I believe some of the most powerful books ever written by Christians will be published in the coming years.
Why?
Despite our best efforts, Christians failed to transform culture through the ballot box, boycotts, ministry/church programs and use of the media. Worldwide, Christians are not a moral majority but an imperfect minority.
All the seminars, books, and evangelistic meetings did not make the world a perfect place where Christian principles reign. So, all we have left is to depend entirely on God’s power and grace.
Maybe that’s not a bad strategy after all.
We prayed for revival and I believe it is imminent, but not because governments and courts are on our side, but because they are not. Revival will come because God is on our side.
In the coming years, Christian books will be more powerful than ever before because they will be written from weakness, humility and a minority point of view. The world may laugh and taunt, but through weakness will emerge the power of the Almighty God and his grace, which will draw many to him before he comes again as judge of the earth.
As Christ-followers we know living in weakness and depending on God is far better than living in our own strength and depending on our own ability to influence.
Weakness and failure teach deeper things than strength and success. Humility is more attractive and compelling than self-confidence. Failure drives us towards God while success can make us self focused. Writing from weakness is better than writing from strength.
Books on following God and servant leadership are more effective than books on taking charge of your own life and prideful authoritarian leadership, because it’s the way God intended.
Personally, I have failed a lot. Over the years I have made bad decisions, miscalculations, thought I was right when I wasn’t and so on. Whatever success I or any other Christian experiences is a result of the repeated process of failure, correction, redemption and starting again.
As an agent, I fail on behalf of clients. It’s an awful thing to fail for someone else. Anyone involved in publishing longer than a few months, understands failure. It’s part of life, but I wish it weren’t.
Failure and weakness have a unique dual purpose. While they build character, like iron sharpening iron or fire refining gold, it also reveals character. Every failure creates a public display of one’s character-status for all to see.
Writing and publishing is risky business. Rejection, not meeting expectations, losing money, wasting time and outright failure are part of the life of an author, agent and publisher.
It is neither fair nor logical. It rains on the righteous and unrighteous, the talented writer and not so talented. (By the way, in the Bible, rain is a good thing)
So, Christian authors have a dual problem. They are a rejected minority for being a Christian and they work in a field where failure is an everyday occurrence.
If anyone understands humility, it would be a Christian author.
God has us right where he wants us and the world will be transformed because of it. We’ve prayed for revival and it is on its way. But not because of anything we did.
I assume the world will continue to react to the message of Christ the same as they did the first time he came. Many loved him, but most hated him.
The best Christian books are on their way. And it’s going to be pretty exciting to have a front row seat to the show.
While we might fail in this world, it is comforting to know one day, maybe soon, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus was right all along.
So let’s get to work.
