Bill Randall is the Director of Pioneering Initiatives for ChurchNEXT and helps lead CRM toward understanding the supernatural reality of the Kingdom now among us. He is relentless in his conviction that embracing supernatural reality is what unleashes the potential for authentic gospel movements among the nations.
In his new book, The Life Jesus Made Possible: Embracing the Kingdom Within Our Reach, Bill unpacks the ancient/future message and ministry of Jesus that has been committed to every follower of this untamed King. It is written in a manner that provides its readers with a theologically satisfying and practical guide to the life King Jesus made possible under the influence of his supernatural reign and rule.
Bill’s prayerful hope is that the pages of this book will instill clarity as to the true message of the gospel, courage for believers to obediently engage the ministry practices that demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom now among us, and a compelling vision of hope as to how Jesus can use empowered evangelicals to participate with God in his campaign to make all things new.
Here are the chapter titles and brief descriptions of what they cover:
Chapter 1 – The Kingdom Within Our Reach. The ministry of Jesus has opened the way for anyone who positively responds to his call to experience God’s reigning presence in the here and now. Though Jesus has inaugurated the Kingdom of God at the time of his first coming, the Kingdom will not be consummated until his return. We currently live in the tension of the “now and not yet.” This theological tension helps us understand, for example, why we sometimes pray for the sick and they are healed, and other times we pray and they are not.
Chapter 2 – Disciples of the Risen King. A disciple is one who follows Jesus and desires to be transformed into his image, developing his same instinctive responses to the opportunities and challenges of life. Discipleship is the intentional lifestyle the disciple engages under the influence of the Holy Spirit to grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ. This is not to be equated with fulfilling a program or curriculum, though it may include that. It is much more.
Chapter 3 – Empowered by the Spirit. It could not be clearer that God’s missional strategy is for his servants to receive power from on high to do his Kingdom work on earth. While every born-again believer has the Spirit resident within them, many have not prayed and waited for the Spirit to come upon them. Many have been baptized into the body of Christ, but fewer have been baptized by the Spirit with God’s supernatural power. This situation explains the all too common anemic and fruitless condition of the church today.
Chapter 4 – Physical Healing Today. The God who never changes is still in the business of healing the sick and setting the captives free. The ministry of physical healing was and is a core component of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Yet few disciples today, especially in the Western context, have the same instinct of Jesus and the early Christians who offered to pray for the sick when confronted with the opportunity. Divine healing can occur when a believer prays for someone’s healing with faith and expectation—not faith in faith, but rather faith in the promises and power of God to heal the sick.
Chapter 5 – Healing for the Broken Hearted. In the same way that God can and does heal our physical bodies, he is willing and able to heal and overcome our past pain and failures. Such “inner healing” usually comes more as a progressive unfolding of healing-love and freedom, rather than some sort of quick fix. Learning to apply the gospel in the power of the Spirit to the woundings of our inner self is critical to our journey toward maturity and holistic health.
Chapter 6 – Welcome to the War! Though the devil is a defeated foe, he still can release hellish havoc on earth until Jesus returns and permanently overthrows his reign. Believers are not exempt from being harassed by the demonic realm. Therefore, we must not give the devil a foothold in our lives. Footholds are the landing strips for the enemy. When ministering to the demonized, it is essential to begin with discovering and getting rid of every foothold through confession and renunciation. The church must remain aware that every advance of God’s Kingdom is a loss to the enemy’s domain, and he won’t back down without a fight.
Chapter 7 – Making Space for God. The initial response to God’s Kingdom invitation must be matched by a continuous cooperation with the demands of abiding under the rule of God. The call to the Kingdom is not first of all a call to power, a program, or even to Christian ministry. It is a call to love and follow Jesus Christ as his beloved friends. It’s a call to live in a continuous, willing surrender to the reigning presence of God. The Bible reveals that a life oriented as such is not only possible but is the promised destiny to all who would commit themselves to it. But such a life will never happen without humility, serious intention and effort.
Chapter 8 – Making Space for Friends. Everyone needs to be authentically connected to some supportive friends who will tangibly encourage and hold them accountable on life’s journey. Such friends make themselves available and vulnerable to one another. While the cry for community is encoded in our soul by the finger of God, many give great effort to avoid such connection. Why? For fear of being wounded again and again. Failure to face and overcome this fear, is a failure to love and be loved. In the community of the King, disciples must learn to plant the cross in the middle of every relationship.
The Life Jesus Made Possible is available now at Amazon.
