Tom Lennie reviews ‘Longing for Revival: From Holy Discontent to Breakthrough Faith’ by James Choung and Ryan Pfeiffer (2020)

Paul Luckraft interviews author Steve Maltz about his latest book, ‘Shalom’.

Over the years, I have reviewed most of Steve’s books for Prophecy Today and in the past I interviewed him to find out what motivated him to go on writing. “I was born to write, that is my gift” was his reply, and it would seem that with Shalom, his 25^th book, that gift is still in full flow. But a valid question remains: why another book? And why this particular book?

Steve admits to being on a personal journey and that writing books is his way of continuing that journey. As he explains in the preface of Shalom, “every book is a personal odyssey and a time of great learning” (p9). Pressing him further on this, he added that “I always write what is on my heart and each time I finish a book I think the journey may have ended, but so far it hasn’t.”

The journey actually started when he was crossing London Bridge ten years ago and God began to show him how the Church had lost ‘the Way’ by detaching itself from its Hebraic roots. Many books later, Shalom brings that vision into greater focus.

Its theme is an exploration of what Paul in Ephesians calls the ‘One New Man’ (Eph 2:15). If the Church is ever to recover what it lost in the past and achieve God’s shalom, God’s peace, it will need to embrace the truth that Christ has broken down the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile and that Gentiles are Gospel heirs together with Israel: members together of one Body, sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:6). Steve’s argument is that embracing this truth will bring renewal to the Church, individually and corporately.

Searching for Answers

As such, Steve isn’t just writing for his own benefit. He believes others are asking the same questions that God has put on his heart, and seeking the same answers. This was dramatically illustrated just an hour or so before meeting up with me in London.

If the Church is ever to recover God’s shalom, God’s peace, it will need to embrace the truth that Christ has broken down the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile.

Prior to our interview, Steve visited a major London bookshop to introduce his new book and drop off a couple of copies. While talking to the staff there one of the customers overheard him explaining the book and suddenly burst into tears! “This is just what I’ve been looking for!” she explained. And then added that she had been on a train on the Underground when God had told her to get off at that station and go to the bookshop there. She had no idea why at the time, but clearly God knew what she needed!

Just like this lady in the bookshop, readers new to Steve’s books can start with Shalom without having to read all that has gone before. Each of his books stands alone and usually contains several quotes or references to previous ones. To this end, the first part of Shalom takes us back over how the Church lost the Way, the Truth and the Life by severing ourselves from Israel and our Hebraic roots. Here, Steve explains the problems in the Church that show our need for God’s shalom, found only in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).

After a short second part on ‘The Shalom of Salvation’, in the third part we are reminded how the key to recovering the Hebraic nature of the Christian faith is function, not form. In other words, it’s about discovering and developing our roles and callings – who we are and what we do - rather than about offices and structures; it’s about being and doing ‘church’ rather than church as an institution or set of rituals. This is a significant theme in his previous books.

After this comes Part Four, which is devoted to exploring what shalom means when it comes to the Church and the idea of the One New Man. It should be stressed that just because the title is ‘Shalom’, the book is not merely a study on this particular word. Rather, as the subtitle emphasises, here we discover ‘God’s Masterplan’ for oneness or completeness, which Steve unpacks through seven other Hebrew words (simcha, chaim, kadosh, chesed, mishpocha, limmud, berakhot). Through these we can reverse all the Greek thinking that has dominated Church life since the 2^nd Century and undo the unbiblical practices introduced by Constantine and others.

In short, Steve asks the big question: what would the Church look like if there had been no influence from Greek philosophy or Roman emperors? Through these Hebraic concepts the answer starts to emerge. The next big question is, who will be brave enough to try it the Hebraic way?!

Steve believes that others are asking the same questions that God has put on his heart, and seeking the same answers.

Joyous Conclusion

The final part of the book came as a surprise, even to Steve. “Here’s a chapter I never intended to write because it references a series of events that came after the writing of the first draft of this book” (p215). At the ‘Foundations 10’ Hebraic conference in Devon, Steve saw Hebraic church come alive, in practice – ‘it happened in Devon!’ is the joyous conclusion to the book.

Shalom is being launched this weekend at the 'Foundations 11' conference, being held at The Hayes in Swanwick. The conference is appropriately entitled ‘One New Man’ and will continue to explore the theme further through teaching and discussion.

That walk over London Bridge many years ago has certainly borne a lot of fruit. Is the journey reaching a conclusion? I doubt it. The next book, and 'Foundations 12', are already being planned!

‘Shalom’ (234 pages, paperback) is available from Saffron Planet Publishing for £10.

Brief reviews of treasures both new and old.

Paul Luckraft sets us up for summer with a selection of mini-reviews.

A Fresh Understanding of Israel (Ed. Adam Raffell and Jacob Vince, 2017)

This slim volume, commissioned by Love Never Fails, contains seven short chapters by different writers, including David Noakes, Stephen Briggs and Alex Jacobs. Each chapter has a key question as its title and the words ‘fresh understanding’ in the overall title indicates that the approach is to counter the prevailing negative assessment of Israel within most Christian circles.

The chapters include what made the people of Israel significant in the first place, what role the Promised Land plays, and a consideration of 'Is Israel still ‘Israel’?' All the chapters are excellent summaries of the topics covered, perhaps the best being 'Did the disciples stop being ‘Jews’?'

The book ends with a full reading list both on a chapter by chapter basis and of other specific perspectives not covered in the chapters. This is an easy read and ideal to pass on to someone not yet aware of the importance of Israel.

‘A Fresh Understanding of Israel’ (70 pages) is available from CFI for £5.

The Mighty and the Almighty: How Political Leaders Do God (Ed. Nick Spencer, biteback publishing, 2017)

This is an intriguing book which explores why in a secular age so many politicians and world leaders profess a Christian faith. It also asks key questions: how sincere is this faith? Does (or did) their faith shape their politics, or does (did) their politics shape their faith? And if so, how?

The book covers 24 political figures of the past forty years, from Thatcher and Reagan, through Mandela and Clinton, to May and Trump, bringing it right up to date. Others featured include Tony Blair, George W Bush, Angela Merkel, Barack Obama and David Cameron. But there are also several surprises (Vaclav Havel, Vladimir Putin) and even some relative unknowns, which creates an intriguing mix overall. Inevitably such a book can never include more than a small sample of world leaders over such a period but it is still a worthwhile project.

There are 13 contributors rather than a single author, but each chapter follows a similar structure: introduction, some biographical and background details, analysis of their faith and politics, conclusion. The book closes with a final conclusion by the editor.

Tim Farron is not one of those featured, but his recent resignation as leader of the Liberal Democrats makes this a timely book. His resignation would have been too late to be included anyway, but he does get a mention at the very start of the introduction. The editor recalls a fringe meeting of the Labour Party conference at which a well-known Labour MP reacted to Farron’s election as party leader in 2015 by attacking not his policies but his fundamental religious beliefs as “an evangelical Christian who believes in the literal truth of the Bible” - the implication being that Farron would have to hide this in order to avoid embarrassment. Now read on…!

‘The Mighty and the Almighty’ (348 pages, hardback) is available from the publisher for £18.99. Also available as an e-book.

The Strange Death of Europe (Douglas Murray, Bloomsbury, 2017)

The title sums it up! Europe is dying and this strange phenomenon needs an explanation. The author contends that the whole continent is engaging in an act of collective suicide due to two simultaneous factors, namely that the mass movement of peoples into Europe is being allowed at the same time as Europe is losing faith in its beliefs, traditional values and cultural heritage. No longer internally strong enough to absorb a mass influx of peoples of different cultures, Europe has set itself on a course that will change it irrevocably.

The subtitle, ‘Immigration, Identity, Islam’, indicates the main aspects under scrutiny. It is their interaction which is creating the conditions for a successful cultural/religious transformation. The book is well-researched with plenty of evidence to support the thesis of the author who has also travelled widely across the continent to provide first-hand reports and eye-witness accounts.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about Europe? Will it survive its current crisis? This may not be an overtly Christian book but it does contain an intelligent and thought-provoking analysis which if correct is deeply significant for Christians. Those with godly ears will hear what God is saying about Europe and its future.

‘The Strange Death of Europe’ (344 pages) is available from the publisher for £17.09 (paperback).

Re-discovering treasures from the past….

The Grace Outpouring (Roy Godwin and Dave Roberts, David C Cook, 2008, re-published 2012)

In this powerful and inspiring book Roy Godwin shares how he turned down a lucrative consulting job to lead the retreat centre Ffald-y-Brenin tucked away in a remote part of Pembrokeshire. His uncertainty on what would happen next was answered by God in an amazing way. People simply turned up, not always knowing why. But God did. “God gave us an answer as he sent people to us and met with them through prayers of blessing and the sheer wonder of finding themselves in his presence” (p45).

Over the years God has drawn thousands of seekers to this converted hill-farm where his healing and power is tangible and life-transforming. This book relates many fascinating stories of God’s work on a remote Welsh hillside as well as inspiring insights into how God can work in readers’ own communities. Highly commended.

‘The Grace Outpouring’ (185 pages) is available from Ffald-y-Brenind-y-Brenin for £8.99, where you can also purchase a newer book by Roy Godwin called 'The Way of Blessing'. Find out more about Ffald-y-Brenin on their website.

Jesus is the Question (Martin Copenhaver, Abingdon Press, 2014)

It is well known that asking questions was central to Jesus’ teaching, but not many of us will have studied them in detail or given enough thought to how powerful they are. This book is an excellent way to remedy this.

The book contends that Jesus is not so much the Answer Man as the Great Questioner. In the Gospels Jesus asks many more questions than he answers. To be precise, we are told that Jesus asks 307 questions, while he is asked 183 of which he only answers eight of them directly (some have argued only three). You can do your own count, but there is a useful chapter which focuses on these eight.

The book is well written, containing solid Biblical teaching illustrated by many examples from the author’s pastoral ministry. The final chapter contains a digest of about half of Jesus’ questions and suggestions for how these could be studied as a group. There is also an appendix containing a chapter-by-chapter readers’ guide, which of course consists of more questions for us to consider!

How well do we know Jesus? We will know him much better once we hear him question us. “Whatever else it means to follow Jesus, it certainly means letting Jesus’ questions guide our lives, rather than our own questions. Following Jesus is living the questions that Jesus asks” (p130). Highly commended.

‘Jesus is the Question’ (160 pages) is available from Amazon for £5.65.

Great Britain has fallen! (2002) and Awake! Great Britain (2005), both by Wale Babatunde

These two books by Wale Babatunde remain very relevant for our nation today and are worth picking up second hand.

When ‘Great Britain has fallen!’ first appeared Clifford Hill wrote the following endorsement:

“Wale Babatunde has produced an eminently worthwhile book, timely, well researched and with a prophetic ring of truth. From bishops to lay preachers, all who preach the Word of God in British churches should read this book. Through the eyes of an African Christian it brings a godly perspective on our ungodly land, but does so with grace and humility, as well as with hope for the future. I warmly commend it.”

Available from Amazon very cheaply.

The House that God Built: 100 years of God’s Working in the Congo (David Womersley, CAM International, 2015) – review by Maureen Trowbridge.

Throughout this book we learn about the marvellous way in which ‘God built His house’ in the Congo. It is a wonderful example of God’s amazing grace working through his people in the great pioneer African mission work Congo Evangelistic Mission (now CAM International). At its height they were responsible for 5,000 churches and fellowships. In spite of external pressures, civil war, diseases, persecution and even martyrdom, God won the lives of multitudes of men, women, boys and girls to follow Christ in a wonderful way.

David Womersley writes in a most moving and enthralling way about the everyday lives of his parents and other pioneer missionaries, up to the present day. It is very inspiring and exciting to read some of the events that occurred in the lives of those missionaries, of the people who became Christians and worked with them for the Lord, of the many miracles that happened and the schools and a Bible College which were founded.

I could not put this book down because I wanted to know what transpired next – so many things were happening as the chapters unfolded, some joyful, others sad – all moving! It is also full of good illustrations and photographs.

A compelling read - I would certainly recommend it.

‘The House That God Built’ is available from CAM International for £5 plus £1.50 P&P. Order by getting in touch with the office, or through the ‘Donate now’ button on this page.

Going on holiday and searching for the perfect book to accompany you on your travels? Look no further than the books we've reviewed on Prophecy Today so far this year.

Journey into the riches of the Bible with Keller's My Rock, My Refuge (on the Psalms), or Whitworth's The Way of Wisdom. If you are keen to learn more about Israel's place in the plan of God, past, present and future, you may like Joel Richardson's provocatively-entitled When a Jew Rules the World.

For meatier explorations of anti-Semitism in the Church, try The Jews: Why Have Christians Hated Them? by Gordon Pettie, or Merrill Bolender's When the Cross Became a Sword. Alternatively, for exciting and encouraging stories about the love of Jesus transforming both Arabs and Jews in Israel today, read Julia Fisher's recent book, What is God Doing in Israel?

If your preferred subjects are politics and the state of the nation, you might like Melanie Phillip's The World Turned Upside-Down. Or, if your passion is seeing the Church recover its Hebraic roots and get back to biblical basics, why not try Heidler's Messianic Church Arising or Stephanie Cottam's Ready or Not - He is Coming, or start a journey with Steve Maltz? We have reviewed several of his books including his trilogy on the Western Church: How the Church Lost The Way, How the Church Lost The Truth, and To Life, as well as his 'God' trilogy: God's Signature, God's Blueprint and God's Tapestry.

Just click on the links above to read our reviews and for purchasing information.

Happy reading!

Read about the meeting on 9 April 2016.

On behalf of the Prophecy Today team, I would like to extend my hearty thanks to all who attended our 1^st Anniversary Celebration this past Saturday (9 April 2016) – and further thanks to all who prayed from afar!

We all enjoyed an extremely encouraging day at Regents Hall (Salvation Army), London, with more than 70 in attendance (including the team), many of whom had come long distances. We also really valued sharing the day with Issachar Ministries, Prophecy Today's parent charity, which hosted its 2016 Open Day alongside.

The whole day proved a great opportunity to celebrate the year past and to express hopes and desires for the year to come, to thank God for his faithfulness in re-establishing Prophecy Today (and getting it off to a flying start!) and to stand together with united hearts and purpose.

The day was opened with worship, led by Prophecy Today's Managing Editor, Frances Rabbitts. Following this, reports were shared by members of both the Issachar Ministries and the Prophecy Today teams, analysing the year previous. The atmosphere was very informal and delegates were able to chip in with questions and feedback as things progressed. There were also opportunities in small groups to lift up the nation in prayer, and to share with one other what we feel God has been saying. There was a sense of unity and urgency in this which was a privilege to experience.

Prior to lunch everyone was treated to the inspirational speaking of Paul Szkiler, who shared about his recent investment and discipleship ventures in Sierra Leone. Sadly, we were unable to be joined by David Noakes, who is recovering from an eye operation and would value your prayers.

In the afternoon the Prophecy Today Editorial Board took it in turns to speak to the group about one part of the magazine's work, including their hopes for its future development. Led by Clifford Hill, reviews were given of each of Prophecy Today's major sections, including its topical comments, study material, resource provision and focus on Israel.

Clifford Denton also formally introduced delegates to a new Bible study website currently being developed as a joint project between Issachar Ministries and Prophecy Today, promising Scripture study courses for members and a forum for communal discussion.

Towards the end of the day, Board members were prayed for individually, which was a source of real encouragement and refreshment. Things were drawn to a close with prayer and worship, but delegates stayed around afterwards to chat, pray for each other and peruse the resources stand stocked by Issachar Ministries.

In all, the day provided a fantastic booster for the Prophecy Today team as they head into their second year – and from the feedback, it was a great encouragement for delegates too. Now that we have all headed back to our own churches, workplaces and communities, we hope and pray that God will continue to affirm in our hearts the strong sense of togetherness - that feeling of being part of God's broader agenda for this nation and beyond - which was brought so deftly to the fore on Saturday.

Frances Rabbitts, Managing Editor
On behalf of the Prophecy Today UK Editorial Board

Additional Notes

If you would like us to send you a e-copy of Prophecy Today's 1^st annual review, please send us an email.

We would also ask our community of supporters to continue to pray about making a regular financial commitment to the ministry (however small). We keep our costs low but have some overheads that we would like to share, especially since we do not want to make a charge to readers of the site. An underlying theme of our ministry, shared on Saturday, was that we are building an interactive community that will continue to grow together. If the Lord is leading you to contribute financially (either personally or through the ministry of your church fellowship) please let us know and we will send details of how to donate.