I was not very into this topic, but because I like other books by Edward T. Welch I get interested (even if this one didn´t seem like the topics he uses to write). It is a very short book (40 meditations). I think this book may benefit pastors, teachers, and leaders, not so many counselors as we use to read Edward for his content about counseling, this one feels more theological related and academic. I want to draw near.

Created to Draw Near

Our Life as God's Royal Priests

by Edward T. Welch





Crossway

Christian , Religion & Spirituality

Pub Date 07 Jan 2020







I am reviewing a copy of Created to Draw Near through Crossway and Netgalley:









Character Matters is a book that encourages the readers to reflect on one self, it is not a book that encourages self-centeredness. We are reminded too not to let that self reflection turn into self centerdness.









The author encourages us to focus on the Jesus.

The importance of kindness is also addressed with the reminder that kindness does not only involve remembering it involves doing.





We are reminded too that though being thick skinned is perfectly acceptable, it is unacceptable to lack a tender heart.





If you are looking for a book that encourages you to draw closer to God, instead of keeping him at a distance, as many Christians do.







I give Created to Draw Near five out of five stars!





Happy Reading!

There are many books on Revelations, however, this one is a bit different then the usual ones. It doesn't try to explain the book and much as it speaks of God's plans for the world in the future. It is a good reminder of what awaits us.
I received this book free from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

I am simply amazed with anything that Ed Welch writes. He is a man who loves Jesus and loves to point people to Jesus whether through counseling information or just the act of worship. This book, was focused on worship. I love how he points us through the Old Testament in regards to what worship looks like and how it can be lived out truthfully in our day today. He uses a lot of Scripture references which is always a plus, especially when it comes to worship. I am not surprising this angle from Welch, but I found it to be very refreshing. Good read.

This book contains 40 meditations that focus on some part of our relationship with Christ and the royal priesthood. Welch challenges our preconceived notions. I appreciated how he defined the priestly role. “The heart of the priestly job description is fellowship with the Lord, enjoying his hospitality and protection, living in his house. May we never think that dour obedience is the essence of life in Christ. Lavish meals, satisfaction, peace, and pleasure are the lot of God’s priests” (location 673).

Another favorite part for me was when he said that instead of thinking of our growth in Christ as “progressive sanctification,” we should think of it as “progressive nearness” (location 908). The Lord declares us holy, and that status change helps us change. As we grow in holiness and obedience, we experience a greater closeness.

Thank you to Crossway for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

What are some things that come to your mind when you think about a priest?

If I'm honest, my mind's eye has often conjured up an image of a catholic priest; it is a tangible picture, after all. If I drift to thoughts about the Old Testament, I reflect on sacrifices and the temple - not that I am able to visualize that very well, since the images of my mind are drawn from the illustrations of children's books I have read to my kids.

So, I feel like for most of us, we don't have a solid box to understand the role of a priest.

We have a hard time imagining what it was like in the early days of Israel, our evangelical churches don't contain the office of priest, and animal sacrifices are not a cultural norm these days. Thus the role is marked by mystery and obscurity, leaving us with little context for us to apply to our lives.

Yet, Scripture tells us we are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Peter 2:9-10, ESV). God has called us into a priesthood, He has given this function to us as followers of Christ.

What do we make of that?

An ancient role, awarded to us by God's grace, may seem impractical, in this day and age. Yet we are called. We are chosen, to be His priests.

To help us understand our priestly role, Ed Welch writes this book "Created to Draw Near: Our Life As God's Royal Priests".

The purpose of his book is that "we must understand ourselves as priests by how God identifies the priesthood rather than how we experience priests past and present."

He writes each chapter as a meditation on different aspects of the priesthood, drawing in truths from Old Testament laws & prophecies, and New Testament fulfillments, to help us comprehend this ancient role. A role that has implications for how we live today, as followers of Christ. At the end of each chapter, he provides response questions, allowing the reader to meditate and reflect.

He summarizes the role of priests, that they "served in God's house, knew God close up, ate meals with him, and enjoyed his presence. When they circulated among the people, they had the enviable job of pronouncing a blessing over them."

Serving. Knowing. Enjoying. Blessing.

How do those words fit for you?

It may stir emotions in your heart, as you reflect on your walk of faith. Maybe there are feelings of guilt or shame. Maybe there is a deep longing for more. There may be confusion as you wonder how this is supposed to fit in your life, when it currently looks like everything other than.

But, this is what we are created for. This is how we glorify God with our lives, and serve others, through our role as priests of God. "God's intent for humanity has been that we would live in his house and receive his divine hospitality. That is the mission of the priests - priests are near to God."

What difference would this make in your life, acknowledging your role as God's royal priest?

In his book, he looks at three perspectives that inform our role as priests.

Our Past
We are created by God, and we are "bent toward connection and closeness." Our very being desires that intimacy with others and with our Creator. This intimacy grows as we follow Him in obedience. Through the lives of the patriarchs we see God leading and guiding His people; we see Him establish a place for His presence in the tabernacle and the temple. Yet, time and again we see people turning from God's ways, and away from that intimacy. Our past reveals that we were born with a sinful nature which we battle daily, and as we fight against it, we draw nearer to Christ.

Our Saviour
In Jesus we see our Great Priest, we see Emmanuel, who is God with us. He is the one who descended down to us, who became our Passover lamb, the one in whom we are to believe. He atoned for us, as the high priests would atone for the sins of Israel. That sinful nature we labor against has been atoned for, by the power of His glorious grace! He died and rose again, and is coming back again. We live our lives as priests by the help of His grace and in the power of His promises.

Our Life
We continue to walk in obedience daily, and as "The Spirit brings you into the presence of God, and you shine as you reflect the light of Jesus." It's a beautiful picture of the priesthood, that like Moses, we can reflect the glory of God to those around us. The priests were set apart for God, and so we enter the world in our spheres of influence, our work, activities and families, as a people who are set apart. Yet, even in our uniqueness as believers, our role as priests means that we teach, encourage, and bring others into that same union with Christ.

As a member of a priesthood, we have God's Word that illuminates how we live. Even in this seemingly ancient role as a priest, we have practical applications for us today as we step out into our worlds, shining His light and carrying His aroma to those around us. "Created to Draw Near" is a great encouragement to us, as we continue to discover what that role means for us and how we live.

"You are a royal priest. That reality will change how you live."

Even though the author was new to me, I was excited to read this due to the title. The overall premise as the title states is that we've been created to draw near to God. This book over 38 'sections' walks through the Bible and demonstrates how God drew near to His people and accordingly, enabled them to connect with Him.

As the subtitle refers to the role of 'priests' much of the book reflects on this role and once again, how priests had the responsibility of providing a 'way' to God, as they do presently. However, I kinda felt this was a bit too laboured a point and it didn't add anything much to my perspective on we all having a role to play as 'priests'.

I found this book a struggle to read. It reads like a textbook with a lot of historical and biblical facts being outlined. I felt there was a lack of 'story' that would have made the 'facts' much more interesting to read. There were many times I wanted to stop reading it and found I could only read a few pages at a time. On finishing the book my overall emotion was relief.

I expect if you've read more of Welch's work you might be used to his style and so enjoy this one. However, I find I'm unable to recommend it.

Thank you to Crossway for providing me with this pre-release version of the book via NetGalley.

I chose to request this advanced reader copy from NetGalley because “God’s plan from the beginning has been for his people to draw near to him” as stated on the back of the book (as well as the title) drew me in. I love this quality of God and wanted to learn more. While the book did discuss this, I thought that is discussed that we are priests a little too much... I recognize this was a part of the title, but it just seemed a little too much and a little questionable.

"Created to Draw Near" talked about what it means to be a priest of God, how God wants us to draw near to Him, and what He's done to allow us to draw near to Him. The author started by looking at the Garden of Eden, then talked about Moses and Mount Sinai, looked at the tabernacle and the symbolism found in the tabernacle and the priestly clothing. He looked at the sacrifices and the feasts and how Jesus is a later fulfillment of these. He explained how Jesus is our tabernacle, our high priest, the final sacrifice that allows us to draw near to God, how we are priests and saints, and other Old Testament/New Testament imagery.

The author is very fond of finding symbolism in things, some of it widely accepted and some of it I've never heard before. At the end of each short chapter, there were two personal application questions. I appreciated that he used verses from and studied the Bible to make his points. I'm not sure that I agree with his repeated theme that mankind (including Adam and Eve before the Fall) were always meant to wear priestly clothing. He seems to believe that the fact that Adam and Eve were naked and didn't know it was a bad thing, and their nakedness always needed to be covered. Overall, though, I felt like he did a good job showing how Jesus fulfills the promises and symbolism found in the Old Testament.

The purpose of humanity is to be brought near to God as a holy people. AS this was displayed in the priesthood, the realities of holiness were brought before people night and day. God's mission for us is to draw us to close to himself and give life.

How important it is to know for the weary that we can draw close to God. This text is a study on the bible how God brought his people near to him and the great lengths it takes on his part to do so. We must remember we are dealing with a holy God, good vs evil as we are being accused day and night by the evil one. This text in sharing God's heart in drawing us near also gives this heart a better understanding of who God is. A humble position to be.

The text also is centered on the trinity and how the trinity works for the mission for us to draw near to God. It is a holy work. A work meant for sanctification.

The text is in 3 parts. Our past in dealing with Garden of Eden and how God set apart a people for his glory. A people who he drew near to him to worship him. The 2nd part focuses on Jesus as our tabernacle. This is a great word study as we see Jesus much more. Part 3 Almost Truly Human-we are truly human as we draw near and living as God's Royal Priest.

A life changing book as it will change how you look at God, the bible and prayer. Highly recommend.

A Special Thank you to Crossway Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I have read Ed Welch in the past and have read benefitted from his books so I was excited to read this one. However, as I reading this I just could not get into. I had no idea what direction he was going or even what he was talking about. Maybe, I was expecting something a little more than what I expected, I am not sure.

Many People like to keep God at a safe distance. In Created To Draw Near, Ed Welch uses 40 short, meditative chapters to trace iterations of the priestly job description from the garden of Eden to the heavenly city. Believers will discover their identity as royal priests and learn what it means that they were created to be made holy as they draw near to God and receive his lavish hospitality.

There's nothing wrong per se with what the author is saying. But this is not a book that you'll read twice. It's very basic and everything has already been said probably better in other books