The last command Jesus gave the church before he ascended to heaven was the Great Commission, the call for Christians to "make disciples of all the nations." But Christians have responded by making "Christians," not "disciples." This, according to brilliant scholar and renowned Christian thinker Dallas Willard, has been the church's Great Omission.

"The word disciple occurs 269 times in the New Testament," writes Willard. "Christian is found three times and was first introduced to refer precisely to disciples of Jesus. . . . The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ. But the point is not merely verbal. What is more important is that the kind of life we see in the earliest church is that of a special type of person. All of the assurances and benefits offered to humankind in the gospel evidently presuppose such a life and do not make realistic sense apart from it. The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian -- especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He or she stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God."

Willard boldly challenges the thought that we can be Christians without being disciples, or call ourselves Christians without applying this understanding of life in the Kingdom of God to every aspect of life on earth. He calls on believers to restore what should be the heart of Christianity -- being active disciples of Jesus Christ. Willard shows us that in the school of life, we are apprentices of the Teacher whose brilliance encourages us to rise above traditional church understanding and embrace the true meaning of discipleship -- an active, concrete, 24/7 life with Jesus.

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Discipleship: Just Do It

Book Title: The Great Omission
Author: Dallas Willard
New York, HarperCollins, 2006
Number of pages: 229

We are so concerned that Jesus be known as the Savior that we forget that He is the Greatest Teacher. Unfortunately, liberal scholars who are quick to deny that Jesus is God concede that He was a great teacher. Believers in Biblical fundamentals over the past 100 hundred years have distanced themselves from liberal scholarship, as they should, but have also distanced themselves from Jesus the Teacher only making Him known as God. But He is the Teacher who will teach us how to live this life and provide a way for the Kingdom of God to invade the earth.

One of Willard's main points is that grace is opposed to earning, not effort.

"We find it hard to see that grace is not opposed effort, but it is opposed to earning. Earning and effort are not the same thing. Earning is an attitude, and grace is definitely opposed to that. But it is not opposed to effort. When you see a person who is caught on fire by grace, you are apt to see some of the most astonishing efforts you can imagine."

Willard makes a compelling argument for the value and necessity of disciple making in church rather than church centric member molding and holding.

This book is intended for church leaders and influencers. The last thing Jesus told His followers to do is to make disciples. Willard writes that the word disciple appears 269 times in the New Testament while the word Christian only appears three. But the modern day (or post-modern, if you prefer) church focuses on making Christians rather than disciples.

A disciple is not a Christian version 2.0; it's not a Christian with upgrades. Disciples are all we read about in the Acts and the Epistles. Not merely converts postponing living in the presence of Christ until the life here after, but students of the Greatest Teacher ever in the here and now who understand that living in the presence of Christ happens now. Doing what Christ did doesn't earn us heaven; it gets us ready for it. "Not to earn it, but to know it. And, of course, finding the Kingdom of God is living the rule and reign of God in our lives," writes Willard.

This book will be used as a text book for practical disciple making. Pick it up if you're interested in obeying the Great Commission.

December 09, 2008

A Good Title on Discipleship

The central point of "The Great Omission" seems to address the concern that many churches are simply content to having professions of faith in Jesus Christ instead of letting the profession of faith be the first step in the lifelong process of discipleship.

This is certainly a valid point as the churches I have been a member of consistently have an average weekly attendance of around 50% (give or take a few percentage points). Many people are simply content to believe they can get their fire insurance and can live pretty much the life they want instead of submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, many churches seem to be content to cater to this mentality instead of having stricter standards of membership. In other words, a person should know what being a Christian really means (discipleship, time involved, price we have to sometimes pay for being a true Christian, etc.).

The Great Omission contains 20 chapters and around 225 pages and addresses this issue. While each chapter had some good points, my personal favorites were:

Chapter 6 - Spiritual Formation in Christ Is for the Whole Life and the Whole Person.
Chapter 9 - Living in the Vision of God.
Chapter 12 - Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, and the Restoration of the Soul.
Chapter 18 - Invitation to Solitude and Silence.

One consistent theme I have read in Willard's books is the great need for us to periodically disengage from the world and retreat to a place of silence and medidation with the Lord. The result is that we come back refreshed and ready to engage our world more effectively for Jesus Christ. To that I can say "AMEN"!

While "The Great Omission" is an easier read than Willard's other titles, you will still be challenged and think about what the author is saying.

Read and be encouraged. Recommended.

December 02, 2007

A Summation

The Great Omission is a collation and summation of many past works by Willard. In that it brings them together in one concise book, this is quite helpful. In that no new ground is covered, readers of past books by Willard may be a tad disappointed.
August 29, 2007

IT'S TIME

It's time for the church to make disciples and not just converts. Willard's book makes a complelling case for the church to begin doing just that. The book is a collection of previous work and it tends to repeat itself but the central message is clear. There is more to the gospel than saying a prayer and walking the aisle.

Imagine the impact on the world if Christians began acting like Christ. Willard believes that the practice of solitude and scripture memorization are key Christian disciplines that will yield more Christ-like Christians. Both are attainable to the average Christian.

This is an important book for church leaders.
August 24, 2007

An easy to understand anthology

This book is a collection of Dallas Willard's articles, lectures, and essays regarding the main idea expressed in his book THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY - that as Christians we should focus on being "disciples" or "apprentices" of Jesus, allowing God's grace to develop Christ's nature in our lives and internally transform us to bear fruits of holiness in response to our salvation. We do this by saying "yes" to God, accepting His Gospel grace and submitting to Him as Lord, intentionally setting aside time for regular solitude, Bible reading, meditation, prayer, etc. and seeking to conform all our thoughts and actions to Christ's nature. As such it is a much more dynamic version of "What Would Jesus Do?", without becoming a legalistic "law" that we follow artificially.

The chapters are short, easy to read, and the repetition on the main idea helps one to understand it and absorb what Willard is saying. If you found THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY a little challenging, this book expresses the main ideas in a little easier format. I also enjoyed the many references to other books and resources that Willard used to develop his ideas, I plan to read some of those also.
February 23, 2007

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
by Dallas Willard

The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives
by Dallas Willard

Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ
by Dallas Willard

Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship With God
by Dallas Willard

Revolution of Character: Discovering Christ's Pattern for Spiritual Transformation
by Dallas Willard, Don Simpson