Rediscovering Discipleship has been out for about a week (and sold out for most of it), but some great reviews have been posted on Amazon. If you order this week, you’ll get some great
giveaways as well. We expect stock to come back in soon, so check out the
book website for all the places you can order.
Don’t hesitate to grab this book! There are several reasons why, but here are my top four…
#1 – Heart matters. Discipleship is a buzzword right now, but Robby out the gate informs his readers that the driving motivation for writing this book is to not raise the banner of discipleship. I appreciate Robby’s heart. Up and above anything Gallaty feels called to cultivate a deeper walk with Jesus. Knowing more about Christ is not true discipleship (information), but rather intimately knowing Jesus more leads to a life of obedience, which is authentic discipleship (imitation). As Robby states: “When a person grows closer to Christ, the yield will be discipleship.” (15) This is a message the church must be reminded of daily, so that we don’t lose an understanding of what biblical discipleship truly is.
#2 – History matters. Gallaty offers us in Rediscovering Discipleship an extensive historical and cultural background of discipleship on Jesus’ terms. We have to begin to “think like a Hebrew,” and then prayerfully consider what the path of discipleship looks like for us today. In addition, Robby surveys many key historical figures (Augustine, Luther, Wesley, etc.) and their approaches to making faithful disciples in their time. His chapter on John Wesley’s discipleship methods is outstanding and will sharpen any church leader or layperson to consider if their model and methods today are effective at making disciples.
#3 – Time Matters. In a McChristian culture where people “want it now,” we have to slow down, and begin to set reasonable goals for spiritual growth. Gallaty provides a realistic tone, pace, and vigor in which discipleship should take place. Robby quotes Richard Foster who says it best: “Our tendency is to overestimate what we can accomplish in 1 year, but underestimate what we can accomplish in 10 years.” (138)
#4 – Metrics Matter. Robby hits the nail on the head with this statement: “the metrics you use to determine success or failure should match the nature of the process and the purpose for which it was designed.” (184) Gallaty provides his metrics (MARCS – missional, accountable, reproducible, communal, and scriptural) to determine if genuine discipleship is happening in the context of his local church. It’s important to remember that metrics are simple tools that help one (in the context of community) tangibly see how they are conforming to the image of Christ. You will be challenged to evaluate if your present metrics are working!
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This is a must have book on discipleship by Robby Gallaty. The term “discipleship” has become a buzzword in recent years. It need not be.
Gallaty describes the ultimate end goal of discipleship as “to be conformed into the image of Christ – to talk the way he talked, walk the way he walked, and respond the way he responded” (Gallaty, 2015, p 79). Christian, are you making it your ultimate goal to accomplish this task with your time?
In the foreword, Ed Stetzer calls the reader to reflect on personal engagement by asking: “are we seeking God in prayer, spending time in his Word, and surrounding ourselves with people who will challenge us to grow in our spiritual lives?” (Gallaty, 2015, p. 11). In Rediscovering Discipleship, Gallaty first calls his readers to know Jesus before going on mission, and then outlines a method for making disciples. Stetzer affirms this call to know Jesus by commenting, “Too many of us are so focused on what we’re supposed to do for Jesus that we lose focus on Jesus himself” (Gallaty, 2015, p. 12). In fact, Gallaty mentions his purpose for writing the book was as a “clarion call for cultivating a deeper walk with Christ” (Gallaty, 2015, p. 15).
An area of extreme intrigue for this lover of Biblical Hebrew and Discipleship is that his book marries the importance between the two. Gallaty takes the reader through how a Hebrew thinker would have processed the Old Testament and the New Testament and argues that our current interpretation of our purpose in the world has been confused over generations of believers analyzing Scripture from a modern perspective, rather than trying to understand the author’s original intent. For me, this area of Rediscovering Discipleship alone makes it worth adding to your library.
Grab a copy today. It is well worth your read!
