Forty pilot whales lie stranded on Darlington Beach, Tasmania. Marine conservation biologist Andrew Irvine knows he must act fast... The Bible teaches that as the whale was made for the ocean, men and women were made for God. Our relationship with him is the environment in which we are free to be fully human. Author Mike Cain unpacks Jesus' claims in John's Gospel and shows us why they cannot be ignored: sin, forgiveness and restoration affect us personally. With humour, originality, passion and sensitivity, Mike asks us to look again at Jesus: the real-life version, not the caricature.

Mike Cain

Real Life Jesus

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 A rescue story

Stranded men and women

What are we to do with our sadness?

The Bible makes sense of the tension

Jesus has come to restore us to the life we were created for

Chapter 2 A claim we can’t walk away from

John 20:31

A claim about a King

What are we to do with this claim about a King?

Chapter 3 God has a face

John 1:1–18

The God who has come close to us

The God who became one of us

The God who has come to our rescue

The brilliance of God

Chapter 4 A fresh start

John 3:1–21

To get into the Kingdom of God you need a miracle

The Kingdom of God is better than we imagine

Kings in conflict

Rebels against the King

Trapped in our rebellion

The miracle of a new heart

Jesus is our only hope of life

Chapter 5 The love that we long for

John 4:1–18

Whoever you are, whatever you have done, Jesus has come for you

Jesus has come to give us what we are looking for

Notes

Chapter 6 The revolution

John 4:19–42

A Copernican revolution

Is your god big enough?

What will we need in order to worship God?

Chapter 7 Our life in his hands

John 5:1–30

The miracle points to the fact that Jesus is equal with God

The miracle points to the fact that Jesus is God's Son carrying out his Father's plan

Weighing up the claim that Jesus makes

Jesus came to do what only God could do

Jesus is the Son of God

Jesus will raise the dead

Jesus will judge the world

Chapter 8 Bread for the journey

John 6:1–59

What is our greatest need?

Jesus is our greatest need

If we don't have Jesus we don't have life

Jesus is the bread that will get us to the Promised Land

Believing in Jesus means feeding on Jesus

Chapter 9 Life to the full

John 10:1–21

The Good Shepherd knows his sheep

The Good Shepherd gives life to his sheep

The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep

Chapter 10 The Servant King

John 13:1–17

The Servant King

We need to be washed clean

Jesus washes us clean by his death

His death cleanses us once and for all

The cross-shaped community

Chapter 11 The future starts today

John 20:1–31

What happened?

What does the resurrection mean for us today?

Suggestions for further reading

On the tension between atheism and morality:

On the Bible:

On the historicity of Jesus:

On the meaning of the death of Jesus:

On the resurrection of Jesus:

On what it will mean to live for Jesus in every area of our lives:

Eden Customer

The running illustration likening us to whales on a beach needing desperately to be helped back into the water evokes a strange and yet striking picture of our lives without Jesus. Mike Cain's short-yet-full chapters help the reader to dig a bit deeper into parts of John's gospel and discover who Jesus is and what it means to have a relationship with the One who said 'I am the good Shepherd'... Particular highlights for me were chapters 4 &amp; 5 - looking carefully at Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman at the well leads the reader to realise that whoever you are and whatever you are like, Jesus is someone you need to know more about - he offers you something that can't be found anywhere else. Immensly helpful for those who've never quite found what they're looking for... Also really good for people who already know the Lord Jesus - Mike Cain challenges us to further develop our relationship with God's Servant King.

Whales, deep wells &amp; living water...

This book will prove invaluable to those who are looking for a gateway into John's gospel. Mike deals with various passages with the aim of pointing those looking into the Christian faith to who Jesus is and how that is to affect our lives. Well worth the investment - and good to give to others...

A good way into John's gospel

The Good Book Stall

This book is for all those who are tempted to give Christianity a second look. So many have picked up their pen to write about this extraordinary man Jesus, yet what the author wants to do is examine the real-life, historical Jesus of history. The author’s portrait of Jesus is Biblically based – Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John. One man is exploring what Jesus means to him, and the result is simple yet mixed with profound philosophical concepts that the sub-title promises: ‘meaning, freedom, purpose.’ He talks of Jesus’ love as spreading beyond the cultural borders of the day: his love was and is personal, and still relevant even in our busy, twenty-first century lives. Certainly, while reading this I was convinced that the author was deeply affected by Christianity, and his fresh message should encourage others to explore the truth behind the image.

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Real Life Jesus

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