This isn’t a self help book for men who have a bit too much hair on their backs. Believe it or not, this book addresses an even more serious matter, unforgiveness. Brian Jones, founding pastor of Christ’s Church of the Valley near Philadelphia, PA allows his honesty and transparency to pierce the hearts of all who have an unforgiving heart, which in this book, is represented by an ever present, menacing gorilla.
Authors sometimes neglect the root of the problem when they address issues like forgiveness or the lack of it, not Brian Jones. He digs deep, into his own past, and reveals where the gorilla of unforgiveness originates. He dedicates an entire chapter to the origin of unforgiveness, it’s titled Rage. In this chapter, Brian discusses how natural anger is in response to how we or others are treated. Jesus became angry plenty of times, however, he was never filled with rage. Identification of our rage is paramount before forgiveness begins.
In the chapter titled Myths, Brian shares his theological view on Matthew 6:14-15: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Brian says this saying of Jesus is not relevant to Christians because it was said by Jesus before he died on the cross. Brian’s argument is not new. There have been books written on this subject because of the divorce and remarriage issue. Nevertheless, due to my inability to forgive many times, I hope Brian’s right on this matter, but do some research into this for yourself.
Brian shares some more theology with us when he discusses Satan’s plan. He states that Satan can’t hurt God. True. So instead, he tries to hurt those closest to God, his children. Steps need to be taken to get rid of that hurt which manifests itself in an unforgiving heart. Discipleship, kindness and prayer lead to having a forgiving heart. The most important factor of getting rid of the gorilla is the idea of having spiritual mentors, friends or directors. We need to be transparent and be able to see into the messiness of each other’s lives. Without putting forth an effort to allow someone else to see the real us, the gorilla won’t go away. It won’t be killed or injured, but will grow stronger and more powerful.
You will take away many positives from this new effort by Brian Jones, but remember the biggest of all, the need to be open with others. Without transparency, we would not have access to the heartfelt and helpful thoughts of a pastor on a mission to get rid of his own gorilla. Without transparency, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to get rid of your own gorilla. Standard Publishing has a companion 6 session discussion guide that will help propel small groups in sharing honest and transparent thoughts. Here’s hoping your own gorilla will one day be locked away in the zoo where it rightfully belongs.
Visit Brian’s blog by clicking here
