Gospel Wakefulness [Paperback]

What's the thing that's supposed to captivate Christians, above all else? What should motivate us to greater heights of joy, to greater levels of confidence and boldness in our daily lives? The gospel. For the Christian, there's no better news than the good news of Jesus' perfect life, death and resurrection. Nothing comes close. So why is it that we seem kind of ambivalent to it--as it it were something that we need to hear once and then can move on to "bigger and better things"?

What's happened to us that causes us to stop marvelling at the gospel? What's made us fall asleep--and how do we wake up? Jared Wilson wants to help us do that in his new book, Gospel Wakefulness. In this book, Wilson seeks to help readers regain a sense of wonder as he explains what it means to be awakened anew to the gospel and it's implications.

They say that you shouldn't write a book that you haven't lived. And if this book is any indication, Wilson has lived his subject matter well. His love and passion for the gospel is evident in this book--his awe, his excitement, permeates every word as he explains all the concepts behind gospel wakefulness.

And what does gospel wakefulness mean, exactly, anyway? Wilson defines it as, "treasuring Christ more greatly and savoring his power more sweetly" (p. 24). Whether it's a "quantum leap forward" or a "gradual dawn," gospel wakefulness occurs through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, "administering the goodness of the gospel" (p. 31). So basically it's a greater understanding and sense of awe and amazement at who Christ is and what He has done. It's an awakening of the renewed and redeemed affections that we've been given as new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

But this is not something that we can learn; it's not something that can be systematized and run as a mid-week program. No technique can bring someone to gospel wakefulness, despite our ingenuity. "Really," writes Wilson, "there are only two steps to gospel wakefulness: be utterly broken and be utterly awed. But neither of these things are things you can really do. They are things only God can do for you" (p. 35).

This utter brokenness, Wilson explains, is nonnegotiable. "To honestly proclaim the greatness of Christ requires honestly confessing the bankruptcy of our own souls," he writes (p. 41). As long as we have other options, Jesus will never be our absolute treasure. That's where pain comes into play--the trials of life draw us closer to Christ, who, rather than normally delivering us from suffering, chooses to do something for us in our suffering. In other words, the situations that we find ourselves in are of no surprise to God--they are opportunities for us to grow in greater dependency on Him, to recognize our need and dependency.

"Sometimes when God closes a door, he doesn't intend to open a window. Sometimes when God closes a door, its' because he wants us inside when the building collapses. . . . God is the Lord over pain; the pain of ife is subject to his power and prerogatives. Because of this . . . we can be confident that our pain is being used for our good. We be sure that no thorns will pierce our flesh except those that will do so for his glory." (p. 46)

This nonnegotiable brokenness is necessary for gospel wakefulness, but it's what leads to great joy and confidence in the gospel--you can't marvel at the gospel without it. And really, that's the point of this entire book--to help you see the wondrous beauty of the gospel. It helps us escape the grip of hyper-spirituality and hopeless legalism, both trying to earn our own sanctification and fail to satisfy. It drives us to study the Scriptures with an eye fixed on Christ and allowing us to truly understand what the Bible is truly about. "We read for more and more knowledge of the hope we have been called to, for more and more glimpses of the riches of our glorious inheritance" (p. 124). Gospel wakefulness allows you to persevere in prayer, knowing that truly, Jesus is your only hope. As Wilson puts it so well, "Until God is your only hope, God will not be your only hope" (p. 127).

Much of the language of Gospel Wakefulness is rooted in feeling--and because of that, it's important to recognize, as the author does, that no two people feel things the same way. Some are more reserved in their emotions, where others are a bit more boisterous. (This acknowledgement was particularly helpful for me, given that I tend to be more on the reserved side.) So the point of gospel wakefulness is not looking for a warm fuzzy, but recognizing that wherever and however you top out emotionally, you do so at the gospel "All of us are moved by something. When I say that gospel wakefulness is about feelings, I only mean that what should move you most is the reality that Christ died and rose for you" (p. 148).

This is good news for all of us, especially those who suffer for depression. It means that no matter how bad it gets, no matter how hopeless things may seem, Christ is bigger than despair. This hope allows the depressed Christian to thumb their noses at depression--they know it can't win, because Christ already has. And Wilson's encouragement to the depressed is that "you will outlast depression, because Christ in you, the hope of glory, will outlast it" (p. 157).

As much as I appreciate Gospel Wakefulness, I do have one point of concern. That is the distinction between the gospel awakened Christian and the one who believes, but isn't necessarily captivated by the gospel. My concern is that this distinction could be used to create a false dichotomy between believers--as if there were Varsity and Junior Varsity Christians (an idea that tends to permeate certain segments of Pentecostal circles). While I'm not sure that was Wilson's intention, it's something that could be problematic for some readers who are particularly sensitive to that kind of thing. But it reveals an elephant in the room--can a believer truly not be in awe of the gospel? We all have season where our hearts wander and our affections are weak, but do the Scriptures give us room to say that there really is a distinction? I'm not sure that the Scriptures give us room to say that it's the case, particularly as we look to what Jesus says to the lukewarm Laodiceans in Rev. 3:16. But then again, I don't think it would be terribly wise to plant a flag too firmly without serious amounts of prayer and study.

Gospel Wakefulness is a captivating picture of what it means to have a heart that is awe-struck by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Wilson's exuberant passion for the good news will encourage and inspire you as you read this book. I trust you'll come away from the book further amazed at the grace of God in Christ.

What is Gospel Wakefulness?

For some people it happens simultaneous with conversion but for others, like me, it happens at a time after conversion. What is gospel wakefulness? Wilson defines it as "treasuring Christ more greatly and savoring his power more sweetly". (24)

It is not a second conversion experience nor is it equivalent to the new birth (24). It is a strengthening of the affections for Christ alone that comes through beholding the glory of Christ at an intersection of profound brokenness (32). It is Wilson's contention that those that are bored with the gospel say such things because they have never experienced gospel wakefulness.

If I understand Wilson correctly he is saying that gospel proclamation is its own catalyst. Rather than being afraid of the monotony of the gospel we should proclaim it over and over and over and over and over again. The more it is proclaimed the sweeter it becomes. Rather than becoming boring and drab the gospel actually gets better the more it is experienced and beheld. (Perhaps it may be better to say Jesus becomes sweeter the more He is experienced and beheld).

As Wilson weaves stories, illustrations, and biblical defenses throughout this book he is making one simple point Jesus is big enough to captivate our every affection so rather than assuming the gospel let's proclaim it over and over again. The gospel is what drives sanctification. The gospel is what ties a broken and depressed person to a strong and faithful Christ, so let's proclaim it in the midst of darkness. The gospel transforms our hearts and therein also transforms spiritual disciplines. It brings confidence as it links us to Christ.

This book, then, is a simple passionate and emboldened plea to keep the gospel central in our lives and in our churches. It's not a formula or a magic potion. In fact, Wilson admits up front that gospel wakefulness "can't be learned" (34). He explains:

"...all I mean is, neither I nor anyone else can say to you, `Be awed by the gospel,' and have you say, `Okay,' and make the decision of awe. I can and should tell you to `Behold!'--and that is the major function of this book--but whether you will truly see is up to God , and it is usually dependent on how dim all your earthly hopes have grown for you."

Should You Buy It?

Absolutely. I echo the sentiment of Matt Chandler when he says of this book, "My eyes filled with tears and my heart flooded with joy on numerous occasions." Wilson is correct in his thesis--the more the gospel is proclaimed the more it awakens the heart. God used this book to strengthen and dare I say re-stimulate the sufficiency of the Christ and His gospel in my own heart. Through reading this book I began to ache for more of Christ. My heart was truly stirred.

I'd buy this book simply because it is filled with gospel proclamation. At every turn you see Wilson pointing to Jesus and saying "Behold". Eventually, it's gonna click and we'll catch glimpses--beautiful, brilliant, radiant glimpses--of the beauty of Christ. Eventually we'll simply become fixated.

Jared C. Wilson, Pastor of Middletown Springs Community Church in Middletown Springs, Vermont has written a heart-felt call to the spiritually lazy Christian to re-awaken to the beauty, freedom, and necessity of the Gospel in the midst of a cultural christian message that has served to place a pillow under the head of well meaning followers of Jesus Christ.

From the beginning Wilson refuses to cut corners as he presents a reminder of what the true Gospel of Jesus Christ is, and begins to describe the concept he refers to as "Gospel Wakefulness", "Treasuring Christ more greatly and savoring his power more sweetly (24)." His goal, as laid out in chapter one, is that, "as we pour over this robust gospel together, you will find more and more cause to exalt in your gospel wakefulness, or perhaps experience it for the first time." This book spoke to me on several different levels, reading this book I found that the Gospel continues to inform my thinking personally in my own walk with Jesus Christ, and as a Pastor of Biblical Counseling.

Wilson presents the concept all to well. In fact, the concept almost immediately becomes the desire of the reader, the "Spiritual euphoria, the exorbitant joy, the desire to leap and praise...spiritually seeing with eyes of faith what you always assumed was there" (33). What true follower of Jesus Christ does not desire that? What true follower of Christ wouldn't want to know how to grow in that concept? Wilson paints a beautiful picture of what our relationship with God can be under the banner of "Gospel Wakefulness" and then brings a disappointing truth to bare on the conversation when he writes, "I cannot lay out gospel wakefulness in a technique or a system like your mom might lay out your Sunday clothes (35)." Wilson admits this is not a self-help program, with six steps to a deeper walk with God. While I understand that, and while I appreciate that Wilson does not desire to try and present a program, I found myself frustrated at first as I read this book. My desire was to blame, or accuse Wilson of speaking down to his readers. My critique pictured Wilson, and those he deemed spiritually awakened, to be on a higher spiritual plane, as if to say, "You haven't arrived until you have experienced Gospel Wakefulness". I pictured a usual spiritual conversion of the individual who came to Christ as a means of avoiding Hell. Yes, he believed in Christ, and yes, Ihe loved him, but, if he was completely honest, he did not want to go to Hell when Ihe died. That is a picture of us in our immaturity, but it is an immaturity of faith that I believe Christ views just as valid as the one who has experienced what Wilson considers, "Gospel Wakefulness." To be fair, Wilson was not saying that this type of salvation experience was invalid, he was saying that often times our understanding of the Gospel can, and should mature over time. Many times this maturity is like a "Spiritual quantum leap in...sanctification, in which God [brings] the gospel to bear powerfully," in our everyday situations (29). As I continued reading I realized that it was my desire to grow in love with Jesus Christ, and experience even more the depths of gospel maturity that awaited me on this path which led to my frustration. This is when i realized that Wilson's writing had awakened me to the idea that the pursuit of such a faith was a journey worth taking. In terms of a tool to deepen one's personal walk with Jesus Christ I highly recommend this book.

A second area that Wilson's book challenged me was in my Counseling ministry. While the purpose of this book is not to sharpen skills, or develop Biblical Counseling methods it does speak to various issues one would experience in the counseling office. The primary counseling related issues I see addressed in this book are those of Spiritual numbness of emotions, depression, heart idolatry, and personal sanctification. Many times there seems to be a fine line to balance between leading someone to grow deeper in love with their savior, or leading them down the road of behavioristic exercises. Wilson writes, "When we are free from the law's curse, we are set free to the law's blessings. The difference-maker is the gospel and the joyful worship it creates. Any other attempt at law-abiding is just behavior management (115). As a Biblical Counselor I totally agree. My belief is that encouraging any believer to practice the law, (what I normally ask people to do are to engage in a spiritual activity such as certain spiritual disciplines) apart from a deepening love of God is simply leading them to practice behaviorism. The activity alone cannot cure their spiritual struggles, but when "we truly behold the gospel, we can't help but grow in Christ and with the fruit of the Spirit (116)." The difficulty comes because the counselor and the counselee both desire to see changed behavior. The temptation is to work on the superficially presented problem avoiding the inward truth that we all, "worship our way into sin, and we have to worship our way out...the sin problem is just a symptom of a deeper worship problem...affections are set somewhere else. And wherever our affections are set is where our behavior will go (117)." Our goal in helping these individuals must be to help them on the heart level. They must see the truth of their spiritual idolatry, which is what their sin struggle essentially is. Leading them into spiritual disciplines alone is not enough, a counselee, "must behold the wondrous things in God's law...he must be moved to decide to be diligent from a force outside of himself. His eyes must be opened by the Spirit. And in this opening, the law and his keeping of it become wondrous, not tedious (116)." This is the goal of all true gospel teaching, and it is what Wilson says gospel wakefulness accomplishes. If you know someone caught in the trap of spiritual numbness, trying to understand where he stands with God, and why his emotions fall flat, I highly recommend this book.

While these are only a couple area's in which Wilson's book challenged me, the concept he presents has the potential to inform all area's of one's life. The reason is the because the focus is right. Wilson always avoid the hyperspiritual and brings his readers back to a reminder of who we are apart from Jesus Christ, the great lengths God went to for the potential of a relationship with Him to exist, and how that relationship provides freedom and hope in the midst of a dark and fallen world. I am happy to have this book on my bookshelf.