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Storm: Hearing Jesus for the Times We Live In, by Jim Cymbala
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Storm: What Jesus Is Saying to His Church is a book for every Christian who is concerned about the challenges that face believers today. Using powerful stories of people who have been transformed by Christ, it will strike a note of encouragement and hope, helping Christians to remember that a life surrendered to Christ in the midst of a church transformed by his presence cannot be defeated. No amount of spiritual darkness or cultural pressure can drown out the life-giving power of the gospel.
Jim Cymbala believes that the church in America is in the middle of a powerful storm, the intensity of which is likely to increase in coming months and years. Many Christians are bewildered, disheartened, and concerned by what they see—a culture that’s become increasingly hostile to biblical Christianity and a church whose vital signs are quickly waning. Like the storm surge that overtook lower Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy, powerful forces have come together to create a surge that’s threatening the health of the church.
Storm will talk about the tendency on the right and on the left to conflate the kingdom of God with a particular political party. Many conservative Christians have made the mistake of substituting America for the Israel of the Old Testament, failing to realize the danger of adopting Old Testament principles that were never affirmed in the New Testament. Their message has sometimes been harsh and legalistic, making it difficult for them to proclaim a gospel of grace. Even though there is a great deal of emphasis on the Bible in such churches, it can often be the wrong emphasis.
Jim Cymbala will explore the importance of preaching a gospel of grace rather than a gospel of mixed messages, so common in the church today. He will speak of our need to understand spiritual battles and for total dependence on the Holy Spirit, and he will discuss the importance of prayer. He will also explore the motivational atmosphere of the early church which flourished despite far worse conditions than those we face today. We don’t need more church growth programs to turn the church around. What’s needed is a transformation at the heart of the church so that the gospel is preached, the Holy Spirit is allowed to lead, and lives are transformed.
- Sales Rank: #80511 in Books
- Brand: HarperCollins Christian Pub.
- Published on: 2014-10-07
- Released on: 2014-10-07
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.62" h x .75" w x 5.75" l, .65 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 192 pages
About the Author
Jim Cymbala has served as pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle for more than forty years. He is the author of many bestselling books, including Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, The Church God Blesses, When God’s People Pray, Fresh Faith, and Spirit Rising. He lives in New York City with his wife, Carol, who directs the Grammy Award–winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. The Cymbalas have three children and eight grandchildren.
Most helpful customer reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful.
Very powerful message here folks
By Dawn C.
I am 3 chapters in and- WOW. I don't read books by Christian authors or watch movies with Christian themes just because they're Christian. There are too many things and people labeled as 'Christian' these days that certainly are not. I have read a couple of Jim Cymbala's books though and have found them to be engaging and annointed by the Spirit. When I saw the title of this one I didn't bat an eye. Something told me- GET IT. I've had the book since they 7th and am only 3 chapters in because I keep having to reread certain parts as the truth of it is just that overwhelming. Granted, I am a new Christian (3 years old in this walk) so I may see things a bit different than those who have been living this life for awhile, but I believe truth is truth no matter what your experiences are and there is truth in every single sentence so far and I don't see that changing as I go along.
So far the book seems to be about the lack of prayer in the Church and it's people and how THAT is what is bringing about the downfall of the church and Christianity. Not the government, the politicians, the laws being passed, the increased secularism, etc. But lack of quality time with Christ in the form of prayer. Whether it be corporate, individual, in homes, in churches, in your car on the way to work. This was hard for me to understand at first because I look at the world and think- of course it's the government, politicians, etc. But when you really look at it, it IS the lack of prayer. And it started a long time ago and has had a domino affect over the ages. I won't try to go more into that because, as I said, I am a fairly new Christian and Mr. Cymbala can and does explain it far better than I.
I know the two things that shocked me the most was the real statistics of who really is Christian in this nation (it is NOT what you think percentage-wise) and that there are churches out there that do not have prayer, nor do they encourage it. I do not get that AT ALL. Jesus says in the Bible his house (church) will be a house of prayer. Yet there are churches with no prayer. That's just one thing that points to why all is circling the drain- other than the fact that the Bible said it would. Thankfully my church does include prayer in everything it does and we have prayer meeting outside of regular services.
I highly encourage this book. Pastor Cymbala is hitting the nail on the head in this message and we all need to hear it.
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful.
A storm isn't on the horizon, it's here!
By Jon Gibson
There is a storm raging and the warning signs are there. This storm isn’t a physical storm but a spiritual storm. Jim Cymbala asks, “Is the light of Jesus that we are to shine before people growing dark? Has another kind of storm cut us off from our power source? Is the church of Christ disappearing into a dark night?” How did we get here? What is endangering the church and the message of Jesus Christ? How do we move on and become effective at reaching people with the message of Jesus Christ? These are among the questions that Cymbala tries to answer in his book, Storm.
As you might expect from the Brooklyn native, Cymbala comes out swinging with a “take no prisoners” approach. He is not hesitant or shy with his criticism, addressing the issues that he sees on the landscape of the American church. While there are outside influences such as the secular culture and the relativism that runs rampant throughout much of ideology today, those are not to be embraced by believers in Jesus Christ.
Cymbala is critical of the many methods of church growth that have been embraced today which have abandoned the power of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. Methods such as the entertainment church, the relevant church, the corporate church, the latest fad church, the radical church, and the stale orthodoxy church are among those which fall into the crosshairs of Cymbala’s criticism. We need less gimmicks and more God, he says, stating that the problem, “is not with a godless, secular America, but with a church that is increasingly prayerless, compromised, demoralized, and weak. We have drifted away from the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Throughout the criticism that he heaps, he offers advice and pointers in how to “right the ship” as well as interspersing the stories of people from his own church, the Brooklyn Tabernacle, who have experienced life transformation through the power of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. Prayer is among the suggestions that Cymbala makes in getting the Church back on track. His emphasis on prayer and the Holy Spirit should not be unfamiliar to anyone who has read his books before. While he may come across brash in some of his criticism, the track record of Brooklyn Tabernacle with their own prayer ministry and Holy Spirit reliance are enough to cause the reader to take pause in wonder of God’s workings through Cymbala and his church.
While Cymbala’s criticism may seem harsh to those unused to a New York state of mind, his own humility is evident. He is not simply casting blame on everyone and everything else but also owns his own shortcomings and faults over the years. Leadership, he says, or the lack of it, has caused much of the divergence that is seen within the church. If pastors are critical of their congregations, is it possible that those congregations are simply reflections of them and their own leadership?
Ultimately, the effectiveness of the church will be directly related to the place of the Gospel, the importance of reliance on Scripture, and the dependence on God in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When we fail to see the importance of these things, we should not be surprised when our churches decline and become irrelevant. A reliance on the basics could go a long way to see a revival within the church, Cymbala argues.
Having been born in Brooklyn with parents who had likewise been as well, Cymbala’s style was not surprising. There were moments that I cringed at the harsh criticisms that he heaped, but I realized that he was holding true to being a prophet, one who speeks the truth of God’s word and applies it to current circumstances. Multiple times in the book, Cymbala claims to not want to be hypercritical but then goes on to do just that. His criticism comes out of his own passion and desire to see the message of Jesus Christ proclaimed to bring about life change and transformation. Considering that the average reader of this book will most likely be indoctrinated to the church, his stern words and warnings may be just the thing that is needed to wake some from their slumber and denial of the oncoming storm.
Storm is a book that calls it like it sees it. Cymbala does a good job at interspersing criticism with encouragement and calls to action. He has a heart for the people of God and the lost sheep who have yet to come into the fold of the Good Shepherd. While his style may not be for everyone, this book is a helpful reminder for those of us within the American Church to stand strong on the principles that have been tried and true for two thousand years.
(This review is based upon a copy of this book which was provided free of charge from Zondervan Publishing. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.)
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
Cymbala says there is a storm coming... I say it is already here...
By D. R. Iannelli-smith
Thank you Harper Collins for the opportunity to review this work and for the impact such works have in creating a ripple that is my life and in the lives of others.
I think the inside jacket of the book describes perfectly when it states, “…the church in America is in the middle of a powerful storm. Many Christians feel bewildered, disheartened, and concerned by what they see—a culture that’s becoming increasing hostile to biblical Christianity and a church whose vital signs are quickly waning…Half of the young people who have been born into the church have left it, political issues have created profound divisions among believers, biblical literacy is on the wane, and most churches are sinking, and pastors are fleeing the pastorate at the rate of 1500 a month. Yet most of the church in America is asleep, unaware of the rising tide of problems within the church itself.”
So what is the book about? Jim Cymbala is right, many of us are already feeling it. I don’t know about you, but I left active ministry in 2007 due to spiritual abuse and lack of biblical literacy in the church I was serving in. After leaving, much prayer and a week of fasting, we thought planting a house church (which did phenomenal) would be the way to reach the lost, but overwhelmed with immature believers and not being plugged into a good support system, we dissolved, to be a part of into a major denominational church plant we actually were going to move to another state to be a part of. We gave our time, talents and resources to this endeavor as well, and ended up leaving there due to a heavy patriarchal hand, and lack of true discipleship evangelism. It was more about attending the meetings (“missed you Sunday”; “Sorry you did not make it to small group?” with no real efforts to find out why or if there was a better way) then it was about building relationships with the lost. We are now a part of the denomination that we originally were fond of, and they too have faced public scrutiny when of the founders, recently came under attack (and rightly so about some of the allegations).
I say all of this, to first remind, that there is NO PERFECT CHURCH and where else can the desperately sick go? But I agree with Cymbala, in many cases, there really is no difference between the world and the church. Jim lists 3 Warning Signs:
Warning No. 1: We are not as big as we think.
Warning No. 2: Personal transformation is rare.
Warning No. 3: Biblical literacy is declining.
For the rest of the review, I would like to put it through these 3 lenses.
WE ARE NOT AS BIG AS WE THINK;
The book was very interesting to me, to be reminded what Connie and I already know that, "the actual number of evangelical Christians is shockingly between 7-8.9 percent of the US Population, not 40 percent and certainly not 70 percent.” (http://johnsdickerson.com/the-great-evangelical-recession-review/).
This is challenging in that both Connie and I regularly run into folks who claim affiliation with Christian church or its beliefs but like Cymbala states, once pressed with these beliefs, the theology is scary. Many times, liberal, and universal...essentially secular and worldly. We are not as big as we think and it is only getting smaller.
Cymbala goes on to say that, "Most leadership models we have today are often faulty and unbiblical. The Christian church in general is growing lukewarm. As a result, Christianity in America is in a nosedive. All the data confirms these unfortunate truths."
Personal Transformation is Rare;
Although Cymbala mentions transformation in light of church attendance, Connie and I have discovered that these personal transformations, are also reflected in a apathy for the lost, non-engaging community, and the culture of Christianity is about the latest book, class, seminar, or widget, whereas no evidence of transformation from the previous 'revolutionary' idea or applications. This too, is not new to us, and one of the biggest things we see is the need to climb a mountain when there is an elevator next door. What I mean by this is, that instead of partnering with what is already going on, it is easier to start a new ministry, re-write a small group study, or polarize denominationally on things to 'get bigger' or 'this will truly transform your people." I agree with Jeff Vanderstelt in a recent message I listened to. "If you have not obeyed the last bible study, what makes you think doing another one is going to solve that problem?”
In the book, Cymbala quotes Barna with a 2012 study in which he found that 46 percent of churchgoers had said, "their life had not changed at all as a result of churchgoing." I would suggest you could change the word "churchgoing" for 'seminar', 'bible study', 'small group', 'event', 'outreach' or “missional community”, “gospel-centered…” whatever churchy twist word you want to use (you catch the drift here) and the number is still the same. We live in a church culture of complainers and whiners whom believe they are entitled and exude selfishness. We also want to spend more time with other untransformed 'believers' than on the mission Christ has sent us. Cymbala definitely made me think and held my attention with these prophetic callouts of the church. I like what Cymbala said, "What if the things sold to us as solutions over the past two decades--"we've got the answers" conferences, leadership books, high-profile pastors with big personalities and new models of doing church--are really the problem and not the answer?”
Biblical Literacy is Declining;
This too, is not a revelation to Connie and I. 1000's of hours of biblical counseling have shown us that most people have a below 4th grade reading level, never read their bibles, and further, live either an ABC (already been chewed by others) or 'proof-texted' Christianity. We have also seen a growth of 'but' theology... "Yes, I know the Bible says that 'but'... Because of this, I believe that Cymbala would confirm that this leads to the false idea that Christianity is bigger than it is, that transformation is happening when in reality, there is a significant decline.
I remember what it was like the first few years of our 'house church' things were great, people were hungry for God's word and to learn, but later when having to be accountable for what they read, things started to take a turn. Cymbala, mentions this result of the declining biblical literacy when he states, "Preaching sermons isn't the hard part of being a pastor. In fact, find almost any pastor in America and put them in a corner with a passage of Scripture, and in fifteen minutes, they will come up with something to preach about. That's not the hard part. It's dealing with the mean-spirited people; hearing the burdens of hurting men and women, often not knowing what to say; counseling people who don't act on your counsel and then seeing them return with even bigger problems."
He goes on to further say, "Many pastors leave the ministry, not because of the job, but because of the criticism they receive while trying to do their job." For us, we remember at the downward spiral of our house church, that this reflected the disconnect between personal Bible literacy and lack of discernment with secular thought of moral relativism and the current trend of 'entitlement'. To hold someone accountable for practicing sin willfully was 'judgmental', 'unloving' and our elders were 'picking on people' which reflected a disconnect between the Bible and its implications for everyday life (of which too, they had already forgotten their membership class and covenant they signed).
Cymbala mentions later in the chapter called, "Fog of Confusion" that when people attempt to reconcile Old Testament with New Testament practices, there is a bunch of confusion. An excellent answer for these honest and humble questions regarding what to do, he replies, "The rule is simply this: No command or promise in the Old Testament can be applied to Christians today, UNLESS it s found represented and illustrated in the New Testament." This was FANTASTIC and I will be 'R&D'ing (robbing and duplicating) this for my own response when asked these types of questions.
In conclusion, Cymbala (like he did with Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire) holds your attention, especially if you are willing to listen. He calls us back to prayer and living by the Holy Spirit. Missing elements in today’s storm. I found the information to be presented in a cohesive, yet appealing manner, summarized well and I especially liked the personal stories of real people before each chapter showing that these comments/reflections were NOT made up or bogus flowery illustrations designed to promote his personal soap box, like so many others do. They reflect the raw and real part of day-to-day serving others like family as the mission of the church. Cymbala also successfully conveyed Biblical truth, and the book is dispersed with extensive full scripture references embedded into the text, don't skip over them. I would highly recommend this book to the lethargic and apathetic church. We need more prophetic voices speaking into our easy and comfortable Christianity. I was very convicted by many of the items mentioned in the work. For instance, one that caused me to rethink my current evangelistic parties, was his discussion about having beer and later becoming more comfortable with hard alcohol. This warrants further mediation and conversation with God even in my own life.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from BookLook, as part of its BookLook Bloggers Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
241263: Storm: Hearing Jesus for the Times We Live In Storm: Hearing Jesus for the Times We Live In
By Jim Cymbala with Jennifer Schuchmann / Zondervan
In his first prophetic book about the challenges facing today's church---including decreasing attendance, watered-down messages, and pastor burnout---Cymbala also demonstrates that the power of the Holy Spirit can never be defeated. With inspiring stories of changed lives, he draws you back to hope and prayer, offers ways to lead with love, and more. 208 pages, hardcover from Zondervan.
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