Matthew Paul Turner - Relearning Jesus: How Reading the Beatitudes One More Time Changed My Faith

What people are saying about

Matthew Paul Turner

Matthew Paul Turners breezy, warm, conversational style should especially endear him to those under thirty-five. Turner is one of Christianitys fresh voices in the tradition of Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and Donald Miller.

Matthew proves that learning the real truth about Jesus can be raw, witty, and redemptive. His broken but magical journey has enriched my own.

Matthew Turner is gutsy, raw, and relevant. He has a way of taking a tongue-in-cheek tone with his writing and polishing it with compassion and insight instead of bitterness and angst.

Matthew Paul Turner is a benchmark on our morning show. The audience has come to love his information, his fun-loving interaction with our team, and the great love of Christian music he brings to our show.

Matthew Turner is a groundbreaking voice in music journalism. His refreshing style of sculpting a story is captivating and daring. He leaves behind the trite and digs deep to find the substance in his subjects. Features written by Matthew are on the level of Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, or Vanity Fair . A true leader in his field, I expect Matthew will be a force of change in the future of our industry.

Matthew Turner is relevant and understands culture, which enables him to connect to a variety of audiences. Matthew has a comfortable, down-to-earth style and makes a great effort to engage audiences. He has an awesome way of connecting with people and tackling real issues within the music industry.

Ive worked with Matthew Turner for a number of years and continue to be amazed at his passion for the music industry. On a personal level, I have watched him grow in his walk with the Lord and have seen him stand up for his beliefseven when it meant risking the approval of others. Matthew is a true disciple.

Matthew is young, energetic, unpretentious, and full of fresh ideas that relate well to the college market.

RELEARNING JESUS

Published by David C. Cook

4050 Lee Vance View

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C. Cook Distribution Canada

55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5

David C. Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

David C. Cook and the graphic circle C logo are registered trademarks of Cook Communications Ministries.

All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from THE MESSAGE . Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

LCCN 2009920394

ISBN 978-1-4347-6794-3

eISBN 978-1-4347-0396-5

2009 Matthew Paul Turner

First edition published by Revell under the title Beatitude: Relearning Jesus through Truth, Contradiction, and a Folded Dollar Bill in 2006 Matthew Paul Turner, ISBN 978-0-8007-3093-2

The Team: Andrea Christian, Amy Kiechlin, Jack Campbell, and Caitlyn York

Cover Design: BIG Creative Team

Second Edition 2009

O n the day I read Matthew 5 for what I can only imagine was the 857th time, I was drinking something that resembled coffee. But it wasnt coffee. By the time it had been blended together with ice, chocolate, caramel, and heavy cream and then topped with something white, whipped, and sweet, the flavor of coffee had pretty much been masked.

At the time, that was the only way I liked it.

Im sure I appeared very evangelical that day to all who noticed me in the coffeehouse. My big green Bible was wide open and placed neatly out on the round table in front of me. I had it open to Matthew 5 because I desperately needed to hear from Jesus. For a while, I had become convinced that he wasnt speaking to meor at least I wasnt able to hear him. I blamed his silence on my sporadic bouts with pornography.

But God had never been silent before. Not to me. For most of my life, he and I had carried on seemingly endless conversations. So, I was learning firsthand how much I hated those times when he refused to talk. It had been five days since I had last looked at porn, a guilt-inducing experience that had left me feeling fearful and desperate. Almost immediately after I had finished looking, I began asking him for forgiveness. And that was when I got the silent treatment.

A friend said I should read Matthew 5. God always speaks to me when I read Matthew 5, he said. I had read this passage many times, and every time I reread it, I would certainly learn something new. But the 857th reading of Matthew 5 changed my life. It helped put me back on the path, a path that I had begun walking a few years before. It was a trail that would eventually lead me to change the way I live my life.

These are the words I read:

When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

Youre blessed when youre at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

Youre blessed when you feel youve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

Youre blessed when youre content with just who you areno more, no less. Thats the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that cant be bought.

Youre blessed when youve worked up a good appetite for God. Hes food and drink in the best meal youll ever eat.

Youre blessed when you care. At the moment of being care-full, you find yourselves cared for.

Youre blessed when you get your inside worldyour mind and heartput right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

Youre blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. Thats when you discover who you really are, and your place in Gods family.

Youre blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into Gods kingdom.

Not only thatcount yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happensgive a cheer, even!for though they dont like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

Let me tell you why you are here. Youre here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? Youve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.