Jesus Others You: The Self-Centered Gospel

By Joshua Banks

Have you ever felt like you were feeding the world but you were starving yourself? Isnt this what Christianity is about, or is it?

As a young Christian, the phrase Jesus Others You (JOY) was common in my church circles because it reflected our responsibility to put the needs of others before ourselves, sometimes at the expense of ourselves. This type of thinking sounded good but was somewhat misleading and unbalanced, leaving me feeling incomplete. Has your church experience left you feeling that way too?

Jesus Others You: The Self-Centered Gospel is not a promotion of selfish humanism. This book attempts to take a look at Christ-centered individuality with a focus on how unity with Christ is the key to becoming who you were designed to be. This Christ-centered individuality places you in the proper position to be the best benefit to those who are around you and are affected by your life. This controversial and thought-provoking work seeks to challenge your perspectives on Christ-centeredness and fan the spark of authenticity that will ignite you to discover the most complete version of who God created you to be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 17, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512757491

Joshua Banks

Joshua Banks has been involved in ministry since the age of 15, serving in several capacities of leadership from Youth Worship team leader to Discipleship group leader to Young Adult pastor. Throughout his years of service, he has gained valuable training and insights into his personal relationship with God, the church, and the various dynamics of the relationship between the church and the congregants. A 2003 graduate of Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Joshua’s graduating class was the last to receive great tutelage in the college setting from the late Kenneth Hagin, Sr. After graduation, he entered the field of law enforcement where he spent nine years serving the Travis County Sheriff’s Office in Austin, Texas. During his tenure, he received numerous awards in recognition of his excellent work. He is most proud of being recognized for his service to his community. Joshua can be contacted via email at [e-mail] Follow me on Twitter: JoshuaBanksAuthor@JBanksAuthor Or on Facebook: Author Joshua Banks

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Copyright © 2016 Joshua Banks.

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.

Photography provided by Hammondovi

Graphic Design provided by GraphixMain

All scripture references used are from The Holy Bible, King James Version, New International Version, New American Standard and Message Versions.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-5748-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5749-1 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 9/23/2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

1   Cultural Observation

2   A Self-Centered Gospel?

3   Inside Out

4   Selfless Actions?

5   A Place Of Oneness

6   I Still See You

7   Faith To Be You

8   The Value Of The Whole

9   A Personal Reflection

10   A Meal Fit For A King

11   The Temple Within

Bibliography

Special Thanks

The Banks Family,

Felicia Murray,

Isaac Rowe.

About the Author

Joshua Banks has been involved in ministry since the age of 15, serving in several capacities of leadership from Youth Worship team leader to Discipleship group leader to Young Adult pastor. Throughout his years of service, he has gained valuable training and insights into his personal relationship with God, the church, and the various dynamics of the relationship between the church and the congregants.

A 2003 graduate of Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Joshua’s graduating class was the last to receive great tutelage in the college setting from the late Kenneth Hagin, Sr. After graduation, he entered the field of law enforcement where he spent nine years serving the Travis County Sheriff’s Office in Austin, Texas. During his tenure, he received numerous awards in recognition of his excellent work. He is most proud of being recognized for his service to his community.

Joshua can be contacted via email at

[e-mail]

Follow me on Twitter:

JoshuaBanksAuthor@JBanksAuthor

Or on Facebook:

Author Joshua Banks

Introduction

My life has been, like most lives, filled with challenges and discoveries. With every season and change comes a new understanding of old concepts and ways of thinking; along with that, enters an opportunity to change what we choose to believe about those ways of thinking and concepts.

One of these moments of discovery for me came when I was able to recognize that there was a difference between being Churchlike and becoming Christ-like. The idea of being churchlike is much like the saying, When in Rome, do as the Romans do. In our circles, we did what we knew was expected of us: sing when it’s time to sing, sit or stand on cue. An occasional, Amen or nodding of the head affirms your support and agreement with what is being said. And of course nothing displays the authenticity of your faith more than your regular, and sometimes sacrificial, financial support. Eventually, you achieved the image of being a good, respected Christian. Most of us experience a performance-based form of Christianity customized to the cultures of our particular churches.

Sadly, enough, the Sunday morning routine is the most spiritual thing that some people experience all week. Others will take it a step further and allow their faith to impact their moral standards. The Bible becomes our Basic instruction before leaving earth, sort of a rule book to guarantee an eternity in heaven. This is not to say that what we do or have done has not been authentic or heartfelt, but one must ask the question, Is there more?

To the true seeker, the image and accolade of being a good,