Reyes
wants Christians to become agents of redemption. He calls that
redemptive mission “The Jesus Agenda.” That means “preaching
good news to the poor, proclaiming freedom for prisoners, recovering
sight for the blind, releasing the oppressed, and proclaiming the
year of the Lord's favor for everyone in our circle of influence.”
(10)
To
help us understand what that means, he tells his own story, the story
of Robert Buckner, and stories from Buckner International. He reviews
the meaning of redemption and its use in the Bible. “Redemption is
God's movement in history to rescue individuals from the dominion of
darkness into the realm of the Kingdom of Jesus, his Son.” (22) He
explores what it means to be an agent of redemption both locally and
globally, and what may be possible in the future.
He
draws insights about redemption from stories in the Bible. For
example, from Joseph's story, we learn “nothing can stop God's
redemptive plan for our lives.” Also, “Redemption does not mean a
life exempt from pain, hurt, mistreatment, or injustice.” And, “the
redeeming God is able to reverse tangible problems, destructive
circumstances, and extremely harsh situations for his redemptive
purpose and glory.” (40) From Moses we learn that when we feel
disqualified for ministry, God will qualify us on his own merits, not
ours.
Reyes
desires to ignite a passion in his readers to become agents of redemption. The
stories he tells are very inspiring. Many of then are related to the
work of Buckner International, a faith-based social services
organization that has been ministering worldwide for 135 years. He
reminds us that Christians in the west have the ease of travel and
the abundance of financial resources and therefore have a a greater
responsibility to serve “the least of these.”
Are
you an agent of redemption? “...[a] person who looks at his or her
world wondering how the Kingdom of God can come near in his or her
local community in real and tangible ways”? (77) If you have
experienced the redeeming love of the good news of Jesus, you are.
You have a calling to demonstrate a transformed life and influence
the people in your circle, focusing in their redemptive potential.
“Only Jesus does the work of redemption, yet we are his hands and
feet.” (63)
This
book will inspire you. It did me. The stories Reyes tells are so
encouraging. His teaching reveals The Jesus Agenda as a ministry in which each
of us can participate. Reyes has included thought provoking
questions at the end of each chapter so this book would make a great
choice for a mission committee or other small group. It is also a
good book for ministry leaders to read with a view to releasing
people into redemptive ministry. There is much to be done. Each of us
can be a part of Jesus' redemptive work. This book will inspire you
to get going.
You
can learn more about Buckner International at www.buckner.org
and at Reyes' blog, www.bucknerprez.com.
You can learn about their ministry of giving shoes at
www.shoesfororphansouls.com and their Foster-to-Adopt program at www.beafamily.org.
You can see an overview of the book and read testimonials at
http://www.jesusagendabook.com/.
Dr.
Albert L. Reyes is President/CEO of Buckner International, a global
ministry dedicated to transforming the lives of the most vulnerable
children, orphans, families, and senior adults. He previously served
as President of Baptist University of the Americas and a local church
pastor and church starter. He and his wife have three adult sons.
Believers
Press, 181 pages.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book through The Barnabas
Agency for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
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