Discipleship and Following Jesus

One of the main issues in the American churches these day is what it means to be a disciple. Many of the conferences being held and books being published are on about discipleship and how to become a disciple who makes disciples. Among those vocal about discipleship, David Platt is probably the most popularly known because of his books about being a "radical" follower of Jesus. His recent book Follow Me is similar in message to his Radical books, but is more specifically focused on discipleship.

If you've heard Platt speak recently, you're probably familiar with the message of this book. Essentially, it boils down to the idea that many Christians are either being deceived or deceiving themselves when it comes to being a real disciple/follower of Jesus. Many people think they are Christians because they prayed a prayer or were baptized. After that, however, they are not changing their lives to look like Christ. They continue on with their life the way it was before. To become a follower of Christ means that your life is different than it was before.

I believe that this is a message that Christians need to hear. Being a disciple is not only about making the decision to follow Christ, but also about actually following him. Much like in Radical, Platt is not afraid to be brutally honest about how Christians are living and how they should be living. He urges us to follow through with our commitment of being a disciple and live up to the call to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ.

That being said, the majority of this book is brutal honesty and primarily about what we are doing wrong. What he writes is needed, but while reading the the book it seemed like it was written against what is happening and not for what could be happening. There is discussion of what needs to happen in the last few chapters, but it felt out of balance. In his discussion of what we are doing wrong, I believe he is right in calling us to reexamine some of these potentially harmful practices that we have adopted.

Even though it is a bit harsh, Follow Me is still a very good book and gives us a needed reminder that following Christ does not end at baptism. Christ calls us to more than just a decision to accept his forgiveness. He asks us to follow him and tell others about him.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers through netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Discovering our Christlikeness

I have to admit, that I struggled with Prototype. I'll go ahead and tell you now that I when I finished the book, I enjoyed it. It's a good book and I would recommend reading it. The reason why I'm wrestling with this review is I didn't enjoy it at first. It took me a little bit to get into the book and really understand the direction that Jonathan Martin was going.

The subtitle of Prototype is, "What happens when you discover you're more like Jesus than you think?" Entering into Prototype, I was expecting to see something more theological. This comes out of my experience last fall teaching about Jesus in a Basic Christian Beliefs class. I was expecting "theological speak." I taught my class about how Jesus is the prototype for the new human, so I thought that I would see sections of scripture from the New Testament spelled out through thorough exegesis explaining how Jesus set the example for the new humanity. Martin does use scripture and he does show how Christ, he just didn't do that in the way I expected and I say this because I know I won't be alone in that expectation. Instead, he does something better. He shows it through real life stories of how he has seen his life and other lives changed. He makes this clear in his last chapter titled "witness" and I think that is an appropriate way to describe this book. It is a statement of what he has seen and now he is witnessing to the call of God to be his beloved like Christ is. It is possible to live a new life and live like God's beloved child.

All that being said, Martin does a great job of explaining how Jesus shows us a new way to be human. He does this by starting off with the fact that God call us, like he calls Jesus, his beloved. God want to love us like his children in the same way he does Christ. Our lives are different now because of the resurrection. Christ came to change the world and make it possible for us to live new lives. The message of the book reminds me of the refrain that Rob Bell keeps returning to at the end of his video The gods aren't angry which is, "You don't have to live like this anymore." Martin is calling all of us broken down sinners to a life where we are called the beloved of God and can live in the light of the resurrection.

This isn't a technical book. That's what I expected, but I'm glad it's not what I got. It's testimony to the life changing power of the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you want to see if change is possible, if you want to hear stories of life change, or if you don't believe that you are loved by God, then you should read this book. It's not the greatest book ever written, but it does tell stories of real people who have been changed by the love of God and there's nothing quite as amazing as that.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Finding God in the Hobbit

Most people know that J.R.R. Tolkien was Christian. When reading his books, however, it might be very easy to miss that fact. Unlike the works of his friend C.S. Lewis, Tolkien's most popular works do not seem to connect so easily to the Bible. When carefully examined, though, Tolkien's faith shines through in his work. That is why Jim Ware has written his book Finding God in the Hobbit. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are not an allegory for the Christian life and there isn't Christ-like figure that can be clearly identified. So where is God to be found in Middle-Earth?

In Finding God in the Hobbit, Ware looks a the story of Bilbo and the Dwarves to find helpful insights into the Christian life. He explores what we can learn about our faith by examining Bilbo's journey, the eagles, Gandalf, and even rope. In each chapter, Ware reflects on the text of The Hobbit and how that part of the story can help us better understand our walk with God.

To be honest, this book wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. With a title like Finding God in the Hobbit, I would imagine it to be an analysis of the story and how that exemplifies the various points of a Christian worldview. For example, Ware does do this a little bit in his discussion of how we can accept a story featuring a wizard since, seemingly, this is banned in the Bible. However, this book is more reflective and devotional. The chapters are short and designed around using elements of the story to reflect on scripture and the nature of Christian life.

Even though this was different that what I expected, it was still enjoyable. Ware does a good job of using Tolkien's work as a springboard for a Christian lesson. Because I enjoy Tolkien's books and the extent to which he has developed them, I would have liked a more in depth discussion. There is a lot to be said about the characters of Tolkien's world and the Christian elements that he has built into it. Ware's book is great, but just scratches the surface of these great works. If you are new to Tolkien, this book is a great place to start. If you have been a lifelong fan of Tolkien and his works, then Finding God in the Hobbit might not satisfy your desire to dive into the Christian themes to be found in Middle Earth.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

What does it mean to have Faith like a Child?

We have all heard and been told that we ought to have faith like a Child. This comes form Matthew 18:3 where Jesus tells his disciples that "unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Many of us wonder, however, what Jesus meant that we should become like Children. This is the focus of R.C. Sproul Jr.'s new book The Call to Wonder: Loving God like a Child. 

He begins by exploring how surprising it is that Jesus would ask us to become like children, but the more he explores what it means to be like a child, it is not surprising that God asks this of us. Children are innocent, loving, and are ready and willing to trust whatever their parent tells them. Through many personal reflections on being a son and being a father of eight children, Sproul demonstrates what it means to love our heavenly father like a child. Essentially, his book is a call to step back, and see God in the same why that many children will see their father. They love him, marvel at his works, try hard to please him, and simply love to be in his presence. Sproul also reminds us that this is not at the cost of maturity. Even though Jesus asks us to be like children, we are still to mature. We must deal with the deep parts of life, but never lose the childlike love for God.

One of the most surprising insights of this book is how often Sproul discusses honoring his own father in the context of learning to be a child of God. God reveals himself to us as our father. That is the role that he carries, and this book has shown me that I often neglect to honor God as my father. I do desire to honor and please my earthly father, and God asks me to do the same for him. This is one of the most important things that I learned in reading this book.

I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It is an easy read which is in the spirit of this book. Sproul describes that sometimes we need to not analyze things so much and just wonder at the greatness of creation. He does just that in his writing as well, he does not over analyze "childlikeness" but instead says simply that this is what children are like and this is why God wants us to be like him. If you get a chance you should read this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”