The Gospel Story by the Thief on the Cross
Colin S. Smith is Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. His preaching ministry is shared through the daily radio program, Unlocking the Bible and through his website, UnlockingtheBible.org.
How I wish that every skeptic and every believer would read this
book!
*Erwin Lutzer (Senior Pastor, Moody Church, Chicago, Illinois)*
Here is a gripping account of God's amazing grace that comes alive
as recounted from this unusual and really helpful perspective.
*Alistair Begg (Senior Pastor, Parkside Church, Chagrin Falls,
Ohio)*
I've never read anything like this! This compelling first-person
account from a heavenly perspective helped me understand and
appreciate what Jesus endured on the cross and why he did it.
*Collin Hansen (Editor–in–Chief, The Gospel Coalition; author,
‘Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation’)*
...brilliant idea beautifully executed...combines pastoral wisdom
and narrative skill to help us get inside the heart and mind of the
thief on the cross, crucified next to the Christ on Calvary.
*Justin Taylor (Executive vice president for book publishing,
Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois)*
Somewhere in the midst of these pages you discover that you're not
simply in the cast; you are center stage, eyeball to eyeball with
God himself. And what happens when that realization hits has power
to change your life forever.
*Christopher Castaldo*
...fuses together profound theology, historical veracity and gospel
integrity with a vivid and dramatic writing style which is
compelling on every page. This book is genre defying.
*David Meredith*
This book takes the story of the thief on the cross and tells it
from his point of view. He describes his last day on earth. In a
lively, clear and readable way huge doctrines of scripture are
explained: sin, repentance, faith, redemption, justification,
substitutionary atonement, propitiation, heaven and hell. All are
wonderfully unpacked from the point of view of a man who starts the
day in the kingdom of darkness and ends it in the kingdom of
light.
This book would be great, and different, to give to an interested
non-Christian. But it makes an inspiring and stimulating read for
any believer also, enabling the redeemed to ponder anew the glory
and the shame of the cross.
Short on words; long on truth.
*Evangelicals Now*
Colin Smith takes a fresh approach to a sometimes troubling topic.
Instead of describing heavenly details like the people you'll meet,
the things you'll do, or the appearance of the Holy Spirit, Smith
writes from the heavenly vantage point of the person closest to
Jesus as he died on the cross: the thief at his side who would come
to believe... I was gripped by the thief's play-by-play of the
passion story as it unfolded, and how he came to see the gospel
implications of Jesus's actions toward those around-toward his
executors, toward his mother, and toward the thief himself. Heaven,
How I Got Here oozes gospel truth.
Its accessible format makes it easy to give away and even read in
one sitting. Pastors would be wise to have a few on hand to give to
seekers, those struggling with assurance, and those needing a
deeper and more personal look at the good news.
If you are looking to deepen your understanding of God's
cross-shaped love and to share it with others, I can't help but
warmly commend Heaven, How I Got Here.
*The Gospel Coalition*
Here is a short book to read and give away to a non-Christian
friend or acquaintance. Written in the first person, it tells the
story of Good Friday from the perspective of the crucified criminal
who ask the Lord Jesus to remember him. With a biblically informed
imagination, Colin Smith recounts the way this guilty crucified
criminal went from condemned cell, via the agony of crucifixion, to
the joy of heaven with the Lord Jesus. He imagines the criminal
looking back on that last day from the perspective of the eternal
security of heaven. He speaks as an eyewitness of the sufferings of
Jesus; one who heard His words spoken from the cross. What unfolds
is a story of amazing grace. Here was a man with nothing to commend
him; with no time to turn over a new leaf; with no record of a new
start. He simply turned to the Lord Jesus and asked for mercy. What
a demonstration of the truth that whoever comes to Jesus will never
be driven away!
This is a book to buy, read and give away. I know of one believer
who on reading this book ordered ten and quickly found
opportunities to give them away to others, including to his barber.
Here in Enfield we have bought a pile and are urging folk to read
it before Easter with a view to then passing it on to a friend. Go
for it!
*Jonathan Prime*
Colin S. Smith brings the thief on the cross to life in the 96-
page novella Heaven, How I Got Here. He writes imaginatively from
the thief's perspective while dealing respectfully with the
biblical account. For instance, he doesn't invent words to put in
Jesus mind or mouth. Instead, as we follow the thief through his
last day on earth- from eating his breakfast, to carrying his
cross, to finally breathing his last- Smith shares poignant
reflections on law, justice, faith, and forgiveness. Through it
all, he continually brings our attention back to Christ's work on
the cross and His offer of salvation to all who believe.
Christians looking for a book to savor on the beach, share with
graduates, or challenge unbelieving friends will want to take
note.
*WORLD Magazine*
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