Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross, by Colin S. Smith
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Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross, by Colin S. Smith
Ebook Download : Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross, by Colin S. Smith
What if you woke up one morning knowing that it was your last day on earth? That's what happened to the thief on the cross, who died a few feet from Jesus. Heaven, How I Got Here is his story, told in his own words, as he looks back from Heaven on the day that changed his eternity, and the faith that can change yours.
Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross, by Colin S. Smith- Amazon Sales Rank: #465307 in eBooks
- Published on: 2015-03-01
- Released on: 2015-03-01
- Format: Kindle eBook
Review 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 (Pastor, Enfield Evangelical Free Church, London) 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 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 ...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 (Mission Director, Free Church of Scotland, Inverness) 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 (Lead Pastor, New Covenant Church, Naperville, Illinois)
Review ...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, Crossway Books and blogger, "Between Two Worlds", Wheaton, Illinois) 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 (Editorial Director, The Gospel Coalition and author of "Blind Spots") 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) How I wish that every skeptic and every believer would read this book! ~ Erwin Lutzer (Senior Pastor, Moody Church, Chicago, Illinois)
About the Author 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.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful. Restore Your Awe in the Gospel By Kevin P. Halloran I’ve learned something interesting about unbelievers after several years of engaging them with the gospel: while many feel uncomfortable discussing sin, the exclusivity of Christ, or eternal punishment, most don’t mind discussing the afterlife.This fascination with the afterlife can be a great inroad to gospel conversation. Heaven is often seen as non-threatening and profoundly interesting—one of the reasons so many I-went-to-heaven-and-back books have flown off the shelves in recent years.What if there were a book you could share with your non-Christian friends that would scratch their “heaven itch” while compellingly sharing the gospel?Fresh ApproachIn his new book, Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross, 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.One challenge in writing about the thief on the cross is that Scripture only contains a few short verses about him. But it’s clear that this nameless thief had a front-row ticket to the crucifixion of Christ—something the Bible does say a lot about. Smith, senior pastor of The Orchard Church outside Chicago, imaginatively walks us through the thief’s life, his rebellion and hatred toward God, and his understanding of the Messiah both before and after putting his trust in him.Telling the crucifixion story through the eyes of the thief reminded me of the deeply personal nature of the gospel—that, like the thief, I am a sinner who can do nothing to rescue myself. Smith insightfully weaves Old Testament background into the life story of the thief, describing what he was likely thinking in the final hours of his life as he saw the mocking crowd and heard Jesus’s cries from the cross.Moreover, 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.Restored AweIf you’re like me, your amazement at the gospel can be hindered by overfamiliarity. Reading this book helped me cut away distracting layers to provide a vivid glimpse of God’s grace in Christ. I felt like I was the thief hanging on that hill, and I thought about the Savior’s deep emotions and compassion in a way I never had previously. In short, this book helped bring back the awe of the gospel by bringing me within feet of the cross.This book will satisfy the heavenly longing of many, not because it describes heaven to the reader (it doesn’t) but because it describes the way to heaven and gives believers assurance that at Calvary our salvation was secured. By God’s grace readers will be gripped by the realization that the thief on the cross had no chance to do good works—and yet Jesus declared to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).Read and ShareI believe Heaven, How I Got Here could function similarly to Tim Keller’s The Prodigal God by contrasting mere religiosity with gospel grace. 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.Colin S. Smith. Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross. Scotland, UK: Christian Focus, 2015. 96 pp. $8.99.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A great book for Easter! By Twilson901 Let me state the unfortunate from the beginning - I just completed a series of sermons on "The Seven Sayings of Christ on the Cross" and wish I had this book beforehand!That said, Heaven How I Got Here is a fresh approach to what actually happened mixed with what might have happened at the cross of Calvary. It is written in the genre of theological fiction, giving the story from a first person perspective of the thief on the cross that was told by Christ, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." Each chapter gives one of the events of the crucifixion, particularly a saying of Christ, narrated by the thief.Some might take issue with the "liberty" Smith takes in giving the perspective of the thief. True, there is much that is not found explicitly in the gospel accounts, and some would argue that some is not even inferred - and I would agree. However, I would also say that while liberty is taken, it is not out of the realm of possibility that much of Smith's "retelling" actually happened fairly closely to his account. For instance, one might disagree with how the thief's mother is cast as a legalistic parent, but she certainly might have been.Regardless, all of this serves Smith's purpose for the book, which is to demonstrate that salvation is by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Every facet of a salvific diamond is demonstrated according to the Scriptures, and the narrative serves as a backdrop to bring the reader into the moment of the crucifixion - the pain and the joy, the suffering and the deliverance. No man can be saved by his own works no matter how "good" (legalistic mother), nor is any man's work to"evil" to keep him from salvation (the thief). And if a man comes to Christ by faith, he finds full satisfaction for forgiveness of sins in Christ and can experience true joy. This is the teaching of Scripture, and for that Heaven, How I Got Here is to be commended - and recommended.I received a copy of this book free of charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Colin Smith does an excellent job of helping the reader think through the events ... By Adam Blosser Heaven, How I Got Here is one of the most enjoyable books that I have read in a while. Colin Smith does an excellent job of helping the reader think through the events of Jesus' last day on earth from the perspective of the thief on the cross. The book is a great idea, and is very well done. I recommend it to anyone desiring to think through the events of the cross in a fresh way.You might ask how it is possible to write an entire book from the perspective of someone that we know so little about. That was my question when I first heard about the book. The book begins with a short chapter imagining what the thief's life must have been like as a child growing up in a Jewish family under Roman occupation. This helps set the stage for the rest of the book.Each chapter is then identified by a time of day, beginning with breakfast and ending up in heaven with Jesus. I found this approach to be really helpful in thinking through the events of Jesus' last day. The thief's perspective is an interesting one that ought to be given adequate consideration.One thing that I expected when I picked up this book is that it would be filled with a lot of conjecture. Since we don't know a lot about the thief, I figured the author would have to make up a lot of stuff to write a book on his experiences that falls just short of 100 pages. That is not the case at all. Smith masterfully weaves what we do know together with some things that we can be almost certain about. The book should not really be characterized as historical fiction. It tells a real story in a very accurate way.Finally, the thing I loved most about the book was the way it proclaims the gospel. It is as if the thief on the cross were sharing the gospel with you from heaven as you read the book. While he would not have understood all of the things he shares when still on the cross, the setting is not the cross but heaven. He is writing from a fuller knowledge of the gospel. The writer masterfully uses the entire New Testament to share the message of the gospel from the thief's perspective.I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I hope to make use of some of it in our Maundy Thursday service at church.I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as a part of the Cross-Focused Reviews Program.
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