The Chosen Book One E-Book und Hörbuch

Amanda Jenkins

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: The Chosen
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Seitenzahl: 133

Beschreibung

You are called by name.   Every follower of Jesus in the Gospels had a not-so-great "before." A brash fisherman. A pious religious leader. A demon-possessed woman. A thieving tax collector. But God's love reached beyond the brokenness and called them before His transformative work of redemption even began. And He called them His own.   He's still doing that today.   Encounter Jesus the way His followers did. In The Chosen: 40 Days with Jesus, explore the moving backstories of Simon Peter, Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene, Matthew, and other recipients of Jesus' miracles. You can't help but identify with their recklessness, rough pasts, religious piety, desperation for life change, and, ultimately, their redemption. Written to accompany the hit multi-season series about the life of Christ, each of these forty devotions contains a Scripture, a unique look into a Gospel story, suggestions for prayer, and questions that lead you further in your relationship with Christ.   Experience the transformative love and power of the One who sees past your "before" to the "after" He can redeem you to be.

Leseprobe

The devotions in The Chosen put us into the story of the ordinary people who surrounded Jesus. No plastic saints here, just sinners who spent time with the one Man who understood them and would eventually die for them. These are stories of rebuke and hope, of sin and forgiveness. Yes, their story is ours. Read The Chosen and pass it along to some other struggling sinners who need to see Jesus in a new light.

—DR. ERWIN LUTZER, pastor emeritus,The Moody Church, Chicago, Illinois

I don’t know of anyone like Dallas Jenkins. His fresh eyes and instincts take the greatest stories ever told and make them new. This beautiful and powerful devotional is borne of that same gift. You will be inspired and motivated to live life to the fullest as you read these deep insights!

—PASTOR RAY BENTLEY, author, speaker, andpastor of Maranatha Chapel, San Diego, California

In The Chosen, three voices join as one to lead you on a remarkable forty-day journey with Jesus. You’ll meet the people who loved Him, served Him, and followed Him, seeing the Savior through their eyes as you consider who He is and why He came. The writing style is relatable and accessible, and the prayer focus for each devotion provides the perfect landing spot. And the questions meant to help you move forward in your faith are challenging enough to do just that. A gem of a book!

—LIZ CURTIS HIGGS, best-selling author ofBad Girls of the Bible

BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC

Savage, Minnesota, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

THE CHOSEN: 40 Days with

Copyright © 2019 The Chosen Productions, LLC

978-1-4245-5785-1 (faux leather)

978-1-4245-5786-8 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2000, 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email [email protected].

Represented by Dan Balow at the Steve Laube Agency

Cover design by Chris Garborg at garborgdesign.com

Typesetting by Kjell Garborg at garborgdesign.com

Printed in China

19 20 21 22 23 5 4 3 2 1

To Simon Peter, Mary Magdalene,

Nicodemus, and Matthew.

Before they were heroes of the faith

who inspired The Chosen series,

they were desperate sinners like us.

CONTENTS

Foreword by Brian Bird

From the Director of The Chosen

Day 1Before

Day 2Delivered

Day 3Represent

Day 4Words

Day 5Renegade

Day 6Redemption

Day 7Doubt

Day 8Hope

Day 9Reset

Day 10Tested

Day 11Proclaim

Day 12Rejected

Day 13Authority

Day 14Boldness

Day 15Rock

Day 16Repent

Day 17Come and See

Day 18Emmanuel

Day 19Worry

Day 20Trust

Day 21Useful

Day 22All Y’all

Day 23Relationship

Day 24Clean

Day 25Rise

Day 26Blind Eye

Day 27Poor

Day 28Presence, Part 1

Day 29Presence, Part 2

Day 30Light

Day 31Power

Day 32Believe

Day 33Perceive

Day 34Precious

Day 35Set Free, Part 1

Day 36Set Free, Part 2

Day 37Created

Day 38Wolves

Day 39Wellspring

Day 40Mission

About the Authors

FOREWORD

When the Son of God walked the earth in our shoes, He connected with humanity through story. Jesus used our own tales to help us understand God’s truths. He communicated the immutable principles of the heavens with parables of familiar, earthly circumstances and relatable characters to which any of His listeners could universally identify. They were anecdotes, chronicles, and narratives that became like soul food to everyone He met.

That’s how God the Father has been giving His revelation to humankind since the dawn of the cosmos. Through story, because God is and has always been the First Author: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, emphasis added).

God knows that when we are most hungry spiritually, the themes of heaven—grace, forgiveness, sacrifice, redemption, reconciliation, and resurrection—will resonate in our hearts and draw us closer to Him. Those themes are like violin strings running through our souls and, when plucked in just the right way, always reverberate back the plumb line of God’s truth.

That is what my friend, Dallas Jenkins, is creating with his powerful media series, The Chosen, which takes us on a journey with Jesus through the eyes of the real people whose lives He absolutely transformed with His words, love, and deeds. Imagine what it would be like to walk the dusty roads of those characters who encountered the Messiah.

That is what you are going to find in these beautiful and powerful devotions. Take The Chosen journey these next forty days. Read and reflect on these devotions. Digest them as food for your soul. And then write them in your heart, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.

Brian Bird

Screenwriter and producer of The Case for Christ film and television series When Calls the Heart; co-author of the devotional series When God Calls the Heart

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE CHOSEN

I’ve been a believer my whole life, I’ve attended Christian schools my whole life, and I’ve heard the stories of Jesus countless times. I’ve also seen every Jesus movie and miniseries ever made, and there have been dozens. So why a new TV show about Jesus?

Because of what you’re reading now.

I have a passion for people to hear the “old, old story” again … for the very first time. When I see Jesus movies, it’s very rare for me to be moved or excited, and the same is true for a lot of Jesus-related devotionals. Quite frankly, I’ve heard it all before, and it’s hard to relate to the perfect and sinless Son of God. However, I can relate to the sinners who surrounded Him. Problem is, most Jesus projects just take you from Bible story to Bible story, glossing over the humanity and backstories of all these characters.

So when I started creating a TV show that explores Jesus through the eyes of the people around Him, I found myself getting moved and excited. I was experiencing Him in the way they did, and the reaction to the Christmas special pilot episode about the birth of Christ from the perspective of the shepherds confirmed we were on to something. We kept hearing, “I’ve heard this before but never in this way.”

As we wrote episodes and this devotional, we explored the backstories of Simon Peter, Matthew, Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, and a few of Jesus’ miracle recipients. We couldn’t help but identify with their recklessness, rough past, religious piety, and desperation for life change … and ultimately, their redemption.

Again, why a new TV show about Jesus?

So that we can go deeper, and hopefully this book will help with that. None of this matters if it doesn’t compel you back to Scripture—not only so you can experience Jesus the way His followers did, but also so you can change and grow the way they did.

So please, if you’ve chosen (no pun intended) to dig into this material with us, make full use of it. Jesus’ followers were students (it’s why they called Him “Rabbi” and “Teacher”). Be a student. Write stuff down, pray on what you’re reading and writing, and celebrate the fact that you’re chosen to be an ambassador for the one who created the world.

Let me be clear: The project in front of you is connected to the TV show, yes, but only in the sense that we’re compelled to show and tell in order to revive your passion for Scripture and the one who inspired it. We hope watching the show enhances your experience with this book, and we hope engaging with this book enhances your experience watching the show. But we didn’t create this to capitalize on the show; you’ll see plenty in here that isn’t covered in our episodes. This would exist even if the show didn’t.

I don’t know what stage you’re at in your journey with Christ—whether you’re a Mary Magdalene who encountered Jesus after a horrific past without Him … or you’re a Nicodemus who’s been a lifelong member of the God team. But as Jesus proved over and over, we’ve got tons to learn and innumerable traits that need change. Thanks for taking that journey with us.

Dallas Jenkins

Director, The Chosen

DAY 1

BEFORE

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.”

ISAIAH 43:1

Every follower of Jesus has a not-so-great “before”: A rash, brash fisherman. A pious, fancy-pants religious leader. A thieving, indifferent-to-suffering tax collector. A demon-possessed woman so insignificant that her “before” isn’t even recorded and we’re left to surmise what it might’ve been.

And yet God calls people in the “before”—when they aren’t even aware they’re simply broken versions of themselves. God calls people before He begins His transformative work of redemption because He sees past the “before” to what He purposed and planned. He sees past the “before” to those He loves enough to call His own.

Take Israel, for example.

Isaiah prophesied over God’s chosen nation—“Fear not, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 43:1)—not during a time of obedience but during their rebellion. A time filled with idol worship and wandering hearts and intense callousness to sin, not to mention all the painful consequences they were experiencing as a result of their choices. It was spoken long before their repentance.

“I have called you by name, you are mine,” he continues in verse 1. When Isaiah spoke those words, Israel was rebelling against all God had done for them and all He wanted to do. But God didn’t turn away—He showed mercy. He spoke His love over His chosen people, claiming them as His own before they agreed to be.

He entered into the “before.”

God speaks what is true over us too; His plan of redemption is on the march, because He has called us by name. Our choices don’t derail His. What we see when we look in the mirror doesn’t determine what He sees or who we’ll be by His hand, and so our brokenness doesn’t alter His plans. Nor do circumstances, other people, or our own choices determine our value; our value is assigned by the one we belong to.

So we don’t have to fear.

Fear not, you’re not who you’re going to be. Fear not, God can redeem your choices and use them for good. Fear not, God can heal your heart, your body, your relationships. Fear not, you were made for more than what you’ve experienced so far. Fear not, this is only the beginning.

Every follower of Jesus has a not-so-great “before.” But every follower of Jesus also has an “after.” The rowdy fisherman became the bedrock preacher of the early church, healer of the sick and lame, and fearless unto death. The leader of impersonal religion became personal friends with Jesus, finally understanding and being changed by the Scriptures he’d devoted his life to studying. The taxman traitor became a member of the elite twelve and author of the first Gospel of the New Testament. And the woman? The woman too insignificant to even have her “before” recorded was so precious to Jesus that she became the first person He appeared to after He rose from the dead, the first one to hear His tender voice, and the first witness of the culmination of all He claimed to be and do—and she got to tell the boys.

PRAYER FOCUS

Thank the Father for knowing your name and calling it—and for identifying you as His. Thank Him for redeeming you from your “before,” then ask Him to help you through any remaining challenges.

MOVING FORWARD

○What parts of your “before” has God redeemed, and which are you most grateful for?

○How does “I have called you by name, you are mine” impact you today?

○What do you fear, and how does Isaiah 43:1—this declaration made by God to His chosen ones—affect your fear?

DAY 2

DELIVERED

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress

and my deliverer.”

2 SAMUEL 22:2

We’ve all been delivered from things. Our mothers delivered us from their wombs. Good explanations delivered us from confusion. Time delivers us from our pasts.

It’s a continual process, deliverance. It comes in all shapes and forms and ranges from significant events to the familiar moments that slip by quietly. Mary Magdalene knew this well.

First, she was delivered from seven demons. Then, over the course of Jesus’ three years of ministry, she was delivered from everything she thought she knew. Mary went from being constantly tormented by darkness (Luke 8:2) to being regularly enlightened by the Light of the World, Jesus. The sparse details about her life prior to Christ only serve to emphasize her deliverance—meaning that because Jesus delivered her from death, she followed Him to His. Mary Magdalene was one of the few with Jesus until the very end.

Familiarity developed over that three-year span of ministry. She knew His voice and His laugh. She listened intently to His teaching. Some of His words she could process immediately, some she failed to fully comprehend. She marveled at Jesus’ compassion for the suffering and marginalized. She became fiercely loyal to the one who healed the oppressed and set captives free. Each subsequent miracle substantiated what she knew the moment she experienced her own: He was the Messiah.

Jesus was arrested. The disciples scattered. And Mary found herself standing at the foot of the cross with the woman who had delivered the Messiah into the world.

After His crucifixion, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been rolled away. Jesus—the Messiah, her deliverer, teacher, and friend—was not there. The Gospels have varying accounts of what happens next, but Luke 24 says she was reminded of what Jesus had told her in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again” (v.7 NIV). Those words had eluded her before, but now she remembered and understood that He too was delivered.

After the ultimate sacrifice, the resurrected Christ appeared first to this devoted woman we know so little about. But Jesus knew her. He knew exactly what He had delivered her from and for. And while standing in front of the empty tomb, Jesus told her it was her turn. Mary Magdalene would be the first to deliver the single most important message in human history: He has risen!

PRAYER FOCUS

Thank God for the fact that His deliverance allowed for yours, then ask Him for guidance in delivering the news to others.

MOVING FORWARD

○Describe what Christ has delivered you from.

○In what ways can you identify with Mary Magdalene?

○What role has Christ delivered you for?

DAY 3

REPRESENT

“If anyone would come after me, let [her] deny

[herself] and take up [her] cross daily and follow me.

For whoever would save [her] life will lose it,