Book Notes: On the Way with Jesus - A Passion for Mission - Part 1

Author: Richard Showalter

I admit it, I am an underliner! There, I said it, shweew! As I read, I tend to underline things that stick out to me. The problem is, I don't often recall them afterward. A friend of mine has told me how he writes things down elsewhere as they stick out to him as he reads. That excercises the brain a little differently and helps to commit them to memory, and also saves the book's value ;-). So, that's what I am going to do, only on my blog rather than a notebook.

p. 19
"The vision is for mission:

• A mission initiated in prayer, bathed in prayer, consumated in prayer
• A mission that responds to God's initiative and holds fast to the centrality of Jesus, the authority of Scripture, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit
• A mission that takes seriously the judgement of Go, in the hereafter as well as the here and now
• A mission that knows that sufering love is at the heart of the evangel and even embraces martyrdom as a way of witness
• A mission that forsakes the deed/word polarities found amoung too many Christians and rather is caught up in a New Testament worldview that does not recognize such a distinction
• A mission that does not focus on success and failure in terms of numbers, of worldwide denominational linkages, or of tradition
• A mission that that is focused on the formation and nurture of new faith communities centered on Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and radical in obedience
• A mission that depends on the power of the Holy Spirit
• ..."

p. 21
"Yet in the end, vision alone is not the answer... It is easy to drift into thinking that a vision held intillectually is equivalent to a vision lived, that a vision stated is a vision realized. Perhaps that's why Jesus said so much about obedience." - Ouch!

p. 23
"Passion for Jesus expresses itself inevitably in compassion for the world. True compassion, of course, has little to do with merely getting enough material wealth to share with others. Of course, we'll share what we have of that. Instead, true compassion has everything to do with having Jesus' heart for the world.

After that, our hearts and our lives, all that we have and all that we are, are broken like break for those who hunger. They too will see and feast and live."

p.30
"Finally, let's fling ourselves at the feet of Jesus in the true communion and discipleship in our generation, abandoning oursleves once again to the Lord who bought us. Tbhere's no greater privilege, no nobler passion."