Monday, March 19, 2012

Book Review of Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian



Jesus+Nothing=Everything
By Tullian Tchividjian
ISBN 978-1-4335-0778-6
Published by Crossway Books
Reviewed by Clint Walker

Tullian Tchividjian was at a crossroads in his ministry. His church had recently merged with a nationally renowned church in his community. The church he founded was cutting edge, with a meaningful outreach to their metro-area. The church he was merging with was declining, and their founder and pastor had recently passed away. After a brief adjustment period, many people from the former church were disparaging him and his ministry. Some were even insistent that the church go another direction with their pastoral leadership. Slowly Tchividjian was reaching a breaking point. He took a vacation to have some time away from the stressful ministry he was leading, and to seek what God wanted him to do. During his devotional time, he began to read Colossians 1. As he read, Tchividjian became convinced of the supremacy of Christ over his situation, and became renewed in his faith and his ministry. He became convinced of the equation that is written into the title of the book: Jesus+Nothing=Everything.

Much of the book, after telling a little bit of this story of struggle, is an in-depth study of the book of Colossians.  Tchividjian is a wonderful teacher of this material, moving deftly between the meaning of the text, and the pastoral implications of what he is teaching. Throughout the entirety of this book, he teaches of the power of Jesus over everything in the universe, including our own little place in it.

A great book. Both inspirational and instructive.

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