For years Roma and I have endeavored to be noisy Christians. Noisy, but thoughtful. Andy has captured both ideas with a single word, irresistible. But as you are about to discover, hes done more than that. In Irresistible, Andy reacquaints us with the original version of our faith. The version that was irresistible indeed! We love this book!
Mark Burnett, television and film producer
Ive been a Christ follower for more than thirty years and perhaps no other book Ive ever read has caused me to wrestle with the very foundations of my faith like this one. In Irresistible, Andy Stanley challenges us to rediscover the gospel and reclaim the version of faith that ultimately transformed our world. This provocative book could potentially disrupt the core of your theology. And when it does, it may very well change how you read the Bible and live out your faith forever more.
Tony Morgan, founder and lead strategist at The Unstuck Group
Its time for the church to rethink how it presents a timeless gospel to this generation. In Irresistible, Andy Stanley challenges us to make sure we handle the Scriptures with the kind of integrity that compels everyone to seriously consider following Jesus. Any Christian who reads this book will suddenly find themselves embracing the mission of Jesus with a new passion.
Reggie Joiner, author; founder and CEO of Orange
People rarely reject Jesus as he truly is. Instead, they reject a distorted view of who they think he is. In his new book, Irresistible, pastor Andy Stanley takes you on a historic journey to rediscover the first-generation passion of what it means to faithfully follow Christ. This book will knock you off center, push you out of complacency, and reawaken an unshakable faith that cannot be ignored.
Craig Groeschel, pastor of Life.Church and author of Hope in the DarkBelieving God Is Good When Life Is Not
Irresistible is like a once-in-a-generation shot across the bow. Andy Stanley takes a lifetime of accumulated insight and wisdom about the Christian faith, history, and why the church isnt connecting with our current culture, and combines them together in a masterpiece work. Succinctly, powerfully, and convincingly, Andy shows us how so many Christians have misunderstood what Christianity is and helps us recapture what Christianity originally was. I pray we have the courage to live out the ethic of the early and accurate Christian faith Andy so capably describes. The world just might come running if we do.
Carey Nieuwhof, author and founding pastor, Connexus Church
Warning: This book will set you and your ministry backback to the first century and the approach to advancing the gospel modeled by Jesus and the apostles. Andy reminds us that the resurrection was at the center of the first-century apologetic. Then he challenges twenty-first century believers to reclaim it as the center of ours as well. I agree with Andythis approach changed the world once. Im convinced it could do so again. Read and apply now!
Frank Turek, Christian author, public speaker, and radio host
More than any other book Ive read in years, Irresistible has stretched my view of Scripture. I cant hear or read a passage from the Old or New Testaments without thinking about Andys provocative insights. If you and I take this book seriously, our lives and our churches will never be the same.
Kara Powell, PhD, executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute and coauthor of Growing Young
This book challenged me to rethink my thoughts about the Old Testament, discuss with fellow believers what I was learning, do more connecting and less correcting of others, and be salt and light, making things better and brighter. I love how Andy loves people... ALL of them.
John Maxwell, author of The 360 Degree Leader
Andy Stanley believes that the gospel of grace is an irresistible message. So why do so many resist it, reject Jesus, and rebuff the church? Perhaps the fault lies not with Jesus but with a burdensome set of rules and regulations that have been added to the simple ethic he taught in the great commandment: love God and love others (Matthew 22:3640). Biblical in its basis, provocative in some proposals, convicting in its challenges, this book makes an important contribution to the ongoing conversation about the mission of the church, as she seeks to reach a pluralistic culture with the good news of the gospel.
Glenn R. Kreider, professor of theological studies, Dallas Theological Seminary
ZONDERVAN
Irresistible
Copyright 2018 by Andy Stanley
ePub Edition July 2018: ISBN 978-0-310-53699-4
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
ISBN 978-0-310-53697-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-310-53698-7 (international trade paper edition)
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked MSG [or The Message] are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
Italics in any Scripture reference is the authors emphasis.
Any internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Cover design: Micah Kandros
Interior design: Kait Lamphere
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Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.
For Sandra
Thirty years later... still the finest woman I know
C ONTENTS
SECTION 1
SIMPLY RESISTIBLE
SECTION 2
ALL THINGS NEW
SECTION 3
A NEW ETHIC
SECTION 4
A NEW APPROACH
No book is the product of individual effort. Irresistible is certainly no exception. To begin with, I want to thank our Atlanta congregations for the stewardship of trust theyve extended to me for twenty-three years as Ive endeavored to lead our churches to embrace the concepts presented in this book. Its not always been a comfortable journey. Churches gravitate toward the people who are already there. From day one Ive insisted that reaching people far from God is more important than keeping folks who have already crossed the line of faith.