Chapter 1 Preview | The Overlap Life
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Chapter 1 Preview - "The Answer Jesus Gave"

Order Your Copy of “The Overlap Life” Today for only $7!

For only $7, you’ll receive “The Overlap Life” digital book, packed with 270+ pages of deep Bible teaching and life-changing truths from the pages of Scripture!

ALSO AVAILABLE: The Overlap Life Audiobook & “Design & Destiny” Life Change Guide!

 

About the book

Living with the end in mind.

The Bible has 1,189 chapters.

And only 4 of them show the universe the way it was meant to be.

The first 2 and the last 2.

The story moves from Creation, to the Fall, to Redemption, to Restoration. Unfortunately, we forget to keep the beginning and the end in mind when we read the Scriptures.

It’s like starting a movie 15 minutes late and leaving 15 minutes early.

What changes when we get the whole story?

Creation

Fall

Redemption

Restoration

“This is the message that will be at the root of the next great awakening.” – Darrel W.

Here’s a look at what you’ll discover when you get your digital copy of “The Overlap Life”:

  • The surprising reason that I have still — years later — not cried any sad tears at the passing of my father.
  • How 21st Century Christians have completely lost their way when trying to understand God’s plan for Eternity.
  • Why Christians in the United States — the most prosperous and pampered country in the history of the world — live lives of anxiety and hopelessness.
  • Why “eschatology” (the study of the last things) is so confusing for some people and why there is so much disagreement.
  • Real, serious, Scriptural answers to the question “what is eternity like, really?”
  • Why denominations, academic institutions, and doctrinal statements can throw you off of the Bible’s true meaning.
  • The One Baffling Message that God blindsided me with, which I needed for the wave after wave of personal tragedy that cemented my hope in God’s plans for the future.
  • A long, tempting list of foolish things to put your hopes in — and the one and only solid thing that you should put your hope in.
  • The crucial, unnoticed difference between “hope” and “desire”.
  • The true messages behind all the “Christianese” sayings — and what we should be saying instead.
  • The central reason why the world is unconvinced by our evangelism and our preaching of “the good news.”
  • The world-famous, life-changing illustration of the “dot and the line”. (Yes, I’m being serious.)
  • Answers to the question: “What is the eternal future promised by Christianity?”
  • Answers to the question: “With that as our goal, what needs to change about how we live today?”
  • An exhaustive look at Jesus’s own words about what He came to do on the Earth.
  • A 50,000-foot view of the main storyline of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. (This makes an excellent evangelistic tool!)
  • The incredible image that the Apostles had in mind whenever they used the word “Gospel” (It isn’t “going to heaven when you die!”)
  • The meaning behind every single Old Testament reference in the last 2 Chapters of Revelation — there are a LOT of them!
  • Why “no sea”, “no sun”, and “no night” are probably not literal — and why that makes a huge difference in our expectation for eternity.
  • The crucial parts of the Biblical story that 99.5% of our Bible studies absolutely leave out.
  • The 1 major way that God’s plan for eternity completely changes how we understand all of the letters of the New Testament.
  • How to become the kind of Christian who stares straight into the face of death with no fear.
  • How to become the kind of Christian that could lose all of their earthly treasures in an instant with no sadness.
  • What it really means to “find your identity in Christ.”
  • What God really had in mind when He thought “Let us make mankind.” — it is certainly not what you think.
  • Item Number 1 on God’s “job description” for humanity – and how everybody in the United States forgot all about it.
  • How to live out today as the person you will become in eternity.
  • The mind-boggling truth behind being “a temple of the Holy Spirit.”
  • Deep, heart-wrenching, tear-inducing, joy-filled meditations on what it means to be “internally renewed”.
  • Deep, nuanced philosophical work on the 3 things that God does for work — and how that should impact our view of our own jobs & businesses.
  • How to live as though you belong to God’s Kingdom, and do a better job at inviting other people to join and become better citizens.
  • Why I absolutely hate the saying “Don’t be so heavenly minded that you’re of no earthly good.”
  • How to give glory to God for a really good meal, a delicious coffee, a sunrise, or even a simple thing like having fun in life.
  • Why Paul emphasizes life in the church over evangelism in his letters (and what “27 to 2” means.)
  • What it really means to “put God first in your life” — and why the better way of understanding that verse completely relieves the pressure and confusion most Christians feel.
  • Why there is no such thing as a “Spiritual Life” in the mind of the Bible’s authors.
  • How to bring God honor and glory with every second of your calendar.
  • How the modern church has completely lost sight of the most important fuel for the rigors of the Christian life. (Answer on page 116)
  • How Willy Wonka is the perfect illustration for how most Christians think God feels about their work.
  • How your “ordinary job” is partnering with God to accomplish His plans for the Universe.
  • One pastor’s scathing rebuke of what passes for “pastoral teaching” about work outside the 4 walls of a church building. (Warning: it gets pretty heated.)
  • The 3 crucial things that you can’t do when it comes to your decisions about work. (Check out page 137.)
  • The surprising story of the first person God ever filled with the Spirit on the pages of Scripture. (Hint: he was a builder & designer!)
  • The myriad ways that I re-thought every facet of my web design business in light of God’s plans for eternity.
  • Case Study Examples for how your work can be radically transformed to be more satisfying, more fulfilling, and more profitable when you dare to re-think it in light of eternity.
  • Why something as “silly” as a water park is one of the best examples of work that brings glory to God.
  • The best way that God’s children can partner with him in the defeat of evil in the world.
  • The 3 ways your work can “end” in the New Creation — everybody wants to avoid the 3rd one.
  • The little-known Japanese word that perfectly encapsulates the Biblical ideal of a good Christian worker.
  • The awful way Tom & Jerry has influenced our ideas about eternity more than the Bible.
  • The surprising first thing that God calls “Holy” in the Bible. (Hint: it’s not a place or a person!)
  • What it really means for God to rest in His creation on the 7th day.
  • How to have peace, rest, and joy even in the middle of the wilderness.
  • Powerful teaching about Jesus’s activities on the Sabbath, and what they mean for us today.
  • The wild, surprising differences between the 2 times Moses delivers the Ten Commandments.
  • Why Sunday isn’t and shouldn’t be considered a day of “rest” for the believer – and some better candidates. (Starting on page 173.)
  • The maddeningly unclear criteria for what counts as “rest” and what doesn’t, and how to sort out the messy middle. (Hint: don’t take the same route the ancient Jews did.)
  • One pastor’s humble suggestion for sorting out all of the various ways we can separate ourselves — race, sex, politics — and following a way of faithfulness to Jesus and honor for all.
  • Before the Creation, before the Humans, before anything else, there was one thing that God always had — and it’s key to understanding who we are.
  • The one horrible dimension of sin that many people fail to understand.
  • The incredible parallels between the Cultural Mandate and the Great Commission. (Page 191.)
  • The #1, defining thing that makes our enemy who he is — and how we can avoid it in our own lives.
  • Some pretty darn good parenting advice, if I say so myself. (Check page 194.)
  • The beautiful depth of meaning behind Jesus calling God “Father”, and the wonderful ways it should cause us to see and feel about Him.
  • How to deal with pressure, hardship, and difficulty directly with God and find peace.
  • The 3 main reasons that the church exists — ranked in order, using the Bible.
  • The under-developed meaning of the word “discipleship” — I have spoken to 5 Christians who understood this. Ever. In my entire life.
  • The indispensable, necessary ingredients to have in your life before you will ever see success in evangelism and witnessing.
  • Lessons from the first sermon, preached by the first pastor, to the first evangelistic prospects, resulting in the first Christian converts after the coming of the Holy Spirit.
  • Helpful applications from the first description of the activity of the church, to aid us modern Christians in understanding “what the church is for.”
  • One pastor’s radical take on why God gave pastors to the church. (The pastor isn’t me — it’s Paul the Apostle.)
  • Paul’s equally disturbing definition of what he thinks “the ministry is.” (You will have a hard time finding a church that lives like they believe this.)
  • The incredible, multi-faceted portrait of what it really means for you to be a Christ-follower. (99% of Christians have no idea about one of these.)
  • The beautiful, surprising, unheard-of ways that church community and life is supposed to reflect our eternal destiny.
  • An easy, comfortable, fun, encouraging, invigorating way to do the “scary” task of evangelism.
  • The infuriating way we ignore God’s personal presence in our prayers, and rob Him of some of His glory.
  • The surprising origins of evil in the Bible, with deep study into the Hebrew words used.
  • An authoritative, academically clear explanation of the strangest story in the Bible — Genesis 6. (Check the top of page 229)
  • Detailed unpacking of Paul’s scandalous and hilarious critique of all the powers that try to oppose themselves against God.
  • The beautiful Biblical portrait of Jesus’s crucifixion as His enthronement as king over the Universe.
  • Verse-by-verse explanation of the implications of the most important Old Testament passage for understanding who Jesus is. (Daniel 7, if you’re wondering.)
  • Good news about the surprising fate of the kingdoms of this world at the end of this age.
  • Detailed instruction for how to do battle with evil in this age. (It looks a lot like living like Jesus did.)
  • Countercultural instruction for how to live faithfully in Babylon. (Including the United States? I love the US, but the Bible has some interesting things to say!)
  • The counterintuitive way that oppression, suppression, attacks, persecution, and slander against the church cause the church to grow faster than ever.
  • The surprising and beautiful way that the church in Ephesus overcame demonic Artemis-worship. It looks very different from what we do to battle evil today.
  • Vivid depictions of the Biblical scene of the judgment of God’s enemies — and the surprising realities we often miss in those passages.
  • The most beautiful song I’ve ever heard for capturing the feeling of relief that follows the destruction of evil.
  • The most beautiful illustration of the redeeming power of God to turn what mankind meant for evil into something He allows for good.
  • Real, sensible, Biblical teaching about what in the world we do in the age to come.
  • Biblical descriptions of the wedding supper of the lamb. I don’t need to add much – they’re beautiful by themselves.
  • The wonderful new “problems” we will have to deal with in our first few days of eternity.
  • How reconciliation works in eternity – how will we find our long lost loved ones? Will they remember us? How will we relate to them?
  • A vivid painting of the exact moment that you will hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” come from the mouth of God the Father.
  • Descriptions of what we’ll find in the food in eternity — yes, there is food in eternity.
  • The single line from “Joy to the World” that best describes the extent of God’s healing power over the universe.
  • Offers of help and further renewal – ways to keep going with me and my team on the way to a better life now and a clear view of eternal life in our future!
  • … and LOTS more!

Nice Things Others Have Said

Gary B.

WHAT A BOOK! The Bible speaks of now and forever as a continuation of a single existence. Consequently, much of the transcendent purpose God has for human life can only be properly discerned in light of eternity.

Such a perspective alone has the potential to revolutionize the universe!

David B.

This book is incredible. This book has been so edifying for me.

So few literary works out there willingly discuss the full effect of what God and His Kingdom coming here to Earth really mean.

I desperately needed this tonight. I’m midway through chapter 5 now, but… MAN. This is spot on.

J. Foster

This is a very important book, as it exposes some of evangelical Christianity’s biggest misconceptions about some very important subjects. But Barber doesn’t just make outlandish claims. His premises are backed up with solid exegesis and biblical support.

I like the fact that Mr. Barber is not content to just wax poetic on deep spiritual truths. He has a deep desire that we not only thoroughly understand and grasp scriptural truths, but that we direct this knowledge to application. That it actually changes our actions and approach to life. And he spends the last few chapters of the book outlining what such a change looks like.

Darrel W.

This is the message that will be at the heart of the next great awakening. It’s that powerful.

I can’t remember a more impactful book, personally.

The renewal of all things completely changes how I see my life, and I’ve got a lot of work to do to catch up!

About Tim Barber

Hey! I help Christians re-think every second of their lives in light of eternity.

Thanks for taking the time to read this far!

I’ve been working with Christians to elevate their understanding of the Scriptures, change their lives through the Gospel, and re-think their everyday lives in light of the Christian hope!

I also run a successful branding & web design agency called “Growth Sites”, where I specialize in helping my believing clients re-imagine their business, align their work with God’s work, and take on a new identity to live it out.

The book I am offering on this page is the result of over a decade of theological training and formation, and I’m overjoyed to have the opportunity to share it with you!

 

Order "The Overlap Life" today!

Ready to Really Learn how to Live in light of Eternity?

?

Order Your Copy of "The Overlap Life" Today for only $7!

For only $7, you’ll receive “The Overlap Life” digital book, packed with 270+ pages of deep Bible teaching and life-changing truths from the pages of Scripture!

INCLUDED: The Overlap Life Audiobook & “Design & Destiny” Life Change Guide!