“Every Christian should read this important book.”
—ROBBY GALLATY, President of Replicate Ministries
DESCRIPTION
IS THE GOSPEL YOU PREACH MAKING DISCIPLES—OR CONVERTS?
Many today preach a gospel that makes converts, but not disciples. This is the result of “non-discipleship gospels,” which exclude the necessity to follow Jesus from their message. The Discipleship Gospel challenges the church today with a fresh reading of Jesus’ gospel—one that we must learn to preach again.
“The gospel you preach determines the disciples you make,” the authors write. Bill Hull and Ben Sobels use key biblical texts to describe why discipleship is not just an add-on to the gospel, but an essential part of it. The authors define seven essential elements of Jesus’ gospel and why you must include each one in your gospel if you want to make disciples, not just converts. In this book, they help you clarify your understanding of the gospel, learn how to contextualize your message, and create a plan to make disciples who embrace the full gospel—in your church and beyond.
About the Authors
BILL HULL is cofounder of The Bonhoeffer Project and author of Conversion and Discipleship and The Disciple-Making Pastor. He speaks as a persevering prophet on the topic of discipleship around the nation.
BEN SOBELS is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and serves as Senior Pastor at Cypress Community Church in Salinas, California. He also serves as a regional director for The Bonhoeffer Project.
Great 7 step definition of the Gospel. Very valuable information. The 5 false gospels were lacking in that there was no definition of the right and left gospels, nor was there any direction for where to find those two definitions. This is very much a text book, and not providing clear definitions for all presented material only serves to confuse and frustrate the student rather than enlightening them.
Overall, this is very important for Pastors, Elders, Deacons, Ministry Directors, Lay Leaders, and the Body of Christ to humbly learn, truely repent of using the world's methods for doing God's work, and seriously seek the Holy Spirit's help to implement - individually and corporately.
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George Peaden
Great book on Jesus’ Gospel!
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Erasmus Faseyi
Very interesting for full understanding.
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Sinha Wickremesekera
A book that every Christian MUST read
Bill Hull’s and Ben Soebel’s The Discipleship Gospel” is a book that I have been waiting for. I had read the promotional material earlier, and as soon as it was released I downloaded the Kindle version of it and within a few days I read it. Ever since I read this book I have been trying to convince my leadership team to read it. In fact I believe, every Christian MUST read this book.
Although the book is primarily written to an American audience and I live in an Asian country – Sri Lanka - most of our churches are heavily influenced by American and Western models. Therefore, often, what is true of the contemporary American/Western Church is also true of most of our churches in Sri Lanka. After reading the book it became clear to me, that the gospel that we often hear in our churches is one or a mix of the non-discipleship gospels mentioned in the book.
In chapter 24 of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus while describing the signs of the times at the end of the age, goes on to say the following in verse 14:
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (emphasis mine).
God being merciful and compassionate, does not want anyone to perish, and therefore wants everyone to have a chance to respond to the gospel before the curtain comes down on world history. So, if we want to hasten the return of Jesus, we must proclaim the gospel in all the world to all the nations and fulfill the criteria for his second coming.
What if we are preaching / proclaiming a different gospel? Or even a false gospel than the one Jesus preached? If we - either knowingly or unknowingly – are preaching a different gospel than the one preached by Jesus, then the end WILL NOT come.
This is where the book The Discipleship Gospel becomes so important in helping us to sift through the non-discipleship gospel that passes off most often as the true gospel and to understand the discipleship gospel and its implications. For, as the authours quite rightly point out, the gospel you preach determines the disciples you make. I pray that this book will be a catalyst for a global discipleship renaissance.
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Stephen Bloch
Excellent book! Well-written, informative, and easy to read. The ideas are presented in a fresh, new way - important information for all Christians, which will definitely enhance their walk with Jesus.
