Book Review: Lifted

My second resurrection book review in two days! Yesterday I reviewed Adrian Warnock's Raised With Christ, so tonight I turn my attention to Lifted by Sam Allberry. Given that the books are on a similar subject and came out roughly the same time, and are being read and reviewed so closely together, it may be difficult not to compare one with the other. However, that wouldn't be fair to either author, so I'll stick to this book, pure and simple.

Let's be clear from the start, I loved this book! Following a short introduction, dealing with the two problems about the resurrection - credibility and relevance - Allberry dives straight in and looks at four key benefits and implications flowing from the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The four points make up the four chapters of the book: Assurance, Transformation, Hope and Mission.

His writing style is clear and accessible - and particularly reminded me of the way Vaughan Roberts speaks and writes. The four chapters are founded on the Bible's teaching about the resurrection of Jesus and how it impacts not just believers, but also every person who has lived, and the whole of creation. Allberry is humorous, and the book is peppered with personal stories and illustrations to communicate the teaching points.

There were some memorable quotes which I will be committing to memory and using as illustrations in the future:

'The resurrection is God signing off on salvation.'

'The empty tomb reminds us why we need to take Jesus seriously.'

'The death of Jesus was physically attested by his burial, his resurrection was physically attested by his appearances.'

'We talk of hope as something we do... in the Bible, hope is something we have.'

'We look back to Jesus to look forward to our destiny.'

Perhaps my only complaint was that the book was too short! I really enjoyed it, and was also helped to understand even better the wide ranging effects of the resurrection - something we will finally understand when we share in the resurrection of the body on that last great day. This will definitely be one that I'll be recommending, both as an introduction for new believers, and also as a refresher and encourager for longstanding Christians.