Had high hopes for this book because I love Swindoll, but it seems like it's about 20 years old. It does have some high points, but I gave up after the chapter on worship wars.

Swindoll is much better in person. This book is very predictable and a little like old news. It's like donning a plaid sportscoat or tight-rolling your jeans. ( )

In his latest work, beloved author and preacher, Charles Swindoll, makes a powerful and passionate plea to the North American church against drift and slow erosion. In "The Church Awakening: An Urgent Call for Renewal", Swindoll stays true to his decades-long pursuit of biblical guidance for tough times, warning against our cultural tendency to compromise Truth in the name of accommodation and tolerance. In his easy, conversational style, Swindoll gives his readers a clear picture of what God designed the Church to be while issuing strong warnings against the pitfalls that have been plaguing us since its beginning.

Using Acts 2:24 as a foundation, Swindoll shows us God’s basic blueprint in four essentials for His bride – the Church: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. The apostle Paul’s Spirit-led guidance remains as relevant today as it was in the early church’s day. And this author demonstrates over and over the parallels between current struggles in the church and those facing the early believers.

Using many personal examples, this well-seasoned pastor/leader also shares the reality of Satan’s battle against Jesus’ followers. “Where God is at work―count on it―the enemy is equally active.” In examining Paul’s words to Timothy and the Ephesians, we should not be surprised at enemy attacks, even those from within. But, Swindoll often boldly reminds his readers of the Lord’s promise: “The gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18). Nonetheless, “while we ought not to live in fear of [enemy attacks], we dare not remain ignorant of them either.”

As a spiritual teacher, Swindoll recognizes the importance of belief in the inerrancy of God’s Word, too. He perceives a slow drift in the modern church away from this core principle and urges us to renew our dedication to its importance. Along those same lines, he also warns against the danger of living in a “consumerist society” where the good news of Jesus is just one choice in a long list of valid options. “Jesus,” he states, “never gave us that option. He claimed that He was the only way to God the Father.”

One of my favorite chapters in "The Church Awakening" was “Worship: A Commitment….Not a War”. Having heard “arguments” from others on the pros and cons of particular worship styles, Swindoll’s perspective was both refreshing and encouraging. In this chapter, he succinctly describes the difference between the “essence” and the “expression” of worship, pointing out that essence is far more important than expression. He continues by examining the selfishness behind personal preferences and sums up with a poignant question, “Is God more glorified by my preferred style of worship…or by my response to another preferences?”

Swindoll also wonderfully covers the “Distinctives of a Contagious Church”, a chapter full of hope for community. A ministry permeated with grace begins with leaders, such as the apostle Paul, proclaiming, promoting and modeling grace. “A church of grace is alive, anticipating God’s work, willing to risk, free of judgmentalism.” That is contagious!

Swindoll’s realistic appraisal of the church’s corrosion is balanced with encouragement and enthusiasm for God’s plan and promises. "The Church Awakening" is a must-read for all believers―all members of His Church. This book warns us of the many dangers that threaten our unity and effectiveness while painting a beautiful portrait of our standing and purpose as Jesus’ representatives in this fallen world. ( )

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