Following Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of Luke and Beyond
Ebook
Two questions are braided together in Luke's Gospel. Who is Jesus, and what does it mean to be his student and apprentice? The church has spent much of its intellectual energies on the first question, but not so much on the second. We are precise in our Christology and vague in our Discipleology (my new word!). Of the four biographies that open the New Testament, Luke is perhaps the best equipped to answer the question of what it means to follow Jesus along with others, and what we can expect in the process. Luke's Gospel is dense with story after story about Jesus's stumbling, goofy, persistent disciples. And his second volume--Acts--continues the tale. There is a deep continuity, as Luke teaches, between Jesus's original disciples and the ones who later declared their allegiance to him after his resurrection. We walk in the footsteps of pioneers in this new way of living with a Jesus who is always near but just beyond sight. The aim of this book is to plunder the fruits of New Testament scholarship, especially the tools of rhetorical and narrative criticism, to highlight what an incredible adventure came with the call to follow me.
“The emphasis of the gospel message is faithfulness rather than correct belief. In a thorough examination of Luke’s Gospel, Phil Thrailkill reveals the centrality of following Jesus in a refreshing combination of scholarly depth and readability. The reader is exposed to the pervasiveness of chiastic patterns in the Scriptures, with helpful summary insights and practical applications. I envision use of this gem for personal or group study.”
—Frank Decker, retired cross-cultural trainer
“This is not an easy book, and it’s not meant to be. Thrailkill, in his methodical but accessible style, bridges the gap between scholarship and the life of the church, and reminds us that discipleship is costly. Following Jesus explores fifty-one ‘thought units’ in Luke’s Gospel that are pregnant with insights for being a disciple of Jesus and developing disciple makers. This is a gold mine for scholars and a practical lifesaver for those making disciples of Jesus.”
—Darrell Whiteman, founder, Global Development
- Title: Following Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of Luke and Beyond
- Author: Phillip C. Thrailkill
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2022
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666743487, 9781666743470, 9781666743463, 1666743488, 166674347X, 1666743461
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666743487
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-12-22T06:58:25Z
Phillip C. Thrailkill is a retired United Methodist minister teaching in Nigeria, Liberia, and Kenya. His two previous books are Mary: Lessons in Discipleship from Jesus’ Earthy Family (2007), and Resurrection: A Pastor’s Reading of the Major New Testament Resurrection Passages (2014). He served for seven years as the Chair of the Theology Commission for The Confessing Movement and for five years chaired the board of The Mission Society for United Methodists.