The Discipleship Gospel Primer

Description

This eBook is a primer for a full-length book, The Discipleship Gospel.  This eBook primer will help to grow your understanding of the gospel Jesus preached.

In this eBook primer, our purpose is twofold. First, we introduce the problem with preaching non-discipleship gospels that don’t call people to be disciples. As such, these false gospels don’t lead people to make disciples. Second, we show that the New Testament Gospel writers made very clear to their audience seven essential elements of the gospel Jesus preached. Jesus’ gospel led his disciples to make disciples.

As you read this eBook primer, keep in mind that the seven elements do not comprise a definition of the gospel. They do, though, provide the critical framework for defining the gospel, which we explore in the full-length book.

We must be sure to preach Jesus’ gospel, which is a gospel of discipleship, because the longer we preach non-discipleship gospels, the more we delay the fulfillment of Christ’s great commission.

Bill Hull has spent his adult life as a discipleship evangelist. His twenty years as a local church pastor and more than twenty books on the subject testify to his commitment. Bill believes that the church faces a very practical problem, we keep trying to reach the world without first making disciples. We are preaching a gospel that separates conversion from discipleship. When this happens, we make disciples who don’t believe in discipleship. The solution is found in rebuilding a gospel that embraces discipleship. Because the gospel we believe in determines the kind of disciples we make. This problem and its solution are addressed in Bill’s newest work, Conversion & Discipleship: You Can’t Have One without the Other. The book’s thesis is that “All who are called to salvation are called to discipleship, no exceptions, no excuses.” As Bill often says, “Some believe you can have conversion without discipleship, I believe the proof of conversion is discipleship.”

Bill is co-founder and leader of the Bonhoeffer Project. Its purpose is to create disciple making leaders. For a list of Bill’s other writings go to Billhull.net.

Ben Sobels is Senior Pastor of Cypress Community Church in Salinas, CA. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Master of Theology degree. Cypress is committed to being a discipleship community that worships Jesus, loves one another, and serves the world. With a passion for global missions, Ben disciples men at Cypress and also trains other pastors with The Bonhoeffer Project.

Ben is married to Joni and they have five children. For fun, Ben and Joni love hiking in the Toro hills together, driving north and south on Hwy 1, and eating Outback Steakhouse ribs on special occasions!