Missing Jesus? Finding The Shepherd We Lost

By John Wessels

A new and comprehensive resource for a lifetime of discipleship!

You will love how this guidebook leads you on the
exciting journey of getting to know Jesus better.
You will come to appreciate the relevance of Jesus
to all dimensions of life today – including the social,
spiritual, religious, economic, political, relational and
ecological realities. John Wessels has developed and
taught the contents of this guidebook in courses since
the year 2000. Over the years he has often re-written,
enlarged and refined the guidebook. Now, nineteen
years after the start of this project, he has decided it is
ready for publication.
The guidebook can be used as a comprehensive
journey of discipleship for individuals, small groups
or congregations. It may also be divided into three
separate shorter studies in the following way: ‘Jesus
rediscovered!’ (six-week journey), ‘The Kingdom
Consciousness Movement’ (nine-week journey),
‘Salvation rediscovered’ (six-week journey).
Instructions for all these and more options are given
in the guidebook with additional free resources onthe Missing Jesus website.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Wessels
• Release date: May 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005744816

John Wessels

John fervently believes that Jesus and His Kingdom are the hope Southern Africa needs now. He believes that Christians, both in local congregations and small groups, should be spending much more time getting to know Jesus and the meaning of His life, ministry and teachings. That is what this book is about!He has been the minister of congregations in East London, Buffalo Flats, Sea Point, Observatory, Brackenfell, Rosebank and Linden. He grew up in East London and enjoys long-distance trail running and any time he can spend in the mountains. John is married to Angela and they have two children, Ashlynn and Luke.

Book preview

FOREWORD

People are looking for Jesus, not doctrine.

A foreword of compiled recommendations by Allan Boesak, Mamphela Ramphele, Njongonkulu Ndungane, Yvette Moses, Albert Nolan, Faith Whitby, Derek Morphew and Trevor Hudson.

John Wessels’ Missing Jesus truly is a gem of a book, a gift to clergy and lay persons, to teachers and students of the Word, a joy to read and will no doubt be a joy to work with. This is a guidebook, but not a ‘how to’ book or a spiritual DIY book, rather it is journeying book, inviting us on a journey to find the Jesus we have missed—not properly seen or understood, misread and misinterpreted. And what a fascinating journey this is! The thorough research behind this book and the theological and biblical knowledge are obvious, but not in a way that would hamper non-theologians. Rather they are woven into the fabric of the work, breathe through every sentence, authenticate the thinking like leaven in good bread. So page after page is a discovery, a delightful lesson, an invitation to find more. At the root, at the core, and through it all is Jesus. The author’s love for Jesus and the Bible is unabashed, his treatment of the material intellectually honest, his understanding of the relevance of the Bible and the message of Jesus to the challenges facing the church and our societies is spot on, his approach to the reader highly respectful. A delightful book.

PROF. ALLAN BOESAK

Pastor, academic, activist and author of

The Tenderness of Conscience:

African Renaissance and the

Spirituality of Politics

and 18 other titles.

This book is a contribution to our public discourse that could not have come at a better time. We are a nation of majority believers of many faiths with an emphasis on ‘personalised salvation’ rather than the radical ministry of ‘the word made flesh’ or the core principles of the Ubuntu we profess!

This book challenges all people of faith to confront the inequities in our social relationships at all levels that stand in contradiction with the faiths we profess. The power of the book’s point of departure that ‘God is a foundational force and energising power that makes life possible’ enables the reader to align the biblical creation story with the science of evolution.

The presentation of God as Love present in all creation, and Jesus as the ‘word made flesh’ to model this Love at four levels: of God, between humans, within the self, and of the environment and nature, provides a practical way of living our faith in obedience to the Love imperative.

The core message would be particularly appealing to those like me who were brought up in communities with a value system encapsulated by Ubuntu. The Ubuntu notion that a human being is always in communion with other human beings, as well as with the spiritual and natural world, resonates with the Love imperative at the core of all major religions.

The humiliating poverty endured by the majority of our fellow citizens challenges us to live the core values of our faiths and of Ubuntu as set out above. The interactive exercises at the end of each chapter are useful tools for consciousness raising essential for personal, communal and social healing to reconcile the physical, spiritual and natural in our lives. Ubuntu is an ideal medium to bind us together as a nation. This should be required reading for all seeking to live their beliefs.

DR MAMPHELA RAMPHELE

Academic, activist and author of

Dreams, Betrayal and Hope and

18 other titles.

I am delighted to recommend Missing Jesus for the use of Christians, both those new to the faith and those who have regarded themselves as such for many years. Missing Jesus is a comprehensive, thought-provoking contribution to the literature of our faith that will deepen the spiritual life of anyone who reads it, or uses it as a study guide. Leaders of our churches will at times find the guide somewhat uncomfortable in the challenges it presents to that institution.

The author correctly describes it as a ‘guidebook’. A guide is something that ‘indicates the way’, and this book will certainly show the reader, in a very practical manner, how to live a more spiritually fulfilling life. I particularly enjoyed the emphasis on community and relationships; this is, of course, of particular relevance to those of us living in Africa and our understanding of ubuntu. The use of stories to illustrate examples follows in the footsteps of Jesus who told many stories or parables as a way of helping his listeners understand what he was saying. In the same way, the author is able to clearly communicate complex spiritual truths in a straightforward and accessible way.

This guidebook is suitable for individual or group use, and will provide a suitable framework for several months of group study, or even individual use. The structure of discussion, revision, reflection and application at the end of each chapter has been intelligently compiled, and will provide an excellent basis for group Bible study.

I have no hesitation in recommending this guidebook to Christians who desire to grow their spiritual lives both in relation to God, their communities, the societies in which they live, and themselves.

THE MOST REVD NJONGONKULU NDUNGANE

Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town and author of

A World with a Human Face: A Voice from Africa.

The Shepherd Psalm (Psalm 23) has probably been one of the most widely read Psalms, yet little used in our understanding of discipleship. Using the concept of Jesus as the Shepherd, John provides an insightful framework in this resource book, Missing Jesus, calling us to understand who Jesus is, how we might be drawn into a relationship with Him, how to nurture this through spiritual disciplines, in order that we might participate meaningfully in His life in the world around us. What struck me is the simplicity of the text, while at the same time dealing with complex, foundational doctrines and practices of our Christian faith. His insightful illustrations that do justice to the South African context as well as our Wesleyan framework make this a relevant resource for our churches in our Southern African context. In the pre-read of this book, I have been personally challenged in many areas of my faith, using the thought provoking personal reflection questions, and would recommend this as a timely gift to our church as a whole in our desire to equip members in their ongoing discipleship journey in relationship with Jesus, our Good Shepherd.

REVD YVETTE MOSES

Methodist minister, Acting Bishop and

Bishop elect of Cape of Good Hope Synod

In the 1970s when I became a university chaplain I tried to teach the Catholic students Christian Doctrine. I failed. They were bored to tears. Eventually I came to the conclusion that they were not interested in any kind of doctrine. This made me realise that of course Christian faith after all is not basically about doctrines. Christian faith is about a person: Jesus of Nazareth. So I began a series of talks about Jesus as a person: his life, his struggles, his aims and his significance for us in South Africa today. That was an unbelievable success. Later it became a book: Jesus Before Christianity.

John Wessels has now taken this one step further. His analysis of just how much Jesus is missing from the preaching and practices of the Christian Churches today is very revealing—and indeed shocking. Christians seem to conform much more to the dominant culture than to the practice and preaching of Jesus. John shows us how Jesus’ practice centred on compassion for all who suffer while his teaching centred on the Kingdom or Reign of God and its values. We don’t hear much of that in our Churches.

What we have here is a comprehensive guidebook for all who preach or teach in the Churches which will enable us to find the missing Jesus, the Shepherd we had lost. I can recommend it without reservation.

FR. ALBERT NOLAN

Academic, theologian and author of

Jesus before Christianity

and 8 other titles.

It has been said ‘If you can, do. If you can’t, teach.’ This guidebook demonstrates that in the Christian life, one can only teach out of a lifetime of ‘doing’. John holds together a vast scope of work (content) and a depth of insight, as well as finding practical ways in which this resource can be used in a variety of ways to enable growing discipleship. The work is theologically sound, and also accessible to readers at a number of levels. John encourages his readers to build an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ, rather than be ‘consumers’ of religion. Rowan Williams, in his book Being Disciples: Essentials of the Christian Life, defines a disciple as one who learns ‘ … how to be a place in the world where the act of God can come alive’. He also reminds us that discipleship ‘ … is not an intermittent state; it’s a relationship that continues’. This guidebook is an invaluable resource in enabling individuals and communities to find and be found by Jesus, to grow into deeper and more meaningful relationship as disciples, and to journey in participating with God in the realisation of the reign of God in the world. I highly recommend it.

REVD FAITH WHITBY

Methodist Minister and Bishop elect for Central Synod

of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.

As one of those tasked to assist with peer review, I can claim to have read this work quite thoroughly. It was a pleasure to read it, for a number of reasons.

I agree with the central thesis of the ‘missing Jesus’. Protestant Evangelicalism has tended towards a reductionist view of the gospel. Generally, it begins with Paul and then reads the gospels with Pauline lenses, landing on the cross as the essential core (the passion narrative with a brief introduction idea). This means that the Kingdom of God mission and message of Jesus is largely ignored. This work brings an important theological corrective.

The elevation of the Christus Victor approach to the atonement matches some important trends in contemporary theology. The rediscovery of Jesus’ mission and message of the kingdom does have such implications, important implications!

I found the journey of discipleship approach really helpful. This is a discipleship/theology, or theology-through-discipleship.

The way the book ‘lands’ on the spiritual disciplines is also commendable. This is a theology-through-discipleship leading to spiritual formation, an intentionally crafted and refreshing combination of approaches.

DR DEREK MORPHEW

Academic Dean of the Vineyard Institute and author of

Breakthrough: Discovering the Kingdom

and 17 other titles.

Over the past few years it has been a privilege to witness John pour his life into writing Missing Jesus. On its pages he has distilled his own many years of academic study, faithful ministry in the local congregation and personal walk with God. Now he offers us a wonderful and practical resource that explores the radical message and mission of Jesus and how we can follow him in the power of the Spirit within our complex Southern African context. Like any good teacher, he has clothed his rich theological insights in simple and accessible language. Almost each page sparkles with fresh insight, pastoral relevance and down-to- earth application. More than this, he has also gone to great lengths to make this book a journey-resource for both individuals and small groups, as well as for seasonal and year-long courses in the local congregation. As I went through the contents, I found my appetite to discover the missing Jesus both whetted and satisfied. In a day and age when ‘consumer Christianity’ has become an accepted norm for church life, we need thoughtful voices of integrity that keep calling us back to explore and to embrace the Christ-following way. John is one of those voices and we are indebted to him for this labour of commitment and love.

TREVOR HUDSON

Methodist Pastor and author of

Friendship with God—How God’s Offer of

Intimate Relationship can Change Your Life

and 29 other titles.

PREFACE

This is a book about our relationship with Jesus. If you are reading these opening words then you probably have a relationship with Jesus already. So why would you read this book? To answer that, I invite you to reflect on these questions:

• If a curious person, knowing you are a Christian, asked you to give an overview of Jesus’ teaching and practice and the meaning of it all, would you have much to say?

• How much detail do you know of Jesus’ teaching and preaching?

• Perhaps you know that the theme of love was important to Jesus, but are you able to explain Jesus’ very distinctive teaching on who to love, why love and how to love?

• Do you know that Jesus spoke most about the Kingdom of God, and if so are you able to explain why this Kingdom is so important?

• How does Jesus fit in with God’s intention in creation?

• What is the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit—and why is the Holy Spirit so important in your relationship with Jesus?

• How do you follow Jesus today?

These questions are important in your relationship with Jesus and are just a few of the ones that are studied in this book. Many are neglected by Christians even though they are all essential. This book will help you to fill in many of the missing pieces of your relationship with Jesus. I think that is a very good reason to read on.

If you are not in a relationship with Jesus—a special welcome to you! I feel particularly excited that you are reading this book. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to present Jesus to you. You will certainly be able to make an informed decision about your relationship with Jesus whilst reading this book. I hope you continue reading.

If you are in a relationship with Jesus then I am sure that you view that relationship as very important in your life. You might say that it is the most important relationship in your life, defining and determining all other aspects of your life. This book will help you to honour that good conviction through helping you to understand, experience and participate in the life that Jesus offers the world.

We can only be in a relationship with the Jesus we know. Could it be that you are in a relationship with a part of Jesus, not the whole? Could it be that there is a lot of Jesus that is missing for you and needs to be found? This book will help you enormously with finding the missing Jesus in your life, as the journey of writing it helped me and continues to grow me. Along the way you will also discover, as I did, that some of the Jesus you have believed in is the kind of person Jesus called to repentance! This will be because our beliefs have actually been informed by the ideals of our culture rather than in the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.

There are so many dynamics and dimensions that make up our relationship with Jesus—following and learning, repentance and transformation, grace and obedience, worship and friendship, realism and discipline, thinking and living, meaning and purpose, personal and social, God and creation, today and eternity and many more. All of this is included in this book! So if you want to grow in anything that has been mentioned in this and previous paragraphs then this is a book for you.

Don’t skip over the most important words in this guidebook! I am frequently amazed at how powerful the words of scripture are, how they speak ‘into’ my spirit and mind, how the ‘aha’ moment happens in reading them. The quotations from the Bible are therefore the most important part of this guidebook and I appeal to you to read them all—even if you are very familiar with your Bible. If you are not familiar with your Bible then a huge smile has come to my face as I type this—you are in for a treat!

Please read the following text—it sums up my passion for the themes of this book. This text is an eloquent celebration of Jesus Christ and his message. Allow these words to sink into your consciousness—it will then be clear that to have Jesus ‘missing’ in our lives is to have lost hope for any point or meaning to life. Savour these words, even if they are familiar, and appreciate that there is great depth of living truth here:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. Colossians 1.15-20

I have pursued a deeper and more real relationship with Jesus whilst writing this guidebook. The almost two decades it has taken have been plenty of time to journey with this content and in which to discover dynamics and dimensions that seemed almost impossibly precipitous mountain passes. As it approaches finalisation I know that I will spend the rest of my life trying to catch up to authentically living some of its most challenging content.

The themes of discipleship have already brought about very significant changes to my journey with Jesus. The most difficult has been Jesus’ insistence that I put the Kingdom of God first in my life. He teaches us to seek God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven—and South Africa is the earth on which I was born and where I have needed to pursue discipleship. The journey of this guidebook has run parallel to the journey of the very difficult birthing of a new South Africa. We have journeyed from the very deep dark place of a brutal, deceitful and unjust state where every aspect of national life needed radical transformation. The journey to a new land has not been easy at all and has followed a track that has been dangerous, exhausting, complex and distressing. It has also been a journey with beautiful views, wonderful travel companions and energising developments. It has been a journey that has been healing for some and tragic for others. We have too slowly resolved some injustices but have also punctured our fuel tank with great corruption and gashes of greed.

God wants his kingdom to come and his will to be done in South Africa, and this would certainly bring her the good life she longs for. But progress in this journey will not happen without a high price being paid of selfless and courageous discipleship—and therein has been my struggle. I have often found the cost too high and the desire for more pleasant and comfortable journeys too great. Jesus’ call to grow God’s Kingdom requires a commitment to our country that is far higher than any nationalism or patriotism and will ultimately bring a far greater blessing to our land of birth. I needed to pray a great deal and needed light and insight for making decisions on so many levels. All along, the call to discipleship here, rather than somewhere else, was unambiguous. I have failed in many ways to be the kind of disciple needed in this land, but the call to be on the journey never leaves me and I continue to be on the path. I pray that Jesus’ Spirit will help us gain traction for his Kingdom here because that will be the best light by which to see the great beauty of this land and her people.

A PRAYER FOR THE JOURNEY

You will only grow if you are willing to quest for truth in a courageous and thorough way. There are many difficult questions that we face when we quest for truth. We need to be very prayerful in the journey. But know this also, searching for truth is not going to reassure you about the validity of all the things you currently believe. Some of your current beliefs may be revealed as half-truths. All of us are challenged and transformed in the journey of seeking truth.

Many years ago I found this prayer and adapted it slightly and have used it as a prayer in most of the sessions of all the groups that I have led in teaching the contents of this guidebook. I offer it now to you and your journey:

From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth,

from the laziness that is content with half-truths,

from the arrogance that thinks it knows all the truth,

O God of Truth, deliver us.

We ask this in the name of Jesus,

the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Amen[1]

__________

[1] This is a traditional Kenyan prayer, according to Joni Rodgers (https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/574568-there-s-a-traditional-kenyan-prayer-from-the-cowardice-that-dares). I have added the last sentence.

HOW TO USE THE BOOK

This book is meant to be experienced as a travel guide for explorers of the landscape of faith. You will see that it is loaded with information—not the kind of light read you can curl up comfortably with. On the contrary, it is meant to inspire you to put on your pilgrim shoes and explore pathways Jesus has led us on, discovering life as God intended it.

This guidebook can be read as any other non-fiction book is read—as an individual’s journey of learning. You don’t have to ‘do’ the book with other people. It is designed to be used for a number of possible journeys both long and short. The following options are designed to fit the needs and aspirations of different group sizes as well as individuals.

1. TRAVELLING ALONE

And after Jesus had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. (Matthew 14.23)

The journey of this guidebook can certainly be followed by a reader on their own. You could journey slowly, reading just a few paragraphs a day. Or you could read more quickly and discipline yourself to cover a chapter a week.

Remember that you can use any of the shorter options or seasonal journeys too.

More information is available on the website.

2. AS A CONGREGATIONAL COURSE

Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old. (Matthew 13.52)

I love this saying of Jesus because it expresses the exciting experience of inspiration that every preacher and teacher for the Kingdom has. It is not easy to describe, but it has to do with sparks of connection leaping between the pages of scripture and the current context. Analogies and metaphors come to mind that will bring home the teachings of Jesus. Inspiring stories are noticed and retold that reveal the current value and power of these 2000-year-old Kingdom teachings. It is a very dynamic experience that is enhanced by the interaction with the hearer who asks questions (or shares stories and insights) which lead to further insights, inspirations and connections. In this experience we all realise that it has been a gift and a grace from Jesus’ Spirit who is present giving birth to a Kingdom Consciousness.

The congregational course invites you to be part of such an experience in your local church. You have probably experienced courses that have been run

now you may use this guidebook to run a Missing Jesus? Finding the Shepherd we lost teaching series. What follows is a summary of the steps you can follow to run this teaching series in your congregation. More help is available on the www.missingjesus.net website.

Step 1. Decide who will teach the course.

Begin by choosing a teacher for the course. It doesn’t have to be your minister, priest or pastor, as long as the person has good foundational knowledge of scripture and theology and has the gift of teaching.

Having someone known to your congregation personally teaching the content is the most real way for a congregation to journey through any discipleship material. I have found that it is weaker if the congregation must watch a video recording and listen to stories that are from contexts very far removed from their own. This is one of the main reasons why I have not included much of my own illustrative material in this guidebook. To put it differently, the content of this guidebook is for the most part undressed and needs to be given its clothes by the teacher that is presenting the content. This guidebook also functions like a textbook that often contains more information than is strictly necessary for the course. The teacher/leader decides what to focus on in the lesson and the participants can read up on the extra information before or after the lesson.

Step 2. Decide who will be responsible for the administration of the course.

The number of people attending will determine how many administrative and logistical people you need.

Step 3. Decide on the course dates.

The full journey will take between 17 and 21 weeks. If you go away to do the Holy Spirit chapters on a weekend retreat (which is highly recommended) then the journey can take 17 weeks. If you do one chapter a week then the journey will take 21 weeks. The venue for the Holy Spirit weekend should be booked.

There are also options for only doing a portion of the book rather than the whole book (see below).

Step 4. Decide on the programme format.

Decide on whether you will have a meal together at the beginning. Will you include worship? It certainly is best to at least have a refreshment break between the teaching session and the small group discussions.

Step 5. Start advertising and open the registration process for the course.

A useful information flyer about the book and course can be downloaded from the website.

Step 6. Choose small group facilitators and train them.

The best way to do the course is to allow for small group discussion after the teacher has presented the content of the chapter. The training needed for these small group facilitators is simple and will only require a two-hour session with them. This training is also available on the website.

Step 7. Purchase the guidebook for each participant.

Each member of the group should have their own guidebook. It will be very difficult to follow and engage with the contents without owning your own copy. You will find that there is so much content in the guidebook that you will want it available to you as a resource for future reference. I have written this guidebook as an attempt to be thorough about the foundations of Christian discipleship, therefore it should be reread every few years.

Please contact me, John Wessels, for the purchase of the guidebooks at info@ missingjesus.net and via the www.missingjesus.net website. I can also currently be contacted at [e-mail], or [e-mail] and 011-8881740/1/2. If these details change then please contact your nearest Methodist Church to locate me in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa’s directory. I can also be contacted to give advice on the use of the guidebook.

Step 8. Launch well.

Pay attention to reminders to participants, logistics for the launch, payment processes, etc.

Step 9. Run the course and intensify the prayers for the journey.

Pay special attention to feedback from small groups.

Step 10. Review and evaluate the course.

This course is an excellent way to make disciples and can therefore be run annually or even more than once a year (depending on the size of your church). When you review the course you can also identify which of the participants could be good small group facilitators for the next course.

3. SMALL GROUP GATHERING

For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. (Matthew 18.20)

Think about the verse above. Jesus is found to be amongst those who meet together in his name. To gather in his name is to gather as those who desire to be part of the Jesus movement in this world. Jesus is no longer ‘missing’ in such a group, but is present, particularly when there is a genuine desire to follow him as our Shepherd.

This section will give you advice and guidelines for using this guidebook as a book to study in a small group setting (Bible Study Group, Cell Group, Home Group, Class Meeting, Fellowship Group, Small Group, Discipleship Group, Connect Group, etc.) What follows is a summary of the steps you can follow to use the guidebook in a small group journey. More help is available on the www.missingjesus.net website.

Step 1. Download the latest information flyer from the website.

Share this information with your small group in order to decide about whether this is a good time for your group to follow this journey.

Step 2. Purchase the guidebook for each participant.

See Step 7 under ‘As a congregational course’ above.

Step 3. Decide on your weekly format for the study.

You are a group that already has an established flow to your gatherings. The journey through this guidebook should try and fit into that which is familiar to your group. It will quickly become evident that you need a lot of time in each gathering to read parts of the guidebook together and to discuss the content so that it is understood and appreciated. You may well need to abbreviate your usual time of fellowship for the duration of this study. If you are a new group then I propose the following simple and helpful structure for a gathering—the ‘Four W’s’ of Welcome, Worship, Word and Works.

Step 4. Decide how long you will take to journey through the guidebook.

This guidebook is intended to serve as a journey of enabling each participant to understand, experience and participate in discipleship. The foundations for Christian discipleship are an enormous field of study, so the journey cannot be accomplished in a convenient six weeks. The longer a group takes, the better.

The quickest journey through this guidebook for a small group will be a journey of 21 weeks, although many participants have found this to be too quick. A journey of 21 weeks will depend on each participant reading the chapter before you meet as a group. Your group time will then be devoted to the suggested Bible Study and to discussing what has been read in the chapter. The small group leader may select a few paragraphs of importance to read as a group during the meeting.

If a group cannot dedicate 21 weeks but is committed to learning about discipleship then the only option would be to study a part of the book instead of the whole book. I give some guidelines for such an approach a little later in this section, under ‘Shorter alternatives for both Small Groups and Congregational courses’. Guidelines for those groups that are prepared to spend longer than 21 weeks on this journey are given under ‘Anno Domini’ below.

4. ANNO DOMINI: ‘A YEAR OF THE LORD’

You crown the year with your bounty;

your wagon tracks overflow with richness.

The pastures of the wilderness overflow,

the hills gird themselves with joy.

The meadows clothe themselves with flocks,

the valleys deck themselves with grain,

they shout and sing together for joy. (Psalm 65.11-13)

A small group may prefer to journey slowly and carefully through the content of this guidebook. This may well be the best way to really appreciate the content. You would simply do this by only reading as many pages as is comfortable each time you meet. If you read six pages a week then the guidebook would take you one year to complete. That would be a special year of study!

There will be more information for this option on the website.

5. SHORTER ALTERNATIVES FOR BOTH SMALL GROUPS AND CONGREGATIONAL COURSES.

This guidebook can be divided into three separate studies in the following way:

‘Jesus rediscovered!’ (Six-week journey)

Discover Jesus in fresh and exciting ways in this six-week small group study! In this journey participants will rediscover God’s intention in creation and will understand what went wrong with God’s plan. It will become clear how deeply and profoundly Jesus offers life to the world. Participants will be impressed that we are not only saved by Jesus’ death, but also by his birth, life, ministry and resurrection. A powerful call to find the Shepherd we lost will be impressed upon each participant.

In this ‘Jesus rediscovered’ journey you will travel through chapters 2, 3, 4, 14 and 15. See the website for more details of this journey.

‘The Kingdom Consciousness Movement’ (Nine-week journey)

This is a breakthrough study in the Kingdom of God and is a must for any person who desires to be a disciple of Jesus today! In this nine-week small group study participants will receive a thorough unpacking of Jesus’ ministry of establishing the Kingdom of God.

In this ‘The Kingdom Consciousness Movement’ journey you will travel through chapters 5 to 13. See the website for more details of this journey.

‘Salvation rediscovered’ (Six-week journey)

Discover and experience the life-changing journey of entrusting yourself to Jesus and His Spirit! In this six-week small group study participants discover the personal transformation that is graciously given by God through faith, his Spirit and the spiritual disciplines.

In this ‘Salvation rediscovered’ journey you will travel through chapters 15 to 21. See the website for more details.

It will be essential that participants own the whole Missing Jesus? Finding the Shepherd we lost guidebook for any of the above three mini course options.

6. SEASONAL JOURNEYS

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3.1)

The content of this guidebook cannot be absorbed in only one reading and you will be greatly enriched by having ways in which you reread some of it. Below I suggest how you may occasionally use the three main seasons of spiritual preparation as times to re-engage with the themes. I have more guidelines for these journeys on the website.

Finding Jesus in Advent

Journey with chapters 2 to 5. There are four weeks of advent and you could do one chapter a week.

Finding Jesus in Lent

Option 1: Journey with chapters 6 to 14. There are 40 days to Lent (excluding Sundays) and you could read about four pages a day.

Option 2: Lent is a time in which we seek to grow and deepen in our relationship with Jesus. To do this you could deepen your use of the spiritual disciplines during Lent. For this I suggest you follow chapters 20 and 21 and learn to practise the Lord’s Prayer as suggested and also some of the other disciplines.

Finding Jesus and His Spirit between Easter and Pentecost

Journey with chapters 15 to 19. There are 50 days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. Due to the central importance of the Trinity, I suggest you continue this journey through to Trinity Sunday, which is the Sunday after Pentecost. That would make it a 57-day journey. You would only need to read two pages a day.

USING THE ‘GOD SPOKE TO ME … ’ PAGES

Each chapter ends with a ‘God spoke to me … ’ page. This is a space to write notes about your special experiences whilst reading the chapter. These may be ‘aha’ or ‘wow’ moments. They may be moments of a deep sense of calling. They may be moments of personal conviction. They may be a place to record resolutions you take for your Christian journey. The idea with the ‘God spoke to me’ page is not to summarise the chapter for yourself, but rather to make sure you record the personally significant moments for you in the chapter. We often presume we will remember noteworthy things—but we frequently forget them. Jesus referred to this in his parable of the sower in which for various reasons seeds which God sows in our lives do not take deep root and bear fruit (Matthew 13.1-23; Mark 4.1-20; Luke 8.4-15.)

A GUIDEBOOK FOR THE WHOLE OF YOUR CHRISTIAN JOURNEY

I have written this guidebook with an intention of giving you, the pilgrim, a discipleship resource that will be useful to you for the rest of your life. I have tried to be comprehensive, thorough and practically useful in a long-term way. This also helps you understand why this book is longer than the average Christian book.

This is meant to be the kind of book that you refer to often to re-orientate yourself to the major features of the Christian landscape, or to read up and then explore parts of the landscape that have not yet seen your feet. Every Christian needs a guidebook leading them through the foundational truths of the faith movement started by Jesus. It is amazing to me that there are so few Christians who have such a book. I do hope and pray that this guidebook will provide you with the information, inspiration, guidance, foundational studies and direction you need to understand, experience and participate in the life that Jesus offers you and the world.

The Bible is the real guidebook for our journey through life—but this does not mean that other books are not necessary to help us find our way. My aim in this guidebook is to highlight the most important themes of scripture, especially of the teachings of Jesus. You will notice therefore that I include many quotations from scripture. Once I have helped you to discover the major themes of scripture, especially of the teachings of Jesus, you will notice that your appreciation and grasp of all of the Bible is greatly enhanced.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

When we sit through all the rolling credits at the end of a movie we are amazed at how many people it takes to make one. This guidebook is no different. I hope to be able to give credit to the many people who have helped to make it possible.

Work on this guidebook has been ongoing since the year 2000 and in all that time I can truly say that Angela, my wonderful wife, has been incredibly supportive of the project! Angela has a wonderful, gentle, wise and sincere way of encouraging, supporting and advising me in this work. She also has a tremendous way of being practically helpful in support of the project itself and also in keeping home life sane while I have worked on various aspects of the guidebook and course. What has really amazed and blessed me is that her generosity of spirit has not waned as the re-writing project got to be a bit like Jack’s beanstalk, and just grew and grew. I am truly blessed to have Angela in my life. As Ashlynn and Luke, our two children, have grown up they have also become supportive and encouraging in very special and endearing ways. Thank you Angela, Ashlynn and Luke for all your support in the years of ‘Cornerstone for Life’ and now ‘Missing Jesus’. Your lives, more than anyone else’s, have been affected by this project and I am so grateful for all the ways in which you have supported me.

My mom’s support for this project and my ministry in general has been equally intense. She was intimately familiar with this guidebook’s predecessor, ‘Cornerstone for Life’, because in those early days when this project was home produced and printed on the church photostat machine she served as one of the proof readers. Although she passed away in 2014 at the time that ‘Cornerstone for Life’ was starting to transform into ‘Missing Jesus’ the name Moira Wessels still belongs to the heartbeat of this guidebook.

I am an African writing from a South African perspective seeking to be particularly relevant to Southern Africa. I am unable to name all of the teachers, writers, books and preachers who formed me as a preacher, teacher and writer. This guidebook has been mostly shaped by Southern African thinkers, writers and books. This has been intentional—my desire has been to make a resource book for discipleship here that has been developed here. This is a Southern African stew. The following Southern Africans have been particularly important resources in the writing of this guidebook—Albert Nolan, Allan Boesak, Brian Gaybba, Desmond Tutu, Trevor Hudson, Tinyiko Maluleke, Njongonkulu Ndungane, Teddy Sakupapa, Rothney Tshaka, John W. de Gruchy, Derek Morphew and Alan Storey.

The nature of this guidebook has also required me to use scholarship and resources from other parts of the world—all my resources are listed in the bibliography.

I am grateful to Media Associates International which is a Christian organisation for encouraging and empowering Christian writers and editors. I have benefited from one of their workshops, their webinars, the network they offer and the advice they give.

In 2017 the following Home Groups were part of piloting the guidebook as a small group resource. I am very grateful to the following leaders of those groups for their enthusiastic involvement and critique: Karl Weber, James Baker, Val Ochse, Londeka Mabaso, Denise Erasmus, Liz Theron, Johanna Denning, Peter Witbooi and Cathy Shimmin.

In 2018 I put my manuscript through a peer review process. I am so grateful to the following colleagues and theological thinkers who gave an enormous amount of time and attention to critiquing the manuscript: Alan Robinson, Andrew and Sandy Sieborger, Alan Storey, Donald Cragg, Vusi Vilakati, Sikawu Makubalo, Refilwe Tawana, Steve Briggs, Margaret Rundle, Maurice Adams, Mandy Hackland, Trevor Ruthenberg, Wayne Bower, James Massey, William Loader, Dimitri Stathoulis, Christian Williams, Everhard Etsebeth, Bill Webster, Delme Linscott, Musi Losaba, Purity Malinga, Mark Eccles, Louis Peters, Themba Gamedze, Derek Morphew, Roger Scholtz, Ike Moloabi, Dave Newton, Devin Fleetwood, Festus Marumo, Lea Marumo, Simon Prins, Rob Theunissen, Alan Bester, Brian Burger, Smanga Bosman, Alan Molyneux, Gcobani Vika.

I wish to express my grateful appreciation to the leaders of the Methodist Churches I have served who have supported me in this project. Up to this point this has been Sea Point Methodist, Brackenfell Methodist, Rosebank Methodist and Trinity Methodist, Linden.

I continue to be really grateful and dependent on the prayer support that I receive for this project. The following people have been part of a long-standing group of intercessors: Angela Wessels, Bob and Maryke Douglas, Michelle Douglas, Val Hardisty, Judy Steele, Val Pallister, Geoff Pallister, Patti Dwyer, Gail Steyn, Meryl Wright, Noreen Mackenzie, Denise Erasmus, Tshabedi Lekeka, Rob Theunissen, Thembi Mngomezulu, Ann De Vaal, Lesley Smithers, Sandra Stirling, James Steele and Alice Kent-Brown. As always in ministry there are more people praying for me than I know about! I mention these names only because they have pledged to pray in response to email updates I have sent them on a regular basis. You can be sure that many of them will continue praying for this project beyond the publication of this guidebook. I will continue to send them updates and things to pray for as this ministry unfolds.

Sandy Lightley’s illustrations animate the text in wonderful and humorous ways. They also endear the reader to the developing drama. I am so grateful for the way in which she has put her skill at the service of this book project.

Writing this guidebook is one thing, but producing it is quite another and really does require an experienced team to do it well. The people of Porcupine Press were this team for me and I am very grateful to them. Visiting the headquarters of Porcupine Press feels a bit like being part of an underground movement plotting for renewal in society. Within an ordinary town house complex, inside Gail and David Robbins’ unit, I found this movement’s hub in two people incredibly committed to supporting and developing grassroots authors in Southern Africa. They believe in books and the upliftment and enlightenment that comes through them. Gail is the monarch overseeing in detail the whole production process. Frances Perryer was the editor and according to Gail had ‘the most important job’ in working on my manuscript. Wim Rheeder designed the cover and every bit of layout between the covers. Valda Strauss went through everything again as a proofreader. I am very grateful for the skill and heart each one of the team put into this guidebook.

Producing, printing and presenting this book in all its formats was an enormously costly exercise and was dependent on a number of financial donors. Without Justin Mason, the Matlala family, Brigid Schrieder, six other couples and one individual the book’s retail cost would have needed to be doubled. I do ask you the purchaser to join me in my prayers of thanks for these important providers. Both you and I have been blessed by them.

I am so grateful for the generosity of