Becoming a Disciple-Making Church: A Proven Method for Growing Spiritually Mature Christians - eBook

What if you really understood who you are in Christ, if you really knew and believed without a shadow of a doubt that everything God has promised his children pertained to YOU personally? Would it change your life? Now imagine a church built of a group of such believers, would it change your community? Would it change the world? Becoming a Disciple Making Church by Neil T. Anderson, is a book that asserts that, yes, it would indeed change individuals, marriages, the church, communities and ultimately that would change the world. Anderson lays out a plan for discipling people that is both biblical and simple. Simple however, does not mean easy.

The purpose of this plan is "to equip the church worldwide, enabling them to establish their people, their marriages, and their churches alive and free in Christ through genuine repentance and faith in God." Alive and free in Christ is the goal at the heart of the issue; genuine repentance and faith are the means of reaching that goal. This is where it gets difficult; genuine repentance is not easy. We tend to be quick to equate confession with repentance, but here it is pointed out they are not synonymous. Confession is merely that, stating that we have done wrong, and it is a good place to start. Repentance is doing a 180. It is renouncing a sin and letting Christ change us so we sin no more. Without repentance, sin stands between us and God.

When sin is between us and God, we cannot fully understand our identity in Christ. Anderson takes us back to the beginning in this book to really explain this concept. Before the fall Adam and Eve were safe and secure in the presence of God. He had given them the divine purpose of stewardship over the earth. They knew they belonged to God and to each other; they could walk naked and unashamed throughout creation. They had purpose, significance, security, relationship; all of this was lost when sin entered the picture. All of this is what we try to get back daily.

And daily, we fail. Anderson explains in great detail why we so often fail. He also explains in great detail how Christ wants us to succeed and has given us the ability to do just that. The steps that are laid out in this book walk you through repentance, forgiveness, overcoming strongholds of sin in our lives, and resolving conflict. The end result of taking those steps is having a relationship with God that is restored to its original beauty, a relationship in which we are safe and secure as children of the King of Kings, where we do not need to let fear rule, where sin, though not absent, has no power over us.

It is from this place of restoration that we are then able to become mature in Christ and lead others to to Him. We become both disciple and discipler. Now imagine this, not just for you, but for your church body, for your community, for the world!

Bethany House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255

This book is a wake up call to those involved in church discipleship. Anderson is straight forward. Discipleship is growing spiritually mature Christians. Discipleship is helping people resolve personal and spiritual conflicts through repentance and faith. Every believer can be involved in discipleship since every believer has the power and authority to do so based on our identity and position in Christ.

If that doesn't describe your discipleship ministry, I recommend you read this book. Anderson firmly believes that every spiritual and personal conflict can be dealt with by repentance and faith. It is the only means that brings lasting results. A good discipler is a good counselor but that does not require a degree in psychology. It does require an understanding of who we are in Christ and the whole gospel.

This book is so refreshing. Anderson really believes God is real and active and that we can and do have real God encounters. That's how people are helped, through the reality of God's power and presence. Anderson believes in the reality of spiritual warfare. We need to know how to engage the battle, how to renew our minds and break strongholds (mental habits).

This book is not a theoretical one. Anderson writes from years of experience and results from his conferences. He adds several testimonies of people set free through this method of discipleship and the information taught in the Freedom in Christ Ministries.

I really liked Anderson's discussion on cognitive behavioral therapy. Anderson has nothing against CBT when conducted by committed Christians using the truth of God's word. However, one important part is the presence of Christ. Without the life of Christ in the midst of the work, it is just trying to apply words and will not be effective. The other important requirement is recognizing the reality of the spiritual world, including the work of the Holy Spirit and deceiving spirits.

This would be an excellent book for any Christian, whether involved in discipleship ministries or not. There is loads of good material in this book that can help when working with others and when working on oneself.

I recommend this book to church leaders too. It is a call to return to helping others become mature Christians through the power and presence of God. I am convinced it is the only way transformation will truly occur.

Most of the material in this book is taken from previous books by Anderson. If you have read many of his books, you'll see information you (should) already know. Nonetheless, this book is a good reminder of the transforming nature of God's power and presence. It is also a good overview of all that Anderson proposes.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.