Shepherd's Notes- Christian Classics Series is designed to give readers a quick, step by step overview of some of the enduring treasures of the Christian faith. They are designed to be used along side the classic itself- either in individual study or in a study group. The faithful of all generations have found spiritual nourishment in the Scriptures and in the works of Christians of earlier generations. Martin Luther and John Calvin would not have become who they were apart from their reading Augustine. God used the writings of Martin Luther to move John Wesley from a religion of dead works to an experience at Aldersgate in which his "heart was strangely warmed." Shepherd's Notes will give pastors, laypersons, and students access to some of the treasures of Christian faith.

Before his arrest by the Nazis in 1943, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was head of a seminary of the German Confessing Church. In "The Cost of Discipleship", he focuses on the most treasured part of Christ's teaching, the Sermon on the Mount.

"As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me, ' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.'" The relationship between Jesus and these brothers started with the simple words, "Come, follow me." In essence, a disciple of Jesus is a follower. Eventually, Jesus' twelve followers will change the world. However, it is an inconspicuous and unremarkable beginning for an eventual team of world-changers, don't you think? How will an assortment of "unschooled, ordinary men" be transformed into courageous and substantive heralds in just three short years? Transformation, complete and deep-seated transformation, is the answer. How does a total metamorphosis take place within a new follower? Jesus' discipleship begins with a personal relationship and an invitation to join a missional community. Before followership is a program it is a leadership development process experienced within a culture. This book seeks to initiate a dialogue on how to foster a culture of discipleship. No program can fulfill The Great Commission. However, a community of believers committed to transforming the world through the process of disciple-making can. Harvey A. Herman is a missionary serving university students. Over the previous three decades he pioneered five campus groups, pastored a university church in Seattle, and served on the national staff of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship. Presently, he serves as area director over the Northeast. His doctorate is in strategic leadership and organizational management.

Discipleship is eschatological in nature, because the church that makes and receives disciples is eschatological in nature. Often eschatology is thought to refer only to “last things” doctrines. However, eschatology in its broader sense encompasses the Christian view of time and the future of the world, informing both one’s evangelism and ecclesiology. Failing to relate the eschatological dimension to discipleship leaves one with an incomplete worldview, imbalanced discipleship, and eventually, a tragic inability to model the Christian way of life. By answering questions like “What time is it?” and “Where is history going?” Trevin Wax helps Christians view the past, present, and future biblically, and shapes their understanding of following Jesus.

The gospel tells us to look into other people's eyes as we search for an image of God to help us work for healing justice amid the rubble and the memories that litter our lives, to rebuild a human world on the debris of broken dreams, and to commit ourselves--as God does--to restoring communities, so that there will be no more estrangement, no more strangers, and no more aliens. It is only a little less than impossible, and the only way we can do it is to learn to love the world as God already does. It's simply not possible to love in theory; we must go further than that. We must love in practice. We must practice in love. That is the disciple's call. Called to Be Sent develops and completes the theology of discipleship introduced in the author's previous books. This new volume focuses on "sending forth," the phase that follows our radical encounter with humanity. Here we find the hope and strength to move from an understanding of mission to actually being commissioned by Jesus. In short, as Christians we are "gathered for scattering" and "called to be sent," and this book provides much direction.

Jesus is calling his church to be a multiethnic and missional people who listen and learn from the many voices of world Christianity. Graham Joseph Hill issues a moving call for churches to be missional by being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Hill does this by exploring the thinking of twenty-five Asian, African, Latin American, Indigenous, African American, diaspora, Caribbean, Oceanian, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern pastors and theologians. These are as diverse as Melba Padilla Maggay, Emmanuel Katongole, Lamin Sanneh, Oscar Muriu, Ruth Padilla DeBorst, Pope Francis, Richard Twiss, Lisa Sharon Harper, Willie James Jennings, Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Soong-Chan Rah, and Mitri Raheb. These voices show us the future of missional churches in world Christianity. When churches are conformed to Christ they make disciples, heal a broken world, and witness to Jesus and his gospel. Jesus forms us in his image and moves us to be a people of shalom, humility, character, justice, peace, wisdom, prayer, beauty, and witness. The church has had a Reformation but now it needs a Conformation. Hill explores biblical themes and the voices of world Christianity to show that a missional church is conformed to the image of the incarnate, crucified, resurrected, and glorified Christ. Conformity to Christ is the heart of missional ecclesiology and discipleship.

The gospel tells us to look into other people’s eyes as we search for an image of God to help us work for healing justice amid the rubble and the memories that litter our lives, to rebuild a human world on the debris of broken dreams, and to commit ourselves—as God does—to restoring communities, so that there will be no more estrangement, no more strangers, and no more aliens. It is only a little less than impossible, and the only way we can do it is to learn to love the world as God already does. It’s simply not possible to love in theory; we must go further than that. We must love in practice. We must practice in love. That is the disciple’s call. Called to Be Sent develops and completes the theology of discipleship introduced in the author’s previous books. This new volume focuses on “sending forth,” the phase that follows our radical encounter with humanity. Here we find the hope and strength to move from an understanding of mission to actually being commissioned by Jesus. In short, as Christians we are “gathered for scattering” and “called to be sent,” and this book provides much direction.

What is a Christian? At the most basic level, a Christian is a disciple of Jesus Christ. And yet many Christians today couldn’t tell you what a disciple of Jesus Christ is, or would even think of themselves as disciples. And yet in the Great Commission, Jesus specifically called us to make disciples. Everything else is secondary. The Cost of Cheap Grace is an extended, sweeping, bold, and bracing call to repentance for where we’ve let secondary things subvert our commitment to discipleship, and a compelling vision for discipleship as the basis of the gospel in all its world-changing, subversive power.