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The capacity to read is a precious gift of God, and this service is designed to encourage people to use this gift to its fullest. The whole Christian revelation centers around a Book. The center of attention should ultimately be The Book---through which the Living Word reveals Himself. But reading the Bible often leads to the necessary reading of other books. The Ethiopian eunuch was reading a good book but he needed help. Philip came along and like a good book, offered explanations and interpretations as he and the reader bounced along in the chariot.
Christians are heirs to a great literary tradition. From the beginning of the church to the present day, Christian writers have explored their faith in books, and in doing so have nourished their fellow believers. But to their loss, many contemporary Christians are unaware of Christian writers---both those from past generations and those writing today. Oswald Chambers loved books and read widely. "My books!...I cannot tell you what they are to me---silent, wealthy, loyal lovers...I do thank God for my books with every fiber of my being. Friends that are ever true and ever your own."
The purpose of Book Briefs is not to promote the reading of Book Briefs. Ironically, Book Briefs are written by someone who could never read "just" a Book Brief. The titles made available by this service have been read many times over. Recently, I was listening to a sermon and the speaker asked this question, "Who will weep for the perilous state of the western church at the end of the 20th century? Weep! Not talk about it, but do it! Not make irritating noises, but have a broken heart over that which confronts us so forcibly. There is simply no need for would-be prophets who have hard hearts and dry eyes." Well, I am not a prophet but I do weep for the Church and I am compelled to do something!!!!! I am not a pastor but I want to help those shepherd the flock of God. I am a sheep who reads books and having been challenged, nourished, encouraged and enriched by so many good books, I want to "bleet" about them and share them with others.
The need is not, of course, to read Book Briefs or even to read more books. The need for "Revival" and Martin Lloyd-Jones in his book by that title says this: "Ultimately, revival is a miracle---something we cannot "plan" but something that God must do." Historically, revivals begin with "a man, or a group of men" and it seems to me that pastors in particular, have both the tremendous responsibility and the privilege of preparing the flock of God to be the kind of people whom God can "visit" as MLJ puts it. If Paul's friend Phoebe was used to "carry the reformation in her suitcase" to Rome, then perhaps I can help by delivering some of the ideas of authors in the form of Book Briefs.
When the apostles were overwhelmed (not by books that needed to be read but by widows that needed to be fed) they turned some of their responsibilities over to "servants [knowing] it would not be right for [them] to neglect the ministry of the Word of God." Ultimately, Book Briefs are prepared for "those in His service" so that they will be able to spend time reading! But even beyond that, the ulterior motive for providing this service is to enable those in His service to better equip other servants in order that we may all serve more excellently and ultimately the Only One worth serving!
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