Have
you looked beyond the threshold... recently?
For over 30 years I've watched God move His church toward a "kairos"
moment that waits for us, just beyond the threshold. First as a
pastor, then ministering to university students, followed by a decade
of mobilizing Christians for world evangelization. Coupled with
15 years of raising up prayer among the nations, I've witnessed
an unparalleled groundswell toward worldwide revival throughout
the Body of Christ.
Today
I sense it is truly at hand.
We are gathered at the launch-point of a grand campaign. It is
a campaign to proclaim the name of God's Son to Christians everywhere
– doing so in such a way that every facet of discipleship,
church life and outreach will be radically (and wonderfully) transformed
in the process. We have come to the crossroads of a crucial cause.
As we're about to see, it requires the flooding of the Church with
Messengers of Hope who will raise up Prisoners of Hope and bring
together Vanguards of Hope to form the frontlines of renewal and
outreach for a whole generation.
The refrain "Christ Is ALL!" captures the ultimate destiny
the Holy Spirit is pursuing with every Christian – that we
live every day at the center of Who Christ is, where He's headed,
what He's doing and how He's blessed. That's what His "supremacy"
demands.
From every quarter of the contemporary church Christian leaders
are saying it's time to restore a larger vision of our Redeemer's
triumphant glory. God can and must awaken His people to Christ for
ALL that He is. Our number one priority must become exalting our
Savior more consistently. We must spread a message of God's Son
that will explode the boundaries of our current hope in Him, and
re-ignite passion for the pursuit of His Kingdom in all things,
among all peoples.
The time has come. We must spread a vision of the magnificent greatness
of Jesus among Christians once again! The time has come. We must
help one another be consumed with His glory as a way of life. The
time has come. We must focus on reforming disciples into strategic
bases of operation – men and women who are passionate for
the advance of His Kingdom among the nations.
Soon, "Christ is all!" will bear witness to a fresh movement
of God across the Body of Christ. Soon, "Christ is all!"
will define the greatest answer to the prayers of an entire generation.
Soon, "Christ is all!" will resound throughout the Church,
heard on the lips of all who have re-engaged their Savior in the
full extent of His supremacy. Soon, "Christ is all!" will
become the trademark of those who have recovered the hope we are
meant to have.
"Christ is all!"proclaims even more, however. It announces
the consummation of all things just ahead. It composes Heaven's
testimony of triumph to be sung for ages to come. It's the pledge
that will emblazon our banners on that unending Day when we rally
to this uncontested Conqueror – when every hope will be perfectly
consummated in Him.
If you intend to claim such a refrain for your life's campaign,
you must respond first the way John did in Revelation. On Patmos
Island he encountered an unexpected revelation of his majestic Master
looming before him as Alpha and Omega. What did John do? He fell
down like a dead man – in silence. Trembling, in silence.
Overwhelmed, in silence. Surrendered, in silence. Expectant, in
silence. Waiting, in silence.
So it must be for you. To prepare for the Campaign of Hope that
beckons, I invite you to respond the same as John did – in
a moment of absolute, awe-struck...SILENCE.
Stop everything right now. Quiet your soul before the living Lord
of Glory. Kneel, even. Worship your Supreme Commander. Be joyful
in the courts of His Royal Highness. But, before anything else,
be silent...
Silent – alert for Him to come near to you as the hope we
are meant to have ...
Silent – looking for Him to shine on you with the hope we
are meant to have ...
Silent – listening for Him to speak to you about the hope
we are meant to have ...
Silent – waiting for Him to draw you on toward the hope we
are meant to have ...
Silent – eager to join Him to promote the hope we are meant
to have...
Silent – ready to help other believers recover the hope we
are meant to have ...
Silent – poised for the rest of your life to proclaim the
full extent of His supremacy because it is all the hope we are meant
to have.
Then, as you begin your very own Campaign of Hope right where you
live among those you love, make sure this one refrain remains the
message you share and the identity you bear: "Christ is All!"
(Colossians 3:11)
back
to top
"Joyful
Manifesto . . . Christ is All!" is three books in one, with
study questions for personal reflection and small group discussion
embedded throughout the book...
VOLUME I: CHRIST
AND SUPREMACY
What is the hope we must recover?
Does God really have a Son? If so, what does God think of His Son?
And what does He want us to think of His Son? In the five chapters
of Volume I, David Bryant develops an excitingly bold and dynamic
vision of what the supremacy of God's Son really means.
VOLUME II: THE
CRISIS OF SUPREMACY
Where is the hope we must recover?
What is the greatest crisis facing our nation in this "age
of terrorism"? Actually, it is a crisis inside the Church...
what David Bryant calls "the crisis of supremacy". The
second volume studies the history and source of the crisis, the
evidences of it in contemporary Christian lives and churches, and
how it has resulted in an increasing loss of hope and passion toward
Christ throughout the Body of Christ.
VOLUME III:
A CAMPAIGN OF HOPE
Recovering all the hope we are meant to have!
Volume III maps out the message about God's Son that Christians
must start sharing with Christians to cure the crisis. Then, David
Bryant explores a practical three-fold strategy to unleash a Campaign
Of Hope right where you live to bring us back to Christ for ALL
that He is.
back
to top
TABLE OF CONTENTS
iii.........."Christ
is All!"
v..........Dedication
vii..........Table of Contents
xi..........Saint Paul on Hope and the Supremacy of God's Son
xiii..........Defining the Hope Shaped by the Supremacy of God's
Son
xv..........Look Beyond the Threshold! (An Introduction)
xxv..........PRELUDE: Put Your Hope in Christ!
VOLUME ONE
CHRIST AND SUPREMACY
What Is the Hope We Must Recover?
Chapter 1:The
Glory of the Supremacy of God's Son..........3
All the Hope We Are Meant to Have
Chapter 2: CHRIST
SUPREME:
The Summation of Christian Hope..........37
Recover a Vision Shaped by the FOCUS of His Supremacy
Chapter 3: CHRIST
SUPREME:
The Consummation of Christian Hope..........79
Recover a Vision Shaped by the FULFILLMENT of His Supremacy
Chapter 4: CHRIST
SUPREME:
The Approximation of Christian Hope..........107
Recover a Vision Shaped by the FULLNESS of His Supremacy
Chapter 5: CHRIST
SUPREME:
The Consuming Passion of Christian Hope..........149
Recover a Vision Shaped by the FERVENCY of His Supremacy
INTERLUDE I:
Hope-Filled Christians Arise!..........175
VOLUME TWO
THE CRISIS OF SUPREMACY
Where Is the Hope We Must Recover?
Chapter 6: The
Greatest Crisis of All
How Did We Come to This? ..........181
Chapter 7: Why
Don't We Hope?
The Crisis of Supremacy and Our Loss of Hope..........209
Chapter 8: Why
Don't We Care?
The Crisis of Supremacy and Our Loss of Passion..........235
INTERLUDE II:
A Prayer Over the Crisis of Supremacy..........265
VOLUME THREE
A CAMPAIGN OF HOPE
Recovering All the Hope We Are Meant to Have
Chapter 9: What
Must This Campaign Proclaim?
His Supremacy Is Our Message of Hope to the Church..........271
Chapter 10:
Becoming Messengers of Hope
How to Re-inspire the Church with the Supremacy of God's Son..........297
Chapter 11:
Becoming Prisoners of Hope
How to Re-capture the Church for the Supremacy of God's Son..........331
Chapter 12:
Becoming Vanguards of Hope
How to Re-mobilize the Church Around the
Supremacy of God's Son..........360
POSTLUDE: Refrain
for a Campaign..........397
Appendices..........398
APPENDIX I:
EQUIPPED! How to Make This Book Work for You
APPENDIX II:
CHRIST HUDDLES:
Facilitating Small Group Discussions of the Book
APPENDIX III:
GIVING CREDIT: The People Behind the Book
APPENDIX IV:
NINE THESES That Support the Book
APPENDIX V:
KEY PASSAGES On Hope and the Supremacy of God's Son
APPENDIX VI:
ANOTHER APPROACH To Defining "Supremacy"
APPENDIX VII:
HOW TO PROCLAIM AND PRAY Our Hope in the Supremacy of God's Son
APPENDIX VIII:
A GLIMPSE AT THE MAN Behind the Manifesto
APPENDIX IX:
DAVID BRYANT DIRECT: How to Benefit from David's Ministry and Website
APPENDIX X:
THINK WITH ME: A Chapter by Chapter Outline
David Bryant
was the former president of Concerts of Prayer International, and
chairman of America's National Prayer Committee. For 30 years, Bryant
has been defined as a "messenger of hope' and a "proclaimer
of Christ" to the church throughout the world.
Copyright ©
David Bryant. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part
of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission
in writing from the publisher.
back
to top
This
sample provided by our friends at
|
