Book Review: The Invested Life by Joel C. Rosenberg and Dr. T. E. Koshy

2 simple questions, 1 great read, that’s what Joel Rosenberg and Dr. T. E. Koshy’s book, The Invested Life offers. The 2 questions are:

1. Who is investing in me?

2. Whom am I investing in?

The goal is to make disciples of all nations for Jesus Christ one person at a time.

From challenging Christ followers to have a big biblical vision and laying out the first baby steps to pursue. The Invested Life lays out a process to not only answer those 2 simple questions, but to live out that answer in a transformational way.

Yet the book is not only a step by step process to live out disciple making, it is also the story of how the disciple making process has worked and continues to work in the lives of the authors and those they have discipled. I loved the combination of here’s how you do it, and here’s what it has looked like in our lives and the lives of others.

I appreciated their affirmation that their approach is not the only approach. That sense of humility as well as honesty makes this book a great tool to build a discipleship relationship. They do not provide formulas to follow, but models to emulate. It’s how they learned discipleship, and how they teach their readers to fulfill the Great Commission.

Even more than the steps that are given and process to follow, there is a reliance on God and coming to Him in prayer. He leads the process.  As they say, “We don’t choose whom to disciple. God chooses for us.”

My one criticism of the book is their answer to the 1st question, “Who is investing in me?” Their answers and suggested answers always focused on finding one older than yourself. That is probably the typical relationship, one farther along in the journey of faith. Yet as I grow older, I find myself also learning from those younger than myself, for they open my eyes to new ways to learn from God.

I give The Invested Life 5 out of 5 stars. The topic, the models to follow and the stories that are shared make this a great read for those who want to invest in others and see that we all grow to not only follow the Great Commission, but watched it fulfilled.

My thanks to Tyndale Publishing for a free copy to review. My only requirement in receiving a copy of the book was to provide an honest review. Thank you Tyndale for providing a great book to read.

You can read the opening chapter by clicking here.

Learn more about Joel C. Rosenberg here or Dr. T. E. Koshy here.

The Discipleship of Noah?!

Sharon and I have joined a “huddle” (a discipleship small group-ish), and we are all assigned verses to look at, then read and say this is how I see discipleship at work. Everyone in the group gets verses from the New Testament except me.

My assignment is  a few verses from Genesis 6. I want to raise my hand and say, “Hey, Peter, Paul, John, Andrew, Barnabas, none of them are in that verse.” And I’m kind of certain I’m reading the flood account of Noah.

Noah's Sacrifice by Daniel Maclise / US Public Domain

Sure enough Genesis 6:9 says, “This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.”

Then it hit me, Genesis 6:9 lays out Noah’s discipleship in reverse order. Moses tells the story starting with the result of Noah’s discipleship, then his community influence, and ending with the beginning key. If I were to put them in chronological order, it would look like this:

1. He walked faithfully with God.

An unheard of occurrence in his day, and a rare occurrence in our day. The foundation of Noah’s discipleship (and our’s) is walking faithfully with God. Such a walk leads Noah to hear God’s voice to build an ark when as that great theologian Bill Cosby says that Noah then asked, “What’s an ark?” And God told him.

2. Blameless among the people.

Walking faithfully with God leads you to walk blameless with people. Is Noah perfect? Not so much, especially later in Genesis. Noah does know to turn to God, to deal with sin issues in Genesis 8. Walking faithfully with God leads Noah to be blameless among the people.

3. A Righteous Man.

One who walks faithfully with God and is blameless among the people sounds like a great definition of a righteous man.

Discipleship at its best leads to walking faithfully with God, and being blameless among the people.  Jesus describes this as loving God and loving others. Such followers of Christ we need to raise up today and all together pursue with God’s grace to be who God desires to make us to be in Christ.

Pays to keep learning. Genesis 6:9 reminds me discipleship is not merely a New Testament phenomenon. Great disciples like Noah are around in the Old Testament as well. Who in the Old Testament is inspiring your walk with God today?

Soul Food for Friday: What Kind of Bible Reader are You?

This Friday’s quote comes from David Platt’s book, Radical: Take Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Always a good move to make since most Americans think the most popular verse in the Bible is “God helps those who help themselves.” When the Bible actually teaches, “God helps those who cannot help themselves. ” And that would include you and me.

Radical by David Platt

Here’s this week’s soul food for Friday quote from David Platt, “I often ask members of our church if they are receivers or reproducers of God’s Word.”

If  I am receiver, my main question is, “What’s in it for me?”

If I am a reproducer, my main question is, “How can I best share this with others?”

This applies not only to God’s Word, but in being a developing dynamic disciple for Christ. Am I receiving or reproducing?

What helps you to reproduce God’s work in you in others?