It is known and understood that the mystery of the seven golden candlesticks of Revelation 1:20 is of the seven periods of the church. The church is currently in its last age-- the age of Laodicea. The ages of the church end in failure. Thus, as in 1517, when one named Martin Luther wrote words unto the church of his day, this very literature serves as those 95 theses that Martin Luther nailed to the church's door years ago. When Israel began to fall into idolatry, they moved further away from God and could no longer hear him anymore, so God began to send his word through prophets unto Israel. This is that very same God sending his word unto this church age of this day. God desires our all because he has given us his all.
I Never Knew You expounds on God's holiness, Grace, the Father, and the Word of God. The scriptures say that only a few shall find the way of life while many declare God's name in this day. But, I Never Knew You shines light upon this call of God for us to believe and live in our walks with him.
There is no place any closer to God than to believe in him when everyone else does not. The most intimate place of all is to be alone in your trust in God. To trust is very intimate. Our hearts, minds, and souls all become involved and at stake once we choose to trust. Love is a matter of giving oneself. Love, therefore, cannot be without trust. To say that we trust God is to say that we have a relationship with him because trust is a matter of intimacy. God desires our heart, but many lie and pretend to love God when God knows all. Hence, God has sent his word, saying, I Never Knew You. We must be as Enoch in these days of Noah.
At the core of Brent’s argument is the conviction that the church of this material era has sunk into its “Laodicean” age, named for the “lukewarm” church referenced in the Revelation of John. “This Laodicean church does not know Love,” Brent thunders. “Love gets up close and personal and tends to one another’s infirmities.” In an introduction, he notes that believers in his own church failed to aid him in a time of hardship, but that “up close and personal” love is not just between believers. With persuasive power and impressive command of scripture, he insists the Laodicean church is “too concerned with programs, traditions, routines, and thought-processes of our own or of the world to allow the Lord Jesus to have his way in his church” and notes that believers rarely enter the “realm” of worship outside of church.
Believers will find little to gainsay in the broad sweep of Brent’s powerful screed, though the few concrete examples of ways that believers fail to know God are less persuasive. He singles out membership in Black Greek Letter Organizations or participating in Easter egg hunts as violations of the covenant between God and believers, but doesn’t dig deeply into the gravity of these infractions. Are they more disappointing to God than other secular activities? But on the general gulf between belief and commitment Brent’s voice is potent.
Takeaway: An impassioned cry for Christians to commit to knowing God at all times, not just on Sunday mornings.
Great for fans of:Mark Dever's What Is a Healthy Church?, Eric Mason’s Beat God to the Punch: How to Seize a Grace-Filled Life.
Production grades
Cover: C+
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
