The Joy of Following Jesus

by J. Oswald Sanders

The terms Christian and disciple should be synonymous. But they're not. Today, one may be regarded as a Christian even if he or she demonstrates few, if any, signs of discipleship. The message Jesus proclaimed was a call to faith with obedience. He doesn't want us to simply believe His teachings— He wants us to live them. If you are a Christian who wants to be a true disciple, The Joy of Following Jesus is for you. Beloved author J. Oswald Sanders outlines the standards and underlying principles of discipleship. Each fast-moving chapter is packed with Scripture references establishing the essential elements of a disciple's life-style. Mr. Sanders spotlights twenty of those elements, including the disciple's partnership with the Holy Spirit, commitment to prayer and spiritual health, relationship to others, and the disciple's relationship to Christ. J. Oswald Sanders says, "It is one thing to master the biblical principles of discipleship, but quite another to transfer those principles into shoe leather." His insights and encouragements will challenge you to do just that. J. Oswald Sanders, who served as consulting director of Overseas Missionary Fellowship, was involved in an international preaching ministry. He received the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his devotional and theological writing. In 1992 he passed into the presence of the Jesus he loved and followed. Among his many books are the best¬selling Spiritual Leadership, The Incomparable Christ, Satan Is No Myth, and Enjoying Intimacy with God.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Discipleship

156 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

J. OSWALD SANDERS (1902-1992) was a Christian leader for nearly seventy years and authored more than forty books on the Christian life including The Incomparable Christ, Spiritual Discipleship, Spiritual Leadership, and Spiritual Maturity. He left a promising law practice in his native New Zealand to serve as an instructor and administrator at the Bible College of New Zealand. Dr. Sanders later became general director of the China Inland Mission (now the Overseas Missionary Fellowship), and was instrumental in beginning many new missions projects throughout East Asia.

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

When you hear the words "The Joy of" what are the next words that immediately come to your mind?

I bet they're not "of Following Jesus."

And they weren't from the author, either. The original title was Shoe-leather Commitment. Doesn't exactly sing, does it? No wonder this bastard got retitled.

However, when you read the book, you quickly discover that there is no joy in following Jesus. You are to work, work, work. You are not to have any nasty, selfish qualities like wants or needs or, God forbid, a FAMILY or HOBBIES.

The book is just a lecture aimed at Christians to go be missionaries. There's no mention that historically, missionaries have done more harm than good. Sanders rejects the notion that God would automatically save people who never, ever heard about Jesus. Christians are to expect pain, hardship, and misery, since you'll get goodies ... after you die.

Sanders uses bad poetry, anecdotes, and stories of historical figures to make his lack of point. He even compares Winston Churchill to Jesus Christ. Well, Sanders is English, after all. Sometimes, his mental gymnastics to bend a story is impressive. He compares the story of Atlanta and Hippomenes to a Christian and Satan. Satan apparently tempts Christians with his "golden apples". However, even Sanders admits that Atlanta and Hippomenes "lived happily ever after." So, wouldn't it logically follow that Christians and Satan would do the same?

The book is filled with unintentional howlers. When talking about marriage (p 109), Sanders stares that it should be for God to decide:

For a minority it will be God's will for them to remain single. When that is the case only unhappiness will result from taking romance into one's own hands.

Gee, no Freudian slip there, Sanders.

Even the cover image is grim. It focuses on a dead tree in a forest. Yipperdoodle, that's the PERFECT image of the joy of following Jesus.

Despite the comedy value, this book showcases the seriously flawed mentality of Christianity. In the Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that the poor would always be with them.

Now, that is seriously fucked up.

Jesus, supposedly able to do miracles, can't do anything or won't do anything about the poor. Gee, even God doesn't have the money to relieve untold billions from suffering and starvation. What a Guy.

If Jesus really wanted to make sure everybody became Christians, curing poverty in a snap would've done it.

But that would make too much sense, huh?

It also would've made sense to've made decent margins in this book. The text goes deep into the center. You have to exert a lot of pressure on your hands to keep the book open enough just to read it. For someone with even mild arthritis, this can be painful.

[Emma Watkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

i loved the first couple chapters of this book, after that it kinda got funky. Easy read but lost motivation in middle so it took me a few weeks to finish

[Russ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in awhile its good to be reminded of the foundations of discipleship, just like a football coach takes his players through blocking and tackling drills. This is the kind of book that I sometimes overlook, but I'm glad I picked it up.

[Rodney Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice insight into discipleship and personal growth.

[Ron Barnard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love love love. Have given it to lots of people. I've read it several times. Timeless & applicable.