing Jesus would say to you and me." - p. 39
"You may not be locked up behind bars, but that doesn't mean you're not a prisoner. Most of us are desperate to be free from the guilt and regrets that imprison us." - p. 54
"Stop thinking about what's been done to you and start thinking about what's been done for you." - p. 85
"Whining is the opposite of worship, and complaining is the rival of grace." - p. 138
(There were many more!!)
Since this is the first day of Lent, maybe this is a good time to give up some of those regrets and the bitterness and other such things, and make room to receive the grace that is greater than all of it. The grace for which Christ died to make possible. Perfect timing, don't you think?
* Baker Books provided a copy of this book at no charge. All opinions are my own. *
1 comment:
Sounds like a good book. Thanks for the review!
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