Greater: Dream Bigger. Start Smaller. Ignite God's Vision for Your Life. [Hardcover]

Steven Furtick (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 4, 2012

Are you ready to open your imagination to the possibility that God has a vision for your life that is greater?

We all have honest moments when we’re gripped by a desire to feel that what we’re doing matters more. That who we are matters more.

And according to one of the most shocking verses in the Bible, Jesus wants the very same thing for every one of us:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” -John 14:12

That single promise—“even greater things than these”—should be enough to shatter our acceptance of spiritual mediocrity. Unfortunately, most believers have only tried and given up on vague notions of greatness…then settled into a life that’s just good enough.

Good enough = Baseline living that is marked by mediocrity, stuck in spiritual survival mode, and controlled by complacency.

Greatness = Vague, unrealistic aspirations of doing better that don’t work in real life and lead to endless frustration.

But there is a third way.

Greater = The life-altering understanding that God is ready to accomplish a greatness in your life that is entirely out of human reach—beyond anything you see in yourself on your best day, but exactly what God has seen in you all along. 

In Greater, Pastor Steven Furtick draws on the biblical story of Elisha to empower you to:
   • Take a God-given dream from idea to reality
   • Stretch your limited resources and abilities in ways you never thought possible
   • Replace the images of yourself that keep you feeling stuck in the past
   • Make a significant impact with your life starting today, rather than making endless plans for tomorrow that you never get around to

If you’re tired of being ordinary, it’s time to dream bigger. If you’re feeling overwhelmed about where to begin, it’s time to start smaller. It’s time to ignite God’s Greater vision for your life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Greater

“Writes Steven Furtick, ‘Good enough leaves you stuck in stagnation. Grasping for greatness leads to endless frustration. But greater is a third way.’ My advice? Don’t waste another second to embrace the third way. In Greater, Steven shows you that God’s vision for your life is ready to be ignited. Go ahead—strike the match!”
—Jentezen Franklin, senior pastor of Free Chapel, Gainesville, GA, and New York Times best-selling author of Fasting

“If you ever felt like you were meant for more yet have settled for less in life, then Steven Furtick’s new book, Greater, is for you! Its proven biblical insights and practical applications will put you on your path to the greater life.”
—Kerry Shook, senior pastor of Woodlands Church, Houston, TX, and coauthor of the New York Times best-selling One Month to Live and the national bestseller Love at Last Sight

“Most people crave more out of life and sense there is a greater reason for our existence. Pastor Steven’s new book, Greater, is the perfect book to stir your faith, build your spiritual confidence, and inspire you toward the unique calling for your life. If you read only one book this year, make it Greater.”
—Craig Groeschel, senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv, Oklahoma City, OK, and author of Soul Detox and Dare to Drop the Pose

“My friend Steven Furtick has an insatiable passion for the church to discover the fullness of life in Christ. In Sun Stand Still, Steven dared us to pray audacious prayers and believe God for the impossible. Now in Greater, he walks us through what it looks like to live out an audacious life—a life marked by nothing less than greatness God’s way!”
—John Bevere, best-selling author of Relentless and The Bait of Satan

“Steven Furtick boldly pursues God with audacious faith like no one else I know. He is unapologetic about allowing God to accomplish greater things through him. This book will inspire you to do the same. To reach for greater. To believe for greater. To be greater.”
—Stovall Weems, lead pastor of Celebration Church, Jacksonville, FL

“In every generation God empowers a few great leaders to speak his truth with boldness. Steven Furtick is one of those voices in our generation. In his new book Greater, you will learn how to embrace God’s present plan for your greater calling and purpose.”
—Christine Caine, director of Equip and Empower and founder of the A21 Campaign

“Greater is about walking in God’s higher purpose for your life. Whether that’s as a teacher, preacher, leader, parent, musician, artist, engineer, or entrepreneur, Steven Furtick will show you how to let go of your fears and embrace your greater purpose in God.”
—Israel Houghton, Grammy Award–winning recording artist and worship leader of Lakewood Church, Houston, TX

“People today are bored, depressed, and confused because they have settled for ‘good enough.’ But ‘good enough’ is keeping us from living the life that God has called us to. In Greater, Steven Furtick embarks on a brilliant journey of transformation that every follower of Christ needs to take. This book delivers!”
—Perry Noble, senior pastor of NewSpring Church, Anderson, SC, and blogger on leadership, vision, and creativity

“Pastor Steven’s powerful yet vulnerable teaching grabbed my heart, equipped my mind, and stirred my soul like no other book I’ve ever read. This is one I will return to again and again. For anyone who has ever dared to dream but doesn’t know how to turn their dreams into reality, Greater is a must-read.”
—Lysa TerKeurst, New York Times best-selling author of Made to Crave and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries

“Some of us wear ourselves out trying to achieve ‘greatness.’ Others of us miss our calling and settle for ‘good enough.’ In Greater, Steven Furtick shows us the surefooted path to the Greater life.”
—Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church, Washington, DC, and author of Primal and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day

“Steven Furtick is living exactly what he’s written about in this book—start small, dream big, and see what God will do! Our church has been massively blessed by the example of Pastor Steven, his family, and Elevation Church. Take it from the best. Don’t underestimate what God can do with your small start. Get this book and be encouraged!”
—Dino Rizzo, lead pastor of Healing Place Church, Baton Rouge, LA, and author of Servolution

“Steven Furtick understands spiritual vision like few people I know. If you desire a life beyond your imagination, read this book! Greater will take you to a whole new level and invite you to experience the power of God every day.”
—Jack Graham, senior pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, Dallas, TX, and author of Powering Up

“The distance between desire and doing is often intimidating because we don’t know where to begin. But in Greater, Steven Furtick shows that God’s ‘greater’ for our lives is as far away as our first step of obedience.”
—Ed Young, senior pastor of Fellowship Church, Dallas, TX, and author of Outrageous, Contagious Joy

“Steven Furtick is in my head again with Greater. He’s challenging me to be greater—and the good news is that all I have to do is think big and start small.”
—Tim Sanders, author of Today We Are Rich and CEO of Net Minds 

“My friend Steven Furtick calls us to a faith-filled life of trusting and believing God for greater lives than the ones we are living now. It’s not about us, though. It’s about God’s greater glory in and through our lives. If you are ready for a life-altering experience with Jesus Christ, pick up a copy of Greater.”
—James MacDonald, senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel, Chicago, IL, and author of Always True and 10 Choices 

About the Author

Steven Furtick, author of the best-selling Sun Stand Still, is founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church, which in only six years has grown to more than 10,000 in regular attendance at six locations. He holds a master of divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Holly, have three children, Elijah, Graham, and Abbey. They make their home near Charlotte, North Carolina.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (September 4, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160142325X
• ISBN-13: 978-1601423252
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (212 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Furtick is the founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, named by "Outreach" magazine as on of the top ten fastest growing churches in the nation. He and his wife, Holly, have two young sons and make their home in the Charlotte area.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not so great-er October 13, 2012

By Mathew Sims

Format:Hardcover

2 out of 5 Stars
Author: Steven Furtick
Publisher: Multnomah
Reading Level: Leisure

I haven't read Furtick's other book but everything I heard was either unbridled praise or scorn. I don't know if Greater deserves either of those extremes. I found some portions of the book helpful but most of it was self-help knitted into the story of Elisha--which is weird. He seems self-aware that his message is primarily one of self-empowerment while rejecting "self-help" as a title. For instance Furtick says,
I'd understand if you were tempted to write me off as just another self-help hype man, wheeling and dealing promises about a better you that won't hold up in reality. . . .

I'd be suspicious about someone who said those kinds of things.

But I haven't said, and don't plan to say, any of those things in this book.

Instead I want to walk you straight into the gap between the greater things God has promised in His Word and the results we see in our lives. (pp. 12-13; see also p. 37)
Later he says, "I've built my whole ministry by motivating people" (p. 74). There's a tension and I'm not sure it's a healthy one. The gospel isn't about motivating people.

Back to my biggest critique. Furtick displaces the story of Elisha from its context and works the idea of his book into it. I don't think it works primarily because the idea of dreaming bigger, starting smaller, and igniting God's vision for your life isn't present.

The Old Testament is filled with instructive stories but they are notoriously hard to preach and teach from. Furtick is over his head here. For example, let's take the first two steps he gives to greater living. Step one becoming more acutely aware of God's presence in your life (p. 29). But it's not only or even primarily the objective word of God or the freedom we have in Christ to obey him in a thousand different ways rather it's paying "attention to the spiritual vibrations around you" (p. 34).

The next step is "burning the plows" by leaving good behind and seeking greater (pp. 46-50). But again it's all subjective which ties back into my point: Where are these points in Elisha's story? First, even it were, Elisha's story isn't normative. His experience is supernatural but it's not subjective. He wasn't waiting for spiritual vibrations. Elijah, God's spokesman on earth, came and directly revealed God's will for Elisha's life life. We have the Bible but it doesn't directly tell us to work here or do that but that's the beauty of our freedom in Christ.

Finally and probably the most atrocious example is found in Furtick's use of the story of the lost axe head as a parallel for losing your "edge" (pun intended by Furtick) in the Christian life. The advice itself isn't so bad (crying out to God and relying on him to do the stuff we can't do) but I'm not sure the story of 2 Kings 6 is the right story for that.

He ends by asking, "Is going after a greater life even biblical? . . . Over the next few chapters I'll address [this question] head on. Not always with tidy answers. But from a Biblical perspective" (p. 91). But he failed to carry through on his promise. He did provide an answer but it wasn't rooted in faithful exposition of Scripture. He tells the story of the Shunammite woman's dying son and then follows up by saying,
Sometimes people hear from God, or think they hear from God, and they burn their plows. Or they dig their ditches. Or they pour the one jar of oil. And instead of being given beauty for ashes, they are given ashes for ashes. (p. 98)
It's seems greater faith is equated with subjectiveness and risky living. If there's some truth and value in taking risks it's lost in the over emphasis. Compare this pulled punch with the first quotation in my review. Or with this:
Elijah passed on his mantle to Elisha. Through your surrender to God's Spirit, the mantle of Elisha has been passed on to you. Think of the scriptures you've encountered in this book as your cloak. Bound up in God's Word is the impartation you need to leave your life of good enough behind and step into the greater life God has had in mind for you all along. You're about to make your crossing. Your divine destiny waits for you on the other side. (p. 184)
The story of Elisha is so integral to the message of Greater that it's nearly impossible to separate the bad interpretation of the story from the message Furtick is telling.

A free copy of this book was provided by Multnomah.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very relational September 5, 2012

By C. Boyd

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have always respected Steven Furtick for how relatable he is in his messages. Fortunately, that carries through in this book. It's very personal and feels conversational rather than pastor-to-pew. At a basic level, the book is about realizing our brokenness before God and realizing that we must become less so that we can allow Him to be greater in our lives.

You won't regret buying it!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Real, Biblical, and Attainable September 14, 2012

By JG

Format:Hardcover

"The thing is, most believers aren't in imminent danger of ruining their lives. They're facing a danger that's far greater: wasting them."

Steven Furtick is a man whose life isn't being wasted. In listening to his podcasts over the years he has become my favorite preacher. So I must say that I had an advantage in reading this book...I could hear it being preached to me. I could hear his tone of voice when telling a funny story and knew when his voice would raise with passion when presenting a point he wanted to drive home. That being said, whether you are familiar with Pastor Steven or just hearing his name for the first time, get your highlighter ready - this book is full of wisdom and practical application.

Here's what I liked about the book that sets it apart:

1) It's Real. Pastor Steven is willing to share his "behind the scenes" questions and insecurities. The book also tackles the question of wasted faith. What happens when you do all the right things on a path to a greater life, but your situation ends with heartache? Was your faith wasted?

2) It's Biblical. The book follows the story of Elisha the prophet, taking events from his ministry and applying them to our journey toward being greater. Pastor Steven shares God's Word in a way that brings insight and understanding.

3)It's Attainable. He says "God's greater purpose in any area of your life means giving up your false expectations of greatness to find the greater things He's called only you to do." It all boils down to taking small steps of obedience and allowing God's greatness to show through you.

This book will ignite God's vision for your life. (Good preaching, Pastor!) There are also small group discussion questions included for each chapter.

I just have one little complaint. The last page advertises a new CD by Elevation Worship...12 songs written to go along with the content of this book, corresponding to each chapter. That is right up my alley! But after doing some research I discovered the CD won't be released until Feb 2013! And so I wait...

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers in exchange for an honest review.