Have you ever heard the adage, 'Those who forget the past, are condemned to repeat it'? Rick Joyner has, and he feels it is especially true for Christians. If we forget our own history, not only will we continue to make the same mistakes, but we will become even more irrelevant to the society around us. Joyner wrote Shadows of Things to Come as a timely reminder of what God has already accomplished in and through us and what God is working to accomplish in and through us in the future.
This is not a detailed look at church history, and Joyner makes no claims about being a historian. It is, however, an enjoyable and well-written look at some of the major historical accomplishments of the church, alongside the equally impressive (in a negative fashion) mistakes made by the same church. Joyner shows that many (all but one) heroes of the faith have made mistakes that often counterbalance the good they have achieved. But Joyner strongly feels that we can avoid some of their mistakes, if we would just remember that they have been made.
He does a good job of balancing critique and affirmation. In each era, the church has much to be proud of, and much that is disgraceful. But Joyner does not expose our mistakes simply for the sake of exposing them. He truly wants us to learn from our mistakes, and to show us how God often uses fallible human beings and institutions, working in spite of them. He feels that if we emulate the church at its best, and actively work to prevent ourselves from becoming again the church at its worst, we will be relevant to our society once more, and will bring God's kingdom closer to consummation.
Eminently practical, historically insightful, and spiritually powerful, this book will help to open the windows of your church to the Holy Spirit, while simultaneously closing doors that may have been open to the devil. The goal: a relevant, active church that works to bring in God's kingdom. Ultimately, how we view and understand our past will determine how we act in the future. Similarly, understanding the church's future will help us to proactively change our present while learning from the past.
