Reimer
notes, “We have fewer people attending church now (percentage-wise)
than ever before in the history of the United States. We need
revival.” (7) It is his desire that the church live in continuous
revival, believers set ablaze by the Spirit, so that the world will
be drawn to Jesus.
He
knows there is a price to pay for revival and that is what this book
is about. He writes of the eight kingdom pathways, the eight
practices we need to internalize to live in continuous revival:
personalizing our identity in Christ, pursuing God, purifying
ourselves, praising, praying kingdom prayers, claiming promises,
passing the tests, persisting.
His
chapter on pursuing God makes the book worthwhile in itself. His ten
minute retreats are a great idea. His chapter on the promises of God
is very good too (as are, really, all of them). He explains
experiencing delay and how to avoid the mistakes people frequently
make when claiming promises. His section on passing the tests
(trials) is full of insights.
Reimer
shares many of his own encounters with God, such as dreams and
sensing God speaking to him. These experiences are not common,
happening maybe a dozen times in the twenty five years he has been
chasing God.
This
book is full of practical ideas and challenges. New Christians will
find a rewarding explanation of living a life of spiritual renewal
and power. Seasoned Christians will be challenged. Reimer writes of
the cycle of renewal, explaining the need for repeated renewal. So
wherever you are in your Christian life, this is a good book to
challenge you to a renewed pursuit of God.
Reimer
has added reflection questions at the end of the book so this would
work well for group as well as individual use.
Dr.
Rob Reimer
is the founder and lead pastor of South Shore Community Church in
Bridgewater, Massachusetts. It has grown to be the second largest CMA
church in New England. Rob is also a Field Pastor for the Christian &
Missionary Alliance Field in Senegal. In his role as Global
Leadership Associate, Rob travels internationally to train and equip
Christian leaders for the work of ministry. He is an Adjunct
Professor at Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, NY. He has a
bachelor's degree in English from King's College, a Master's of
Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate in
Preaching from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He and his family
live in the Bridgewater, MA area.
Carpenter's
Son Publishing, 205 pages.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book through the Book Group
Network for the purpose of this review.
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