Customer Reviews

Captured by Grace: No One Is Beyond the Reach of a Loving God

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This book helped me understand the meaning of God's word and the stories He uses to illustrate His point, like The Prodigal Son, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, and the conversion of 17th century slave trader turned abolitionist preacher, John Newton. In addition, I got a good definition of Grace, Mercy, and Justification. It made me think.

Their conversions did not happen overnight. Saul of Tarsus, a Hebrew by birth, a Roman citizen who spoke Greek, and understood Aramaic, which was the language Jesus spoke, persecuted Christians and was on his way to Damascus to arrest the sect he found there before he heard the voice of God say "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

John Newton was a slave trader. He understood the Scriptures thanks to his mother, but he was rebellious. Like the Prodigal Son, grace came when they both hit bottom. In this case, he went below to get a knife for the captain during a storm. The man who took his place on deck was swept overboard. When he retired, the captain that took his place aboard ship was lost at sea.

The trials we Christians go through are a test of faith and endurance. If the Lord removed us from every trial we faced, we wouldn't grow in understanding. By leading us through it, we sometimes understand the reason.

Dr. Jeremiah's words are both timely and timeless. This is a powerful book.

I am fortunate to have Dr. David Jeremiah as my pastor at Shadow Mountain Community Church here in San Diego, CA. His newest book "Captured By Grace" possesses the power of the Holy Spirit as it speaks through him. The words we've seen many times before, "Amazing grace how sweet the sound..." have a new life in this book. I recommend it as a book that will change your life, change your heart, and capture your spirit--the part of you that God seeks and will never rest until it is found. "I once was lost but now am found." You will be blessed by this book, whether you want to be or not.

Regardless of what we have done in the past, no one is beyond the reach of our loving God! What a blessing it is to know that God loves ME (despite all my failures and all my faults)! Using John Newton's hymn "Amazing Grace" as his outline, Dr. Jeremiah explains how God lovingly extends an offer of grace to each and every sinner. Our choice is to accept His offer--or not.

First I must say that David Jeremiah is a great preacher. I used to watch him on tv almost every week, but then stopped watching because of many circumstances. I did however see him on tv recently, and knew I needed to get to work on myself.
After getting a little sidetracked with problems over the past year and a half, I am trying to get back to building my relationship with the Lord.
Captured By Grace was a wonderful book that reminded me that God always loves me, and is always available to both help and comfort me. Sometimes my own sin and shortcomings cause me to feel distant from God and make me feel that He is so very far away from me. After reading both this, and another great book called Passenger's Side, I am feeling like a new person. Both of these are must read books.
Praise the Lord for his grace and faithfulness!

Pastor David Jeremiah uses the lyrics (and the story behind them) of "Amazing Grace" to present a biblical portrait of grace, emphasizing the life and teaching of the Apostle Paul. This easy-to-read, scriptural, and practical volume encourages people to find their source of acceptance in the free but costly grace found in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Sacred Friendships: Listening to the Voices of Women Soul Care-Givers and Spiritual Directors."

David Jeremiah, senior pastor at Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California and founder of the popular radio and television ministry "Turning Point," offers readers words of comfort and hope in his latest book, CAPTURED BY GRACE.

The title examines the powerful message of grace through the lives of two distinct historical figures: John Newton and the Apostle Paul. Newton, who penned "Amazing Grace," had an adventurous but equally difficult life as a slave trader before his conversion. Yet the hymn that he wrote continues to be popular long after Newton's life ended. Jeremiah believes the hymn's renown is not just because it's so well-written but because it's rooted in grace.

He writes: "Grace is shocking --- something like the heavenly converse of a traffic accident. When love is returned for evil, we can't help stopping to rubber-neck. Grace is the delivery of a jewel that nobody ordered; a burst of light in a room where everyone forgot it was dark. Grace turns human politics on its head, right before our eyes. It renounces entire conventional wisdom of social behavior. Grace suggests that human beings may be something more than honor graduates of the animal kingdom after all; that the rumors may be true that purity and goodness are real and alive."

It's this kind of grace that also captured the Apostle Paul. Before his conversion, he was a persecutor of Christians. He went long and far to torment them. But that is when grace grabbed him by the scruff of the neck through an encounter with God that first blinded him before opening his eyes to the truth. Jeremiah points out that the New Testament includes 155 references to grace, and 130 of those references were written by Paul. Grace is found in the beginning and end as well as throughout the letters he wrote as a significant theme. Like Newton, the Apostle Paul was captured by grace.

Drawing from the lives of these two individuals as well as other stories and anecdotes, Jeremiah builds a case that there is grace not only for the past and the present but also for the future. He suggests that grace teaches us to renounce sin, live soberly and revere God. It also teaches us to praise God for all He has done, all He is doing and all He will continue to do. Grace brings us into a closer relationship with Him.

While CAPTURED BY GRACE is a bit disjointed at times, it has a clear message of hope and encouragement. It's filled with a variety of colorful stories and quotes from both the known and the unknown. This book can be read through in its entirety or enjoyed in devotional-size bits. Whether you're a fan of the hymn "Amazing Grace" or of David Jeremiah's writing or ministry, you'll find an insightful look at the role of grace throughout the ages.


--- Reviewed by Margaret Feinberg [...]

I found this book initially at my local library. After just reading the prelude, I knew I would be purchasing this for my own. David Jeremiah has a way of bring subtle nuances to your attention which reverberate within long after the page was turned. This is a one on one conversation about two people pursued by God and how it relates to your life; what really is grace and how can you bring to the world?

"[T]hat saved a wretch like me" is a key phrase in the hymn "Amazing Grace." We are all familiar with the song from either church or television. I remember them singing it on an episode of Little House on the Prairie as well as an episode of Cheers. If I remember correctly, it is also the hymn of choice in funerals when bagpipes are playing. That phrase of the song highlights a key focus of this book, the gift of God's grace to everyone, including the least likely.

To highlight this focus, Dr. David Jeremiah breaks the song into parts to explain what it means biblically. To illustrate, he gives us the life of John Newton (who wrote "Amazing Grace") and the apostle Paul. Both men were some of the least likely of people to be given this gift of grace. Paul persecuted the early Christians, and John Newton was a slave trader.

The book's intent is to instruct us, so the author has broken this down into sections so that the reader can think about each part of the song. In this way, the book is more interactive. The reader will get more from the book if he or she takes a moment in reflection.

The book provides information about the hymn that may not have been known by most people (and I found very interesting), as well as some information about John Newton. The focus of the book, however, is Christian instruction.

Weaving the two stories - the author of the beloved hymn and St Paul show that grace is truly AMAZING!

Grace is a gift; Grace is undeserved; Grace is unmerited; Grace is received. Grace is illustrated through the lives of individuals who have received forgiveness and undeserved salvation. Amazing Grace tells about the love received when Grace is given; that love is defined through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The doctrine of Grace is given in Paul's epistles. Capture by Grace written by David Jeremiah defines Grace received through the lives of John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace and the Apostle Paul. This book will give the reader greater understanding of God's wrath, God's judgment, God's mercy, God's Grace, the atonement, God's forgiveness, God's provision for sinners and God's love. David Jeremiah explores the words of the song Amazing Grace and applies them to the lives of John Newton and Paul. The author details scriptural backing for the lyrics of Amazing Grace by quoting Paul's epistles. This book is an argument against sentiment or to diminish the song's meaning through the changing the word wretch. Both John Newton and Paul knew they deserved hell; both men knew they deserved damnation. No man should demand justice, but praise God that Grace can be received.