Reverberation: How God's Word Brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People (9marks) [Paperback]

Jonathan Leeman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 27, 2011 | Series: 9marks

What is the most effective way to grow a church? It's not a new methodology or cultural outreach strategy, it's...the Word of God.  In this book, Jonathan Leeman wants you to realize that the Word, working through God's Spirit, is responsible for the growth of God's church and we need to trust it! Leeman not only informs and equips the leadership of local churches for greatest effectiveness in their preaching ministry but explains how to translate that into the life of the church throughout the week. The book also deals with two errors - not trusting the Word (resulting in a pragmatic ministry philosophy) and not living in light of the Word, (resulting in a ministry philosophy of "preaching is enough").  

Reverberation explains the pulpit ministry and traces the theme of how the Word continues through the life of the church. Both theological and practical, Reverberation focuses on how the church hears, responds, discusses, implements and is transformed by the Word.  No high-octane production, superstar personalities, or postmodern entreaties, just stuff that is really old, really good, and really powerful! 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JONATHAN LEEMAN attends Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC. He has his MDiv from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is presently working on a Ph.D. at the University of Wales. He serves as director of communications for 9Marks and is editor of its eJournal. He is the author of The Church and the Surprising Offense of God's Love, released in 2010. Jonathan lives with his wife and three children in the Washington DC area.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers; New Edition edition (January 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802422993
• ISBN-13: 978-0802422996
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.6 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #648,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan Leeman (MDiv, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist in Washington, DC. He serves as director of communications for 9Marks and is the editor of its eJournal. Leeman is the author of The Church and the Surprising Offense of God's Love and has been published in several major newspapers and Christian periodicals. He is currently a PhD candidate in theology at the University of Wales.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Prudent and Timely Wisdom March 23, 2011

By Alissa Marie Graham

Format:Paperback

I just finished Reverberation by Jonathan Leeman. It is one of those books that clearly brings forth biblical truth that a lot of us take for granted, don't understand the importance of, or just ignorantly forget about. It is also one of the best books I have read in a while and I definitely recommend it. Any church member would do themselves and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ a lot of good by going through this book.

Reverberation is about how God's word brings light, freedom, and action to His people. Leeman asks straightforward and necessary questions, helping us to see that maybe we have not rightly prioritized God's word, some even loosing confidence in the Word of God. The goal of Reverberate is to essentially to help us see that God's word, working through God's spirit, is God's primary instrument for growing God's church. In fact, God's word is the most powerful force in the universe. God created the universe through his word (Genesis 1:3). He is recreating it through His word (2 Cor 4:6). And He sustains all things by His word (Hebrews 1:3).

Of course we give lip service to that, and we "know" that stuff. But how does that knowledge actually translate into how we choose a church to belong to? How does it translate as church leaders wanting to grow their churches? Does it?

This is one of those books that I wish I could write a review by just quoting the whole thing to you.

The book concentrates on three main topics: the word, the sermon, and the reverberation, and traces how the word of God should reverberate through them all.

1. The word invites and divides, acts, frees, and gathers....
I love how Leeman challenges us to build our churches based on biblical ideals, and that people should join our church because they are in love with the gospel, not because our church is the cool church or the baby boomer church, etc. He also points out that there is a difference between "removing distractions" from the word of God, such as uncomfortable seating, and "creating attractions" in our churches through clothing style, or dramas. He even gives a helpful look at how to remove distractions but not create attractions through clothing, humor, music, charisma, and good works. These are simple concepts, but how many actually take the time to intentionally think about how to simply remove distractions so people can focus on the Word that is being taught, which is what Paul calls us to in 1 Corinthians 1. We should take away all distractions and look to what the Bible wants us to adorn our church with: the holiness and sacrificial love of Christians as they live out their lives together.

The book also challenges readers to unite their churches around one thing: the gospel. Not social affinity. Not ethnicity. Not "coolness." Not intellectualism. Not age. Leeman proposes that giving into that temptation risks undermining the gospel. Can I get an amen?

2. The sermon should expose, announce, and confront.
In a section titled "How Then Do We Preach?" Leeman has some very intelligent things to say that I wish I could rip out and just give to all the pastors I know. He speaks to using creativity very wisely and carefully, realizing that it is NOT our creativity that builds the church, but it is the word of God. The goal of any sermon is to expose God's word, not hide it among our creatively packaged opinions. He compares it to the mailman, a reporter, and a receptionist- they don't deliver their own letters, but someone else's, they don't make up the news, they report it, they don't receive a phone call and pass on a random message, they pass on the caller's message. Likewise, a pastor must preach the word of God and not his own message or ideas. He proposes that the best method of preaching is expositional, so as to "expose God's word" and let IT set the agenda, instead of coming to it with our own agenda, which is a danger of topical preaching.

I really appreciated how Leeman approaches sermon theory. Much of what he says is counter cultural, even among the Christian culture, but in my opinion, he is spot on.

3. The reverberation of the word- how it works, how it sings, prays, disciples, scatters, and once again invites.
One thing that stood out to me in this section was the chapter titled "The Reverberation Sings." The section is talking about the point of singing in church, and the point is that "singing in church should be about the church singing." It goes on to say that
"God has given music to the gathered church so that the people together can own, affirm, rejoice in, and unite around God's word. Far better than the sweet harmonies of a few trained singers is the rough and hale sound of pardoned criminals, delighting with one voice in their Saviour."
What a different, glorious, and BIBLICAL take on the purpose of musical worship than the typical concert style "special music" programming of many churches today.

Again, I really enjoyed this book. I think Jonathan Leeman shares with us some really helpful and prudent wisdom about the word of God and how the word "brings light, freedom, and action to God's people." My brief overview does not do it justice. Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars God Dwells with His People through His Word March 14, 2011

By Richard R. Blake TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

In recent years Evangelicalism has experienced a pattern of church growth with an emphasis on methodology using a cultural outreach strategy. In his book "Reverberation," Jonathan Leeman establishes the premise that "God's Word working through God's Spirit, is God's primary instrument for growing God's church."

In a natural progression Leeman presents the evangelist, the theological foundation of the Word, the individual's heart, the local church, the sermon, and role of the Word in music, prayer, discipleship, and mission. He demonstrates why we can have faith in God's Word to "create, sustain, and empower daily obedience to the Word." He warns of the danger of the growing loss of confidence in God's Word among Evangelicals.

Leeman's writing is Biblically sound, thorough in presentation, analytical, and convincing in content. "Reverberation: How God's Word Brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People" is important and timely in light of the recent emphasis on contextualizing, spiritual formation, renewal, and the missional church.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Reverberation of the Word May 1, 2011

By Corey Sosebee

Format:Paperback

The title of Jonathan Leeman's new book, Reverberation, makes use of a vivid word-picture to aid the reader in conceptualizing the path of God's word in our world. The centrality of the Word of God in our churches is, "the one necessary thing." He hopes that "Christians and church leaders from every polity will be strengthened in faith in the sufficiency of God's Word" through this book. So, let's follow this path of the reverberation of God's word with Leeman as our guide.

The book is organized into three parts: 1. the word, 2. the sermon, and 3. the reverberation.

Leeman uses the first few chapters to show us the role of the Word in the world, that is, how it functions in the life of believers and unbelievers. Leeman pleads with us that words, though they are often abused and overused and distrusted in our society, still matter. Ultimately, God's Word, because His Word is truth. And these are the only words that can give life. But how? I'll let the author speak.

"Trusting God's Word to build our churches is an act of faith. Faith in God. Faith in His Word. And such faith is not natural, even for the Christian. It's supernatural. God must give it."

Amazing. And this high view of Scripture is the foundation that Leeman builds on for the remainder of the book.

Next, we're taken to where the Word is preached and the importance of the sermon. I thought it was interesting that the second part of the book is dedicated completely to the sermon, but it's really a great section. Leeman emphasizes expository preaching all because of the central role of the Word of God.

Don't be mistaken that this chapter is written specifically for pastors.... It is that, pleading with them to lift up the Scriptures, but it's also to the church as an example of how we can hold our pastors accountable. It's to help us realize and understand what we should be hearing as a Christian, and that this is important stuff! Wake up!

Finally, Leeman traces the path of the Word in the congregation after it has been preached. It reverberates through singing, praying and discipleship, all things that occur within the church. Specifically the first few, but Lemman definitely emphasizes a progression of the reverberation moving outward, beyond the walls of the church.

The last chapter is a picture of God's ultimate plan and how the church exists in this world to fulfill that plan. We gather as his people, but we have to go out, "God's word must reverberate out the church building door and into the world" to spread the good news of Christ and then return and join together once again, bringing those who heard and accepted the word.

"So serve your church and go read your Bible."

--Conclusion--

Leeman shares a glimpse of many of his personal experiences in the church in this book, and he writes openly and transparently. I am grateful for his honestly. I pray it will encourage us to be bold and assume the roles that God has given us in the church. It will be a great help for pastors and church members.

I would commend this book to the church so that we may once again reclaim a vision for God's Word and the path that should travel and reverberate in the life of the church. Let us return the God's Word being at the center of all we do as God's people.

*This book was provided by Moody Publishers as a free review copy. I am under no obligation to write a favorable review.* Read more ›

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Thesis, but Highly Critical Tone July 7, 2011

By Daniel Darling VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I picked this book up at the Gospel Coalition National Conference. As a preacher of the Word, I had great hopes for this book. I am grateful for the ministry of 9Marks, who co-published this book. And I'm delighted to read books that spell out the powerful effects of gospel-centered preaching of the Word of God. So I agree with it's premise.

But I must say that I was slightly disappointed in the tone that Leeman took at times. Leeman took big swipes at the evangelical Church in America, leaving the reader with the impression that very few churches preach the Word, most are interested in attractional and hollow methods, and that only a select few get it right. This wasn't helpful. Where Jonathan clearly spells out the theology and methodology of delivering the Word, the book was powerful and strong. But where Jonathan critiques other churches, the book is weak, in my view. Weak in that it seems to unnecessarily hammer churches who don't do it exactly as he would have them do it.

This may not have been the intent and perhaps this is only my opinion, but I felt the book would have been stronger had the author stuck to a positive prescription for advancing the Word in our churches, affirming the many pastors who labor weekly and encouraging churches big and small toward greater faithfulness to the Scriptures.