Discipleship Books - Page 2

The Pursuit of God

A. W. Tozer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 97 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This Version--Terrible Edition 1 out of 5 stars.
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The book is amazing and should be read by believers in Jesus, as well as people who "just go to church." This edition, however, is edited badly and unreadable at times. :( I've only gotten through the introduction.

The Pursuit of God 4 out of 5 stars.
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The book itself, The Pursuit of God, is wonderful and powerful. There were a few editing errors that I found distracting. Also, other editions have discussion questions that were missing in this edition. I always appreciate having those.

Don't buy this edition 1 out of 5 stars.
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A classic book but a horrible edition. I have never seen so many proofing errors in my life. Not acceptable.

Most important 5 out of 5 stars.
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I consider this book to be the most important I have ever read outside of the Bible itself.

Don Hawley

The Pursuit of God 5 out of 5 stars.
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I recognized the name A. W. Tozer, because he is so often quoted by Christian writers. The pursuit of God is a devotional book, and you know, all devotional writers say the same things. I'll let you be the judge. Here are some quotes from The Pursuit of God:

"Sins are not something we do, they are something we are.

"Let us remember: when we talk of the rending of the veil, we are speaking in a figure, and the thought of it is almost poetical, almost pleasant; but in actuality there is nothing pleasant about it. In human experience that veil is made of living spiritual tissue...and to touch it is to touch us where we feel pain. It is never fun to die. Yet that is what the cross did to Jesus and it is what the cross would do to every man to set him free. Let us beware of tinkering with our inner life in hope ourselves to rend the veil. God must do everything for us.

"Ten million intelligences standing at as many points in space...can each say with equal truth, God is here. No point is nearer to God than any other point.
Jacob, 'in the waste howling wilderness'...cried out in wonder.'Surely God is in this place and I knew it not.'"

"God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination, and divine sovereignty. Prying into them may make theologians, but it will never make saints.

"In the beginning He spoke to nothing, and it became something.

"Faith is the least self-regarding of the virtues. It is by its very nature scarcely conscious of its own existence. While we are looking to God we do not see ourselves~ blessed riddance."

Editorial Review:

"This book is a modest attempt to aid God's hungry children so to find Him". So said A. W. Tozer in 1949 in the original preface to The Pursuit of God.

Don't Waste Your Life

Piper, John

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Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

John Piper writes, "I will tell you what a tragedy is. I will show you how to waste your life. Consider this story from the February 1998 Reader's Digest: A couple `took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball and collect shells. . . .' Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: `Look, Lord. See my shells.' That is a tragedy. "God created us to live with a single passion: to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives."

This book is a passionate call for this generation to make their lives count for eternity. John Piper acknowledges that the risks for those who seek to accomplish something in life--risks in relationships for the sake of righteousness and authenticity, risks with money for the cause of the Gospel, and risks in witnessing to the truth and beauty of Christ. Readers will find their passion for the cross of Christ enlarged as a result of reading this book.

Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God

Dallas Willard

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 138 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Magnificent 5 out of 5 stars.
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I am not sure how to write a review for a book that I will reference for the rest of my life. I had great expectations for this book before beginning it and they were all met. This book is about the Sermon on the Mount and so much more - discipleship to Christ.

Willard opens with the idea that Jesus (and therefore God) was/is brilliant. Not in the abstract "of course he is, duh, he's God" but in a wow, Jesus really knows humanity, the world, good and evil, etc. He speaks of the kingdom of God as central to Christ's life and message and says it's sorely absent today, which has changed in the 10 years since the book was written as I hear about the kingdom with great frequency. Nevertheless, his exposition of what it and ruling means is terrific.

There is an overemphasis on atonement in current Christian thought, at the popular level. It has become a "gospel of sin management" and Jesus is the ticket to heaven. Challenging both this conservative view and the liberal social gospel view, Willard explains what the good news is all about.

He then launches into the topics of us having spirits and God being everywhere in the world. The heavens (plural) are closer to us than we think as we walk about in them (like the air we breath) so we literally live and move and have our being in God. Willard coins his own version of the kingdom of God as the Kingdom Among Us.

Then begins the examination of the Discourse on the Hill (Sermon on the Mount) by looking at the Beatitudes - not as prescriptive but as descriptive of reality in God's kingdom. They are the way things are, not necessarily the way we should try to live. They really are good news for those in such conditions.

Jesus has respect for the Mosaic law and sees it as good. With the kingdom of the heavens breaking into time and space, disciples are called to live beyond the mere behavioral stipulations of the Old Testament. Yes, actions are important. Having a heart conformed to God's is even more important and Jesus' aim in the speech. The primacy of anger and contempt is identified as stemming from a wounded ego and central to all human conflict.

Reputation and wealth are strong temptations for almost all of us. However, they are deceptions that are not fulfilling in the end. Only God will satisfy the heart.

He does say that prayer is primarily about the request - something I wonder about as I have been thinking lately of prayer as less requesting and more receiving. Willard walks through the "Our Father" or "Lord's Prayer" a phrase at a time, examining what Jesus was getting at anew. His own translations and wordings really rejuvenate the scriptures.

The notion of Jesus as teacher has slipped away from us. His goal, in being his disciples, is for us to become and to be like him. It's about our identity and the living of our lives. How would Jesus live the life we have? rather than How do we live like Jesus?

In the eighth and ninth chapters, the book slows a bit, returning to the rather uninspiring "read your Bible, pray, meditate on God." Believing is about being in touch with reality - a perspective that makes disbelief sound abnormal and belief normal or expected, contrary to many people's thinking. He challenges our thinking about change in that change on demand is not necessarily the change God is wanting to make in our lives and very may not know about the change until a far later time. I liked the idea of needing to be content to be alone and doing nothing. This is a strong challenge to my day to day living.

Willard closes the book with "the restoration of all things" and our existence in heaven, co-ruling with Christ. To try to bring heaven to earth of our own will is foolishness. Think about what you would put yourself in charge of - a city, two cities, ten cities? - and start thinking about how you live in light of this. Our unending life is primarily for God's pleasure as it is the only way we can know him more fully, beyond the limitations of our present state of being. There will be bodies for all, though not necessarily physical, and there will be social relationships - strongest of all with God.

I will have to read this again, no doubt.

Editorial Review:

A renowned teacher and writer of the acclaimed The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard, one of today's most brilliant Christian thinkers now offers a timely and challenging call back to the true meaning of Christian discipleship. In The Divine Conspiracy, Willard gracefully weaves biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice into a tour de force that shows the necessity of profound changes in how we view our lives and faith.

Life Of The Beloved

Henri J Nouwen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Life of the Beloved 5 out of 5 stars.
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Insightful and uplifting. Conveys a concept of God's love in a way that can be understood by individuals who are not well read in Christian theology.

A quick read that deserves to be re-read over and over 5 out of 5 stars.
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This book is truly life-changing. I read this book after borrowing it from the library. I rarely buy books that I have already read, but this one is an exception. It is so full of wisdom that I want to carry it with me and read it often. Nouwen's writing is extremely clear and accessible, he is speaking to the reader as a good friend. And yet, his message could not be more profound. He leads us to a transformation of life that frees us from our deepest obstacles to joy in our lives. There is nothing more liberating than learning to become God's "Beloved", and thus becoming who we were made to be.

A gentle, watered-down Christianity 3 out of 5 stars.
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Nouwen offers a relativistic approach to faith: He believes that the Christian God is real, but does not want to persuade his secular friends that they need God. He admits in the epilogue that his book failed at communicating with his secular friend, to whom the book was written for; he preaches to the choir of believers. As a believer living in secular NYC, I was unconvinced by his warm & fuzzy message because he makes Christianity look as good as any other life affirming theory. To give you a taste, he says things like "When I know that I am chosen, I know that I have been seen as a special person."

Editorial Review:

This personal witness to a God who calls us the Beloved is the fruit of a long friendship between journalist-writer Fred Bratman and Heri Nouwen. Here is a ringing affirmation that everyone is loved by God and can enjoy the life of the beloved.

Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 39 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Return to the underground home churches 4 out of 5 stars.
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A precious little book, with wonderful advice for Christians on how to live a fully-fledged Christian life, in community, as it corresponds to the Body of Christ, His church.

Advice on prayer, specially when we are not in the spiritual mood to do so; on the importance of fellowship and solitude, each one at their right time, complementing each other. Even the smallest details are here, and very welcome ones: "when our thoughts wander (...) quite calmly to incorporate into our prayer the people and events to which our thoughts keep straying and thus in all patience return to the starting point of the meditation." Here you realize the enormous importance for Christians of living, praying, singing, encouraging, helping, praising, confessing in comunity. Iron sharpens iron.

The book was written for the underground church during the nazi years in Germany. A most timely book for the times we are starting to live in. And by the way: the way it started is the way it will all end.

Editorial Review:

After his martyrdom at the hands of the Gestapo in 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer continued his witness in the hearts of Christians around the world. His Letters and Papers from Prison became a prized testimony to Christian faith and courage, read by thousands. Now in Life Together we have Pastor Bonhoeffer's experience of Christian community. This story of a unique fellowship in an underground seminary during the Nazi years reads like one of Paul's letters. It gives practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups. The role of personal prayer, worship in common, everyday work, and Christian service is treated in simple, almost biblical, words. Life Together is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship.

Humility: True Greatness

C. J. Mahaney

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Be Transformed by Christ’s Example

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” —1 Peter 5:5

A battle rages within every one of us every day. It’s the clash between our sense of stubborn self-sufficiency and God’s call to recognize that we’re really nothing without Him. It’s pride versus humility. And it’s a fight we can’t win without looking repeatedly to Christ and the cross. C. J. Mahaney raises a battle cry to daily, diligently, and deliberately weaken our greatest enemy (pride) and cultivate our greatest friend (humility). His thorough examination clarifies misconceptions, revealing the truth about why God detests pride and turns His active attention to the humble. Because pride is never passive, defeating it demands an intentional attack. The blessing that follows is God’s abundant favor.

“This is the one to whom I will look:

he who is humble and contrite in spirit.”

—Isaiah 66:2, esv

God clearly states that He is drawn to the humble. He’s also clear that He opposes the proud. These two, humility and pride, cannot coexist. Where one is fostered, the other is defeated.

Which will you pursue?

C. J. Mahaney paints a striking picture of the daily battle quietly raging within every Christian and asks whether you will passively accommodate the enemy of your soul, pride, or actively cultivate your best friend, humility. When you acknowledge the deception of pride and intentionally humble yourself, you become free to savor abundant mercies and unlikely graces. You will find a new life is yours—a life God richly favors. A God-glorifying life you don’t want to miss.

“C. J. Mahaney is not humble. At least, that’s what he’ll tell you. And that’s one reason he’s so well qualified to write this book.”

Mark E. Dever

Senior pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church

Author, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church

“A much-needed wake-up call on this important subject. I highly recommend this book.”

Jerry Bridges

Author of The Pursuit of Holiness

“This is the right book from the right man at the right time.”

R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Story Behind the Book

“Given pride’s pervasive presence in my life, I come to this book in holy fear, yet inspired by God’s promises to be humble and sobered by his warnings to the proud (Isaiah 66:2b, 1 Peter 5:5b). Scripture reveals to us that, while pride was the first and most serious sin, God is decisively drawn to humility and is specifically supportive of the humble. Only Christ has fully obeyed Isaiah 66:2b (“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word”), yet He did so as our representative! How marvelous that in our daily battle against pride we can rely on God’s grace, through the gospel, and thus bring honor and glory to God.” —C. J. Mahaney

Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ

Dallas Willard

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

We aren't born again to stay the way we are. But how many times have we looked around us in dismay at the lack of spiritual maturity in fellow believers? It is evident in the rising rate of divorces among Christian couples. We find it in the high percentages of Christians, even pastors, who regularly view pornography. And we face it each time a well-known leader in the Christian community is found in sexual sin or handling finances dishonestly. Perhaps you have struggled with your own character issues for years, even decades, to little avail.

There's good news. You can experience significant growth in your Christian walk, shed sinful habits, and increasingly take on the character of Christ. In Renovation of the Heart, best-selling author Dallas Willard calls it "the transformation of the spirit"––a divine process that "brings every element in our being, working from inside out, into harmony with the will of God or the kingdom of God." In the transformation of our spirits, we become apprentices of Jesus Christ.

Willard suggests that many Christians today are crying out, "Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart." If that is your heart's cry, this book is the tool to take you to the next level in your quest for true, inward Christlikeness.

Experiencing God : Knowing and Doing His Will - Workbook

Henry T. Blackaby, Claude V. King

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Total reviews: 140 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An Excellent Bible Study 5 out of 5 stars.
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I've completed Experiencing God twice in ten years. I find it very revealing about where I am in my spiritual development and it causes me to dig deeper, and seek God with renewed passion. I highly recommend this study. It's simple to follow, well presented and promises growth to the one who truly desires to be a man or woman of God.

A MUST READ FOR CHRISTIANS 5 out of 5 stars.
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Conservative evangels have misdirected the development of Christian Faith by gimmicks, acronyms, and rigid doctrine. Henry directs us back to the basics of developing our own faith and nurturing others through experience. IT IS A MUST READ !

experiencing God 5 out of 5 stars.
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excellent book, very informative, inspiring and easily understood.
excellent book for believers and unbelievers.

thank you

dino

The Jumpstart I needed 5 out of 5 stars.
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Experiencing God has been a great ride. I've really drawn closer to God through the experience. The key to the book is to not read it but to work through it. Take it at your own pace, my pace was a chapter a day to augment my time with God. The book is not a wordy scholarly read but more of a workbook where Henry Blackaby asks some tough personal questions that we often think about but rarely answer with honest hearts. The whole idea behind Experiencing God is to find out how to interact with God and how he interacts with you.

Editorial Review:

Experiencing God shows you how to deepen your own personal relationship with God and discover your special place in His Kingdom.

The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives

Dallas Willard

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent Challenge for Those Who Want a Deeper Spiritual Walk With God 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

"The Spirit of the Disciplines" focuses on the various disciplines that God uses to change people's lives. The book contains 11 chapters and 2 appendix for a total of around 265 pages.

Each of the 11 chapters addresses a particular theme. Chapter 9, addressing the specific disciplines, is my personal favorite. According to Willard in Chapter 9, the disciplines are separated into 2 groups:

1. Abstinence - This group consists of actions that helps us from becoming too involved in the world so we may better focus on God instead of the things of this world. The disciplines included here are: solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy, and sacrifice. Willard's comments on solitude and silence were particularly insightful (solitude can help us in resisting conformity to this world).
2. Engagement - This group consists of actions we can do to serve others in this world so as to not become so isolated that we render ourselves useless to be used by God for His glory. Disciplines included here are: study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession, and submission.

Other chapters (such as 11) address issues such as: can a Christian be financially and spiritually successful at the same time?

Willard will definitely challenge you to think and pay attention as you read, so be forewarned - this is not a light read!

Read, enjoy, and be challenged and encouraged! Highly recommended.

Editorial Review:

Dallas Willard, one of today's most brilliant Christian thinkers and author of The Divine Conspiracy (Christianity Today's 1999 Book of the Year), presents a way of living that enables ordinary men and women to enjoy the fruit of the Christian life. He reveals how the key to self-transformation resides in the practice of the spiritual disciplines, and how their practice affirms human life to the fullest. The Spirit of the Disciplines is for everyone who strives to be a disciple of Jesus in thought and action as well as intention.

Essential Church?: Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts

Rainer, Thom, Sam

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Why do so many young adults (18 to 22) leave the church, and what will it take to bring them back? This important question is examined and duly answered in Essential Church?, a follow-up to Thom S. Rainer's best-selling Simple Church, cowritten this time with his son and research expert Sam Rainer. The book is based on a study of one-thousand so-called "church dropouts" who were interviewed about why they left. Their answers are quite surprising, having less to do with "losing their religion" and more about the desire for a community that isn't made stale by simply maintaining the status quo. In turn, the Rainers offer churches four concrete solutions toward making their worship community an essential part these young people's lives again:

Simplify - develop a clear structure and process for making disciples.

Deepen - provide strong biblical teaching and preaching.

Expect - let members know the need for commitment to the congregation.

Multiply - emphasize evangelism, outward focus, and starting new churches.