Here and Now By Robby Gallaty

A Review

Pastor Gallaty wonders if believers are so obsessed with leaving earth and going to heaven that they miss Jesus’ message on the Kingdom. (page 2) Maybe it is possible to be so heavenly minded you are no earthly good. Not if you truly understand the kingdom, Gallaty believes.  Jesus message is “not a salvation out of the world; it is a rescue mission within the world.” (p. 10)

Section 1: The King Among His People.  Jesus says He and the Father will make a home with the one who loves Him. The Kingdom is here; Jesus is in the world.  “We should quit trying to get out of it.” We need a better understanding of the Old Testament where God personally reigns. The Temple is a physical illustration of this.

Section 2: The Kingdom Among Us. Jesus is the person of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is composed of those who enter it as followers of Jesus. (p 82)

Section 3: Kingdom Conduct. “Our identity influences our activity.” (p 125) Believers are citizens of another realm.  Our life here should be marked by our role as a community of royal priests and divine image-bearers, always remembering that the Kingdom is received, not achieved. (p 146.)  Sometimes God must deal with us, the King to His people, as He did with Israel and Egypt.  It took 40 years to get Egypt out of them. That was the primary goal. He was not just a Savior; He wanted to be Sovereign. (p.148) A kingdom agenda shifts the focus from a ‘come and see’ the church at work model to a ‘disciple and deploy’ model.

Occasionally, my reading slowed down. It was hard to keep pace with the flow, which seemed disjointed from time to time. But the arguments and illustrations are well-planned and Pastor Gallaty proved this premise. “God redeems, to reveal, in order to reign over us, so that we respond with obedience.”

This book will be a good resource for teachers and preachers.

Disclosure: I received this book free from B&H Publishing through the B&H/Lifeway Bloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.