Adrian Warnock has taken us on a journey that has wonderfully demonstrated the truth of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth and the cosmic consequences of His death and resurrection.  The certain hope of the resurrection and the unveiling of the age to come is to impact every follower of Jesus NOW:

“Christians have the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead living inside them.  One day that power will complete the work of saving us, but in the meantime the normal Christian life can be one in which we are aware of the change that the resurrection brings.  We are citizens of the age to come, living in a world that is dead to God.  But we are not dead to Him.  We live to Him.  May God help us live in the light of that fact each day.  One day we will all see that, thanks to the death and resurrection of Jesus, everything has been changed.  The whole creation will have been renewed, and we will be like Him.”

From Deep Creek Anglican Church Blog » Raised with Christ 13.

“Starts out a little bit slow, but it’s well worth sticking it out! He spends several chapters outlining the evidence for the resurrection, which can be a bit dry, especially if you’re already somewhat familiar with it. Still, it’s necessary to set the stage. After that, the real meat of the book begins. It’s a fantastic treatment of the resurrection and it’s importance right now in the life of every believer. Highly recommended!”

via Raised with Christ by Adrian Warnock – Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists.

Raised With Christ is now available as an audio book. You can buy it from Long Train Audio now for immediate download. For a limited period only of 14 days, you can obtain an exclusive discount. The codes you need to type in are: AWUSD which takes $3 off the US Dollar purchase and AWGBP which takes £2 off the UK pounds purchase (you can buy in either currency). Customers outside the UK or US can choose which they use, it’s fine to use either. If you run your own blog you can also sign up to an affiliate program with very generous rewards (see the link in the site’s sidebar).

“Great to think for a bit about how the resurrection impacts everything. Previously I’d had a far too narrow understanding of its implications but this book has really helped me to see I’d missed quite a lot!”

via KEEPING ATTENTIVE: It’s Been a While!.

The following review was recently posted on Amazon:

“I’m a pastor of a recently planted church in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. As with many other church planters down here in Latin America, I lack a formal theological education. My little Bible background was acquired through Sunday school in a classical Pentecostal church (a lot of zeal, with a lack of depth!). But, solely due to the grace of God, a deep hunger for the Word of God was always present in me. When confronted with God’s call to preach (twice a week!), I started to realize how little I knew the gospel, and how little I knew my Savior and his work. One of my main concerns was my utterly lack of understanding of the implications of the resurrection. I simply did not know what to do with it, and much less how to preach about it! For the past 4 Easters I preached solely on the power and meaning of the cross, with the aid of such great works like R.C.Sproul’s “The Truth of the Cross”, J.Stott’s “The Cross of Christ” and J.I.Packer’s “Knowing God”. For our fifth Easter I really wanted to explore the resurrection, so the publication of Adrian Warnock “Raised with Christ” was God’s gift to me.

“Raised with Christ” is a thoughtful, readable, non-technical, comprehensive exploration of the biblical background, story, meaning, actual implications and practical applications of the miracle of the resurrection (I read it in a handful of week nights and air travel time going to and from the T4G-10 conference). The resurrection is not a “bonus track” of the gospel song, but actually the single movement that gives every part of the gospel symphony its actual meaning, the “hinge” that makes all of Christ’s work revolves and function. “Jesus our Lord… was raised for our justification” (Romans 4:24-25) claims Paul, justifying first the work of our Christ, justifying second ourselves that are “in Him”, and then raising us up in the power of the Holy Spirit, to live a new life according to the new covenant that now we are part of (Jeremiah 31:27-40). Raising our awareness of this fact is not only “a nice to have” theological mussing, but uttermost essential to understand “the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19). Simply put, if you don’t understand the resurrection, you don’t understand the gospel.

One of Warnock’s book welcomed feature is the link between the resurrection theology and its meaning for our personal and corporate revival. Since the resurrection has “connected us” with the power of the Holy Spirit (through the new birth, as exceptionally explained by John Piper’s “Finally Alive”), we are supposed to live in a constant, utterly dependent relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, firing our zeal for prayer, worship, holy living, missions and evangelism in a world gone mad (with a church barely noticing!).

For me, this past Easter was profoundly affected by the reading of this great book. My preaching was forever changed in a more beefed-up, rounded-up, improved knowledge of the grace of God toward us in His gospel. I strongly suggest you (especially lay people and lay pastors like myself) to get a copy of this book because it will help you grapple the significance of this holy event that enabled God to save us completely, perpetually and finally.”

Amazon.com: Gadiel Rios’ review of Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything.

We invite you to join in a “virtual study group” being held online via Twitter. If you don’t already have a Twitter account you can join very easily for free. Just like in any offline discussion group, please also interact with other people’s replies.  To make it easier to follow we will use a series of “hash tags”. Please use #rwc1 for general discussion and add a specific letter to discuss one of the questions on the following link:

READ more at  Study Gude  » SESSION ONE: Do we neglect the resurrection?.

“Warnock’s pithy and stimulating approach displays a passion for real Christianity.”  From thegoodbookstall.org.uk

A video Q and A session with Raised With Christ author is now available here:

PART ONE

1. Why did you decide to write about the resurrection?
2. But don’t all Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus?
3. Do we need to mention the resurrection when we preach?

PART TWO

4. Are you saying that the cross is overemphasized?
5. Why do Christians neglect the resurrection?
6. Do you want us to emphasize the resurrection rather than arguing about theories of atonement?

PART THREE

7. What are the implications of neglecting the resurrection?
8. Why is the resurrection so important for understanding our justification?
9. How does the resurrection transform our lives today?

I have to say, first of all, that it was a genuine pleasure to read. Simple without being simplistic, it follows a line of thought through the importance of the resurrection, the truth of the resurrection, the effect it has on us, the need for revival in our churches and in prayer, and finally the second coming- the resurrection of our bodies at the end of all things.

Read more at Purposeful Purity: Raised With Christ.

To say the least, Adrian has brought a major contribution to the Gospel-centered community by underscoring the meaning of the resurrection. That we preach Christ crucified is well known. That “Christ crucified” means crucified and risen is not so clear. I find myself often drawn to the atonement as the core of the Gospel, and it is. But atonement without resurrection is no atonement. And resurrection is not a background noise in the New Testament. . .The book is easy to follow, well organized, readable, and will be used with great profit by all. It will stir your faith unto sanctification, revival, witness, and hope.

Read more at Resurrection – GospelDrivenLife.

In this his first book Warnock seeks to rivet the reader’s attention on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ and his death has been the traditional emphasis of the western church, both in positive remembrance, and over the last few years, deeply-felt theological wrangles over its meaning to which Warnock has been no stranger. In this book though he seeks to move our attention onto the positive Christian declaration that Christ who died, rose again and now reigns. He demonstrates that while the resurrection was absolutely central to the life, witness and proclamation of the first Christians – it is often merely assumed by today’s church. The central prominence of this theme in the New Testament is simply not reflected in contemporary preaching, praying, publishing, faith, hope or Christian practice! He has a good point and he makes it well.

via That Hideous Man: Book Notes: “Raised with Christ” by Adrian Warnock.

Adrian Warnock was interviewed on the UK’s leading Christian radio station on the Inspirational Breakfast show about our resurrection neglect.  LISTEN HERE .

The following comes from a review of Raised With Christ on Operation Actually Read Bible:

I loved, loved, loved this book. For me, it was an amazing read. It reminded me of why I read Christian nonfiction in the first place.I feel I learned so much–so very, very much–by reading this one. I can honestly say this one made me think. In a good way. It made me pray.The way Adrian Warnock presented his message, well, it worked for me. The way he incorporated the Bible, how he relied on Scripture, that’s what I’m looking for. Always. I don’t want anyone telling me what to think, what to believe, what’s right and what’s wrong…if they can’t back it up. I want to encounter the Word of God when I read Christian nonfiction. I also appreciated Warnock’s use of quotes from Christians preachers, theologians, writers, etc. throughout the centuries. Some of these quotes were oh-so-amazing.

via Operation Actually Read Bible: Book Review: Raised With Christ.

One of the central arguments of the book is that we Christians often spend a lot of time talking, singing and preaching about the death of Christ, without carrying on to talk, sing and preach about the vindication which followed. He demonstrates from the Bible how the two concepts of ‘death’ and ‘resurrection’ go together, and notes how much more air time ‘resurrection’ gets in New Testament preaching than ‘death’.

As such, this is a really timely reminder (in fact there seem to be a spate of such books – Sam Allberry’s Lifted: Experiencing the Resurrection Life being another example).

via Raised with Christ (a mini-review) – TheVirtualWord.

I REMEMBER TRYING TO explain grace to a room full of children. Without warning, I took a large chocolate bar and gave it to the child who had been misbehaving the most all morning. The look of sur- prise and pleasure on the child’s face told me he understood that this was far from what he deserved. A chorus of howls from the other children of “That’s totally not fair!” told me they had grasped it too. “Exactly,” I said. “That’s grace!” In response to this the boy immediately began to behave well and continued to do so for the rest of the morning.
When we appreciate the grace that we have received and understand the inward change that has happened to us, it will affect every aspect of our lives. Christians will find their drinking habits, their sex life, their relationships, and their attitudes toward work and authority trans- formed. In short, every aspect of their behavior will begin to change. We are not passive in this process but work to become what we already are. We have been changed by an encounter with Jesus who is not the long-dead subject of a historical biography but is very much alive today.  (Page 145)

Our biggest problem is that we do not see Jesus as he is. If we could desire him, treasure him, delight in him, be satisfied in him, cherish him, savor him, value him, revere him, esteem and admire him as much as he deserves, we would want to follow him as our Lord in every area of our life, and sin would instantly lose its appeal. One of the most important ways for us to deal with sin in our lives is to get a clear picture of Jesus in our minds and hearts. Jesus shares every attribute with God and is therefore not to be messed around with, argued with, or treated with contempt. It is as we contemplate Jesus and his resurrection that we will be changed. (Page 149)

Jesus met with people when they were alone, with a small handful of people, in a group of twelve or more, and in an assembly of hundreds. He met them in a formal gathering, over a meal, in a home, in secluded countryside, at work, and in the middle of a busy city.

Jesus can still meet people today in all these situations. Although he no longer meets us face-to-face, the reality of his presence remains through his Spirit and the Bible (see John 14–16). Jesus can meet us in every situation we face, just like the disciples. Throughout the rest of church history he has continued to meet with his people, sometimes by surprise, but always to keep his promises: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them,” and “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (page 41)

The following quote from Raised With Christ was shared on Crosspointe’s blog and surely is something worth getting excited about this Easter!

Jesus was so full of merit that not only did he have enough righteousness to cancel out our sin and enough that he deserved to be raised from the dead, but he still had abundantly more credit remaining in his account. As a result, our justification consists not just of a canceling of our debt, but also of an imputing to us of the righteousness of Christ. It is not only “just as if I’d never sinned,” but also, “just as if I’d already completed a perfect life.” Jesus doesn’t merely give us a clean slate and then sit back and watch whether we will mess it up again. .

via The CrossPointe: Why We Love the Resurrection : : 3.

Many more people throughout history have begun radical, continued social movements. But one significant difference each time is this: none of their founders are still with them. The Church, God’s called and chosen people here on earth, is utterly unique for many reasons. Notably, it is the “only organisation in the world that exists solely for the benefit of its non-members” (Archbishop William Temple). And, more importantly, its – our – founder Jesus Christ is still with us. Always. To the end of the age.

via Notes on a Scandal: Beacon Touchpaper #20: “Jesus, our LIVING founder”.

The greatest proof that Jesus lives today is that He continues to change lives. The course of my life was changed by Jesus. I never intended on doing with my life what I am presently doing. This is true of all who follow Christ. . .

In my upcoming blogs, I want to explore how we experience the resurrection power of Jesus in our lives today. Often today, people can feel they’ve lost this experience of God. In his book, “Raised With Christ,” Adrian Warnock quotes Francis Schaeffer:

“Some Christians seem to think that when they are born again, they become a self-contained unit like a storage battery. From that time on they have to go on their own pep and their own power until they die. But this is wrong. After we are justified, one for all through faith in Christ, we are to live in supernatural communion with the Lord every moment; we are to be like lights plugged into an electric socket. The Bible makes it plain that our joy and spiritual power depend on a continuing relation to God.”
from John Lanferman: Resurrection and life.