Wrecked and Redeemed

Wrecked & Redeemed

By: Benji Kelley


So, a few weeks ago I received a free book from Wesleyan Investment Foundation. Much of the time when I receive books like this I'm grateful, but they tend to sit on my book shelf for months or years waiting to be read. It’s nothing personal or anything, but my priorities are usually elsewhere.

However, when I received Wrecked & Redeemed something about it stood out. I don’t usually judge a book by its cover, but something about this particular cover jumped out at me. It wasn’t the graphics, or the picture of Benji Kelley on the front, it was the title that did it. It sparked my curiosity so later that day I decided to crack it open. What I found was an amazing story of a man who was at his end. Locked in a jail, strung out on drugs, and wandering aimlessly through life, Benji Kelley was found by God. Exploring the book of John in prison with the help of a chaplain, Kelley gained a unique sense of God’s grace and truth.

Kelley’s understanding of God’s grace and truth was uniquely shaped by his circumstances. Sitting in a jail he understood the truth of the law. When he went before the judge, he knew what he deserved and what the judge might call him to do, however, through the judge he experienced God’s grace. Instead of spending five years in prison, he was spending three years on probation.

With his life radically changed by the grace and truth of Jesus Christ, Kelley planted a newhope church. Now, over 7,000 people hear the Gospel message on a weekly basis at the various campuses throughout the Carolinas and Kenya. Kelley’s story reminds me of Macc Cuill, who through the preaching of St. Patrick, went from being a murderer to a saint. Kelley’s life, like that of so many people over the past 2,000 years, is marked by grace and truth.

As you walk through Wrecked & Redeemed Kelley takes you through the Gospel of John. By highlighting aspects of Jesus’ life, Kelley gives us a glimpse of the heartbeat of newhope church. Starting in John 1, Kelley outlines the tension of grace and truth. He skillfully communicates the idea that churches need to hold the tension of grace and truth together. Many churches are so “graceful” they accept those things which are contrary to God’s design while other churches are so “truthful” that sinners seeking grace are shunned and left out. As the Church, we need to run with the idea that we are a hospital for sick sinners to find healing and life in Christ.

One chapter that I found especially timely is Kelley’s call for unity through diversity.  Kelley points to Jesus’ prayer in John 17. After Jesus prays for himself, his disciples, he ends with those who will believe and the first thing he prays is that “all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:21). Kelley urges churches to examine how they may unintentionally be creating racial division instead of unity. The point is that Sunday should not be the most segregated day of the week, which it still is especially in the south, but it should be a picture of Heaven and the complete unity we will all share one day.

The final chapter is a charge for urgency. There are people out there that desperately need Jesus! Their life literally depends on it. As believers and churches, we should feel a sense of urgency to go and live out the Gospel so that others can find the joy and hope that we have.

This book, while it is for all believers, it will hit a chord with pastors and those in church leadership positions. If you find yourself in any sort of leadership position within the church, I would encourage you to pick it up.

To find out more about the book and Pastor Kelley check out wreckedandredeemed.com.

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