In his newest book, worship leader and song writer Matt Redman, uses a Mirror Ball as a metaphor for the main message of the book. The mirror ball is not a source of light, but does reflect light so that light is sent into many different directions and many different places. The glory of God in the gospel is like light (2 Cor. 4) which transforms us (2 Cor. 3). This is essentially what the book is about.
“Worship doesn’t start with you. It begins and ends with a merciful, majestic, and powerful God.”
When most of us think about worship, we think about worship services, songs, prayers and the like. But Matt rightly (biblically) expands that notion to all of life. The words translated worship usually mean service or to pay homage to someone. You serve the one you worship. His point is about integrity of life. We can sing and wave our hands all you want, but if you live the rest of your time as if God didn’t exist you are not a worshiper of God.
“The true test of our passion for God will always be our lives. … It involves a life laid down in service and adoration. The concrete evidence of whether our worship has lived or died in us will always be our lives.”
This is not your typical book on worship. It reads like Chan’s Crazy Love (my review) and Platt’s Radical (my review). It is a call to a distinctive lifestyle, a radical lifestyle of sorts. But Matt’s book is far more gospel-centered than I found the others to be. It also lacks the harsh tone of Platt’s book. It is sweeter and more winsome. And shorter (just over 100 pages).
“Declarations of love without accompaniment of obedience are an uncashable check.”
It some ways it is more like a devotional. The chapters are fairly short. He does not allow himself to get too bogged down. As a result the book moves quickly. But there are only 8 chapters. Matt is not over-reaching, but I wanted some more. The book, though challenging the reader, was also encouraging. This is because Matt laid a gospel foundation and kept returning to it. He also recognized that the path of obedience for you will look different than for him. The challenges you face and sacrifices you make will be different. But he does want you to live in light of the greatness of God and his grace. He wants you to reflect Christ’s glory.
The copy I had also included a study guide. As I paged through it, most of the questions were about the book. There were some that asked you to read Scripture and interact with it. But I thought it could use more. The study guide helps you to process the material alone or in groups. It does look to be helpful in that regard.
[I received a promotional copy of this book for purposes of review.]
Leave a Reply