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    Invitations of Jesus
    Invitations of Jesus
    Invitations of Jesus
    Ebook91 pages53 minutes

    Invitations of Jesus

    By Trevor Hudson

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    About this ebook

    How do we respond to the invitations of Jesus? Trevor Hudson calls us to consider the invitations Jesus offers in five dimensions of life. In his gentle and intimate style, Trevor leads you to see where Christ is touching your life, calling you to deeper relationship with God, self, and neighbor.

    This six-week small group study includes a Leader's Guide for small-group facilitation. The sessions are structured to last one hour and open with a prayer followed by reading the Word, reflecting on the chapter invitation, and responding to the invitation.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherUpper Room Books
    Release dateMar 1, 2014
    ISBN9780835813143
    Invitations of Jesus
    Author

    Trevor Hudson

    Trevor Hudson has been in the Methodist ministry for the past thirty odd years, spending most of this time in and around Johannesburg, South Africa. Presently he is part of the pastoral team at Northfield Methodist Church in Benoni where he preaches and teaches on a weekly basis. He has written nine books, including A Mile in My Shoes and Listening to the Groans, which have recently been published in the U.S. Much of his ministry has been shaped by two passions: helping ordinary people experience the transforming presence and power of Jesus in their everyday lives and helping people build the kind of local faith community which seeks to take seriously the suffering of those around them. His interests include watching sports, walking and running, discovering new places, reading and writing.

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      Book preview

      Invitations of Jesus - Trevor Hudson

      INVITATIONS

      of JESUS

      TREVOR HUDSON

      INVITATIONS OF JESUS

      © 2014 by Trevor Hudson

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, write Upper Room Books, 1908 Grand Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37212.

      The Upper Room® website http://www.upperroom.org

      UPPER ROOM®, UPPER ROOM BOOKS®, and design logos are trademarks owned by The Upper Room®, A Ministry of GBOD®, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

      Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      Instructions for lectio divina adapted from Praying the Scriptures by Beth Richardson for Alive Now. Used by permission.

      Cover and interior design: Marc Whitaker / www.mtwdesign.net

      Printed in the United States of America

      CONTENTS

      HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

      Week One

      INVITATION TO LIFE AT ITS BEST

      Week Two

      INVITATION TO TRANSFORMING INTIMACY

      Week Three

      INVITATION TO TRANSFORMING DISCIPLESHIP

      Week Four

      INVITATION TO TRANSFORMING SOLITUDE

      Week Five

      INVITATION TO TRANSFORMING MISSION

      Week Six

      INVITATION TO TRANSFORMING MYSTERY

      LEADER’S GUIDE

      HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

      As you read each week’s meditation, you will be prompted to wonder about how the ideas in the book intersect with your own life. These Wonderings are invitations to stimulate your imagination and draw you into prayer; they are invitations from God. How will you respond to these invitations? Reflect on the questions and write your answers in a journal. Reflecting and journaling in this way will take you deeper into each invitation.

      The weekly readings and Wonderings will facilitate personal reflection on your interests, preferences, and talents. These questions and journaling will require no more than ten to fifteen minutes daily.

      If you choose to use this book in a small-group setting, you will meet weekly with others to reflect on the lesson’s readings and Wonderings. The Leader’s Guide for leading a small group is found at the back of the book. Bring this book, your Bible, and a journal with you to each weekly meeting.

      Week One

      INVITATION TO LIFE AT ITS BEST

      I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

      — JOHN 10:10

      The other day I came across an unopened invitation. It was an invitation to the wedding reception of a couple I married almost a year ago. They gave it to me after a premarital counseling session. I placed it on my desk and forgot about it. When I eventually came across the invitation hidden under a pile of papers and opened it, my heart sank. The young couple had wanted my wife, Debbie, and me to celebrate with them and their friends after the wedding ceremony. By overlooking their generous invitation, I had missed out on experiencing an event that was no doubt very special.

      As I began to write on the invitations of Jesus, I immediately remembered that unopened invitation. In life, we can miss out on so much. It may be sharing a meal, celebrating a birthday, witnessing a baptism, or, like it was for me, celebrating the covenant of a new marriage. Our sadness deepens with the knowledge that, when we realize we have not responded to an invitation, we cannot turn back the clock. Our loss is forever.

      For many years now the invitations of Jesus have gripped my imagination because they lead us into the abundant life Jesus promises to those who respond to him. I came, Jesus tells us, that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). When people ask me why I take Jesus’ invitations so seriously, this sentence always springs to mind. I accept invitations not because they satisfy my every need, remove all my problems, or make me feel good; I accept them because I am convinced that through them, we discover how life can be most truly and fully lived.

      THE NEW WAY OF LIFE JESUS OFFERS

      This conviction about the good news Jesus brings gradually wove itself into the fabric of my believing. But that was not always the case. In the early years of my faith pilgrimage, I restricted the primary purpose for God coming in Christ to the forgiveness of sins. I understood that to be the main gospel invitation. In everyday language, I would put it like this: Come to Jesus, get your sins forgiven, and go to heaven. While that message contains a wonderful truth, somehow it is not true enough. Let me explain.

      As I have studied the invitations of Jesus in the Gospels and mulled over the insights of significant mentors, my understanding of the good news has grown considerably from what I first understood it to be. I have come to see that the central issue of the gospel of Jesus involves the gracious opportunity to become a new kind of person and to enter into a new way of life. Available to anyone who responds wholeheartedly to the invitations of Jesus, his gospel embraces both the forgiveness of our sins and the recovery of abundant life.

      Before we go further, notice the striking relevance of this good news to our lives today. In spite of the flood of techniques for

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