Jesus Unleashed

Luke's narrative of Jesus was presented to Christians who had already heard and read stories of Jesus and the birth of this new movement, Christianity. Luke seemed to rewrite the story of Jesus similar to ancient epics of the history of a nation, a movement, and the tale of a hero. Jesus and the church emerged in occupied Judea, a nation that was not only oppressed but was in exile. Occupied Judea, however, struggled for power and honor and in turn, for marginalized people who needed God. Jesus, the epic hero, journeyed to earth and Jerusalem to free those on the margins of society. This epic story lives on today in a church that also has heard the story of Jesus, but has forgotten that the friend of sinners calls Christians to also reach those who are marginalized by our occupied culture. Luke invites Christians to emerge as a movement that seeks and saves those ostracized by our communities. ""Those who have loved the Bible all of their lives, and those who are coming to it afresh, will find here the sweet aroma of the Holy Spirit wafting through the broken places of our world and reviving all of God's children, both inside and outside traditional churches. The third evangelist's work of introducing Jesus to all comers continues in this valuable work."" --Mark Hamilton, Author of The Transforming Word ""Ron Clark's new book invites us to abandon the sanitized religion of Christianity that we have practiced for too long. In Jesus Unleashed, he shows how Luke's Gospel presents a Christ who insists that we eschew the static, comfortable, easy forms of religion we have substituted for the cross-shaped, shalom-bringing friendship with sinners that he modeled for us."" --Michael Frost, Author of The Road to Missional ""I deeply admire Ron and Agape, the community he leads, as they embody the principles Ron highlights from his study of Luke. Jesus Unleashed presents not only solid exposition of Scripture but a practical challenge for Christ's followers. I have great hope for the future of the church as we reach out to the marginalized people in our society today."" --Kevin Palau, President of Luis Palau Association Ron Clark is the minister for the Agape Church of Christ and faculty at George Fox Evangelical Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of Freeing the Oppressed and The God of Second Chances.