finding life in the way of Jesus
Session 4 Resources: Apprentice
These websites and books explore apprenticeship to Jesus in both conceptual and practical ways, including various spiritual disciplines that position us to learn from Jesus.
Online
Dallas Willard Ministries: The lectures and retreat talks of Dallas Willard, author of The Spirit of the Disciplines, Hearing God, and many other important works about discipleship and spiritual formation, are increasingly being made available for free on YouTube. Willard was one of the most brilliant Christian thinkers of our times, skillfully weaving together philosophy, biblical teaching, popular culture, science, psychology, and spiritual practice to understand what apprenticeship to Jesus looks like.
Practicing the Way: Based on the teachings of author and pastor, John Mark Comer (founding pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, OR), Practicing the Way exists to equip leaders and churches with resources for spiritual formation (9 practices will be released) in their local communities, including video courses, podcasts, and more.
Navigators: Since 1933, the Navigators organization has been providing one-on-one disciple-making resources. Their resources page includes online Bible studies on various topics, evangelism tools, and prayer resources.
Books
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (Touchstone, 1995)
Discipleship has a cost, and it is not cheap. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves without discipleship; costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again.
Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness (The Navigators, 2016)
God commands us to “Be holy, for I am holy,” but this is easier said than done. Bridges helps us see clearly just what we should rely on God to do―and what we should take responsibility for ourselves.
It's about heart change, not behavior change, as we connect the truth about God with our Monday-morning struggles.
Henry Cloud, Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality (Harper Business, 2009)
Integrity is the key to success. It is not something that you have or don’t, but an exciting growth path that all of us can engage in and enjoy.
John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way: Be With Jesus. Become Like Him. Do As He Did (Waterbrook, 2024)
Mixing theology and cultural analysis, this book offers a way for Christians to become apprentices, learning to be formed by Jesus rather than being formed by the world.
Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (HarperOne, 2018)
Explores the "classic Disciplines," or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith, by which we place ourselves in front of God in order to be transformed by him.
Kyle Idleman, Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus (Zondervan)
Many are “fans” of Jesus, making Christianity seem appealing, comfortable, and convenient, but Jesus calls people to be “followers” who sacrifice and submit to his way.
Chip Ingram, Living on the Edge: Dare to Experience True Spirituality (Simon and Schuster, 2011)
Challenges readers to experience Christianity the way God intended and provides an actual profile of a disciple of Jesus Christ that is relational, grace-based, faith-focused, practical, and measurable.
Transformative, emotionally healthy discipleship is a methods-based biblical theology that, when fully implemented, informs every area of a church, ministry, or organization.
Humans have bought into false notions of happiness and success, and only through Jesus can we replace our false beliefs with narratives about life in the kingdom of God.
Gary Thomas, Sacred Pathways: Nine Ways to Connect With God (Zondervan, 2022)
It's time to strip away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and discover a path of worship that frees you to be you.
Jeff Vanderstelt, Gospel Fluency: Speaking the Truths of Jesus into Everyday Life (Crossway, 2017)
To become fluent in a new language, you must immerse yourself in it until you actually start to think about life through it. Becoming fluent in the gospel happens the same way.
Jeff Vanderstelt, Saturate: Being Disciples in the Everyday Stuff of Life (Crossway, 2015)
God has called his people to something bigger than sitting in a pew once a week: a view of the Christian life that encompasses the ordinary, the extraordinary, and everything in between.
Most believers live in the state of “being a Christian” without ever being deeply formed by Christ; we must restore balance, focus, and meaning for our souls.
Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines (HarperOne, 1999)
The key to self-transformation resides in the practice of the spiritual disciplines, and their practice affirms human life to the fullest. This is the way of living that enables ordinary men and women to enjoy the fruit of the Christian life.
Dallas Willard, The Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (NavPress, 2021)
What it means to follow Jesus is not a matter of sin management but a matter of drawing near and letting ourselves be shaped into the eternal people of God. This is how character is formed and where Jesus does his most significant work on our spiritual and emotional health.
Let your roots grow down into him,
and let your lives be built on him.
Colossians 2:6
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