Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing [Hardcover]

C.J. Mahaney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 2006

What Really Matters
Have the extremities taken over and left the core of your faith forgotten? Do you get confused by what you feel versus what is real? Let dynamic pastor C. J. Mahaney strip away the nonessentials and bring you back to the simplest, most fundamental reason for your faith: Jesus Christ. This book is packed with powerful truth that will grip your heart, clear your mind, and invigorate your soul. Chapters include “Breaking the Rules of Legalism,” “The Cross Centered Day,” and “Assurance and Joy.” Get ready to behold a breathtaking view of what God intends to accomplish in and through you every day. You’ll discover how embracing this cross centered life is both our highest privilege and greatest responsibility.

His Gift, Your Hope
Do you desire more passion for Jesus Christ? Return to the very essence of your faith—the cross of Christ. Here, the deepest truths of Calvary will stir your passion for Him into an unquenchable fire.

“Never lay it aside. Never move on,” says C. J. Mahaney, who shows you how to center every day around the life-giving reality of the gospel and how to escape the pitfalls of legalism, condemnation, and feelings-driven faith.

PRAISE
C. J. Mahaney’s The Cross Centered Life and Christ Our Mediator are life-changing books whose unique messages are even more powerful when combined. Living the Cross Centered Life is a careful melding of these two books with new content as well. For readers who have not yet discovered the stand-alone books, or for Mahaney fans ready to cherish their favorites in a new package, this book is sure to become a treasured classic.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for C.J. Mahaney

“Every Timothy needs a Paul. C. J. is mine…and this book contains his life-message. It is my handbook for pursuing a cross centered life. Read it yourself, and let God realign your life.”
-JOSHUA HARRIS, Pastor and bestsellign author

“C. J. Mahaney is the most spiritually infectious Christian I know! His passionate pursuit of Christ is so enviable to me because it flows out of both his own daily contemplation of the Savior as well as his intimate knowledge of the Word of God. Would to God that all true believers be infected with a huge dose of the same kind of enthusiasm for living the cross centered life. If you read and seek to apply what C. J. skillfully writes in this wonderful book, you just might find yourself contracting the same glorious disease he has, with the joyful hope of spreading it all around!”
-LANCE QUINN, Pastor-teacher at The Bible Church of Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas

“You’re holding the book you want to read to begin living the Christian life. You’re also holding the book you want to read to help you continue living the Christian life. There’s no other place to begin living the Christian life than at the cross. There’s no other place to keep living the Christian life than at the cross. C. J. Mahaney’s Living the Cross Centered Life will help you do that.”
-MARK DEVER, Senior pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C. and author of Nine Marks of a Healthy Church

“My friend C. J. Mahaney gives us a fresh look at our Lord and His cross. He lives the cross centered life, and is  therefore qualified to talk about it. C. J. has a passion for Jesus and His people, and I was drawn closer to Jesus through this book. What higher complement could I offer?”
-RANDY ALCORN, Bestselling author of The Grace and Truth Paradox and The Tresure Principle

“C. J. Mahaney is one of our generation’s most genuine and heartfelt proclaimers of the cross of Jesus Christ. In this unexaggerated book, readers will encounter the winsome zeal of a man who has found in Christ the greatest of treasures and a joy that must be shared.”
-DONALDS WHITNEY, Author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and How Can I Be Sure I'm a Christian?

“The great nineteenth century Scottish pastor, Horatius Bonar once wrote, ‘If we would be holy, we must get to the cross and dwell there.’ C. J. Mahaney takes us to the cross in such a way that we can indeed dwell there. This is a book to be read and reread many times. Its message will never grow old or out of date.”
-JERRY BRIDGES, Author of The Pursuit of Holiness

“With tenderness and power, C. J. illustrates the critical difference between snacking on the benefits of the cross, versus surveying the wonders of the cross. It’s the difference between living as consumers, versus loving as the consumed…the difference between having a theology of grace, versus running boldly to the throne of grace. This
is a must and magisterial read!”
-SCOTTY SMITH, Senior pastor at Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee

About the Author

C. J. Mahaney leads Sovereign Grace Ministries in its mission to establish and support local churches. He served as pastor of Covenant Life Church in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., for twenty-seven years before handing the role to Joshua Harris. He is the author of The Cross Centered Life, Christ Our Mediator, Humility: True Greatness, and Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know . C. J. and his wife, Carolyn, have three married daughters and one son. They make their home in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (January 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590525787
• ISBN-13: 978-1590525784
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

C.J. Mahaney leads Sovereign Grace Ministries in its mission to establish and support local churches. After 27 years of pastoring Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, C.J. handed the senior pastor role to Joshua Harris on September 18, 2004, allowing C.J. to devote his full attention to Sovereign Grace. He serves on the Council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, and on the board of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. He is author of The Cross Centered Life; Christ Our Mediator; Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know; Humility: True Greatness; Living the Cross Centered Life and Don't Waste Your Sports. He is the editor of Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World. He also contributed to Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, and to two additional volumes in the Foundations for the Family Series (Crossway). He has also edited or co-authored four books in the Pursuit of Godliness book series, published by Sovereign Grace Ministries: Why Small Groups?, This Great Salvation, How Can I Change?, and Disciplines for Life.

C.J. and his wife Carolyn have three married daughters and one son. They make their home in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful Book, February 8, 2006

By 

Tim Challies (Oakville, Ontario) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing (Hardcover)

There may be no greater honor for a minister of the Word than this: his ministry has become nearly synonymous with the cross of Jesus Christ. His ministry has led people to the cross not just once, but time and again as they have come to reflect on the deeper meaning of Jesus' death. They have been led to see that "the cross is the blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough for its sparks to fall on us." Such has been the case with C.J. Mahaney. When I post a reflection on the cross it is not unusual for people to tell me or to comment on this site that they are now going to go and re-read <em>The Cross Centered Life</em> or listen to some of the cross-focused songs on the album <em>Songs for the Cross Centered Life</em>. His ministry is marked by a passion for leading people near enough to the cross that its sparks can fall on us.

I recently received an email from a person claiming to be a Christian, yet one who does not believe in Jesus. I was shocked. How could a person call himself by the name of Christ, yet not believe in Him? This person wanted to help me experience the power of God in my life, yet without Jesus Christ. That is impossible! Without the cross there is no Christianity. Without the cross we have no hope, no salvation. The cross stands at the very center of our faith and even at the very center of human history. We would be nothing without it.

The focus of those who love the Lord should be constantly upon the cross. <em>Living the Cross Centered Life</em> combines two of Mahaney's books (<em>The Cross Centered Life</em> and <em>Christ Our Mediator</em>) with new material. This book provides a passionate, biblical reflection upon the cross and encouragement for living a life that will be centered upon the gospel, for this is what we all need to regard as the main thing.

Mahaney delights in the cross. The reader will only be able to conclude that the cross is what motivates his life and his ministry. His enthusiasm, his desire, his love for the gospel message in infectious. Always focused on the truths of Scripture, Mahaney draws the reader back to the very center and focus of the Christian faith. The reader will be given much grounds for rejoicing and much grounds for deeper, prayerful reflection. The reader will be led near to the cross where he can experience the power of the Son of God. He will learn the need for the cross, the power of the cross and the wonderful benefits that have been extended to us because of the cross. He will learn why this cross stands at the center of our faith and why we must always hold it there.

And so I commend this book to you. If you have not yet read <em>The Cross Centered Life</em> this is your opportunity to read it blended with <em>Christ Our Mediator</em>. Mahaney recommends that each Christian read at least one book about the cross each year. This is your opportunity to read that book while the year is still young. Read it, learn the message and worship at the foot of the cross. Your life may never be the same.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book! Biblical, insightful, challenging, pratical, and profound!, April 5, 2006

By 

Scott Zeller (South Asia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing (Hardcover)

Knowing that I am given to over-statement I hesitate to say this, but I think "Living the Cross Centered Life" is one of the best books I have ever read. No piece of writing I can recollect has presented the Cross and its place in life to me in such a clear and profound way. I would not be surprised if this is a book I continue to go back to again and again for renewed passion for my Savior. In classic Mahaney style the book is engaging, biblically-based, and never stops short of spelling out the seriousness of the issue at hand. He spends the majority of the book looking closely at the Cross and what Christ accomplished for us and also includes some pratical steps at the end for developing habits that build a Cross-centered life.

I am aware that this particular work is a combination of some of his earlier writings with new material. Having not read those books I cannot tell you how unique this offering is. However, let me only say that this offering is unique. Among all the Christian-living and issues books out there, few that I know of inspire such a focus on Christ and the Cross as "Living the Cross Centered Life."

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great work..., May 2, 2007

By 

Seth McBee (Maple Valley, WA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing (Hardcover)

This book is truly a great one as C.J. Mahaney brings it all back to the cross. A lot of this book includes previous works, "The Cross Centered Life" and "Christ Our Mediator." I also had just listened to C.J.'s sermon from the 2005 Resolved Conference called "Interrogating the Legalist Within" so most of this was review. But if you have yet to read or listen to these, please pick this little book up, you will not be disappointed.

C.J. continues to bring out the cross in everything in this dissertation of the cross centered life. C.J. goes into understanding the cross in defining our lives, feelings (experience), God's love, Gethsemane, our part in the cross (sin), our suffering, legalism, condemnation (with much more) and then just the practical application.

C.J. gives five practical ways to live a cross centered life:

1. Memorize the Gospel: Memorize those scriptures that remind us of the gospel (2 Cor 5:21; Romans 8:31-34; Isaiah 53:3-6)

2. Pray the Gospel: Since the Gospel is the reason we can approach such a holy God, continue to pray the Gospel as a reminder of why you can speak to such an awesome God.

3. Sing the Gospel: Find songs and CD's whose focus in on the great and glorious Gospel and not on man. Those songs that concentrate on what He has done for us.

4. Review How the Gospel Has Changed You: Looking to your past, not for condemnation's sake, but for the reminder of mercy and grace

5. Study the Gospel: Don't only study books on the Gospel or only on the New Testament, but study the Old Testament and see Christ's fulfillment of It. Making sure that our studies don't leave the Gospel behind but builds itself upon It.

I would really recommend this to any and all Christians. Great reminders of how the Cross should impact our lives and how it has freed us from condemnation and the errors of legalism.