A Primer in Transformed Personhood

By R. A. Jackson-Woods

A Primer in Transformed Personhood takes you on a journey of discovery and recognition of truth often hidden from those desiring to be built up in Him. Amid the many voices that cry out to ones mind to cast aside all boundaries and parameters and just be a free agent, hope shouts out from these pages that you are free and can therefore participate in intimate relationships that dont leave you wounded and alone; not because of them but because you have been empowered to change what moves your mind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781512721058

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Copyright © 2015 R. A. Jackson-Woods.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-2106-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2107-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2105-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015919282

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/01/2015

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1    Why We Need a Right View of God

Chapter 2    Four Key Ways to Understand God

Chapter 3    Scriptural Teaching about Our Identity (What Moves Your Mind?)

Chapter 4    Response-Able Personhood

Chapter 5    Developing and Restoring Healthy, Whole Relationships

Conclusion

Endnotes

About the Author

Preface

T his written work is the result of the continuation of an inward work begun more than thirty years ago and continues to date. Growing up in the church in America, one is often led to believe that salvation is enough for the one who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If a Pentecostal and/or charismatic theology is the background, then salvation and Holy Spirit baptism are to be desired and experienced as sufficient to cause one to be whole and complete.

However, I found that these grace works were not sufficient to foster the depth of discipleship I desired. Nor did they provide the crucible needed for the spiritual maturity required of one gifted, called, and commissioned to work with and minister to others in the grace and love of our Father. Nothing in my limited thinking would have prepared me to hone the gifts the Father wanted to use to bless others. The truth is I didn’t like people; I believed I could talk to them without being involved with or connected to them.

After many years of experiencing what others referred to as an anointed and blessed ministry, both to individuals and groups, the Father called me into account using the first book of John. He clearly said to me,

You praise Me; you call yourself a worshipper of Me; you both preach and teach My Word; you lay hands on the sick; you give godly counsel; and you show compassion when you think it is appropriate. You have faithfully done these things for many years, while asking Me to bless you and make you a blessing. However, you have an ambivalent, judgmental attitude toward My children. You have called it making righteous judgments; this cannot be! You cannot love Me so much and resist that which is also a part of Me—My children. Regardless of what you think or how you feel, all souls are mine; you lie when you say you love Me but don’t show grace and love to them.

Needless to say, this chiding stopped me in my tracks. I immediately began to repent and cry out to the Lord for His mercy and help. Well, what I discovered was that He had already helped me, but I could not see or recognize the help. Help had been provided through the Word, but by not allowing Scripture to be unfolded or revelatory knowledge to come; I was ignorant and resistant to what I needed.

Transformation began to take place in me as my heart of stone softened and then melted to be more pliable in the Lord’s hands. Allowing Him to pour out His love through me, I began to give genuine smiles, authentically inquire about the well-being of those I encountered, ask about the well-being of others, and interact with people out of a place of grace instead of brittle judgment and/or disdain.

The genuine