Life: The Missing Dimension in Discipleship

 

How can I live the Christian Life?

The answer is simple yet profound. "You can't. Only God can live it through you." If that answer strikes a chord within you, or at very least arouses curiosity then you must read Life: the Missing Dimension in Discipleship, a new book by YouthTRAIN Director Murray Brown. In it he contrasts two approaches to the Christian life - living it according to the (tree of) the knowledge of good and evil and (the tree of) Life.

Even though we say that "Christianity is a relationship not a religion", we so often lapse back into presenting it as a religion of rules to follow rather than Life to be lived. Our discipleship, particularly in the West, seems to so easily become one of filling people with as much knowledge of good and evil and possible rather than introducing them to the concepts of "Life" and teaching them to grow a relationship with this Author of Life, who comes to live within them at the new birth.

Through Life: the Missing Dimension in Discipleship you will find answers to the following puzzling questions:

• Why did God forbid Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Surely understanding the difference between these extremes are a critical part of discipleship?
• Why did God save so many on the day of Pentecost that Jesus pattern of discipleship (disciple 12... or at the most 72) could not be copied?
• How were the apostles, many of who could not even read, manage to be so effective in discipling those who similarly could not read (and even if they could, here was no New Testament to read and do "Bible study" on anyway!)
• Why did God not allow Paul to do adequate follow up with new believers instead forcing him to leave town within a matter of weeks. (And how was it that the churches all survived... and even thrived!). What was the most important thing Paul taught them in those few short weeks? And why did he not appoint leaders before he moved on to the next town - why did he leave it until he passed back through the area sometime later?

More importantly you will discover the significance of the answers to these questions to your own Christian life and the way you disciples others.

For more information on Life: the Missing Dimension in Discipleship go to the Content page. If you are a leader within the church you may also want to check out our Church leaders page.