Discipleship Books - Page 5

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society

Eugene H. Peterson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

As a society, we are no less obsessed with the immediate than when Eugene Peterson first wrote this Christian classic. If anything, email and the Internet may have intensified our quest for the quick fix. But Peterson's time-tested prescription for discipleship remains the same--a long obedience in the same direction. Tucked away in the Hebrew Psalter, Peterson discovered "an old dog-eared songbook," the Songs of Ascents that were sung by pilgrims on their way up to worship in Jerusalem. In these songs (Psalms 120-134) Peterson finds encouragement for modern pilgrims as we learn to grow in worship, service, joy, work, happiness, humility, community and blessing. This 20th anniversary edition of A Long Obedience in the Same Direction features these Psalms in Peterson's widely acclaimed paraphrase, The Message. He also includes an epilogue in which he reflects on the themes of this book and his ministry during the twenty years since its original publication. Features & Benefits

* encouragement for growing in Christian belief and practice

* shuns the quick fix in favor of a long-term commitment to learning, following and growing

* highlights discipleship basics like worship, service, work, joy, humility, community, happiness and blessing

* revised and expanded edition of a Christian classic

* each Psalm rendered in Peterson's fresh paraphrase, The Message

Becoming A Contagious Christian

Bill Hybels, Mark Mittelberg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

two thumbs up... 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

... for J.F. Foster's review, not this book!

Thankfully, I snagged a copy at a thrift store for less than a dollar. I skimmed through and promptly threw it away. There's nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary in this book - live what you believe. People smell a hypocrite a mile away!

I agree 100% with Foster's review, though I couldn't conceive of giving the book four stars simply because there are much better resources available.

My top resource for practical guidance on sharing the gospel is The Way of the Master with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. Nothing watered down here - very direct application of the Gospel in the manner of Jesus Christ and His apostles.

My second recommended resource is Share Jesus Without Fear. Very practical and many more examples than Hybels' book. The author comes across a bit too cocky at times (in his "soul-winning" ability) but, overall, the book is good and offers many great ideas.

"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:36-40

Editorial Review:

This proven action plan will show you how to impact the spiritual lives of friends, family members, co-workers, and others.

Emotionally Healthy Church, The

Peter Scazzero

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Helpful if imperfect... 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

In "The Emotionally Healthy Church," Peter Scazzero suggests that the way most modern, evangelical churches "do church" creates a culture of emotional dysfunctionality, which allows or even forces the people of the church to be spiritually crippled and unable to function in the way that God intends for them to live as disciples of Christ. He then proposes six principles that will right this sinking ship and reestablish the church as a place that produces healthy followers of Jesus, emotionally and spiritually (because the two cannot be separated).

Overall, I agree with the general premises of this book. As Scazzero shared his observation that Christians are unwilling and sometimes unable to hear the truth if it is uncomfortable to them, I was struck by how relevant that claim is in the lives of so many people that I know. As he described how Christians seemingly refuse to acknowledge the reality of such "negative" emotions as anger, frustration, and sorrow, this resonated very much in my own life. Indeed, he suggests that one of the worst things that we can do for our spiritual development is to pretend that these very real and human emotions do not exist or are somehow inappropriate. Finally, I also agreed with his call to acknowledge the fact that we are beings created with limits, and that we do a disservice to ourselves, to those whom we love, and to our Creator by attempting to live limitless lives. Though it's obviously hard to do, I appreciate Scazzero's challenge to recognize our limits and make choices accordingly, even when the consequences are disappointing and sometimes even hurtful to others.

In the midst of agreeing with Scazzero's overarching principles, there were a few smaller ideas that did not sit as well with me. For instance, I am wary of the way that he emphasized grief and loss. Specifically, I agree that we need to create more space in the church for people to deal with grief and loss more honestly, rather than sweeping these emotions under the rug of God's provision, as if the fact that God is in control somehow makes the pain automatically go away. However, the degree to which Scazzero discussed these emotions almost leaves no room for those who have experienced little or no loss. I am uncomfortable that he almost seems to make grief a requirement for spiritual maturity.

My other point of contention is with his call to brokenness. I understand and agree that it is not particularly helpful when pastors present a perfect public persona, never admitting wrong and never acknowledging personal weakness. A willingness to put our own struggles in the open can go a long way toward fostering the type of transparency that is essential for growth to happen within the church. However, I am convinced that there is a time when a pastor needs to provide an example of godliness, faithfulness, and victory. If pastors are always equally broken as Johnny Pewsitter, then what hope does anyone have for freedom from the bondage of sin? As much as the Apostle Paul admits his own wretchedness, he also challenges the church to follow his example as he follows Christ. The challenge to lead by example and to at least occasionally get things right seems to be noticeably absent from Scazzero's teaching.

Scazzero is to be commended for offering a book that many of us in the church need to read. His brutal honesty is refreshing. He provides a healthy model for all church leaders in the way of transparency, and it's a good model for many of us to follow, in terms of acknowledging our mistakes and shortcomings. I also appreciate his charge for church leaders to pursue reality, no matter how disappointing it might be. I'm glad that I read this book and am happy to recommend it to anyone who might be open to the connections between emotional health and spiritual vitality in the church.

Editorial Review:

Something is desperately wrong with most churches today. Many sincere followers of Christ who are passionate for God and his work are unaware of the crucial link between emotional health and spiritual maturity. They present themselves as spiritually mature but are stuck at a level of immaturity that current models of discipleship have not addressed. Discipleship that really transforms a church must integrate emotional health with spiritual maturity. The Emotionally Healthy Church, winner of the Gold Medallion Book Award, offers a strategy for discipleship that accomplishes healthy living and actually changes lives.

Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do with You

John MacArthur

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Dirty Dozen 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Pastor MacArthur is one of my favorite authors. He always backs up what he is teaching with scripture. If you want to gain some more insight into the twelve apostles and their relationship with each other as well as Christ Jesus, then get this book.

Next 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

MacArthur is a popular writer and pastor and he took on a task that is difficult; describe the lives of men we know little about.

Unfortunately the author throws too much of his own politics into ridiculous places throughout the book and he creates personalities out of nothing.

A good discussion starter but not a seminal piece of work.

Editorial Review:

Contrary to popular belief, we do not have to be perfect to do God's work. Look no further than the twelve disciples whose many weaknesses are forever preserved throughout the pages of the New Testament. Jesus chose ordinary men - fisherman, tax collectors, political zealots - and turned their weakness into strength, producing greatness from utter uselessness. MacArthur draws principles from Christ's careful, hands-on training of the original twelve disciples for today's modern disciple - you.

Discipleship Essentials: A Guide to Building Your Life in Christ

Greg Ogden

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This workbook by Greg Ogden is a tool designed to help you follow the pattern of discipleship Jesus drew for us. Working through it will deepen your knowledge of essential Christian teaching and strengthen your faith.

Each week contains the following elements:

• a core truth presented in a question-answer format
• a memory verse and accompanying study
• a field-tested inductive Bible study
• a reading on the theme for the week
• questions to draw out key principles in the reading

This material is designed for groups of three. It has also been used successfully as an individual study program, a one-on-one discipling tool and small group curriculum.

Jesus had a big enough vision to think small. Focusing on a few did not limit his influence. Rather, it expanded it. Discipleship Essentials is designed to help us influence others as Jesus did by investing in a few.

This expanded edition includes a revised introduction and a study on stewardship.

Market/Audience

• Church leaders
• Christian laypeople
• Small group leaders

Features and Benefits

• New edition of a bestselling book
• Has the same pagination as the original edition for those who want to use their original copy in mentoring
• Revised introduction by the author
• Includes 25 sessions
• Includes a new study on stewardship at the back of the book
• Great for use in small groups, one on one, or in mentoring pairs or triads

How to Hear from God: Learn to Know His Voice And Make Right Decisions

Joyce Meyer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Must Have Book! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I really love this book (and love the audiobook even more - because Joyce Meyer really gets the point across with her great personality)

I'm not even a Christian and I love this book. It will help you tap into your inuition and learn right from wrong.

Thank You Joyce for such a wonderful book!!!

Editorial Review:

#1 bestselling author andwell-known speaker Joyce Meyer explains the ways in which God speaks- and teaches readers how to listen. In the hustle and bustle of today's busy world, sometimes it's hard enough to hear yourself think, much less to take a minute to stop and listen for the voice of God. But learning to recognize God's voice and the many ways in which he speaks is vital toward following his plan. In her book, Joyce Meyer reveals the ways in which God delivers his word-through signs, revelations, and internal confirmation-and the benefits of asking God for the sensitivity to hear his voice. By developing a tender conscience and attentive ears, readers will find peace and fulfillment as God governs each day, each step of the way.

The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus's Essential Teachings on Discipleship

Dallas Willard

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The last command Jesus gave the church before he ascended to heaven was the Great Commission, the call for Christians to "make disciples of all the nations." But Christians have responded by making "Christians," not "disciples." This, according to brilliant scholar and renowned Christian thinker Dallas Willard, has been the church's Great Omission.

"The word disciple occurs 269 times in the New Testament," writes Willard. "Christian is found three times and was first introduced to refer precisely to disciples of Jesus. . . . The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ. But the point is not merely verbal. What is more important is that the kind of life we see in the earliest church is that of a special type of person. All of the assurances and benefits offered to humankind in the gospel evidently presuppose such a life and do not make realistic sense apart from it. The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian -- especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He or she stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God."

Willard boldly challenges the thought that we can be Christians without being disciples, or call ourselves Christians without applying this understanding of life in the Kingdom of God to every aspect of life on earth. He calls on believers to restore what should be the heart of Christianity -- being active disciples of Jesus Christ. Willard shows us that in the school of life, we are apprentices of the Teacher whose brilliance encourages us to rise above traditional church understanding and embrace the true meaning of discipleship -- an active, concrete, 24/7 life with Jesus.

Driven by Eternity: Making Your Life Count Today & Forever

John Bevere

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 80 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Finally! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Finally! This work is long overdue! People are so set in so called "Christian orthodoxy" that they are failing to see the message of Jesus as plainly put forth in the Bible. I have to wonder how those, like Mr. Youngkin and others, have missed these teachings, calling them a "major doctrinal flaw" in Brevere's book. Really? Christs own teachings are doctrinally flawed? I urge those who have fallen into the trap of believing everything that they are taught to read the Bible with new eyes and take it for what it actually says. Who wrote Christian orthodoxy anyway? Men did. Study the history.

Editorial Review:

DESCRIPTION: Bestselling author John Bevere delivers compelling principles on how to live with hope and assurance that will carry you through to eternity. Most people would be left destitute if they planned their retirement as carelessly as they've prepared for eternity. Drawing on the principles in 2 Corinthians 5:9-11, John Bevere reminds us that all believers will stand before God and receive what they have earned in life. In building their lives to be ready for that day, and maintaining an eternal frame of reference, readers will develop significant lives. In keeping sight of the goal, readers will learn to labor for rewards that endure--for timeless eternity.

Dear Jesus: Seeking His Light in Your Life

Sarah Young

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Love this book! 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This is the second book by Sarah Young that I have read and this book is equally as good as the first. I was delighted to hear/see that she had written another and that it was available on Amazon.com, where I now do most of my buying. The passages are short and sweet but very insightful and provide the reader with sustanance for a full day. I ended up ordering 7 books and gave them to all my friends. They, too, are thrilled with this book.

Editorial Review:

From your heart's deepest cry to life's joyful praises, nothing is off limits to Jesus.
Knowing Jesus on a deeper, more personal level means sharing all aspects of your life with Him…every day. In Dear Jesus, Sarah Young exemplifies what it means to do this-to dialogue with the Savior. She begins each of the 120 devotionals by sharing intimate struggles and longings that weigh on the heart-being preoccupied with problems; being dissatisfied with oneself, and other spiritual issues. Jesus then responds in His loving way by giving guidance and encouragement, using Scripture as the foundation from which His words flow. Readers will be drawn into the presence of God through these spiritual letters of grace.

Reaching Out

Henri Nouwen

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Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Reaching Into My Loneliness... 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I've been reading Henri Nouwen's Reaching Out over the last week or so and it's been impacting me deeply.

I feel like I have been lonely for as long as I can remember. There have been moments thick with the physical presence of friends & family. And there were times where I managed to gain enough attention or popularity to almost muffle the pangs of isolation in my gut. I used to think of those "distracted" periods as high points - when I'd achieved the connectedness I craved. I'm realizing more and more that the times of greatest singular loneliness in life were also the times where God's hand pressed heaviest on my heart.

However, until Nouwen's Reaching Out, I don't think I have encountered any voice (pastor, friend or counselor) telling me that this aching was natural, necessary & right. I'm an American Evangelical! If something doesn't feel good, it must be wrong! Reaching Out has really begun to play a connecting role in matching my awareness of God's presence in the "dark" to Nouwen's assertion that loneliness is not only obligatory, but indispensable.

Nouwen says that without "solitude of the heart," we are not even capable of loving people in the way they deserve to be loved. After reading the first three chapters I went & told my wife that I wanted to love her because she deserves my love - because she exists.

I confessed that most of my love for her is twisted & compromised of what I think I need from her, & what I want to get out of her. She said, "I think most of us love that way." I said, "But wouldn't it be incredible if we could let go of all that & love each other entirely for who the other is?" I was "lucky" enough to be unlucky in love till my twenties, so growing up I didn't have romance to hide in. Married now, I have quickly learned how to look to my wife to hide from myself, my loneliness, and God residing in the midst of that dreaded isolation.

Slowly, I'm trying to train myself to stop running from the loneliness. Inside the aching, the silence, the singular awareness of one's own disconnected (in some ways) reality, there is a voice of Truth who is whispering identity, purpose and love at the core of our being. I want to listen for that voice...


[...]

Editorial Review:

Henri Nouwen, who died in 1996, was one of the most significant writers on spirituality of the late twentieth century. Reaching Out combines two of his most popular books in one volume.