July 25, 2018 - Adam Collier

An Insurgence to End All Insurgencies

Frank Viola’s books and ministry have opened up a new glimpse of Jesus Christ to me in the past 3 years. His new book Insurgence continues that process so I wanted to share it with my readers.

This book (and post) is about the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. The revolutionary news that Jesus is this world’s true king. This good news has powerful implications. Implications which can infuriate many, it uproots and overturns societies like nothing else. It truly is an insurgence to end all insurgencies.

The gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ is so beyond, so radical, so much larger than what is being preached in most ministries today. It is almost an entirely different message.

If you don’t normally read books this book is not like others. Frank broke the book into a blog post style which makes it very easy to read, set down to process, and think about, then pick up again when you are ready.

Some interview questions that Frank answered for me about this book.

1) Why did you write the book Insurgence?

I write the book I myself want to read but cannot find. INSURGENCE is a book that does the following:

* presents the gospel of the kingdom comprehensively from Genesis to Revelation. (Not just “the kingdom” but “the gospel of the kingdom”).

* declare the message without any agenda for the progressive left or the conservative right (the gospel of the kingdom cannot fit into either).

* present the material in a highly accessible and easy-to-read manner so that a high school can understand as well as scholars and theologians (due to the depth).

* give practical exercise to navigate readers to implement the message into their own lives and churches.

* give an update on the present Insurgence that’s sweeping the world.

Because I couldn’t find one book that did all of those things, I wrote INSURGENCE: Reclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom (landing page at http://Insurgence.org with samples and reviews by scholars, theologians, pastors, etc.).

2) What is the primary difference between the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the gospel of salvation?

I address this in the book itself, but they are the same gospel. The gospel of the kingdom stresses the kingship of Jesus and its massive implications while the gospel of salvation emphasis the Lord’s deliverance from the world system, the flesh, the grip of the devil, and God’s judgment. They are two sides of the same incredible gospel message.

3) What is the key take away that you hope readers get from the Insurgence book after reading it?

There are many. Here are two examples from two seasoned leaders:

“I have written about fifty books, read hundreds—maybe thousands IN MY 83 years. “INSURGENCE” IS THE ONE BOOK YOU MUST READ! It is everything I believe, said much better than I am graced to say it. You ask me what I believe. I will respond: “What he said!” To all of my beloved friends and fellows who are diligently laboring for reformation, restoration and revival: “Your efforts will be unfruitful apart from the kingdom foundation clearly laid out in Frank Viola’s new book.” During the entire time of reading this book my spirit has been vibrating like a tuning fork that has just been struck!”

And another:

I am finding this book to be singularly unique among the thousands I own. I am ¾ the way done and the timing of this book for me personally has the Lord’s fingerprints all over it. In many ways, it has encouraged. But it has also devastated me. Quite honestly, I’m undone in many ways.

Like Sam, the Lord has used the book to highlight and clarify issues of worldliness in my own life. Some of those issues were obvious to me and I have desired liberation. Some were more subterranean and the Light has invaded. For three weeks now, I have been seriously mulling the idea that I should get baptized again because of the light dispensed by this book. And I plan on it. I want to. I was not aware as a new believer of the totality of what being in Christ meant. One cannot say that after reading Insurgence.

I am encouraged that such “a word” was permitted to issue to the Body of Christ because it can only mean that the Lord is ready to do something. Something I have been longing for both personally and for the Body. I don’t feel that it will be a sweeping worldwide phenomena global (the best and truest moves of God never are) but I do think it can affect pockets of believers globally. That will be enough to please His heart.

This book threads a very precarious needle where others have tried and missed the mark. It is almost impossible to write a book like this without some measure of legalism creeping in. Yet, the tightrope wire is successfully crossed in Insurgence. This is a book that will smoke out the libertine and legalist hiding in plain sight in each of our hearts.

My prayer for myself is: “Lord please don’t let this word go wasted in my life. Have mercy, I am desperate! It is an appointed hour in my life. Please don’t let this be another good book that moved me merely while I was reading it and for a week two beyond that. DO SOMETHING in my heart! Something permanent. Something irrevocable. Something eternal. Something that brings pleasure to your heart. Something that meets your need in this hour. Something that moves the boundary markers of your Kingdom forward! Something that is fully in synch with your Eternal Purpose!”

I pray it may be so for all of us.

I am receiving emails like this daily from readers. Profoundly honoring and hugely humbling.

People can learn more at http://Insurgence.org

NEW! – Insurgence: Reclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom – Join the Insurgence

July 8, 2018 - Adam Collier

“Follow Me” & Leave It Behind

“Follow Me” can be Difficult

Called my 2 year old to follow me this morning, he was headed for the cow manure part of our yard… with bare feet. Whatever it was he was headed for he had to forget it and head toward me. He struggled a bit turning to me then back to where he was headed. Then back to me, finally he came back.

It occurred to me that when Jesus asks us to follow him, he is at the same moment also asking us to leave certain things behind.

Leave behind what we are doing, perhaps leave behind our ambitions, our hobbies, our careers, our easy and comfortable way of thinking, that he does not agree with.

Depending on our past this can be difficult, leaving the comfortable and pleasant for…wherever he leads us.

We get him in exchange for our lives.

Only a repentant person can do this, it is not easy. An easy pleasant life can make following him more difficult. In this way a pleasant, wealth filled, easy lifestyle is a major curse. It hinders us from following the one true king, it delays us, it causes us to second guess our life path.

Sometimes I wonder that if when life feels difficult, it’s his mercy and may cause us to follow him more easily in the future. Because we just won’t follow him otherwise.

Anything in life that is easy, comfortable and entertaining look at with suspect. What is it’s source? if it’s not Jesus himself, rethink it.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Matt 16:24

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July 3, 2018 - Adam Collier

The Only Means To The Only End

So The End Justifies The Means?

Jesus once claimed that he was THE Way, in the letter to the Colossian church Paul called Jesus the End. The end always justifies the means, when Jesus is both the end and the means.

Most Christians would agree but might confine this to him being the way to salvation. But I think him being the way means much more.

It is a common saying that “the end justifies the means.” This means that what you are trying to do justifies the way that you do it. In other words if you have to kill, or steal, or lie to accomplish what you are doing then so be it.

But Jesus himself is the ultimate end to all things, he is what we are all headed for. Whether we realize it or not He is also the real motive for all that we do.

Jesus once said “if you have seen me you have seen the father.” Back to the Father the universe goes. We departed him and have been trying to get back to him ever since.

Noble Ends That Fall Short

Applying this to Christian; the end that we are headed for is not “revival”. It is not ministry success or ministry fame, it is not “souls saved”. Which is often seen as the highest and most noble end and motive for whatever we do. In comparison to Jesus himself all these are but ulterior motives having varying amounts of self-interest.

Man apart from God tells himself “I’m going to be powerful and influential and successful, I won’t be accused of this or that, I will be a winner, not a loser.” But we are already a loser if we’ve left Jesus as our means himself and Jesus himself as the End game for those means. In other works, the end that Jesus has for us is not to be causing salvations. By the means of us fulfilling our specific and custom destiny.

Jesus Christ is our end, our ultimate motive. But he is also the means to that end (The Way).

Jesus really is the only way (means) to the only acceptable end.

To the extent that we have other motives (other ends) and use other means (other ways) to achieve those ends are the extents that we error and are off track.

Eternal Testimonies Ministries

For Those in Pursuit of Jesus Christ

An Insurgence to End All Insurgencies