Enjoying Jesus

Jeff Purswell

How many Christians seek to live faithfully for Christ but find the experience of actually enjoying him all too elusive? In this precious book, Tim Chester shows us that the Jesus we meet in Scripture—compassionate, strong, welcoming, loving, life-giving, glorious—is the same Jesus who is present and active in our lives each day. By alerting us to our Savior’s manifold expressions of love and care, Tim motivates us to move toward Jesus and find in him all the comfort, grace and joy he offers to his own.

Michael Reeves

The greatest problem Christians have today is that they don’t enjoy Jesus as they could. This is the root of so many of our fears and woes. In this beautiful book, Tim Chester helps us to appreciate all that Jesus is and to see the practical and transformative difference that he can make in our daily lives. It is like a trip to the Caribbean for the soul.

“Thoughtful and Helpful”

Tim Chester encourages his readers to truly recognize and dwell on the ways that Jesus loves us and is present with us in our everyday lives. Each chapter in this book is about a different attribute of Jesus, such as his compassion, glory, intercession, and reign, and Chester unpacks each of these attributes in detail, exploring Scripture passages related to these themes and suggesting action steps that people can take to better connect with this aspect of who Jesus is. Each chapter concludes with an addition to a fictional case study for how some people might integrate these ideas into their day-to-day, along with a brief action step and some reflection questions.

This book is full of encouraging truths, and it can help people connect with Jesus as a person, instead of just having head knowledge about him. I especially appreciated the chapter about Jesus's anger, which is an under-acknowledged aspect of his character that means a lot to me personally. However, even though I appreciate the author's goal and found many aspects of this book helpful, I also thought it was longer and wordier than it needed to be, and that it could have packed an even greater punch if it had been more concise. Some of the chapters have overlapping themes, and aspects of the book seem repetitive.

This is a great book for both new and longtime Christians who want to better understand and engage with the character and presence of Jesus. This is suitable for individual reading and for church groups to read together, and it can also be appropriate for family devotions with older children and teens.

I received a free copy from the publisher, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

“Home Group choice”

Our home group have really enjoyed this book. It has a wonderful balance of biblical teaching and personal application. It approaches so many different aspects of our walk with Jesus and is encouraging. It took me a few sessions to work out how to use it in a group, there are good reminders and questions at the end of each chapter, but we also have different members of the group different verses referred to in the chapter to report back on to the group that worked well and led to further discussion. Chapters aren’t to long or dense.

“Absolutely Superb”

Tim Chester’s “Enjoying God” is genuinely one of my favourite Christian books of all time. It’s easy to read and contains some huge theological truths, pulled faithfully out of biblical narratives, that change our lives. We’ve been waiting a long time for a follow up and I’ve not been disappointed! Chester shows us what it means to live the Christian life with a real relationship with Jesus. It’s not just about the past and what Jesus has done for us (incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension) but about the present reality of what Christ is doing for us and how we can enjoy our relationship with him. If you want to understand some big theological truths and for your heart to sing too, this is the perfect choice!

“Practical”

I love the practical approach to this devotional… enjoying Jesus in the myriad emotions and instances of life.

It includes many facets of seeing who Jesus is and how he displays the character of God.

I appreciate the calls to action and the reflection questions.

“A precious book on the Christian’s union with Christ”

Following on from his popular title “Enjoying God,” Tim Chester has written a follow-up book “Enjoying Jesus” that focuses on the unity that the Christian has in Christ and how we can have a real, living relationship with Jesus Christ.

In fourteen short but rich and weighty chapters, Tim Chester explores how the Christian’s Union in Christ can be actively lived out and experienced in all the different challenges and trials that we go through in life. Not only can we know that Christ is with us in our day-to-day lives, but we can also delight in the fellowship that we have in Christ.

Each chapter picks up on a biblical theme and explains the relevant biblical clarity with pastoral warmth, clarity and practical application. At the end of each chapter, Tim Chester offers a hypothetical example “Mike and Emma’s Tuesday afternoon” where the theme of the chapter is applied into a real life context. There is also an “action” challenge, for the reader to apply the topic in their own lives and some questions for reflection.

Tim Chester has a particularly engaging style of writing that is enjoyable to read, whilst also seamlessly weaving several excellent insights and quotes from the Reformers and Puritans. I really enjoyed the chapter on “Enjoying the voice of Jesus,” where Chester reminds us that Jesus wants to speak to us, and the main way that He does this is through pastors and preachers. This is experienced most significantly when it seems as if the pastor has written a sermon specifically for us, and we are reminded that whilst the pastor doesn’t think of us all the time, Jesus does! (p115)

In conclusion, “Enjoying Jesus” joyfully brings the spiritual reality of our union with Christ to life in a powerful and practical way. This is a precious book that will deepen your affection for Jesus.

*Disclaimer: TGBC kindly provided me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Buy it! Read it! Give one away!”

Enjoying Jesus by Tim Chester obviously focuses on our Lord Jesus as it explains what it means to have a real life, day by day relationship with Him. Additionally, it is heart-warming and practical [with ‘Action’ steps and ‘Reflection Questions’]. Tim gets us thinking with helpful quotes from many others, and gets us worshipping as we consider our Lord.

“Great discipleship resource”

“Enjoying Jesus” is the next book in a series by Tim Chester related to growing in our relationship with God.

In the Intro, I was struck by how he writes about when people speak of having a personal relationship with Jesus but often actually meaning only being saved by Him. He writes,

“Too often there's little sense of a lived experience of Jesus—of enjoying him and being a joy to him, of loving him and being loved by him, of interacting with him day by day.”

The book then aims to help the reader understand what a “real, living relationship with Jesus” looks like. This would be an excellent book to gift to a newer believer or to read as a group discipleship resource with the action step and reflection questions at the end of each chapter. It could even be used as a daily devotional with about of 12-15 pages per chapter.

Highlights:

“…especially in difficult times, we may need to hold on to his presence by faith, trusting that he's with us even when it doesn't feel like it.”

“Gentleness is what’s in his heart, and so gentleness is what spills out when he sees you in need.”

“When everything else goes wrong, remember that you still have Jesus. . . what can bring you through those times is seeing the surpassing glory of Jesus.”

“…through the Holy Spirit, Jesus comes to meet you every time you read his word and speak with him in prayer.”

“The expert in the law wanted to serve so he could make himself right with God; Jesus wants to make us right with God so we can serve.”

“Listening to Jesus is not another task we have to complete—in addition to all the catering we have to do! Listening is the act through which we receive Christ's words of grace.”

Readability: 4
Impact: 4
Content: 4
Enjoyment: 3
Total: 3.75

Thank you to @thegoodbookcompanyusa for gifting me a copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.

“A great devotional”

This book is taught in 14 lessons. Each chapter has a Bible passage, a reflection, an action, and questions. I really liked how meaty this book felt and how it focuses on your relationship with Jesus specifically.