Jesus Wants to Save Christians audiobook

I just have finished the book and, I confess, I'm in way over my pay grade. The introduction just begins the discussion with a little story of how our misguided efforts to protect ourselves only manages to further dehumanize us and enslave us (leaving little for our known enemies to do that would be more injurious than what we are doing to our society ourselves). It really seems to be a digression from the main point of the book unless you can see it in the light of a world system doing all it can to protect itself from those it has enslaved by its greed. It can hardly be denied that those who have more than others, especially if their wealth is achieved by the underpaid (or unpaid) labor of others make natural targets for the wrath of their victims that has often led to revolutions like that of the Israelites who cried to God because of their cruel treatment and were rescued by his intervention. (99% of OUR people are basically slaves, only receiving enough to keep them HOPING that they will be able to vault into the truly privileged 1% that owns 80% of the productive assets of the world. People are beginning to cry out as the Israelies did in Egypt and God always hears the cry of the oppressed. You can and do mock them because even in their lowly estate they imitate their oppressors by what they own and do (within their credit limits).)Egypt built “treasure” cities to hold all their wealth and they built them with the labor of slaves. Ah but God delivers them and calls them to himself at Sinai for a wedding between himself and all of his people. They have been slaves so long they let their fear gain control - when they wonder if Moses has died - 1) worshiping an idol (breaking a commandment they haven’t even heard yet and 2) asking Moses to be their go-between so God won’t kill them. After the image and those who made it are destroyed. Moses brings back the 2nd set of 10 commandments.God wants them to act as beings made in HIS image but first he has to get them out of some bad habits of thinking about him and themselves (from their slave past) so he begins by saying 1) Hey! Look, there aren’t any other gods, masters or lords, so don’t venerate and obey any other creature AS god. 2) Don’t even TRY to depict what I look like because your depiction (a creation of yours) will receive the honor and praise that you should only give to ME. Want to know what I look like? Look at yourself. I made YOU in MY image. YOU are not a slave. YOU are a prince and a priest. 3) The world will judge ME by how YOU act and I will not hold anyone guiltless who dishonors me by their words or acts. 4) Slaves work every day, but you are FREE men and in recognition of this fact you must rest one day every week (just as I did when I made the world and you). You will call this day the “Sabbath” and will treat it as a holy day.Then God can begin to address how they are supposed to act in society to bring honor to his name (as a natural consequence of being faithful priests), first to those close to them then to others. Honor your father and mother, respect and obey them, so they are never forced by your rebellious behavior to bring you to the elders to be stoned to death. Don’t murder. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Don’t desire to have/take what belongs to someone else. Don’t commit adultery.With the basics taken care of God begins to reveal his plan of redeeming all of mankind by changing the way people treat the lawbreaker, the foreigner, the widow, the orphan, the servant and the poor. Former slaves are being taught how to act so they will not become (to others) like the Egyptians were to them: haughty, heartless, unforgiving, overbearing, and cruel. Does God expect the lawbreaker to be treated with respect? Yes. Deuteronomy 25:3 “but the judge must not impose more than forty lashes. If the guilty party is flogged more than that, your fellow Israelite will be degraded in your eyes.”God fulfilled his promise, settling Israel in its land but Israel did not do what it promised Moses (and God) at Sinai. Israel took up the ways of Egypt and empire and God being true to his word, heard the cry of their downtrodden, and sent them BACK into captivity, shame and slavery first under Babylon, then Assyria and finally Rome at the time of Christ. Christ came as a servant, not as a king. He rode into Jerusalem on a gentle donkey not a war horse. His apostles didn’t ‘get-it’ until they will filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost that he was not restoring the empire of David or Solomon but though them was restoring the perfect righteousness of HIS rule in the lives of men. Once again we drifted away into a cloistered, venerated, wealthy, corrupt priesthood and blind, needy enslaved people. Some are still crying and waiting for our exodus while the Pharaohs in our society grow more powerful and wealthy. Some don’t know they are part of Pharaoh’s supporters and plan for expensive remodeling of church buildings when almost 1 in 5 of their neighbors is desperately poor. This is not good stewardship in God’s kingdom.

If you are not inspired to live like Jesus over and above living like an American after reading this book, you either completely missed the point or have some serious issues with syncretism to work out.That said, Rob Bell paints a beautiful, poetic manifesto (for all the reviewers complaining about how 'short' the book was, perhaps a healthy understanding of expectations coming in would have been worthwhile) that far surpasses even his brilliant 'Velvet Elvis'. Bell says so much in so few words, cutting through the heady theology and allowing Jesus to pierce the heart of His followers to wake up and 'get it'.Bell's book is framed around the idea that Jesus is not only saving the world,but saving US.You and me.In America.From the kingdom of comfort.From the pursuit of power.From the priority of preservation.From the empire of indifference.From an exile of irrelevance.If the Church is to regain her authority in the world instead of settling for the preponderance of power in political realms, then it will be necessary to follow the urgings of Jesus and the trajectory of all human experience (encapsulated and emulated in YHWH's deliverance of His people from bondage in the exodus)from enslavement to liberation, from power to authority, and from despairing comfort to sacrificial hope.Jesus Wants to Save Christians is the perfect manifesto for that journey.

Once again, Rob Bell is crossing the line of the conservative, American Christian mindset. And once again, I can only imagine the militaristic agenda he denounces will undoubtedly be aimed at him from within the Church. That's why I love this book (and it's Biblical, providing a good slap in the face to dissenters).

Wow! This is a book that every American Christian needs to read!I've read some reviews that "complain" that this is really just a written sermon, and, while I agree, I have to ask why that's a problem. Sometimes we need to be told, shown, reminded, "preached to" about what's important. That's what this book does. If the majority of Christians acted on the sermon in this book, Western Christianity might (would?) regain the credibility it has almost completely lost over the course of the past 40 or 50 years when it decided to forsake its mission and instead pursue political power at all costs. The subtitle of this book is important, but may be lost on the majority of Christians who don't realize that the church IS in exile.My only concern with this book is that many Christians will perhaps mistake it as a "WE can save the world" manifesto; it might be perceived as incorrectly arguing that all we need to do is work hard for social justice and the world will be bright, shiny, and new again. Of course, we can (and MUST) make the world better for the oppressed, but the only final and perfect solution is Christ's return. I'm not saying that this book is arguing AGAINST this point, but rather that it doesn't really make it. And the book is correct in implying that too often Christians don't act as Christians are commanded to do because of our "laissez faire" attitude that all we have to do is wait for Jesus to come and fix everything.

I had never read this book before, but a lot of what Bell is getting at here feels like it could've been written for 2019 instead of 2008 when it was published. Very insightful.

"Jesus Wants to Save Christians" takes you on a journey through the Christian Bible, analyzing some of the greatest struggles of the Hebrew people and the reasons for their downfalls.The reader is reminded that usually when nations have crumbled, it was because they put their own desires before the needs of the people. It was when they sought power and status and neglected the poor, the widowed and the vulnerable.The authors do a great job of linking these struggles to current-day America, the modern Babylon of the world.This book is a prophetic work, reminding us of what happens if we choose to live against God's plan for the world. Rather, if Christians truly want to be known as God's people and vessels in this world, we should intentionally seek to live out a Eucharist way of life in the world.I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a well-constructed overview of the Christian Bible in a bite-sized chunk and understand the implications of this for our world and lives today.

I read this book when it first came out, and I thought it was cool but it sorta just got lost in my sea of books. Now that I'm older, 13 years older to be exact, I get it. I see how important this book was then and is now. Seeds were planted the first go, and I recognized the roots of this perspective and how deeply they have grown over the years , shaping my beliefs and practice to be what they are now. Full disclosure: I'd likely not be an adherent of my former faith at all if not for this book specifically, and Rob Bell's work in general.

Jesus Wants to Save Christians is a well-chosen, provoking title which accurately hints at its central focus, which is that in many ways the church—and particularly the church in America—has lost sight of what it means to live life in the way Jesus charged us. Beyond this, however, Bell and Golden appear to have written a testimony intended for an audience beyond Christians: even simple contextual points that are familiar to most Christians are observed and their relevance explained.This easy-to-read, thesis-driven book spends its first chapters looking at the repeating cycle of exile and redemption throughout the Bible. The repeating elements the authors draw our attention to are quite important to their purpose, which is (in part) to look at the whole narrative arc of the Bible as one unified and self-referential story. And they do a good job: an awareness of the intent of the writers of both the Old and New Testaments consistently shows; the text is neither difficult nor time-consuming; and the book is worth the time it takes to be awakened to or reminded of the connections Bell and Golden emphasize and the significance of these connections regarding the divine plan for humanity.The second thrust of the book focuses on the angle that the cycles of exile and redemption occur within the context of the power of “empire” over groups of oppressed peoples. Currently, America fits quite obviously into the category of empire and, consequently, participates broadly in the oppression of many peoples and groups.The church, however, has a message of redemption for these oppressed peoples and groups. This message cannot be delivered from the position of empire; the only way to deliver this message is to become “weak,” to stand beside those who are oppressed, to live as Jesus lived, “broken and poured.” We, the church, are Eucharist.

Where was God when I lost my job? Where was God when my father died? Where was God when my son got sick? One of the most cliched answer to this question is "where He was when His Son was crucified."That answer is true, those who give it mean well, but it is often inappropriate and may come off as very insensitive. In "Jesus Wants to Save Christians", Rob Bell calls Christians to live out the mission they have been saved for. He argues that the best and most effective way to live out the Christian mission is in the context of a church. We shine brightest in community.God has ordained that His ministry to the world is primarily through His church, the church that He created and commissioned and empowered after the resurrection of Christ.Where is God when it hurts? God is in His church, using the human hands of its members to bind up the hurting wounds. He has saved us and equipped us to reach out for the lost and the least and the oppressed. Where is God when hunger strikes? God is in the hearts of the Christian "haves" that lend their food to the starving. God is in us, and working through us, His church, to challenge and change the world for His glory.Although Bell addresses the role of the church in the world tangentially, his message hits home with impeccable precision. Jesus wants to save Christians... from complacency and apathy and aloofness to the great commission. We have not just been saved for evacuation to heaven at such future day, we have been saved for the redemption of the whole creation beginning now. The whole cosmos groans for the "church" to be revealed, for the Christians to BE what they claim to be.This is a good read. All reservations about the current Rob Bell considered.

This book presents a great challenge to the Christian church, particularly the Christians that live in America. The book has a great Biblical theme in discussing the history of God's people through the Exodus/Mt. Sinai, Jerusalem, and Babylon. The theme is a cycle of God's people who suffer oppression, are then delivered by a merciful God, then become arrogant and turn away from God, and then suffer oppression again as God brings judgment. The challenge today is which land are we living in? Sinai? Jerusalem under Solomon? or Babylonian captivity? Although the book does not provide a lot of answers it certainly points reader to the Lord and his Word. The book challenges the Christian to consider what he/she does with his money. Do we really need expensive cars and big houses, while so many people live off $2 a day? Do we really need multi-million dollar expansions to our church facilities, while so many people in our cities are living off the street? Should we really rely on government for our security and build more bases and grow the military or should we solely rely on God? Overall this is a quick read that invokes powerful questions and leaves the reader to pursue their own opinion.

I've read most of Rob Bell's books and this is my favourite. Using the work of Tom Holland as a foundation, Rob and Don lead readers through the cycle of Egypt, Sinai, Jerusalem and Babylon, drawing so many connections throughout the Scriptures I was astounded. How have I never been shown these before? There is clearly a metanarrative at work here and I find Holland's frame of the New Exodus as a strong motif (among others) for understanding it.The dominant question throughout is, 'will those with power use their blessing and influence on behalf of others, or will they fortify their own position?' The church, as Christ's body, must continually remember and be reminded that we are called to pour out ourselves on behalf of the oppressed because it is the character and action of our Lord and Saviour. The church is many things, but it must primarily be about embodying Christ to and for the world in which it lives. This work is a simple and understandable introduction to this call for us today.

This is essential reading for Christians, and that's pretty much all I can say.Okay, I can say more. But only a little. This book is full of viewpoints that will be offensive to many (most?) humans who belong to a "mainstream" or traditional church. And these viewpoints *should* be offensive, because they are offensive in the way that Jesus of Nazareth was offensive to the people of his time who thought they had life, the universe, and everything completely figured out.More like this, please. Always.

A fantastic look as the narrative of the Scriptures as it refers to social justice, the maringalized, and the oppressed. What narrative have we bought into? Are we really a church in exile? Do we represent the people of God or the empires of injustice?

Too much to say about this one...You just have to read it for yourselves!

His best book yet. The whole thing blew my mind, page by page. Brilliant, Inspired, Mind-Blowing. Rob Bell asks the question others are afraid to. He really gets it.

Rob Bell Book Tour #3Jesus Wants to Save Christians is Rob Bell's third book (he co-authored it with Don Golden, the Vice President of World Relief) and is a bird's eye view of the Biblical narrative. Using the "New Exodus" framework, Bell shows how the Christian God is a God constantly "hears the cries of oppressed" and seeks to rescue his people from bondage.Honestly, this is a pretty great book. If you've ever been confused and bored when reading the Old Testament, Jesus Wants to Save Christians will give you a framework to see old stories with fresh eyes. He traces Israel's history from Egypt (slavery) to Sinai (marriage/covenant) to Jerusalem (empire) to Babylon (exile/slavery again). The book cranks into overdrive when it starts examining the United States in light of the Old Testament's warnings against Empire - and it's pretty convicting stuff. This is a great primer for those who fall into the trap of Christian Nationalism. At the end, Bell shows how the Church is designed to to Christ's ambassador to a broken world, stepping up for the oppressed and marginalized in society.If you frequently read books that revolve in Bell's orbit (or N.T. Wright's, for that matter), nothing here will be new. But, given the book's brevity (it clocks in at 180 pages) this would be a perfect book to loan out to a friend who is grappling with how to reconcile God's Word with politics and social justice, or is just struggling through the Old Testament. Next on the Rob Bell Book Tour is his infamous 2011 bestseller Love Wins, or The Book Spawned a Thousand Angry Blog Posts & Tweets and Led to Bell's divorce from the evangelical community. Buckle up.

A Call To Arms!I read the audiobook of this title. I have listened to this 3 times already back to back, before writing this review. It’s THAT GOOD!First of all, I really like the way that the authors both read it. Their transitions were seamless (apart from when they were conversationally discussing or clarifying something & that made it more engaging)! However, it is the content that is powerful. Not preachy, conversational. They made many eye opening and thought provoking comments and observations. For those of us in the West, it is sadly humbling. No accusations, lots of encouragement to view things through the eyes of Jesus. It’s amazing how often we find ourselves lacking. (Or maybe that’s just me)!I shall revisit this book a few more times, slowly and prayerfully, with the request that, now that I know better, The Lord will guide me to do better!I really enjoyed this book. I thank God for it. My only regret with it is, that I couldn’t have a conversation with them immediately afterwards!

As always, Bell's unique way of conveying deep theological messages in such simple and direct ways makes any Rob Bell book a must read for those wanting to get a broader picture of the cultural and historical context of the Bible. The message that stood out to me was this continuing cycle of slavery, exile and redemption; historically and today. Not only that, but our urgent need to remember our enslavement and the enslavement of others, whatever that may look like. The minute we lose sight of that, we lose sight of our call, and our God. Our story is about a cry and someone else listening, and may we find ourselves on both ends at some point. "Jesus wants to save us from shrinking the gospel down to a transaction about the removal of sin and not about every single particle of creation being reconciled to its maker."