Christlike: The Pursuit of Uncomplicated Obedience
Overview
The key to a spiritual life is the cultivation of a spiritual heart. This is what makes the difference between hoping to change “someday” and actually changing your thoughts and behaviors now. Bill Hull says the great teachers of the past (such as William Law and John Wesley) and the best guides in spiritual formation today (such as Dallas Willard and Richard Foster) all agree on the central importance of the intent of the heart.
Such a heart is cultivated, writes Hull, in the simplicity of a life fixed on the words and ways of Jesus. In Christlike, the author helps us grow intentionally in “uncomplicated obedience” to Jesus so that “our minds and hearts are in alignment with each other.” But this is not a privatized spirituality. Instead, writes Hull, this simplicity is the key to effectiveness in the larger mission of changing the world for Christ.
The Logos Bible Software edition of this volume is designed to encourage and stimulate your study and understanding of spiritual disciplines. Scripture passages link directly to your English translations and to the original language texts, and important concepts link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. In addition, you can perform powerful searches by topic and find what other authors, scholars, and theologians have to say about faith, meditation, and Christlikeness.
- Discusses what it means to be a Christian
- Speaks in a conversational, readable tone
- Encourages reflection and contemplation on being a Christian
- Rethinking What It Means to Be Christian
- The Gospel of the Kingdom
- A Messy, Lifelong Journey
- A Disciple’s Focus
- Real Change Always “Shows Up”
- The Only Path to Spiritual Transformation
- Being with God
- Reading His Word
- Hearing His Voice
- The Development of the Spiritual Heart
- Uncomplicated Obedience
- Sustained Effort
- Structure and Accountability in Community
- Can a Privatized Spirituality Change the World?
Top Highlights
“‘The problem is that many of us have been taught and believe that we can become a Christian and not a disciple.’” (Page 17)
“‘The solution,’ I answered, ‘is to rearrange our lives around the practices of Jesus so we will become authentic followers.’” (Page 18)
“The truth is that throughout our life, our primary enemy is self, the desire to please self and to interpret life through our own limited perspective. The goal of Christlikeness is to live to please God, to interpret life through his perspective, and to live for others.” (Pages 65–66)
“The root problem of the forgiveness-only gospel is that it tends to create Christians who don’t feel the need to follow Christ. This gospel tends to teach that entrance into salvation is the finish line; the great moment is over. Game, set, match. All future effort or work for Christ and his church is optional. It is great if you can do it, but it’s not really needed. After all, there is always a minority of Christians who get the discipleship gene, the sacrificial gene, the service gene, and they carry the load. This gospel is a natural breeding ground for casual Christianity.” (Page 22)
“Transformation is the vehicle through which we need to deliver the gospel. If the message is fresh and current, then it will punch through the wall between people and knock down the barriers and defenses that the Enemy constructs to keep it from those who need it.” (Page 18)
In this book, Bill Hull is casting light on the cause of most of our ‘Christian’ troubles and what can be done about them. Nothing less than the settled and intelligent resolve to become Christlike can serve as the basis for spiritual growth in the Christian life. How did we lose that from the ‘normal Christian life,’ and what can be done to bring it back? Christlike can help us answer these questions and begin to do something about the situation where the action is: in individual lives and local assemblies of disciples.
—Dallas Willard, professor, School of Philosophy, University of Southern California
I think this is Bill Hull’s best book. In Christlike, this respected author and seasoned consultant dares to ask the church to rethink what it means to be a Christian and then offers a road map for uncomplicated obedience.
—Gary W. Moon, director, Martin Family Institute and Dallas Willard Center for Spiritual Formation, Westmont College
When you get labeled ‘the discipleship man’ there is a reason for it. After reading Christlike, you will know why . . . on these pages, Bill Hull doesn’t only share his latest, best thoughts and reflections, but takes us deep into his own journey . . . and it looks a lot like Jesus to me.
—Keith Meyer, adjunct professor in spiritual formation, Denver Seminary
Bill Hull speaks directly from his heart and personal experience in his latest book, yet his words are based on a lifetime of ministry experience. Christlike is about a journey, Bill’s own journey as he has come into a deeper and richer experience of discipleship to Jesus. Bill challenges all of us to lay aside simplistic formulaic approaches to the Christian life and instead, in a very uncomplicated way, allow Jesus to transform us from the inside out. This is an important book, from an important voice.
—Michael J. Wilkins, distinguished professor of New Testament language and literature, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University
Bill Hull understands that discipleship is not a program but a lifelong journey of following Jesus. He opens our understanding of the gospel of the kingdom and then invites us to understand what it really means to be a disciple of Jesus. I love Bill’s writing style, and I love the message of his book even more.
—Alan Andrews, former US director, The Navigators
- Title: Christlike: The Pursuit of Uncomplicated Obedience
- Author: Bill Hull
- Publisher: NavPress
- Publication Date: 2010
- Pages: 208
Reviews
2 ratings
Robert J Richardson
3/27/2020
Seongo-Ho PARK
5/6/2017
