Do What Jesus Did, by Robby Dawkins

When John Wimber was a new Christian, he said he started asking his pastor, "When do we get to do the stuff?"  He was surprised that Christians didn't do "the stuff" Jesus did in the gospels, healing the sick, speaking words of wisdom, raising the dead.  As the leader of the Vineyard churches, Wimber eventually did a lot of the stuff, and travelled the world teaching others about doing the stuff.

Wimber is no longer with us, but his mantle of signs and wonders has passed to a new generation of leaders, including Robby Dawkins, pastor of Vineyard Aurora, in the western suburbs of Chicago.  In his new book, Do What Jesus Did, Dawkins tells of his experiences doing the stuff.  He argues that if "Christian means 'little version of Christ'" then Christians ought to be "throwing out demons, walking on water, multiplying food for thousands, healing the sick and raising the dead."

If Dawkins merely related stories of specific examples of healing and other miracles he has seen, this would be an inspiring enough book, a great reminder that God does still work among us in remarkable ways.  But Dawkins's project is much bigger than that.  He wants every Christian to be willing to be intentionally evangelistic and to be "naturally supernatural."

The purpose of healing and miracles is not to impress or display one's own spirituality, but to show love, touch hearts, and transform lives.  Dawkins says that when we pray for people, we should always ask for God's presence, and tell them that Jesus loves them.  His accounts of praying for people always include a reminder that the healing or miracle is "so that everyone will know that You're here and in pursuit of a relationship with them."

What a difference we could make in the the world around us if we lived every day looking through Jesus' eyes, asking God who we can pray for, listening for his voice, and--this is the important part--actually doing what he tells us to do, no matter how crazy it sounds.  (One woman felt led to pull over at a gas station and stand on her head in front of the counter.  The employee there said that a few minutes earlier, he had said, "God if you're real, send someone to stand on her head right here." Talk about an open door for evangelism!)

I do wish Dawkins would have spent a bit of time on the after.  After the miracles, after the conversion to Christ, what about discipleship?  In his church where half the members are new Christians, many of them miraculously saved out of lives of drugs, gang violence, prostitution, and street life, what sort of discipleship and church structure do they practice?  He mentions the Alpha course, which is a great start, and home groups, which build community.  My guess is that he knows that for every book on miracles, there are approximately thirty thousand books on church growth that dwell on the nuts and bolts.  In this world of seeker services and church growth strategies, Dawkins's message needs to be heard.

The most important overarching theme of Do What Jesus Did is that miracles are for the purpose of demonstrating Jesus' love and drawing people in relationship with him.  That means not only praying for people at the end of Sunday service--although there is a place for that--but also getting out in the world and being ready to pray for people all the time.  You'll be encouraged and inspired by the stories Dawkins tells and by the lives that have been changed.  May we all do more of what Jesus did.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!