The One: Experience Jesus

By Carlos Darby, Judah Smith, Charlotte Gambill and 2 more

We are living in a world increasingly geared toward visual learners. With the explosion of sites like Instagram and Pinterest, it is evident that the way we consume content is changing before our eyes. Developed for the avid consumer of visual content, The One uses The Voice Bible translation alongside powerful, full-color images to maximize the long-term impact for the reader, creating a dynamic way to engage with and experience the scriptures.

The One takes you on an exciting journey to uncover who Jesus really is. Understand the true nature of Jesus, His character, why He came, what He accomplished, and what it means to your day-to-day life. Discover your true value in Him, and experience a transformed life based on a genuine daily relationship with a Savior who brings hope and purpose to all who seek Him.

 Features include:

 

• Articles and interviews with world-renowned preachers
• Real life stories on the transforming power of Jesus
• Resources for personal reflection and growth 
• In-depth group study discussion questions

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Sep 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9780718036966

Book preview

978071803696_0001_001.jpgSince we

Since we have been acquitted and made right through faith, we are able to experience true and lasting peace with God through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King. Jesus leads us into a place of radical grace where we are able to celebrate the hope of experiencing God’s glory.

ROMANS 5:1–2

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© 2015 by ABRUPT MEDIA

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [e-mail].

The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society

All rights reserved.

[ISBN-9780718036966 (eBook)]

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

[ISBN-9780718036942]

15 14 13 12 11 WOR 5 4 3 2 1

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: EXPERIENCE JESUS

VISUAL STORY: THE RISE AND FALL

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CHAPTER ONE: THE START

THROUGH HIS EYES

GOLD IN THE GARBAGE

CONTEMPLATION

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CHAPTER TWO: THE FRIEND

THE FAITH ADVENTURE

THE GIRL IN THE SPOTLIGHT

CONTEMPLATION

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CHAPTER THREE: THE ONE

THE HELPER

A LIFE AND DEATH DECISION

CONTEMPLATION

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CHAPTER FOUR: THE FATHER

FAITH OF THE FATHERLESS

Q&A: JUDAH SMITH

CONTEMPLATION

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CHAPTER FIVE: THE FOLLOWER

WHOSE WE ARE

Q&A: CHARLOTTE GAMBILL

CONTEMPLATION

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CHAPTER SIX: THE DISCIPLE

LIVING FROM A PLACE OF REST

Q&A: GARY CLARKE

CONTEMPLATION

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CHAPTER SEVEN: THE MYSTERY

THE MYSTERY REVEALED

Q&A: CARL LENTZ

CONTEMPLATION

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THANK YOU

CREDITS

FINAL THOUGHT

"Let the good news, the story you have heard from the beginning of your journey, live in and take hold of you. If that happens and you focus on the good news, then you will always remain in a relationship with the Son and the Father. This is what He promised us: eternal life."

1 JOHN 2:24

INTRODUCTION

EXPERIENCE JESUS

The One: Experience Jesus is centered on illuminating the Scriptures for a generation that speaks in a visual language. It’s about making the Scriptures and the themes found in the Bible more approachable and less intimidating. We’re living in a visual time; the ways in which people engage and respond to content are rapidly changing, and methods of communicating a message are becoming more aesthetic.

Every picture gives us a glimpse of a unique life. Images capture moments and allow us to relive the experiences again in our minds.

Every picture gives us a glimpse of a unique life. Images capture moments and allow us to relive the experiences again in our minds. Sometimes these images are so powerful that they can shape culture, rallying people to act and make a stand for good. Sometimes they remind us of events in history we regret. They can also help us learn.

Psychologist Jerome Bruner of New York University says that people only remember 10 percent of what they hear and 20 percent of what they read, but about 80 percent of what they see and do.¹ Jesus taught people about His kingdom using parables to illustrate a message. I imagine that they would create these stories in their minds, see the ways of God’s kingdom, and be able to apply it to their own lives.

This visual book is here to serve you in learning more about the power of the gospel—the good news of the relationship that we have access to—and to provide a means of triggering your memory. The images ensure that the information will stick with you in everyday life.

¹ Power of Visual Communication, http://www.slideshare.net/NounProject/the-power-of-visual-communication.

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The scriptures you’ll see in the book have been taken from The Voice, a powerful and illustrative translation of the Bible that perfectly complements the visual aspects of The One. We believe the visuals and Bible translation together will engage the next generation of Bible readers and present the themes of the book in a way that will draw people in and bring enhanced understanding and recollection of the content of the book. Ultimately, readers will experience lasting change to their lives.

There are so many stereotypical images attached to the Scriptures. Although these are historically relevant, they don’t speak to us the way more current images do. To keep future generations engaged with the Scriptures, we need to allow individuals to express their own unique style as they follow Jesus. Images in The One have been created in a variety of locations around the world and with people of many cultures. Our goal is to point to the fact that Jesus calls us all, today, wherever we are and however we look. He looks at the heart.

The Chapters

In the first part of this book, we look at the overall context for our relationship with God. Through the story of Adam and Eve, we see the rise and fall of His intended relationship with us. Abraham then shows us that a relationship with God isn’t based on works, but is only through faith. Finally, the salvation plan from Genesis is played out in the New Testament; our Savior is here and is dealing with separation through sin and death for good and gives us the Holy Spirit to remain with us always.

The second part of the book looks at what we can learn from the relationship Jesus had with His Father and what it means to be His follower and a disciple today. We end on the most important part of making our walk with Jesus something that is real and to be experienced: the mystery revealed.

The personal stories shared, the interviews conducted, and the features written all point to the power of the good news that Jesus came to give us. We now have access to the most amazing relationship we could imagine with our living God. This is indeed good news, because it’s free, it’s available to all, and it’s worth more than anything else.

It’s the mystery revealed: Jesus lives in each and every one of those who accept His message, and He’s calling those who have not yet experienced the relationship.

Through this visual book, I hope that your faith is stirred as you engage with the contemplation sections and that you raise your expectations about what a life with Jesus means. The book is not about adding more to your daily to-do list, but taking away clutter and changing perspectives, bringing you closer to Jesus. I pray that you’ll come away with a greater sense of value and confidence so that you can share Him with your world and experience Him in a whole new way, because the gospel has captured your heart.

— Carlos Darby

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THE

RISE & FALL

The beginning of humanity’s sin begins with a tree and ends with a tree; first, the tree of knowledge of good and evil; and finally, the cross on which Jesus dies. The first tree offers fruit that leads to death, but the second offers a death that leads to eternal life.

Photographers: Adam & Eve: Hannah Radley-Bennett

Landscape: Ed Peers / Animals: Marlon Du Toit

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GOD: LET THERE BE LIGHT.

And light flashed into being. God saw that the light was beautiful and good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God named the light day and darkness night. Evening gave way to morning. That was day one.

GENESIS 1:3–5

GOD: EARTH, GENERATE LIFE!

Produce a vast variety of living creatures—domesticated animals, small creeping creatures, and wild animals that roam the earth.

GENESIS 1:24

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SO GOD DID JUST THAT

He created humanity in His image, created them male and female. Then God blessed them and gave them this directive: "Be fruitful and multiply. Populate the earth. I make you trustees of My estate, so care for My creation and rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that roams across the earth."

GENESIS 1:27–28

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THE WOMAN APPROACHED THE TREE,

eyed its fruit, and coveted its mouth-watering, wisdom-granting beauty. She plucked a fruit from the tree and ate. She then offered the fruit to her husband who was close by, and he ate as well.

GENESIS 3:6

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SO THE ETERNAL GOD BANISHED

Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden and exiled humanity from paradise, sentencing humans to laborious lives working the very ground man came from.

GENESIS 3:23

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IF ONE MAN’S SIN

brought a reign of death—that’s Adam’s legacy—how much more will those who receive grace in abundance and the free gift of redeeming justice reign in life by means of one other man—Jesus the Anointed.

ROMANS 5:17

CHAPTER ONE: THE START

THROUGH

HIS EYES

God chose us to be in a relationship with Him even before He laid out plans for this world; He wanted us to live holy lives characterized by love, free from sin, and blameless before Him. He destined us to be adopted as His children through the covenant Jesus the Anointed inaugurated in His sacrificial life. This was His pleasure and His will for us.

EPHESIANS 1:4–5

Words: Carlos Darby / Photography: Hannah Radley-Bennett

Styling: Sharna-Marie Francis

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Children are brought into the world under so many different circumstances, and while some of those are unplanned by the parents, we are never unplanned by God.

I was an unexpected arrival and never saw my biological father past the age of three, but that didn’t stop me from seeing God move in powerful ways throughout my