Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus (9Marks Building Healthy Churches Series)
Overview
Before ascending to heaven, Jesus instructed his followers to “make disciples of all nations.” But what does this command actually entail? What does it look like for Christians to care for one another’s spiritual well-being and growth? In this introduction to the basics of discipling, veteran pastor and author Mark Dever uses biblical definitions and practical examples to show how Christians can help one another become more like Christ every day. The eighth volume in the 9Marks Building Healthy Churches series, this short book explains how discipling should function in the context of the local church, teaching pastors and church leaders how to cultivate a culture of edification and growth in their congregations.
Top Highlights
“Another way we could define discipling might be: discipling is deliberately doing spiritual good to someone so that he or she will be more like Christ. Discipleship is the term I use to describe our own following Christ. Discipling is the subset of that, which is helping someone else follow Christ.” (Page 13)
“To be a Christian means to be a disciple. There are no Christians who are not disciples. And to be a disciple of Jesus means to follow Jesus. There are no disciples of Jesus who are not following Jesus.” (Page 15)
“But to fill all that out, discipling is initiating a relationship in which you teach, correct, model, and love. It takes great humility.” (Page 36)
“Discipling involves transmitting the knowledge of God and his Word through every moment of life.” (Page 28)
“Ultimately, therefore, your toil and labor cannot root in your love for them or their love for you. It must root in your love for Christ, his love for you, and his love for them. He has purchased them with his blood. And you mean to present them to him. It is for him that you do it all.” (Page 33)
I love reading books written by authors who are zealous about the subjects they write about. I often feel like emulating their example even before I get to the last page of the book. If you know Mark Dever, then you know he is a committed discipler. Discipleship oozes out of him. What drives him and how he disciples others and gets his church members to do the same is what these pages are all about. Prepare yourself for a life-changing experience as you read this book!
Conrad Mbewe, Pastor, Kabwata Baptist Church, Lusaka, Zambia
This book convicts, exhorts, and instructs followers of Christ concerning the call to a life of discipling others. It also offers warm-hearted glimpses of this call being answered in the life of a pastor and his congregation. Mark Dever takes us to the Scriptures and roots us in the church, with particular focus on church leaders and careful attention to all. This makes much sense, but we need to be reminded that the process of discipling others is every believer’s clear and joyful calling.
Kathleen Nielson, author; speaker; Senior Adviser, The Gospel Coalition
With simple yet profound insights, Mark Dever takes Jesus’s final command to make disciples and teaches us what that means for us and for our churches. By answering our questions—the why, the what, the where, and the how of discipling—Pastor Mark coaches us in how to follow Christ by helping others to follow him, to know the truth, and to live it well. Every follower of Christ needs to read this book! It’s the best book I’ve ever read on discipling.
Jani Ortlund, Executive Vice President, Renewal Ministries
- Title: Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus
- Author: Mark Dever
- Series: 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 2016
- Logos Release Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Discipling (Christianity)
- ISBNs: 9781433551253, 1433551225, 9781433551222, 143355125X
- Resource ID: LLS:9781433551253
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-19T04:01:40Z