Primal: Mark Batterson
I have the privlage of reading a copy an advance copy of “Primal” by Mark Batterson. Let me just tell you this book really excited me about getting back to the basics of Christian teachings.
Mark’s book looks at a way to get back to the simplistic of Christian teachings, to the “primal” teachings of Jesus. Mark challenges us to get simplify our walk by becoming great at the Great Commandment. The book outlines the Great Commandment:
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31).
He breaks the four parts of the commandment down- heart, soul, mind, & strength.
- Heart = Compassion
- Soul= Wonder
- Mind= Curiosity
- Strength = Energy
Today the church is consumed with getting everything perfect, but with inperfect people. And the people want church done their way, they want their music, their sermons- nothing to offensive, but nothing too light either. They want a perfect children’s ministry, a student ministry that doesn’t necassarily challenge their students, but one that will keep their students entertained so they stay out of trouble. They want a church that doesn’t hound them if they don’t serve, don’t make it to service this Sunday, and they can get lost in the mix, and guess what- there are many churches who are providing exactly what people want, not what people need.
Mark Batterson challenges us to get “primal” in our faith. It is a call to action!
Primal encourages us to go heart-first into the world. Loving God with all of our heart means our hearts are broken by the things that break God’s heart. That’s compassion.
Loving God with all of our soul is about rediscovering a sense of wonder. Are we still amazed at grace? Do we find ourselves in awe of beautiful sunsets or falling stars?
Curiosity, or loving God with our minds, is an especially interesting section. The idea behind it is simple: to love God is to know God. A Christ-follower should be a constant learner, seeking out new insights.
When we break a sweat for the good of the kingdom, we’re loving God with all of our strength. It takes energy to follow Jesus. It takes energy to make a difference.
Mark Batterson’s “Primal” needs to be on every Pastor’s list to read in January 2010, it needs to be read by every Elder & leader in the church to challenge them to get back to the church in Acts 2, it needs to be in the hands of every Christ-follower who wants to make a difference for the Kingdom of Heaven.
to order your copy of “Primal” click here
I appreciate WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers for providing me with a copy to review. I know I’ll be coming back to it many times.
