Free book Come Unto Me: God’s Invitation to the World
by Tony Reinke
This time last year I was staying up late and getting out of bed very early to put the final touches on my undergraduate thesis. I convinced my secular academic adviser that it would be good to clarify the contours of the biblical gospel. I’m sure he wasn’t too thrilled.
For me, the opportunity to concentrate my attention on the character of our priceless gospel was incredible. The product was the book titled Come Unto Me: God’s Invitation to the World. My primarily goal was to take advantage of an opportunity to articulate the biblical gospel — both the work of Christ and the act of faith — with my academic adviser and fellow classmates.
Secondly, my non-Christian audience pushed me to think hard at how to best articulate the biblical worldview, something I had not consciously worked through in the past.
Finally, the book helps me retain an important balance in my personal ministry. There are several contours of the gospel and each are easy to forget or minimize.
The invitation to God, from God, is a biblical message filled with rich diversity. For those who accept it, this message requires sorrow and promises inexpressible joy. The invitation comes without price and costs everything. The invitation includes an offer of a relationship to God that is both forensic (or legal) and yet conjugal (or marital). The invitation to God is a call to leave past burdens and take up new burdens.
Frequently I need to be reminded of these important contours.
And so now I offer this book for your reading. It’s free for you to download and read. Thanks to the help of gracious friends, it now comes in three mouth-watering flavors:
1. Come Unto Me in HTML format. This is the basic text format but ideal if you are interested in browsing or reading the content online. Click here for HTML.
2. Come Unto Me in PDF format. Ideal if you are interested in downloading and printing the book. This file preserves the original pagination and formatting. Click here to download the PDF file.
3. Come Unto Me in LOGOS format. Ideal if you want to incorporate my research of the biblical gospel into your own research. Thanks to my friends at StillTruth, you can download and install my book into your Logos software. Click here to access the StillTruth Webpage and download.
jc … Actually I studied Liberal Arts at a business school (Bellevue University) near Omaha, NE. I was encouraged to pursue learning about my own interests. But being one of the few conservative Christians in the program I was working hard to articulate the gospel to my fellow classmates who ranged in values from humanism, feminism, atheism, agnosticism and religious relativism. And even the political conservatives — fellow classmates who agreed with me on many things like economics, political philosophy, etc. — also needed to hear the biblical gospel. I went back to school to just complete my degree but by God’s grace it was time used to push me closer to Himself. I would encourage other students out there not to shy away from secular schools. You can have a defining impact (Although you may also pay an academic price for firmly believing in the gospel). At the end of the story, God blessed my undergraduate testimony and I was chosen to represent 1,200 graduates (both undergraduates and graduate students) by giving the commencement address. All told there were about 4,000 people in attendance. I took this educational experience to show that when Christians are willing to step forward and sacrifice reputation for the gospel AND remain diligent with their schoolwork AND are loving towards their classmates, God opens doors for the spread of the gospel. So that’s the long answer to where I studied. The school was very good, but God is great!
Yes, we had a very encouraging time in Omaha! It was great to see you again and Pat and Martin and Walter and so many other friends. Wow, we miss you guys much!
have just downloaded it looks fantastic thank God for people like you in the world.
blessings
from Australia
Comment by mirian | January 24, 2007
[...] write a full presentation of the gospel for my professor and my classmates (the content of my book Come Unto Me: God’s Invitation to the World). I now direct a blog for Christians who (like myself) who need daily encouragement to live a [...]
I recently discovered your blog as a link from Monergism. It is such a treasure mine of wonderful materials. Thank you for your time and resources.
Do you plan to have Come Unto Me published. It really looks good…and, your purpose in writing and presenting it were outstanding.
God Bless you as God uses you in the future.
Comment by Dan | April 10, 2007
Dan, thank you! I would love to see it printed if the opportunity arises. Whether that will happen is left to the graciousness of God. Thank you for the kind and encouraging words! Tony
Tony, I leaped inside when I saw this little book. I have always LOVED this part of Michelangelo’s painting and had the privilege to see it two years ago during my trip to Italy with my Italian immigrant parents. (Couldn’t take a picture though—”NO FOTO!!” I met my husband Jim in 1974 at a bible study while we were both students at the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore. A fellow student shared the Gospel with us and would drive us to Wash DC to the “TAG” gathering. (Yes, I remember CJ with hair, long blond locks Our lives were radically changed. We were married in June 1976 and have loved to share the Gospel ever since.
I love this painting because it is a beautiful image of RECONCILIATION. Truly “God’s invitation to the world”, as you say. It is perfect for your little book.
Now, since I’m new to the blog world and have much to learn
about computers in general, I am about to ask what I’m sure is a foolish question…is this book not available in print and bound with this cover? If it was, I would love to purchase a few copies! If not, I guess I’ll print what I can. Thank you for writing this,(and for your new endeavor in shadowing CJ. Looking forward to much encouragement, wisdom and of course, humor) God bless you.
A debtor to mercy,
Susan Lytle
Comment by Susan Lytle | January 30, 2008
Hello Susan! Thanks for the kind words. It is indeed an honor to follow C.J. around and hear of God’s grace and the impact he made even early in his ministry. I’m starting to hear some of the funny stories from these early days, too. Oh, my. Four hour weddings!?! How long was your wedding, Susan?
To answer your question, this book exists only in electronic form. I has not been printed and bound (and likely will never be).
we talked sometime back about publishing. Any news on that front for your book? I just read the 3rd chapter of yours and really enjoyed it especially the three evidences of a dehydrated soul. good stuff!!!
Nate Palmer from SGM church in Frisco (that’s Dallas) TX.
I’m Italian Tony, therefore my wedding was….let’s just say OVER four. :o) (Hey, maybe that’s the key…31 + years-ha)
I’ll print the book.
Thanks again and many blessings to you and yours,
Susan
Comment by Susan Lytle | January 31, 2008
Nate, thanks for the kind words. It was great to see Craig in town recently. … Personally, I don’t think this book is worthy of printing to date. Perhaps with a bit of refinement in the future. I’ll keep this in mind.
Have you checked out http://www.creatspace.com? Amazon bought this on-demand publisher and is changing the way the industry works. Basically they charge no up front fees they just take a % of sales. The book is put on amazon and changes that are made to either content or cover can just be uploaded. Its great. I am going to do that for my book while I work with a free-lance editor. Check it out
I have just downloaded. it looks so good.
I am not good at reading in English, but I’d like to give a shot.(^.^) Thank God for meet you on web.
I’d like to follow our faithful ancesters(..From Apostle Paul..Augustine..calvin..puritans..Dr.Lloyd Jones…
From south Korea.
Chan Yang(means “praise” in korean)
It’s same meaning Such as Juda, son of Jacop.^^
“If you find me short in things, impute that to my love of brevity. If you find me besides the truth in anything, impute that to my infirmity. But if you find anything here that serves to your furtherance and joy of the faith, impute that to the mercy of God bestowed on you and me. Yours to serve you with what little I have.” John Bunyan (Works, 1:336).
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“In the cross of Christ, as in a splendid theater, the incomparable goodness of God is set before the whole world. The glory of God shines, indeed, in all creatures on high and below, but never more brightly than in the cross, in which there was a wonderful change of things—the condemnation of all men was manifested, sin blotted out, salvation restored to men; in short, the whole world was renewed and all things restored to order.” John Calvin
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Welcome to Miscellanies [formerly The Shepherd's Scrapbook] a blog serving sinners who seek their daily food in the Cross of Christ. Our goal is provide thoughts on Cross-centered living, theology, preaching and pastoral ministry. We review books considered excellent, announce new books that look interesting, and encourage biblical discernment with both. All of this should fuel our pursuit of the Cross. [Meet the winners of our book of the year awards: 2006 winner and the 2007 winners.]
Email: crede.ut.intelligas AT mac.com
Stay on top of the latest posts by subscribing to the RSS feed.
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Current reading …
Robert Louis Wilken, The Spirit of Early Christian Thought
Michael Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations (3rd ed.)
F.F. Bruce, The Spreading Flame: The Rise and Progress of Christianity from its First Beginnings to the Conversion of the English
Augustine, Expositions of the Psalms: 73-90, Boulding trans. (vol. III/18 )
Colin Duriez, Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life
Do-it-yourself Blank Bible. Of all the books we promote, none compare with God’s Word. We pursue the Cross as God opens His Word to us. In this anticipation, we encourage you to make your own blank bible like Jonathan Edwards.’ Building a blank bible shows both a commitment to serious, life-long reflection and the anticipation of God’s illuminating Spirit. To date, over 15,000 readers have accessed the Blank Bible Index.
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FREE book! What is God saying to us? How can we know Him? I wrote a little book — Come Unto Me: God’s Invitation to the World — to answer these questions. You can download the book as a PDF and you can read more about the background of the project here.
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Humble Calvinism.Early this year we started a series on Humble Calvinism, a study through John Calvin’s Institutes. Especially noteworthy is Calvin’s experiential sensitivity to the contours of godliness. Join us as we continue learning humble and holistic Calvinism as Calvin intended. See the Humble Calvinism series index here.
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The Puritan Study. The Puritans were Cross-boasters. So how do we use the wealth of Puritan literature in our personal devotions and expositional studies? Our series on building and using a Puritan Study answered this important question. For more see the full Puritan Study series index.
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Who am I? My name is Tony Reinkebut call me “chief of sinners.” For 22-years I hid from God in self-righteous religious ‘faithfulness’ until my stubborn heart was subdued by God’s sovereign grace (Eph. 2). In one moment, after a sermon by Paige Patterson in Lincoln, NE on Luke 18:9-14, I perceived the Gospel as the great exchange, and by God’s grace I released my self-righteousness to cling to the saving righteousness of Jesus Christ. That day I recognized I was a sinner playing the part of the Pharisee. It was the day I was reborn. Now nothing is more precious than knowing Christ — the God-man who died for me and gave me His righteousness in place of my sinfulness (Phil. 3:7-9). Pursuing further up and further into the Cross has become the center of my life and this blog is intended as a place to share this pursuit.
Educationally, I graduated from Bellevue University in Omaha, NE with a degree in Liberal Arts. Theologically, I’m an autodidact under the wise direction of a local church. I’ve been married for 10 years to my best friend, Karalee (a more gifted writer and blogger than myself) and we have three precious kids, a majority of whom are named after dead preachers. Last year I was interviewed by Joshua Sowin about life, books and reading (if you want more info)
God has given me the rare privilege and joy of serving as personal assistant to C.J. Mahaney (if you really want to learn from blogs, navigate away from this sorry one and check out what C.J. is saying on his.)
Misc stuff you don’t need to know but will read because you’re bored and surfing the Internet to kill time anyway: My nicknames include any variation of The Scribe, T-Scribble, Scribs, Big Blog Daddy, Big Honkin Blogdaddy, Big Blog Papi, T-Rex, Blogzilla, and Scribola (take your pick). Curtis Allen calls me by the name Tone Capone. Do I look like an Italian mobster? Here’s my mug.
Email/comments. I’m grateful for your readership and would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment on any post to get in touch. Depending upon time restraints I usually respond to email. You can email me at: crede.ut.intelligas AT mac.com .
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My book wishlist. Hopefully one day these valuable books will be added to my library. All from the The Works of Jonathan Edwards (Yale editions) …
Vol. 10: Sermons and Discourses ( 1720-1723 )
Vol. 14: Sermons and Discourses ( 1723-1729 )
Vol. 19: Sermons and Discourses ( 1734-1738 )
Vol. 25: Sermons and Discourses ( 1743-1758 )
Vol. 17: Sermons and Discourses ( 1730-1733 )
Vol. 22: Sermons and Discourses ( 1739-1742 )
Vol. 13: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 1-500 )
Vol. 18: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 501-832 )
Vol. 20: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 833-1152 )
Vol. 23: The ‘Miscellanies’ ( No. 1153–1360 )
Vol. 15: Notes on Scripture
Vol. 8: Ethical Writings
Vol. 21: Trinity, Grace, and Faith
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Princeton Cemetery. I don’t know how I did it, but in the Spring of 2006 I convinced my wife and kids it would be fun to spend the day at Princeton cemetery. Princeton is famous for its school and less famous for its rich evangelical history. I took several photographs at Princeton Cemetery (where Edwards, Hodge, Warfield and the Alexanders are buried). These photos always remind me to be Cross-centered.
For me, the opportunity to concentrate my attention on the character of our priceless gospel was incredible. The product was the book titled Come Unto Me: God’s Invitation to the World. My primarily goal was to take advantage of an opportunity to articulate the biblical gospel — both the work of Christ and the act of faith — with my academic adviser and fellow classmates.
very cool, man…congrats on finishing it and thanks for your continued service to the Church.
Where did you study?
pw … thank you for the kind comments.
jc … Actually I studied Liberal Arts at a business school (Bellevue University) near Omaha, NE. I was encouraged to pursue learning about my own interests. But being one of the few conservative Christians in the program I was working hard to articulate the gospel to my fellow classmates who ranged in values from humanism, feminism, atheism, agnosticism and religious relativism. And even the political conservatives — fellow classmates who agreed with me on many things like economics, political philosophy, etc. — also needed to hear the biblical gospel. I went back to school to just complete my degree but by God’s grace it was time used to push me closer to Himself. I would encourage other students out there not to shy away from secular schools. You can have a defining impact (Although you may also pay an academic price for firmly believing in the gospel). At the end of the story, God blessed my undergraduate testimony and I was chosen to represent 1,200 graduates (both undergraduates and graduate students) by giving the commencement address. All told there were about 4,000 people in attendance. I took this educational experience to show that when Christians are willing to step forward and sacrifice reputation for the gospel AND remain diligent with their schoolwork AND are loving towards their classmates, God opens doors for the spread of the gospel. So that’s the long answer to where I studied. The school was very good, but God is great!
Blessings,
Tony
Amen Tony. Way to be a Daniel and exalt our great God.
Good to see you on Christmas eve, hope your visit with the fam was good.
erik
erik,
Yes, we had a very encouraging time in Omaha! It was great to see you again and Pat and Martin and Walter and so many other friends. Wow, we miss you guys much!
Tony
Very exciting! I downloaded both .html and .pdf, and look forward to reading it.
Blessings!
Tom
Doctrine Matters
have just downloaded it looks fantastic thank God for people like you in the world.
blessings
from Australia
[...] write a full presentation of the gospel for my professor and my classmates (the content of my book Come Unto Me: God’s Invitation to the World). I now direct a blog for Christians who (like myself) who need daily encouragement to live a [...]
I recently discovered your blog as a link from Monergism. It is such a treasure mine of wonderful materials. Thank you for your time and resources.
Do you plan to have Come Unto Me published. It really looks good…and, your purpose in writing and presenting it were outstanding.
God Bless you as God uses you in the future.
Dan, thank you! I would love to see it printed if the opportunity arises. Whether that will happen is left to the graciousness of God. Thank you for the kind and encouraging words! Tony
Tony, I leaped inside when I saw this little book. I have always LOVED this part of Michelangelo’s painting and had the privilege to see it two years ago during my trip to Italy with my Italian immigrant parents. (Couldn’t take a picture though—”NO FOTO!!”
I met my husband Jim in 1974 at a bible study while we were both students at the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore. A fellow student shared the Gospel with us and would drive us to Wash DC to the “TAG” gathering. (Yes, I remember CJ with hair, long blond locks 
Our lives were radically changed. We were married in June 1976 and have loved to share the Gospel ever since.
I love this painting because it is a beautiful image of RECONCILIATION. Truly “God’s invitation to the world”, as you say. It is perfect for your little book.
Now, since I’m new to the blog world and have much to learn
about computers in general, I am about to ask what I’m sure is a foolish question…is this book not available in print and bound with this cover? If it was, I would love to purchase a few copies! If not, I guess I’ll print what I can. Thank you for writing this,(and for your new endeavor in shadowing CJ. Looking forward to much encouragement, wisdom and of course, humor) God bless you.
A debtor to mercy,
Susan Lytle
Hello Susan! Thanks for the kind words. It is indeed an honor to follow C.J. around and hear of God’s grace and the impact he made even early in his ministry. I’m starting to hear some of the funny stories from these early days, too. Oh, my. Four hour weddings!?! How long was your wedding, Susan?
To answer your question, this book exists only in electronic form. I has not been printed and bound (and likely will never be).
Blessings, Susan!
Tony
Hey Tony,
we talked sometime back about publishing. Any news on that front for your book? I just read the 3rd chapter of yours and really enjoyed it especially the three evidences of a dehydrated soul. good stuff!!!
Nate Palmer from SGM church in Frisco (that’s Dallas) TX.
I’m Italian Tony, therefore my wedding was….let’s just say OVER four. :o) (Hey, maybe that’s the key…31 + years-ha)
I’ll print the book.
Thanks again and many blessings to you and yours,
Susan
Nate, thanks for the kind words. It was great to see Craig in town recently. … Personally, I don’t think this book is worthy of printing to date. Perhaps with a bit of refinement in the future. I’ll keep this in mind.
And thanks, Susan, for this laugh!
Tony
Hey Tony,
Have you checked out http://www.creatspace.com? Amazon bought this on-demand publisher and is changing the way the industry works. Basically they charge no up front fees they just take a % of sales. The book is put on amazon and changes that are made to either content or cover can just be uploaded. Its great. I am going to do that for my book while I work with a free-lance editor. Check it out
sorry thats http://www.createspace.com
I have just downloaded. it looks so good.
I am not good at reading in English, but I’d like to give a shot.(^.^) Thank God for meet you on web.
I’d like to follow our faithful ancesters(..From Apostle Paul..Augustine..calvin..puritans..Dr.Lloyd Jones…
From south Korea.
Chan Yang(means “praise” in korean)
It’s same meaning Such as Juda, son of Jacop.^^