Lifted: Experiencing The Resurrection Life

Weird. Books on the Resurrection are like proverbial London buses. None for ages, then several appear at the same time. Don Carson has  Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus  coming out in February; Adrian Warnock, doctor and uberblogger, has one out specifically on the resurrection ( Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything ) and so does Sam Allberry. But Raised with Christ seems to be getting tons of airtime and exposure around the place, so it only seems fair to give Sam's new book LIFTED a bit of a push as well. Not quite sure what distinguishes them yet (inevitably), but I've certainly enjoyed Sam's and will enjoy checking out the other two as and when. Perhaps will post a comparison on my blog when I've got through them all.'You're going to LOVE this'Well that's certainly true of the book - but the line actually comes from an experience Sam had hiking up a hill in Kenya's Rift Valley - he was flagging until his companion shouted these words down to him - which gave him the final adrenalin rush to get him to the top and the spectacular views (p77). And as such, it is a wonderful image for the inspiring reality of the resurrection life as Paul expounds it in Romans, 1 Corinthians and Philippians in particular. It is the hope over the horizon; the thought of what's to come spurs us on through the darkest days.Sam's book is clearly based on a series of talks to students (when he worked at St Ebbe's in Oxford) - and has all the necessary pith, pace and purpose that you might expect for such a context. This doesn't try to be anything more than an introduction to key iceberg tips in the vast theology of the resurrection, whether Christ's and/or ours. Which is precisely what makes it so successful a book. It is simple, clear and straightforward - and as such, ideal as a foundational book for new or young believers.4 Resurrection ExperiencesThere's a nice cross-cultural moment as Sam describes a Thai Buddhist's assumption that Jesus must also be a good Buddhist - because he read the 4 gospels sequentially, not as parallel narratives, he assumed that Jesus had been reincarnated several times before finally reaching nirvana (which is well below the average!). Well, the 4 resurrection experiences mentioned here are not sequential but all integral to the Christian's experience of being united with Christ. These 4 chapter headings each sum up a different, complementary aspect of that experience (presumably they were from the 4 original talks):- Assurance- Transformation- Hope- MissionEach is only around 30 pages and so would suit an extended time of meditation and reflection, or perhaps a study group. Each works through a few bible passages - but it is quite speedy stuff, so perhaps it is good to read a chapter, and then spend a bit more time dwelling on the passages he expounds.Sam has nice self-deprecation in his illustrations and often has a fun quirky turn of phrase. Every now and then he lifts some of the more mundane (but necessary) observations on on familiar passages with a surprising image or twist. I liked, for example, his contrast of advertising before-and-after images (where the before picture is 'suspiciously smudgy, dark and grainy' while the after picture is crystal clear) with the warts-and-all depiction of the disciples before as well as after resurrection (pp33-34); or the explanations of why Jesus is like a stuffed tiger (p14) and a mobile phone (p28), and why God is not like a SimCity player (p108) etc. All very helpful.He's not afraid to spell out some of the negative implications where needed: especially good were his articulation of the mistaken views of resurrection (the resurrection has already taken place, and there is no resurrection of the dead pp83-86), as were the 4 Corinthian differences between our earthly and resurrection bodies (pp98-99).All in all - this is a really good addition to the CU or church bookstall. A great place to start.

When you are writing a book, there is one fear that is hard to shake off. That is the fear that your work will turn out to reflect error rather than truth. This was certainly my experience writing  Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything . It became even more pronounced when I learned that throughout church history no major heresy had arisen about the implications of the resurrection of Jesus. That is an extraordinary fact that goes a long way to explain our neglect of this vital subject--so much so that Spurgeon argued it might have been better if someone had created a heresy about it, since this would have forced the church to formulate the doctrine more clearly. My anxiety was that I might be the first one in two thousand years to create just such a heresy!The natural thing to do, therefore, is to turn to other books for validation. It is extraordinary that there are, however, relatively few books that focus on the vital implications of Jesus' resurrection.Sam Allberry's book Lifted was not available while I was writing my own. But you can imagine my delight to receive a preview copy as I was putting the finishing touches to editing Raised With Christ. I found here another book that was saying some similar things.Lifted helps to plug the gap in resurrection books with a much needed introduction to what the resurrection has accomplished for us. He peppers good teaching with engaging illustrations, which make this a very helpful book for everyone who wants to re-examine this glorious truth.Sam has become a great friend of mine. Our books were released the same month, and are remarkably complementary given that we did not plan it that way. During the writing process, we separately became convinced that Christians have a universal tendency to assume and neglect the resurrection. This has many implications. Sam's book focuses on just four, but they are four critical areas.Sam writes in an engaging, devotional style. His work is short and easy to read. But he gets right to the heart of how understanding the resurrection can lead to four things that make up the chapter titles of the book: Assurance, Transformation, Hope and Mission.Many Christians today lack assurance. Sam points out that because of the resurrection we can be confident of who Jesus is, and what he has done. Because of the resurrection we can be confident that "our sins have been fully dealt with and that death is no longer our destination, but a gateway to a new and perfect life" (page 43).Sam also shows us how the resurrection has a transforming effect on our lives. We have already been spiritually raised with Christ and incorporated into him. We see in the resurrection that he truly is "the God who brings new life." Have you ever considered what it truly means for us to have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead living in us?The Christian has a hope that goes beyond the grave. Sam demonstrates the continuity, but differences, between our current mortal bodies and the immortal body we will be given. He outlines the wonderful hope of a literal, physical resurrection for you and me, and the change this will make to the entire universe.Sam concludes by focusing on the fact that the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus means mission is an imperative. We have few of the words of the risen Jesus recorded. So when Jesus tells us to go into the entire world with this wonderful message and teach them to obey the one who was once just a crucified corpse, we ought to listen!Sam is often gracious enough to describe his book as the starter to the main course of Raised With Christ. In fact, I would argue that Lifted takes four things covered in detail in Raised With Christ and presses them home with great clarity and succinctness. I know that Sam shares my hope that anyone who reads either book will want to read more about the vital core of the Christian faith. It is wonderful that finally more books are being written on the resurrection of Jesus and its implications for us today. I commend Sam's book as a great example of what I pray will become a whole new genre full of many books. Neither Sam's book nor mine are complete in and of themselves. It is so nice to have a friend as a fellow pioneer. I pray other writers will also join the exploration of the wonderful way in which the resurrection changes us today.