Book Review: The Everyday Gospel by Tim Chester.

 

Who washes the dishes in your house? Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, aunts and uncles, grandparents, you?

This great little book by Tim Chester, is for those believing Christians who want to live out their faith through everything they do because the role of a Christian does not end when the Sunday morning service finishes. How do we link what we do in Sunday Worship to the work we start on Monday morning? Chester describes how we can live out the Holiness on a Sunday through every day of the week – it can be found in washing the dishes! Chester goes through the process of washing dishes as a God-like activity –

1. Ordering chaos: As God created and ordered the world from chaos, we too are called to order and govern the world, like sorting out a pile of dirty dishes – to be fruitful and multiply as the Lord has extended his governance to us but still under his ultimate rule.
2. Serving others: Washing the dishes requires a dying to yourself. You could spend the time doing something you want to do but to imitate Jesus, he calls us to serve others. In serving other you are making a sacrifice of praise to God, pointing to the cross, not as a sacrifice for your own glorification. Chester goes on to say that the kitchen sink is a great place for church leadership to training and learn servanthood – for whoever cleans and serves others at the sink will imitate that in their household and their church.

The book warns us of the dangers of washing the dishes when we can be obsessive or seek total domination and there are times we are called to let others wash the dishes, those who are learning about the Christian faith and even our own children. It is also a place where we can encourage pastoral care and discipleship.

Chester concludes that we can see the revelation of God through natural theology, by the things we see and do – reflecting over the joy of creation as we stand at the kitchen sink, giving thanks to God for the tastes of food as we scrub off the burnt bits of lasagne. The problem we have is we like to keep the sacred and the secular separate when they should be brought together and seen every day. As Chester says “The church is the community of God’s people sharing life-ordinary life, everyday life – at any moment and in any place with gospel intentionality” (p38). The only holy place is heaven for everything on this world is corrupted with sin. We are called by the power of the Holy Spirit to live out the gospel in everything that we do – including washing the dishes and not just on Sundays!

I would recommend this book to anyone who struggles to live out their Christian faith apart from coming to church on a Sunday. Let us offer up our washing up in praise to God!

Book Review: Happiness by J.C. Ryle (updated by Mary Davis)

Are you happy? A woman once asked an Atheist this question while he was trying to convince a crowd that God did not exist but the more the woman asked this question, the more the atheist withdrew because he wasn’t comfortable within.  Are you happy?

JC Ryle was the Bishop of Liverpool during the 19^thCentury and his work continues to inspire many evangelical Christians even today. The focus of his writing is not to satisfy our sight our hearing but to change our hearts. This small book addresses a key issue that is still very much a topic for today as it was during the 19^thcentury, the source of true happiness.

Ryle explores the absolute essentials of happiness, the common mistakes about the way we try and find happiness and then where true happiness is found.

Ryle agrees with the common perception “Happiness is what everyone longs to obtain”(p.13). He sees Happiness as the end goal but he exposes preconceived ideas of happiness to be unreal – it is not freedom from sorrow, it’s not found in laughter or smiles, or found in worldly amusements and enjoyments. Ryle argued that nothing in this world can give to us true happiness because everything around us is full of uncertainty. He said “To be truly happy, the needs of your soul and conscience must be satisfied.”(p.17)

Ryle then continues to highlight the common mistakes about where we find true happiness. You can’t find it in rank or status for even kings and queens are never truly happy. It is not in wealth because money holds trouble and is a burden. You could never have a ‘light heart.’ It is not found in intelligence because there is no gladness when we look to sickness, death and finally our grave. Leisure and Idleness cause more misery, pleasure-seeking can never satify someone like expecting a child to play with its toy all day long. Ryle refers to these “short-cuts” of happiness and says if we look to happiness on these roads, you will never find happiness. He then draws out examples relating to each mistake.

Ryle concludes with the path of true happiness, “The way to be happy is to be real, thoroughly-going, true hearted Christian…the true Christian is the only truly happy person.” (p.34). He carefully defines what he means by a true hearted Christian as one whose heart and life have been taught by the Word, through the work of the Holy Spirit, “…one whose faith is not merely Sunday coat but a compelling principle governing every day of their life.”(p.34). He admits that there are many people who do religious acts but have no true faith! True Happiness is a Christian whose heart deep down have solid peace and overwhelming joy. Ryle does admit that a true Christian has weaknesses like anyone else but the difference is, by their faith, no matter what happens in this life, your eternity in Jesus is secured. Ryle says “Mere formal, ceremonial Christianity cannot make people happy. We need something more than going to church to give us peace. There must be a real union with Christ. It is not a formal Christian who is happy, but the true Christian who is happy.”(p.41) Ryle calls the reader to find in Jesus the source of true happiness. He then gives tips to develop our happiness even further by learning to be more thankful, to grow more in grace and to do more good for God’s glory.

If you are struggling to find true happiness, read this book and discover the source of true happiness that Ryle wants you to find, only in Jesus.