Three Important Updates

Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED blog post, the only blog that knows you cannot please all the people all the time. And every Thursday, all those people read this blog.

Before I share the updates, I want to say something that’s on my heart.

Jesus made crystal clear that there is one thing that fulfills the entire Law and the Prophets. It’s this simple word of His:

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

~ Matthew 7:12

That being translated means, treat other people the exact same way you want to be treated in every situation.

For example: DeLisa is in trouble. She reaches out to you for aid. You have the power to stop the bleeding immediately, but you don’t.

If the seats were reversed, you’d want DeLisa to act on your behalf without haste.

Or if it was your spouse, or your parent, or your child who was in the same predicament, you wouldn’t think twice to alleviate their problem speedily.

Ah, but it’s not you nor someone related to you by blood who is in trouble.

Even though you profess to love God and follow Jesus, and maybe you’ve been a Christian for many years, if you don’t treat DeLisa just as you would if it were you or a relative in the same situation, you’ve failed to love. You’ve violated the will of God. And therefore, your professions of love for God are pretty empty.

The Bible puts an even higher premium on this word of Jesus in the book of 1 John where the author says that if we don’t love our brethren in Christ – which means treating our spiritual siblings the same way we want to be treated in every situation – our profession of faith is suspect.

That’s the raw meaning of Matthew 7:12.

Consider it. And more, let’s actively apply it.

Here are three important updates:

Update 1: My signature book Insurgence: Reclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom is still only $1.99 on Kindle, Nook, Apple, etc. (If you live outside the USA, hold your fire. I have no idea if the publisher’s discount applies.)

Update 2: My next book (published by Tyndale) releases in October. It’s a book about God’s power. (By the way, it’s not a book about how to zap demons or “do signs, wonders, and eat cucumbers” (as an old friend used to put it).

There are more than enough books available on the miraculous.

This is a book about divine power in ministry, which covers far more than the miraculous.

All subscribers to this email list will receive a special bonus when it releases. I’ll let you know about it in October. You don’t want to miss it, especially if you’re involved in ministry.

(Of course, if you unsubscribe before then, I’m afraid it’s “No bonus for you!” — says the Bonus Nazi.)

For those of who you run a podcast, I’m currently accepting podcast interview requests on the book for October, November, and December.

Just holler at me if you want to book an interview.

Update 3: The revision and expansion of The Untold Story of the New Testament continues, but at a snail’s pace.

For those new to my work, The Untold Story is my first professionally published book (2005). It was followed by another very early work of mine, Pagan Christianity with George Barna (2008).

Since that time, I’ve written over 18 other titles. Most of them are about the kingdom, the eternal purpose, the fullness of Christ, and spiritual transformation (not ecclesiology).

But given how immature and flawed the original version of The Untold Story was, it absolutely needs to be updated, expanded, and revised.

What takes so much time is the documentation. This edition will have footnotes (instead of endnotes).

Currently, there are over 700 footnotes in the new revision. The footnotes not only alert the reader to my sources, they also provide further details on the main narrative.

By the time the book is finished, that number will increase.

Your continued prayers are appreciated.

One thing that I’ve noticed as I rewrite this new expanded edition is that the original version from 2005 is full of errors and misspellings that were never caught by the editors.

Sigh.

Hopefully the publisher will bring in better editors for the new edition.

Right now, it’s looking like it won’t release for several years.

Again, if you don’t have the old edition, don’t buy it. The new version will be upgraded, updated, and far superior in every way.

I’ve uncovered a great deal about the first-century saga that didn’t appear in the old edition. Not to mention that the new version will be more user friendly.

My hope is that the Lord would use the book to be the new touchstone for understanding the New Testament.

Incidentally, there’s no agenda in the book to promote a certain form of church. (That’s not what this book is about. My three books from 2008 and 2009 did that.)

The Untold Story (revised and expanded) will exist to help us all understand our New Testaments like never before.

Until next Thursday,

fv

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Frank is taking invitations to speak in churches, conferences, seminars, etc. for 2023. If you are interested in inviting him to speak at your event, go to his Speaking page.

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