How to get the most out of the IDOJ book.
I have just published a print book on Amazon, a Discussion Guide and Prayer Journal that goes along with the IDOJ book chapters (13) and the Power Ministry with Jesus course (7 lessons). It includes a Field Guide for small group leaders, too.
The IDOJ book (and the Power Ministry with Jesus course) are based on my belief that a better understanding of Jesus and the nature of your relationship with Him as a disciple provides a better understanding of who you are and your purpose in life as you follow Him. This identity is revealed in the Gospel of Jesus’ Kingdom. I suggest you take this seriously and see if these things are true.
First, pray about what you are learning here.
Ask God to open your understanding to what He wants you to see. A prayer recorded in the book of Ephesians is a great model to use:
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Acts 4:29-30
Second, read your Bible differently.
Read the Bible as God's revelation of Himself to those He created to bear His image in creation (Genesis 1:26-30; 2:15) rather than as a rulebook or as an ancient anthology of stories and parables for those who are into that kind of thing. Read the Bible as wisdom from the Sovereign Creator given to help you learn to live and work with Him. Remember what Paul wrote in his letter we know as 2 Timothy:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16,17).
Third, remember who you are now with Jesus.
Start each day by reminding yourself of the truth about yourself you are learning to see in Jesus. Below is a short statement you can memorize and use to keep your perspective in the middle of our world's chaos, confusion, and deception.
Here's how it goes:
I am created as the image of God. As a disciple of Jesus, I am being restored to my responsibility, authority, and power to manage the good purposes of the sovereign creator “on earth as in heaven.
You may not understand what all the words or ideas in this statement mean, but by the time you have finished this book, we hope they will make perfect sense to you. If we are successful, they will help you remember who you are and your purpose.
Fourth, take time to process what you learn here.
Take advantage of the personal reflections and discussion questions in each book chapter. I will offer some questions for you to think about to nail down better the crucial things you are seeing and document whatever next steps you need to take to follow through and implement what God is showing you. These questions can also be the basis for discussion with others so you can build your lives together in the grace of Jesus as you learn from each other and spur each other on in the love and power of God.
Fifth, listen for what Jesus might say to you in the daily scripture readings with each chapter.
A priority task for Intentional Disciples of Jesus is to hear His voice. I find that we can hear Jesus’ voice in three main places. First, His voice is inside us as we learn to hear the voice of His Spirit. Second, we hear Jesus speaking through the mouths of other disciples (this is commonly called prophecy). Third, every disciple must learn to hear Jesus speak through the scriptures. The voice of God in and through the Bible is the foundation for everything else.
Daily Scripture Readings & Journaling
As you work through the chapters in this book, you will find daily readings to read prayerfully and then journal about as you hear the Lord’s voice and respond in prayer. We encourage you to read these daily passages using the ancient Christian practice known as Lectio Divina.
Lectio Divina is a contemplative way of reading the Bible. It dates back to the early centuries of the Christian Church and was established as a monastic practice by Benedict in the 6th century. It is a way of praying the scriptures that leads us deeper into God’s word. We slow down. We read a short passage more than once. We chew it over slowly and carefully. We savor it. Scripture begins to speak to us in a new way. It speaks to us personally and aids that union we have with God through Christ who is Himself the Living Word.[1]
Focus on the Gospel of Mark
Over the book's first ten chapters, you will read through the entire gospel of Mark to learn about Jesus and listen to what the first disciples heard Him say to them and what you may hear Him say to you.
[1] https://www.anglicancommunion.org/media/253799/1-What-is-Lectio-Divina.pdf