Preface
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...may [you] be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1:9)
Our WHY is our purpose, cause or belief—the driving force behind everything we do. ― Simon Sinek
This book is mainly about the question Why. I am starting this way because I want you to understand what this book is intended to do for you when you read it.
I classify books into four basic types: How-to books, All About books, Why? books, and Just for Fun! books. This book is a Why? book. I believe the question “why” drives everything else. I chose the two quotes at the top of this page, one from the book of Colossians and the other from the author Simon Sinek, because the life we are seeking to live as followers of Jesus is driven by a clear understanding of God’s purposes – the why. I seriously doubt that you will be able to prosper and flourish in the kingdom of God over the course of your life without having a clear foundational understanding of God‘s purpose, since His purposes are what drives everything else.
It’s may not be possible to explore purpose without digging into some of the details, or exploring some aspects of methodology and application, so you will find a certain amount of those in the following pages. But the focus of this book is on the question of the purposes of God we encounter in Jesus.
A map to find your way in the real world
This book may not answer all the questions you will ask in the coming years of your life, but I hope the following pages provide a high-level view of the journey ahead of you. Anyone who has gotten lost in a new place knows how helpful it is to have a good map to figure out where you are and how to get from here to there.
The chapters in this book are organized into two sections. Section 1 is titled “Seeing the Jesus we follow” and addresses essential things you need to know about Jesus, the gospel of His Kingdom, and what all of this tells you about who you are and what you were made for.
Section 2 is titled “Following the Jesus we see.” The chapters in this section will present a mental model we call “The Way of the Lord.” This mental model consists of a set of biblical concepts and categories. Over the years I have used this model to convert the overwhelming volume of information found between Genesis 1:1 and Revelations 22:21 into a coherent guide for life as an intentional disciple of Jesus.
Section 3 is titled, "Ministering with the Jesus we follow." While section two is about how we live with Jesus like the first disciples did, section three focuses on how we minister with Jesus as He continues His ministry of healing and compassion to broken and hurting people today.
If I am successful with this project, you will find that you are orienting your life around the reality of Jesus like the first disciples did. In the process you will be equipped to navigate the journey ahead as God conforms you “to the image of his Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:28).
The origins of this book
I met Jesus when I was four years old in a little Baptist church in El Centro, California. The memories I have may be formed more from the story my parents told me than from actual childhood memory, but apparently on one Sunday morning I was sitting with my mom in “big church” during the preacher’s sermon. (This may have been the result of “being asked to leave” the children’s Sunday school class again for being disruptive – apparently that happened on more than one occasion.) When the preacher gave the altar call for those who wanted to accept Jesus as their savior, I (so I’m told) turned to my mom and said, “I’m going up front. Are you coming with me or not?”
I guess you could say that from a very young age I was intentional regarding Jesus. However, it wasn’t until I started college that the issue which forms the central theme of this book crystallized in my understanding. This issue can be summarized as the answer to the question, “Why would anyone take Jesus seriously and say yes to His call to come and follow Him?”
Why believe in Jesus?
In my early 20’s I found myself as a brand-new college student sitting in philosophy and comparative religion courses. Everything I had learned and come to believe about God, the Bible, and especially Jesus was being called into question by my teachers. I remember feeling unsettled and anxious as they introduced me to the fact that there were multitudes of sincere and devout people who had very different ideas about God and Jesus. This revelation led me to question why I should put any confidence in the Bible and its message about Jesus when so many people obviously did not?
But an odd thing happened. As the familiar and solid ground of my faith was systematically eroded from under my feet, I remember a very clear thought forming in my mind. It was this:
Yes, all these other ideas sound reasonable and compelling, but 2,000 years ago in the Roman province of Palestine there was a man named Jesus who claimed to be the Son of God. They killed Him but He rose from the dead after three days as He predicted He would. This validated His claims about Himself and everything He told us about God and His purposes.
This was the answer to the question, “Why believe in Jesus?” Looking back, I see this early college insight proved to be the starting point for a life of intentional discipleship to Jesus. I found that when I start with the assumption that Jesus exists and the New Testament records are accurate historical accounts of His life, teaching, and ministry, then the phenomena of ancient or modern skeptics doesn’t provide a very compelling reason to abandon all hope in the Jesus of the Bible.
The power to undermine my faith in those college classes was in the implication that the very presence of alternative religions or skeptics somehow invalidated everything I had believed. But when I looked again at the picture these teachers were painting for their students, I realized that rather than proving that the Jesus in the Bible couldn’t be true they were instead confirming that the Bible was accurate in how it described the human condition.
The bible is well aware that there have always been worshippers of other gods. There have always been those who were skeptical and didn’t believe in the god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or in Jesus. The fact of these alternative beliefs and practices in the past and the present does not logically call into question the validity of Jesus’ claims or our faith in Him.
However, the driving force of this book comes from an additional Why question that needs to be answered.
Why should I expect to have the same relationship with Jesus as the first disciples?
Many Christians today would answer this question by saying we shouldn’t expect this. They are confident that Jesus exists, and that He did what the Bible says He did. While confident to put their hope in the saving work of Jesus’ on the cross, they feel little in common with those who first followed Jesus.
In chapter 2, I will be making the case that we should expect to have the same relationship with Jesus as the first disciples. If you agree with me after reading this book, you will find that a fuller understanding of the nature of your relationship with Jesus will turbocharge your sense of purpose in life and motivation to join the first disciples in a personal, intimate, and transformative relationship with Him.
My prayer for you is that you will live your life as an intentional disciple of Jesus. May you learn to live with the same singular focus and experience of His presence, love, and power that we see in the first disciples. The world today needs more men and women like them; not that they were superior to us, but they were directly connected with Jesus in their everyday lives with world shaping results. I hope that this book will help you step into that same relationship so you can effectively see the kingdom of God come on earth as in heaven for the rest of your life.
Ron Ford
Carlsbad, CA
There are two ways you can go deeper with this material, if you are finding this helpful.
First, read How to get the most from this book. I offer some suggestions about how to do more than skim the pages and move on with minimal impact.
Second, read How to use this book with a small group. This material was formed and proven in a small group setting that seems to be very effective at helping participants engage with Jesus at a much deeper and transformative level than is typical in our churches today.
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Thank you Ron! Read the first charter, and will read on. Simple and profound. I also find the historical story of God living among us in Jesus most compelling. And wonder about the implications. For example: When we step into the eternal river of the spirit running through all history, "at hand" for all, are we not mysteriously connected to both our brothers and sisters of the Bible, but also the One on the throne now and in the future? What does this mean for our lives today? Much more than to learn from them, I think. But I do not have clear thought or experience here. Maybe you already wrote about this. Eager to read on! Odd Ivar from Norway.