Can I be honest for a minute? It took me quite a bit of time to make it through this book. This is heavy content and if you want to get the most out of it, your best option is to approach it as a study.
In three sections, Neil Cole reimagines the original purpose of the spiritual gifts as articulated in Ephesians 4:11. Cole believes that we, those in the body of Christ, have “all the gifts of Ephesians 4:11 at least latent within us…”. As he describes the gifts as present in Jesus, Cole is sure to address the common perspective that some spiritual gifts are considered more desirable or better than others. Cole spends the first section of the book addressing this and other theological misunderstandings that have plagued Christians for years. His stance isn’t pretentious, but rather of a servant attempting to free the minds of Christians so that they can serve with a new found fervor.
The meat of this book though is in section two, where Cole breaks down each one of the APEST (apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher) gifts through Scripture, anecdotes, and analysis. You will begin to understand the ways that God has intricately woven together each thread of your being and gifted you for service in the body. There is a sense of freedom in knowing that you are the way you are ON purpose and FOR a purpose.
Honestly, this book was overwhelming for me. There is so much information, albeit useful, that I think you are best served tackling it over the course of a few weeks. This was not a weekend read for me, but it is definitely a book that will become a resource and reference tool for me to which I will refer often.
If you have not taken an assessment to understand your APEST (apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher) gifting before this book, I would highly recommend that you do.
Read the first chapter of Primal Fire here.
Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my review. I was not required to post a positive review.
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