Printer
Friendly page - click here
Review – The Messenger |
|
by Tim Woodroof
Published by Navpress
Review by Tom Gilbert
Immerse yourself in the world of the Apostle Paul and
the early church. In The
Messenger (Navpress) Tim
Woodroof writes dramatically and with great description
and feeling. He literally swept me into the ancient world
of the Roman
Empire, and filled my imagination, especially the people.
People who were cruel or kind, selfish or servile, handsome
or roughhewn; all of them living in a world that was being
changed in an incredible way by the “incredible
Way”. Through this novel I sensed the struggles
of the church-going Philippians, the new and future Christians,
their hardships and spiritual triumphs.
It appears they struggled with many of the very questions,
situations, relationships and conflicts we deal with today.
Woodroof surely did extensive research for this historical,
but fictional account of Paul’s
letter to the Philippians. I honestly felt transported
back in time, but the rich reward of the novel was the
additional perspective on Paul’s
contribution to scripture.
Of course, this must have been the intent of the writer. He wants us to become engrossed in the story,
then, to grab our New Testaments and read the Philippians’ letter.
The names mentioned in passing in the New Testament (both
Acts and Philippians) here become full blown characters
with the breath of life (and God) in them. Their
human qualities and their struggle to live and love as
Paul teaches them, as Jesus taught his disciples,
helps convey the message in a way that makes
the text more relatable. In the novel Clement, Lydia,
Luke, Timothy, Euodia, Syntyche and especially Epaphroditus
are flesh and blood and
full of spirit (both holy and human passion).
Great insight can be gained by learning how the early Christian communities came to know the Christ, the
scriptures and the “Way”. How interesting to recognize that many of the Gentiles
in Philippi must have struggled with the relevancy of the Jewish writings,
wondering at their relevance to their current life. Yes, even back then it was an issue.
The author portrays the lengthy process Paul goes through before his
writing letters to the churches. It included a three day fast and ritual
cleansing and much deep, heartfelt prayer. It made me wonder how much
richer my prayer life would be if I subjected myself to such great discipline.
The book’s focus is the story that gives birth to Paul’s
letter to the Philippians. Philippi was probably Paul’s favorite
community and he was certainly distressed over their
troubles, the news delivered to him in person in his
Roman apartment jail from Epaphroditus.
The leaders and followers were on the verge of splintering
over the divisiveness that inevitably confronts all
such communities. Of particular concern to Paul was
legalistic teaching that insisted on
obeying Jewish law such as circumcision, even for Gentile
believers.
Paul must have sensed his response to the crisis would require an emptying of himself to hear the
words of the Spirit and convey them to page, penned with the faithful hand of his trusted disciple and
scribe, Timothy. A whole chapter is devoted to the actual dictation of the letter and Woodroof’s
descriptive prose puts you in the room as a silent observer. While reading it I found myself smiling,
even chuckling, as Paul, in his enthusiasm, makes pointed asides to Epaphroditus, or, rushing headlong
in passionate speech, had to be slowed, even halted at times, by Timothy who could
not possibly write fast enough.
The joy of sharing anticipation with the believers as
the content of Paul’s letter was made
known to them was palpable. The impact of the Apostle’s writing surely
was profound, speaking directly to them with words of
encouragement, faith, rebuke, and love; always love.
Paul’s direct
and sometimes harsh language surely provoked mixed reactions.
How those were received, what sort of anguish and controversy
they kicked up we can only speculate about. The author
does not shy from this matter and the air is thick with
tension as the letter is read aloud to the community.
Paul’s great love for the Philippian church is clear from the
letter he wrote. He loved them so much that he could say some hard things.
As always, he gave encouragement and expressed his complete surrender
to Christ, knowing that the only way to press on to the prize is to keep
our eyes firmly fixed on the Lord. The Scriptures must live in our hearts
and ring in our ears with the constant Good News of Christ’ redemption
for all who would but believe. The Messenger was a wonderful read for this reminder and for
bringing to life through narrative and rich description the faith of our fathers.
|
Go
here for more reviews on Christian
books, movies, music and other products!
Visit our Featured Authors
section
|
 |
| |
Scripture taken from the
Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright ©
1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights
reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International
Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered
trademarks of International Bible Society. Use of either
trademark for the offering of goods or services requires
the prior written consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy
Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used
by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton,
IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
You'll
also receive Practical Biblical Solutions for life's
challenges with our free e-zine |
| |
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
"Travel"
along on our spiritual journey - visit our
Journal |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We
have more than 120,000 Christian books,
bibles, music,gifts, video, software and
more!
It's easy to find what you're looking for
by using our BROWSE feature to search for
your favorite type of
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
 |
