Worn Out By “All In”

Though I didn’t remember until looking back it was a year ago that I reviewed Mark Batterson’s book: The Circle Maker. Since the New York Times best selling author’s new book, All In, is now making waves, I picked it up simply because as a writer, pastor’s wife and mom I like to be first-hand knowledgable of what the general Christian culture is reading and being taught.

To that end I am again inclined to post my thoughts on his teachings.  To me it’s very much same song, different verse.  First it was “praying through” with “bigger, bolder prayers,” now its going “all in and all out” for God.  In both “verses” I do believe the author’s desire is for God to be glorified in and through our lives, but the resounding “refrain” I hear is that our actions determine His blessing.

“You are only one decision away from a totally different life…if you have the courage to completely surrender yourself to the lordship of Jesus Christ, there is no telling what God will do.”

“If you don’t hold out on God, I can promise you this: God will not hold out on you. But it’s all or nothing.”

Please hear me: I agree with a lot of what Batterson says (some even sounded like it came from the influences of PCA pastors Tim Keller and Tullian Tchividjian and the Westminister Confession our denomination holds to).  I agree that we have absolutely cheapened the gospel.  I agree we are idol worshippers to a far greater extent than we see or admit.  I agree that we don’t make sacrifices.  I agree that we don’t view Him as Everything.  I agree that we are called to glorify Him in all things.  I agree that we are to be full of grace.  

But the message of the gospel that is clearly stated as God’s work and nothing we can earn gets muddied because of Batterson’s continual connecting our actions to God’s actions.  Now everything I agree with becomes cloudy, confused, contradictory…

• Is it All Jesus or not?
• Is everything grace or not?
• Is it all His work and righteousness or not?

To be honest, this book wore me out.  I found the stories of those who went “all in” as our charge to go “all in” to be false motivators.  What makes me want to be “all in” is when I hear more of Jesus!  When He is preached throughout all the Scriptures and we see more of His character, His love, His perfection and devotion.  When I am reminded that He is everything that I am not, that He is my strength, my rock, my hiding place, my living water, bread of life- hearing this makes me want to fix my eyes on Him and worship!

But what happens when idols still rule me?  When sin keeps me from being fully surrendered?  When I don’t keep my eyes fixed on Him?

Since Batterson referenced the apostle Peter walking on water so shall I. One moment Peter appears to be “all in” because he took that step of faith out of the boat.  But what happened the very next moment?  

Peter saw the roaring wind and waves and was filled with fear again.  This is when he started to stumble and sink, yet Jesus in His faithfulness pulled Peter up.  Praise God my failure (like Peter’s) to be “all in” at any given moment doesn’t disqualify His grace and movement toward me!

And what about the Israelites?  They grumbled constantly in the wilderness, set up false gods and repeatedly failed the test of going “all in for God.”  But what did God do anyway? He delivered them. He showed them over and over again that He was with them.  He remained faithful despite their going backwards on the “all in” claims of “Yes, Lord, we will do all that you have said.” (Exodus 19:8)

Here is my point- Jesus went “all in” for His children because we will not. We can’t earn it and won’t ever be successful trying, even with the best intentions. If we think otherwise we are depending on self, focused too much on what we need to do, and not looking to Him for all things.

Should believers desire to surrender all and go “all in” for Him?  Yes!

But, the reality is we will fail.  And when we do I am afraid this book leads us to the false notion that we must then try harder so as not to disappoint God or forfeit his blessings.  Perhaps we think doing something bigger or giving up more will gain back His favor.  All self-focused action instead of resting in the security of His deliverance.

This book is in stark contrast to the one I will be going through this summer with a group of ladies. It’s Steve Brown’s Three Free Sins.  Instead of focusing on what we need to do, it actually shows us what we fail to do!  I know that really makes you want to go read it :), but if your hope is built on the gospel alone it should!  Here is what this author says:

“You don’t have to get better to get God to love you. You don’t have to get better to maintain God’s love… You don’t have to get better to be forgiven. You don’t have to get better to make a difference. And you don’t have to get better to be sanctified or holy.”

This is freeing!  God takes me as I am and uses me despite my sin!

There is no spiritual heirarchy and though we grow in grace, sanctification is life-long and looks different in each of our lives.  For some, transformation may be “a totally different life” (as Batterson says going “all in” does), but for others you may be barely hanging on with faith like a mustard-seed and for every step forward it’s two steps back.  Well, guess what?  When you are His, your sin is no longer the issue.  

You are “in!”  

He is always faithful.  He will never forsake or fail His children. He is full of endless grace and will do with your life exactly what He has purposed!

Praise the Lord! This is the One I am called to worship and the One who frees me so I don’t have to beat myself up on whether I’m “all in” enough.

Jesus + Nothing = Everything!

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The Circle Maker Book Review

You may or may not know that today, the first Thursday of May, has been designated the National Day of Prayer since signed it to law in 1952.  Since I’ve just recently read a book on prayer I thought it would be appropriate to do something a little different with my blog post today and give you my review of The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, New-York Times best-selling author and lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C.

You may have heard of it or seen it at your local bookstore as it seems to be popular in many Christian circles (no pun intended).  Mr. Batterson challenges us through the book to pray and to pray more fervently. His desire in prompting us to pray is that God would be supremely glorified through our prayers as we bow in dependence before our Savior King. God indeed loves to hear the cries of his children and instructs us to call on His name for all things.

Since reading The Circle Maker I have been led to pray more frequently and about more things throughout the day. This awareness has also exposed to me where I have neglected prayer as a lifeline to my Lord, who is deserving of all my praise and the only One able to move mountains. For this I am thankful to be reminded again of my need to pray. However the overall message of the book leads me more to myself then to the One I am praying to.

Mr. Batterson’s expressed heart desire for God’s glory to reign supreme is overshadowed throughout by the preeminence of the “circle maker”.  The legend of the circle maker focuses on the first century BC sage, Honi, who drew a circle around him and swore to the Lord that he would not move outside the circle until God delivered rain.  When the rain began to fall a generation was saved from the extreme drought and Honi was exalted for his bold prayer.

This legend is the impetuses behind the author’s urging that we follow in Honi’s boldness by drawing a figurative circle around our prayers and not move outside of that circle until God answers them. This requires praying hard and praying long.  The author asserts that when we faithfully see our prayers through, God will faithfully respond.

The implications of this “winning” new formula for prayer concern me. First, the action and emphasis is placed on us, the circle makers- the ones praying. Not on God.  By focusing on our method, level of faith and action, we have inadvertently become the primary actors with God succumbing to our commands. While I don’t think this is the author’s intent, this is the theology that is bred when the focus is placed primarily on us and not Christ.  Similarly when a sermon does not fully give Christ in the passage but goes straight to personal application.

Now it is up to us to have enough faith, to work hard enough and to get the formula right. In the case of prayer if we don’t get the answer we want or God seems to be silent, we are left to ourselves to try harder to please Him.  Banking on the misconception that if we do it all “right”, He will bless us.

But what if we fail? What if God is silent? What did we do wrong? What if I’m outside of God’s will? Where is our hope?

There is a lot of guilt and burden in these questions, which is why it is so important that we see ourselves rightly before our Holy God.  It is not about us. Jesus did it all. He lived a perfect life that was credited to us when He sacrificially went to the cross on our behalf. God literally turned His back on His Son; He did not answer Jesus’ prayer “to let this cup pass before Me”.  The answer to Jesus was No because His death and resurrection is the only way we will ever find rest. Because of that we can now come before Him, fully dependent, empty-handed with nothing to offer. There is no working harder, living more perfectly; praying better or longer, or fasting or circling that will earn our righteousness before Him.

God is glorified when we find our life and dependence in Him, not by striving in our own ability.

Which points to the fallacy in the book that in order for God to come through, we must “pray through”.  We are told that by doing so God sees we are serious enough so He will then intervene. If this is true, I am led to believe that God cannot or will not work apart from our fervent and faithful prayers. But the amazing thing about God is He works and answers prayers despite our faithlessness and failures!

I don’t know about you, but that is way more comforting to me knowing that even though I am inadequate and forget to pray and don’t even know exactly what to pray, God still acts! He doesn’t wait on me, my “prayer cue” as the author calls it. Or test me or hold back answers until I get it together or remember to ask. Praise God! I can only imagine the despair we would find ourselves in if we believe our “better” prayers could’ve saved someone from dying of cancer or prevented an accident from happening.

Now hear me, I am not saying that our prayers do not move God to act. We are called to pray and it is awesome when we see God’s hand at work and know that He has heard our prayers and found delight in answering them the way we wanted. To God Be the Glory! And To God Be the Glory that He makes miracles happen and changes hearts and situation even when we don’t realize it and He gets no recognition or glory.

This is contrary to the book’s message that bolder, bigger prayers bring Him more glory because we get to see more miraculous, bigger answers. That is awesome, indeed. But just as spectacular is the fact that the God of the Universe cares deeply about the minute details of our lives and intervenes constantly in ways we will never even know. Furthermore, the statement that “miracles are the by-product of prayers that were prayed by you and for you” discredits God of the very glory the author espouses to be the reason for our bold prayers. Again, it seems to all hinge on us and our ability.

Instead of working to grow our faith by praying better and bolder with a circle around it as this book proclaims redundantly, “solid-rock” faith grows only when it is firmly rooted in the power of the gospel.  We need to see Jesus, who He is and what He has done on our behalf.  To see that He is the source of all hope, not my prayer technique, my faith, my unwavering resolve to not get out of the circle before He answers. When we begin to understand more deeply our daily need of a Savior, then we will be drawn more to prayer and to praise. More drawn outside of our self-focus and on to the face of the One who upholds us by His grace even when we step outside of His encircling arms. In Him we will find rest whether He answers our prayers the way we want or not.  And in these answers we find peace knowing that everything that comes to pass is according to His sovereign will.

Now I can walk in confidence to come boldly to His throne of grace…

Come boldly to a throne of grace… Ye wretched sinners come;

And lay your load at Jesus’ feet… And plead what He has done.

 “How can I come?” Some soul may say,“I’m lame and cannot walk;

My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth; I sigh, but dare not talk.”

Come boldly to the throne of grace, Though lost, and blind, and lame;

Jehovah is the sinner’s Friend, And ever was the same.

He makes the dead to hear His voice, He makes the blind to see;

The sinner lost He came to save, And set the prisoner free.

Come boldly to the throne of grace, For Jesus fills the throne;

And those He kills He makes alive; He hears the sigh or groan.

Poor bankrupt souls, who feel and know … The hell of sin within,

Come boldly to the throne of grace; The Lord will take you in.

(Red Mountain Music)

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