By John D. Pierce
The Gospels say nothing about “accepting Jesus.” That’s an initiation rite developed within institutional Christianity.
In fact, the story revealed in the Gospels is one of Jesus accepting us — all of us. We are called to believe but there is a more demanding, ongoing, primary call from Jesus: “Follow me!”
In the same way Jesus asked his first disciples to drop what they were doing and change the courses of their lives, we are compelled by the compassionate Christ to do the same.
Jesus was no slick salesman. He didn’t hand out membership cards, or offer materialistic bounty and escape from life struggles — adding with a booming voice “…but that’s not all!”
Instead he calls us to deny our self-interest and self-preservation in sacrificial ways that focus on others even at our own expense of power and bounty. “Take up your cross” is about as sacrificial as it gets.
Much of American Christianity today, however, has been redefined apart from following Jesus. It has been replaced with a self-serving, fear-driven political ideology.
Jesus is merely eternal insurance. His life and teachings that reveal both the nature of God and provide the example for how his followers should live are largely dismissed.
Therefore, the timing is just right for the release of Seeing With Jesus: Developing a Worldview Shaped by the Gospels by Jack Glasgow (2020, Nurturing Faith).
Lay leader Jackie Baugh Moore, vice president of the Texas-based Baugh Foundation, said Jack “masterfully breaks down into significant pieces practical but deeply spiritual guidance for living with a Jesus worldview.”
The longtime pastor of Zebulon Baptist Church outside Raleigh, N.C., Jack is a deep thinker and effective communicator. In clear, concise and biblical ways, Jack helps readers look anew at how Jesus saw the world — including Jesus’ views of the Law, religious practices, judgment, prayer, women, his opponents and more.
Each chapter contains questions to stimulate reflection for the individual reader or discussion for those who explore these important topics as a group.
Larry Hovis, Executive Coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, said: “For anyone seeking a clearer understanding of the Jesus worldview, Jack’s guidance in this book is a tremendous gift.”
Renée Lloyd Owen, Executive Director of Spiritual Health for Atlanta’s Wellstar Health System, noted that “Jack invites others to sit at the feet of Jesus and to see through Jesus’ eyes the true kingdom of God.”
Seeing with Jesus: Developing a Worldview Shaped by the Gospels is now available here from Nurturing Faith. For pricing on larger quantities for group study, contact Jackie Riley at jriley@nurturingfaith.net.
While many voices seek our attention and allegiance, may we hear and heed the one who still says, “Follow me!”
