Feeling like your church small group is lacking missional fervour? Maybe it just seems like discussions always remain pretty shallow? Or perhaps there’s just a real lack of fundamental Bible knowledge? In this short, accessible book, Trevin Wax suggests the antidote: showing Jesus Christ in all the Scriptures.

So, who’s this Trevin Wax geezer?

Given what the book’s about it’s no surprise to find out that Trevin Wax is managing editor of The Gospel Project, a organisation based stateside which produces all-age church resources for helping people to understand the storyline of the Bible. He’s also a regular blogger for The Gospel Coalition at Kingdom People.

And who’s the book for? 

Wax is unashamedly writing for those involved in any teaching and leading roles within a local church, whether that’s reading the Bible one-to-one, teaching in childrens’ or youthwork, or leading an adults’ small group. This means GCT is also a book well worth pastors considering, as one to give away/recommend to those leading these ministries in their churches.

What’s the Problem?

Wax begins by highlighting three common problems in church small-groups: the tendency to be inward-focused; the reality of biblical illiteracy; and the tendency to never get round to applying the Bible. Various fads and quick-fixes can get proposed to ‘sort these out’, but Wax reckons many of such ‘solutions’ suffer from two particular misconceptions: a) that depth is to be measured by information (“we need more knowledge”) and that depth is measured by “practical ways to put the Bible into practice”. As he says,

There’s hardly anything new in this book… my goal is to remind you of something you already instinctively know as a teacher of God’s word or a leader of a small group. It’s Jesus who changes lives, and the goal of your Bible study is to continually reintroduce people to Him.

What’s all this Gospel-centred craic?

As such Wax’s work works as both a helpful introduction and a refreshing reminder to the reality that the gospel of Jesus Christ is at the heart of the whole Bible and is to be at the heart of all ‘ministry’:

At the end of the day, it’s not enough to be “Bible-believing” or “Word-centered,” because, after all, the Bible we believe and the Word we proclaim is itself Christ-centered.

His second chapter unpacks this, outlining the gospel’s message (Jesus’ person and work and the need to respond in repentance and faith), the gospel’s context (God’s big-picture story of Scripture) and the gospel’s purpose (the community of the church birthed by the gospel). In part Wax is trying to tackle the notion that ‘the gospel’ is something to just tack onto the end of our talks or Bible-studies for unbelievers. It’s something a couple of my friends addressed in their book God Speaks. We all need the gospel, for the gospel is all we have:

The gospel isn’t the dessert at the end of the meal. It’s the salt that gives distinctive flavour to the meat and potatoes. The gospel is what makes our teaching distinctively Christian. And Jesus is at the heart of the gospel.

A Bible all about Jesus…

Wax goes on to explain being ‘gospel-centred’  requires understanding and teach the Bible’s overall storyline, and so helping people form worldviews shaped by it. I can remember being shown for the first time that the Bible contains one big story of God working out his promises. It simply blew my mind. Vast chunks of the Old Testament that I’d hardly considered before suddenly became relevant and full of wonder. It’s about God and his plan, rather than first and foremost me:

“It’s only in bowing before the real Hero of the story that we are in the right posture to take our place in the unfolding drama”.

I think where Gospel-Centered Teaching works brilliantly is in making explicit some of the ministry implications that flow from the belief that all the Scriptures testify about the gospel of Jesus. It counters the idea that the Bible is just a divine instruction manual, or a impersonal map for doing well in life.

Yet as Wax acknowledges, his book is definitely not a replacement for introducing people to the concept of a Bible Overview. Instead he suggests a number of foundational resources, e.g. Graeme Goldsworthy’s According to Plan, Vaughan Roberts’ God’s Big Picture, or Sally Lloyd-Jones’ The Jesus Storybook Bible. So for Wax’s book to really pack its punch, it makes sense that one already has some prior understanding of the Bible as one big story with the person and work of Jesus at its heart. But assuming that most of those teaching in churches will be doing so because they believe these things, then this book is a perfectly-sized gentle encouragement to let those beliefs shape and connect with one’s teaching, whatever the age and stage.

Finding our Gospel motivations…

Another small caveat: although Wax does give a handful of examples of how a gospel motivation will shape how you teach a particular topic, I wonder if actually sometimes these connections will flow more naturally when a leader has simply been taught to read the Bible well. If a leader is working hard to find the author’s intent in a particular passage (as well as its place in the Bible’s overall story), then that should naturally entail considering the particular ‘engine’ or motivation that a Bible author is putting forward in that particular Bible book. As such perhaps Wax’s book will be most profitable when those Bible-handling skills are simultaneously being nurtured. One doesn’t need to magic a ‘gospel motivation’ out of thin air! If we’re doing our best to listen to the particular tone and motivation of a Bible book, and aware of its place in the Bible’s story, then our teaching should be protected from becoming ‘gospel-flat’, with every study or sermon sounding the same, which can sometimes be a valid criticism of ‘Christ-centred preaching’.

Drawing stumps…

Overall, GCT is a feisty little tonic that should get you eager to make much of Jesus and the gospel of grace in any teaching ministry you’re involved with. At 109 pages, it’s in danger of sounding like more of a tome than it really is. With a pocket-sized leaf (you’ll be surprised how small it is!), spacious margins, and helpful subheadings, you’ll probably merrily skip through the book in two or three relaxed sittings. And you’ll be in good heart afterwards.

Gospel Centered Teaching is available to buy in the UK here.

Full disclosure: The publisher sent me a copy of the book for free, but I hope this is still a fair and honest review!

How do you feel about reading a book on prayer? Part of me feels that’s the last thing I need: another excuse to get me off doing the one thing I seem to avoid: praying.

But when I dipped into this pocket-size offering by Michael Reeves, formerly of UCCF, now ‘theologian-at-large’ (a pretty cool title) at WEST, I was altogether refreshed and thankful for the privilege I have of speaking to my Father God. In short, I was eager to pray.

Reeves begins by laying his cards on the table early. He believes there is a prayerlessness prevalent in evangelical culture, and he wants that to change, and longs for this book to be something of a “tonic” to kick-start refreshed prayer lives. 

Reeves’ diagnosis of the problem is interesting. He thinks one of the key reasons we go wrong is because we think of prayer as another “thing” to do, which inevitably leads us to go down the road of searching for ‘prayer techniques’. Instead Reeves holds up John Calvin’s definition of prayer as “the chief exercise of faith” (Institutes III, 20). If this definition is fair (and it’s one that Jonathan Edwards echoed), and  Reeves comes back to it again and again, then consequently prayerlessness is actually faithlessness, or as Reeves puts it, “practical atheism”.

That said, Reeves is careful to say that it’s not that our prayer life dictates whether or not we’re really Christians. But our prayer life does reveal “how much you really want communion with God and how much you really depend on him.” It doesn’t determine our identity, but it does indicate how much of a “spiritual baby” we might be. Therefore, Reeves challenges, if you think you’re wonderful, take a look at your prayer life.

This might all sound a bit depressing, but Reeves knows where he’s going. Indeed, there are a few backhanded encouragements before we get there: firstly, we should expect prayer to be a struggle, for we’re creatures who are naturally lacking in faith; secondly, even someone like Martin Luther, whose legend often comes wrapped in hagiographical descriptions of mammoth prayer sessions, actually really struggled with prayerlessness. Prayerlessness is not a new problem, ultimately it’s a sinful human problem.

But that’s all well and good (or not, as the case may be), but are we simply being left to languish in our prayerlessness? Reeves’ ‘solution’, if I can call it that, is that we understand that if prayer is an expression of faith, the way to grow in it is to grow in faith. He cites Romans 10:17: “faith comes through hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”. In other words, “faith – and so prayer – is birthed by the gospel”. As we set before ourselves Jesus Christ, then prayer will follow as the articulation of the Christian’s heart response.

So for the bulk of this short book that’s what Reeves seeks to do. When we wonder at Jesus, then we see the privilege of prayer. Part of that is seeing prayer as something Jesus did, and so loving the gospel means we “learn to enjoy what Jesus has always enjoyed”. Crucially and wonderfully this involves praying to God as our Father, for as Jesus teaches his disciples to pray “Our Father in Heaven”, he is simultaneously showing us the relationship He has always enjoyed whilst also sharing it with us. Reeves uses the startling phrase, “pray as if it were through Jesus’ mouth”, which seems a breathtaking way of describing the privilege we have of calling God Father.

Reeves then addresses the subject of when we pray, encouraging a mindset that expresses the privilege of prayer “at all times”. After all, the whole day is already God’s, so we don’t need to try and ‘fit’ God into each day. Reeves is not against set times of prayers and devotion, but he is certainly arguing for a perspective that sees all of life flowing out of our communion with our Father.

The later chapters quickly cover quite a bit of ground, touching on prayer as a sign of dependence (also about Christlikeness, for the Son was dependent on the Father), the precious role of the Holy Spirit in our prayers (“we can be real with our father, accepting our weakness, and simply stammer out our hearts”), God’s work to shape us in our prayer lives so we echo and share “God’s life and purpose”, as well as prayer as an evidence of unity. The lasting taste in the mouth is that praying to our Father God is a delight.

‘Enjoy your Prayer Life’ is worth getting your hands on. It’s definitely a ‘does-what-it-says-on-the-tin’ book. The bonus is that it’s also really short – many of the ‘chapters’ are only a couple of pages – but that means I was much more likely to read it, and it also meant I was more quickly left to actually pray. You can buy it for three squid from the publisher, 10publishing, here. Do it.

Full disclosure: The publisher sent me a copy of the book for free, but I hope this is still a fair and honest review!

True Friendship, by Vaughan Roberts (10Publishing, 2013).

So, here’s a question: When did you last read a book on friendship? In fact, have you ever even come across one? And what about a sermon or a seminar?

If, like me, you found yourself answering in the negative, then it seems we’re not alone – author Vaughan Roberts went through a similar experience. Roberts is a church minister in Oxford and an established writer of popular-level Christian books, but he explains that this book came into being not simply because he wanted to teach on the subject, but because he came to an overwhelming sense of the significance of friendship in his own life. He speaks of the realisation that he had gone through a period of neglecting friendships without really being aware of it, and so suddenly found himself very aware of the need for meaningful friendships. Now combine this with the growing conviction that the Bible has much to say on the subject, and True Friendship was born.

A Book to Read Together…

Early on Roberts makes the bold claim that shapes the rest of the book: friendship is not an optional extra, indeed “living unfriendly and friendless lives is both a rejection of God’s purpose for us as his image, and a dehumanizing tragedy”. Over the course of six bitesize chapters he then proceeds to paint a surprisingly comprehensive picture of what kind of friendships God would have us foster. Each chapter reflects on a different aspect of the Bible’s rich exhortation to ‘true friendship’, and all along it is the framework of the gospel of grace that provides its motivation, power and wisdom.

10Publishing, the publishing division of the growing Christian book-seller 10ofthose, has put out a number of brilliant little books over the last few months, seemingly hand-picking some brilliant material from evangelical pastors – and True Friendship is no exception. Clearly this is no lengthy treatise, yet as Roberts explains, the brevity is intentional. Given the nature of the subject matter, if the form of such a book could not be easily accompanied by reflective reading, and ideally communal reflection too, then surely it would have fallen short. Whether it be a summer book-group, a prayer triplet, or an accountability group, having Roberts’ material on the table will set you in really good stead to discuss how best to focus those relationships.