Today, mankind is on an unrelenting quest to experience the supernatural.1 Recently, our town witnessed a large white tent with bright red letters on top that read “Paranormal Cirque.” For a few days, this traveling business captured the attention of many people, advertising a show that would provide an unusual experience. Events like this beg the question: Must an encounter with what is otherworldly occur by extraordinary means? Not according to Harrison Perkins’s Meeting God in His Means of Grace: How Word, Sacrament, and Prayer Help Us Encounter Christ (hereafter, Meeting God).
Far from being a dry, redundant description about the means of grace, Meeting God winsomely, faithfully explains how the transcendent God has decided to meet his people. As technology connects us to the rest of the world, God, through his Word, the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), and prayer connects his people to himself (13).
In the book’s first part, after offering some “starting points” (19) for his discussion of the means of grace from the Westminster Shorter Catechism2 (17–21), Perkins addresses the question of how Christians grow in their relationship with God (33–35). His response: Christians grow by the grace of God, which he sovereignly bestows on his people through the means of grace (36–39). The final chapter of the book’s first part gives answers the following question: Where does God especially connect with and grow his people? Drawing from Psalm 84:4–7 as well as other Bible verses, Perkins argues that the primary place where God dispenses his presence is church (45–46, 53–55).
The book’s remaining three parts follow the order of the book’s subtitle: Word, the sacraments, and prayer. Perkins addresses both the preaching of the Word (Holy Scripture) and reading it. As other Reformed pastor-theologians have recognized, Perkins observes that the Bible (Isa 57:19; John 17:14, 17–21; Eph 2:11–22) teaches the marvelous truth that Jesus, though bodily absent, speaks to his people through his preachers as they proclaim the message of Scripture (63–65, 68–69).3 By pointing to Nehemiah 8, Perkins shows how the public reading of Scripture, like its preaching, is a powerful, effective means of grace (73–76). As a result of the Word being read, God’s people worshiped God (v. 6) (75).
Near the beginning of his treatment of the sacraments, Perkins helpfully explains the threefold reason the sacraments are effective: (1) the Word, (2) the Holy Spirit, and (3) faith. The Holy Spirit impresses the Word-constituted sacraments and what they signify on our faith-filled hearts (90–94). Perkins then proceeds to expound baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Some people think that baptism is not something we do for God (106); instead, it is an initiatory sign that is ultimately performed by God himself through his ordained minister who administers it (Matt 3:11; John 4:1–2) (100–101). Baptism saves (1 Pet 3:21–22) in the sense that it “is an objective appeal to God for his work upon those it marks” (117).
Whereas baptism is the sacrament of initiation into Christ and his church, the Lord’s Supper is a sacrament of continuing in Christ and his church (123–24). In the old covenant, God was present among his people through a meal after Moses threw the blood of the covenant on them (Exod 24:8–11). Likewise, in the new covenant, God remains present with his people through a meal ever since the blood of the covenant was poured out on the cross (Matt 26:28) (142–43). Those who partake of the Supper are not to fret over whether they have accomplished something like an emotional high or an indescribable experience that has merited for them a reserved seat at this meal (140). Rather, as the priests of the Mosaic covenant ate some of the sacrifices, signifying that God had approved of their sacrifice on their behalf, Christians eat the bread and drink the wine so that God confirms to them that he has approved of the sacrifice of his incarnate Son on their behalf (131).
Concluding with the subject of prayer, Perkins mentions that this means of grace is not a work done by the Christian to get something from God; rather, it is a work done by God who gives himself to the Christian in Christ (149–51). Prayer does not require certain postures or circumstances for God to be responsive. For instance, while praying with closed eyes is not wrong (164), “throughout Scripture, . . . the mentions of closed eyes that have any theological import refer to spiritual blindness, turning a blind eye to wickedness, or physical death” (163). Open-eyed prayer can be heard prayer. With Matthew 6:6 in mind, Perkins argues that prayer need not be offered in total isolation. Though closet prayer can be beneficial, seldom do people find themselves in a closet. But the believer is exhorted to pray at all times (Eph 6:18). The important thing with prayer, therefore, is to apply your theology to everyday life issues with the expectation that in doing so, God will give you more of himself in Christ (163–66).
One of the strengths of Meeting God is that Perkins emphasizes the administration of the means of grace in the context of corporate worship. Although Perkins does account for some of the means (with the exception of the sacraments, which are only for public worship) being used in private contexts (see 76–79 for Perkins’s comments on private Bible reading; see 162–66 for Perkins’s comments on private prayer), he persuasively dedicates most of the book’s content to the means being used in public worship. One practical and positive consequence of Perkins doing so is that his reader will be significantly encouraged to attend church.
Speaking of good pragmatism, another strength of Meeting God is Perkins’s inclusion of multiple practical points of application. At the end of every chapter, Perkins applies the content of the chapter to the lives of his readers. For example, at the conclusion of chapter 1, Perkins offers two points of application: (1) the fact that God promises to connect with his people through ordinary means serves as a warning for the church not to be unusually innovative when it comes to connecting with God, and (2) this point encourages God’s people that he has fellowship with them routinely and ordinarily (30–31).
There is no other being who is as otherworldly as the triune God. Thankfully, God’s transcendent nature does not demand that he must be encountered through extraordinary means. In his infinite wisdom, God has decided to meet with us in an unexpected way: through ordinary means (his Word, the sacraments, and prayer). But do not misunderstand. Though these means are ordinary, the God who works through them is extraordinary. He who promised is faithful (Heb 10:23).
The earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea. (Hab 2:14)
So, as Perkins exhorts us, let us “use Word, sacrament, and prayer to extend the experience of Christ’s redemptive authority throughout the whole earth” (180).
Notes
- According to one source that addresses the resurgence of religious tourism, “Many are seeking immersive experiences that combine spiritual journeys with cultural exploration.” Angela Youngman, “Keeping the Faith: Religious Pilgrimages Are Back in a Big Way,” Religion Unplugged, February 4, 2025, https://religionunplugged.com/news/2025/1/10/faith-based-travel-why-the-religious-travel-market-is-booming.
- Westminster Shorter Catechism 29, 35, 85, 88.
- Jonathan Landry Cruse, What Happens When We Worship? (Reformation Heritage Books, 2020), 107–20, especially pp. 108–9.
© Blake Runyan. All Rights Reserved.
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Blake Runyan
A native Coloradan who has been blessed to attend Reformed Theological Seminary (MATS) as well as Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (ThM). In addition to finding much joy in talking theology, I like to exercise—both cardiovascular and resistance training—eat tasty and nutritious food; drink healthy and flavorful drinks; watch sports; spend time outdoors by way of climbing stars and running trails. Currently, I am honored to serve as the Intern Pastor of Canyons Community Church, an Evangelical Presbyterian Church located in Castle Rock, Colorado. Longterm, I would like to become a minister and, Lord willing, teach besides preach.
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