"Double Blessing" (Mark Batterson)

TITLE: Double Blessing: How to Get It. How to Give It.
AUTHOR: Mark Batterson
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2019, (240 pages).

This is a surprisingly good book. I was thinking if this is another of those self-help writings inclined toward the health and wealth gospel angle. Coming from Mark Batterson, no way I thought, and I was right. With vivid storytelling and creative illustrations, the author takes a biblical theme of blessings and doubles the space for deeper understanding. The message is simple. Blessings are there to be received. They are also there to be given. The biblical mandate given to Abraham is that he will be blessed to be a blessing to many nations. This unconditional covenant continues to be active in our world today. He starts with a story of "Ariadne's Thread" which in itself could teach us multiple meanings. The key point is that many people in search of blessings tend to be like those who rush into the labyrinth of personal wants, only to be trapped inside. We need the other part, which is the thread to escape this labyrinth, in order to continue the process of blessings, lest we commit the error of James 4:3, which warns us about praying with the purpose of self-gratification.


Part One is about "How to Get" the double blessings. Like a good trusted preacher, he goes back to the Bible to give us examples of Elisha requesting a double portion of the spirit from Elijah as well as Zechariah's binary blessing. At the same time, Batterson teaches us not to treat the Bible as some kind of "quadratic equations" to calculate what God will give us. The key is to obey the spirit of the law rather than legalism. As we let God decide on the amount, we focus on doing our best. God is the one who gets to decide on this X-factor of blessing. Seeking blessings is a matter of trust rather than a contract. We read of examples about the "six-fold blessing" in the Aaronic benediction. He creatively changes Jonathan Edwards's famous sermon into a more relevant title for the day, without changing its underlying meaning.

Part Two is about "How to Give Blessings." If Part One is good, Part Two is even better. He tells us the story of National Community Church, how the initial $50 investment in missions became multiplied many-fold. It is like seeding rain clouds to anticipate a future downpour or to flip our understanding of blessings from getting to giving. It is Batterson's way of teaching us that we get to make a living, and we give to make a life. Better still, we learn to pay it forward and to teach others to do the same. Like the lamp on a lampstand, blessings are not to be stored and accumulated over time but to be given away to continue to be blessings to others far and wide. In fact, the bigger blessing is to see others more eager to bless others and to spread the giving mentality wherever they are. This is the essence of playing the long game, to do our best and to let God do the rest.

Three Thoughts
First, I appreciate the way the author placed a disclaimer right at the copyright page. This urges readers to discern with spiritual wisdom the use of this book. With gentle guidance, readers are advised to see the book as a supplement rather than a replacement for medical treatment. Other health and wealth gospel books tend to stay silent with regard to disclaimers, hoping to push readers toward a more faith-on-faith angle, making people feel that they must have enough faith in order to get what they want. Such faith-on-faith teaching is like a form of salvation by works, which is unbiblical. The way the author has written reveals in some way his awareness of potential misinterpretations and pitfalls some readers might encounter. The presence of such disclaimers is one evidence that Batterson is seeking to encourage spiritual discernment and wisdom. With a world chockful of all kinds of information flowing, we need such reminders on a regular basis. Only if readers bother to read the copyright pages in the first place. I know there are people who would jump right into the main chapters of any book without even reading the table of contents!

Second, there are many ways one could read this book. Some have said that a book is to be read from front to back and understood from back to front. I would say that this book could be read in many different ways. It could be read from cover to cover, front to back, at least for the first time. Subsequently, it could be reflected upon in any direction. Study groups could use this book chapter by chapter. Preachers could use the many illustrations and learn from the way Batterson connects the ancient biblical stories with modern applications. For the reflective and prayerful reader, the most important point is to grow closer to the God of all blessings rather than the blessings per se. This is the objective of any Christian book. For casual readers, I would say that this book will provide glimpses of inspiration to want to read more of the Bible. If there is any reason to want to read this book, this is it.

Finally, the book should prompt us toward seeing the blessings of God in a more helpful light. Our world is flooded with many prosperity preachers who have made a mess out of their Bible interpretation. Through misguided principles of faith-on-faith, and unhealthy emphasis on self-gratification, many Christians have been misled into placing their hopes on tangible things instead of the gospel truth. What is the point of extending our limited years with perishable things when Jesus has constantly reminded us about the hope that can only be found in Him alone? I like the way Batterson periodically peels away from such prosperity-based preaching to go back to one of my favourite quips: "Let us do our best. Let God do the rest." When we place our hopes in God alone, we are trusting that God will not only provide for what we need, He will multiply whatever we don't even know we need.

Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. One church with seven locations. NCC is focused on reaching emerging generations and meets in theaters throughout the DC metro area. NCC also owns and operates the largest coffeehouse on Capitol Hill. Mark holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Regent University and is the New York Times bestselling author of 18 books.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Multnomah Publisher and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.