With Jesus, finding your place in the story of Christ

With Jesus takes us on a tour through Jesus’ life to show us how we can find our place in the story of Christ. Christianity is not only a faith founded on facts, but also a deeply personal experience of God’s transforming grace in Christ. While our hope is rooted in history—the events of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension—the Scriptures also teach that every believer is included in these events. From the manger to the cross, from the empty tomb to his glorious throne, Jesus acted for us. And the mystery and wonder of the gospel is that we are crucified, buried, raised, and seated with him. The story of Jesus rewrites our stories.

Publisher: Shepherd Press
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781633421066

______________

Brian G. Hedges is the lead pastor for Fulkerson Park Baptist Church in Niles, Michigan. He has been married to Holly since 1996 and they have four children. Brian is also the author of Christ Formed in You, Active Spirituality, and Christ All Sufficient.

______________

Brian Hedges's "With Jesus" is an excellent guide to understanding how our lives today are intertwined with Jesus' actions in the gospel narratives. [Full disclosure: I was a member of Hedges's church when he preached the sermons leading to this volume and I remain enthusiastic about his ministry.] Written from an evangelical, Reformed standpoint, the book takes various incidents from Jesus' life (his birth, transfiguration, ascension, etc) and illustrates how we today experience each (or at least most) of these incidents through our union with Christ. Hedges's writing is clear and direct while also steeped in theology. The influence of John Owen, C.S. Lewis, and Herman Bavinck is especially evident. Although the book is accessible and free from jargon, readers can be expected to be challenged intellectually (not a bad thing!) They will also be guided pastorally as the book contains plenty of anecdotes or other illustrations regarding the main points. The book is saturated with Scripture and dependent on church history and theology. Especially in our day, this point should not be overlooked. Rather than be carried away by contemporary trends, Hedges always points us back to Scripture and theological tradition. At about 150 pages of texts, the book can be read in small chunks or chapter-by-chapter. It is a recommended volume to anyone wanting to explore the applications of the doctrine of our union with Christ. Benjamin Wetzel