The One Jesus Loves
Grace is Unconditionally Given,
Intimacy Must Be Relentlessly Pursued
How close can we get to Jesus? How close do you want to get?
Six circles of relationship formed around Jesus in his time on earth. In the outermost circle, the Crowds who were curious. Next, the Five Thousand who were needy, while the Seventy worked and served in Jesus’ ministry; then came the Twelve who walked with Jesus, the Three who suffered and celebrated with him,and finally the One who sat beside him at the Last Supper. Jesus’ closest follower listened more closely than any other, and recognized the Savior when no one else did.
Scripture promises if you move closer to God, he will move closer to you. Wherever you are in your pursuit of Christ, you can draw closer still. In The One Jesus Loves, you will learn about each of the six circles, and what it takes to move further in,closer and closer to Jesus.
Which circle are you in today? Jesus is calling you closer.
- Be deeply challenged to reflect on your own pursuit of the person of Christ and ways in which you can “come closer” or “draw nearer” to him.
- Discover that Jesus had several “circles” of people and relationships around him during his earthly ministry.
- Read about the characteristics of these “circles” surrounding Christ — the multitudes, the 5000, the 70, the 12, the 3, and the ONE.
- Draw closer to Christ within the context of a small group. As you study the “circles” Christ related to, you can emulate what you are learning and do so within a “circle” of faith — a community of believers.
- Identify with the “places” to which people followed Christ in his earthly ministry and see the correlation of the “places” to which we are willing (or unwilling) to follow him today in our own lives.
- Determine how becoming one of the closer followers of Christ affects other relationships and the cost and benefit such a pursuit is to your spouse, children, colleagues, and others in your close circle.
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Jesus had an inner circle. The Bible makes this quite clear. As a matter of fact, he had several circles (or “rings”) of relationships around him. Many filled the outermost rings, but few followed all the way to the innermost ones.
When you consider the “rings” of relationships that gravitated around Jesus as he walked this planet, they form pictures of the places he invites, and calls, us to walk with him today. The Bible provides us with specifics: the numbers, names and characteristics of these groups that orbited around the Lord and his ministry. These are what I call the Rings of the Lord.
First, there were Multitudes, and then…
The Five Thousand…
The Seventy…
The Twelve…
The Three…
And, finally, the One.
Each of these groups of people represent a circle (or “ring”) of relationship to the Lord; Six different stages or degrees in relationship to Jesus Christ. These were the rings for which he came. These were the rings for which he desperately sought. These were the rings for which he died. But among them there was one ring for which he was the most interested, one that he hopes today will be our soul’s aim and goal.
Endorsements
After reading The One Jesus Loves, you’ll not only understand how to deepen your relationship with God by drawing closer into His “circle of intimacy,” you’ll also see how becoming a closer follower of Christ can improve every other relationship in your life.
Mark Batterson
Author & Lead Pastor, National Community Church
In The One Jesus Loves, Robert Crosby empowers the reader with a biblical prescription where complacent faith experiences are replaced with an intimate transformative relationship with Christ. By studying biblical truth from those closest to Christ when he walked on earth, Robert describes a catalytic journey where we can occupy space in God’s ‘inner circle.
Samuel Rodriguez
President, NHCLC, Hispanic Evangelical Association
Dr. Robert Crosby has crafted a detailed, inspired guide to the daily pursuit of drawing closer to God that is unlike anything I have ever read before. By examining the lives and practices of Jesus’ early followers, he illuminates the deep mystery and wonderful satisfaction that comes from an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. The One Jesus Loves will challenge you, enlighten you, and fulfill you in such a powerful way that is sure to change your life and strengthen your faith.
Matthew Barnett
Co-Founder/CEO, The Dream Center
