Gospel Centered Discipleship By Jonathan Dodson Discussion Guide Written by Matt Capps 1. At the very beginning of the book, Jonathan Dodson reveals that he has come to understand that following Jesus alone is not really what it means to be a disciple being a disciple means making disciples. (15) The author then defines the call to make disciples with two imperatives. Discuss why these two imperatives are important for making disciples. a. Making disciples requires sharing our faith. b. Making disciples requires sharing our lives failures, successes, disobedience, and obedience. 2. The author discusses the paradigm of professional vs. novel discipleship and admits that as the professional discipleship had become a way to leverage [his] identity and worth in relationship with others [his] motivation for discipleship was a mixture of genuine love for God and lust for praise. (16) a. Have you ever felt this way about your position or role in a spiritual relationship? b. What is the root of such a misunderstanding? 3. Gospel-centered discipleship is not about how we perform, but who we are imperfect people, clinging to a perfect Christ, being perfected by the Spirit. (18) a. Why is the idea that the gospel is not just for sinners, but for disciples as well, so important to gospel-centered discipleship? 4. The author defines discipleship as an identity, not a role. Roles is temporary but an identity lasts forever. There are three aspects to this identity. Define and discuss the importance of each. a. Disciple as learner: rational (29-30) b. Disciple in family: relational (30) c. Disciple as missionary: missional (31) 5. Dodson says that a disciple of Jesus is someone who learns the gospel, relates the gospel, and communicates the gospel. (38) Moreover, a disciple never stops learning the gospel, relating in the gospel, and communicating the gospel. (41) Even more so, followers of Jesus make and mature disciples by going with the gospel, baptizing disciples into gospel community, and teaching the gospel. Discuss each one of these elements and why they are important for disciples and discipleship. a. Gospel going (31-32) b. Gospel baptizing (32-34) c. Gospel teaching (34-38) 1
6. At every failure, I concluded that I needed to work harder, get better at accountability, and perhaps find a stronger discipler. What I did not know is that discipleship is not performance based. (39) a. Have you ever approached discipleship in this way? If so, how did that work out for you? b. Discuss why believers are matured only through repentance and faith in the good news. c. Talk about practical ways that you, along with others, can introduce and re-introduce others to the gospel. 7. Dodson discusses the dichotomy between what he calls vertical discipleship and horizontal discipleship. He writes that piety centered discipleship is associated with our personal relationship to God. We will call this vertical discipleship, [which] points up to God s character, showing us how great he is and how far we fall short Horizontal discipleship points out to God s mission. It focuses on missional activity such as evangelism, social justice, and cultural renewal. (44-45) a. Discuss how, according to Dodson, the gospel frees us to rest in Christ and to love for the Lord neither vertically nor horizontally, but diagonally. (47-50) b. Why is it important to strike a balance between holiness and mission? 8. Everyone fights for goals goals motivate. Dodson argues that if a disciple s goal is worthwhile, he/she will fight to reach it. (51) The author then discusses what kind of fighting one needs to employ in discipleship. Articulate the importance of these two fights in spiritual formation. a. The fight for image (54-55) b. The fight of faith (57-60) 9. Deep down we all want to be noticed, for our lives to count for something. We want to be beautiful or noble. The problem is we direct our fighting desires towards the wrong things. (53) In this section the author essentially argues that we become what we behold, in other words, we reflect what we truly worship. (56) Discuss the following questions. a. Why do we have a longing to be noticed and loved? b. Dodson argues that we project our values in how we present ourselves to others. What does he mean? Can you give some examples? (54) c. Why, according to Dodson, do we project false images of ourselves? How does this truth shape how we understand the human plight? (54) 2
10. If one truly becomes what they behold, then a true disciple of Jesus is a person who so looks at Jesus that he or she actually begins to reflect his beauty in everyday life. From this truth Dodson defines gospel centered disciples as follows: gospel-centered disciples rely on the Spirit, who focuses our heart s attention on Jesus, where beholding him results in becoming like him. (56) a. Why is this goal worth fighting for? b. What does it look like to fight for this goal? 11. Biblical fighting [for the faith] is a spiritual contending to believe the truth of the gospel. (57) This [type of] faith fights not for perfection, but for belief. We fight to believe that Jesus is more precious, satisfying, and thrilling than anything else this world has to offer. (60) a. How is this type of fighting faith reflected in everyday practice? (58-60) 12. Dodson describes two different failures in discipleship; the cowards and the bullies. Bullies beat themselves up and others, while cowards back out and run from the fight of faith. a. Why do people find it easier to give up in the fight of faith? b. Why do people find it easier to fight about the wrong things? 13. Although [accountability] relationships [often] start with a noble aim commitment to confession, encouragement, and prayer for one another they often devolve into relationships based on rule keeping or breaking. The religious verbally punish others failing to keep the rules, while the rebellious are quick to overlook one another s failure. (64) Discuss the following questions. a. Why do legalistic/religious accountability groups fail to produce gospel change? (64-65, 69-71) b. Why do license/rebellious accountability groups fail to produce gospel change? (66, 72-74) c. Is it possible to place both too much faith and too little faith in accountability? Explain your answer. 14. Dodson writes that confession is a verbal way of spiritually recovering our authenticity in Christ. In other words, our forgiveness has already been bought in Jesus; we simply procure his purchased forgiveness through confession. (68) a. What might be the problem, according to Dodson, when daily confession seems bizarre? (67) b. According to the author, why isn t the goal of confession to 1.) Cleanse ourselves before God and 2.) Forgive ourselves? (67) 3
15. Legalism tells us that if we perform well, God will accept us. Licentiousness tells us that because God has forgiven us, we are free to live any way we want. a. Discuss the three expressions of religious performance and why it is so easy for one to be a legalist spirituality, missionally, and morally? (70-71) b. What is the big lie of spiritual license? (72-74) 16. The heart is the motivational center for human action. What motivates Jesus followers is what makes his disciples. What our hearts behold, we become. (76) Moreover, our heart s affections motivate obedience to Jesus as Lord, not out of religious duty, but out of a foundational delight. (77) a. What is the difference between mere belief and true faith? b. Describe the relationship between genuine affection and behavior. c. Why do we have to fight to believe that obedience to Jesus is better than disobedience? d. Consider the warning passages listed in the book (Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-5), what is the purpose of these warnings and how do they function to promote obedience? 17. Dodson argues that repentance is not a one-time act to get us into heaven, but an entire way of life to maintain Christian joy. He also writes that repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin, one movement made possible by grace. (83) a. Why is repentance important for the entire life of a believer? b. The author notes that repentance is commonly viewed as something we do to get on God s good side. (84) Explain what he means by this and discuss why this is a wrong view of repentance. 18. Perhaps the most neglected motivation for discipleship is the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. (87) The author notes that apart from the presence and power of the Spirit, our attempt to desire God, believe in his promises, fear his warnings, and walk in his ways is absolutely futile. Disciples need more than resolve to believe the gospel, they need the Holy Ghost. (89) Again, without the Spirit, we are powerless to believe the gospel of Jesus, but those who are in Christ have the most powerful motivation for discipleship present in them the very Spirit of God! (96) a. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in our regeneration? b. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in our motivation to obey the Lord? 4
19. Jesus followed the leading of the Spirit, relied on his power, and trusted in the promises of God. (95) a. Discuss how Jesus relied on the Spirit in his life and ministry. How can we cultivate a similar relationship with the Spirit? b. How does the Holy Spirit empower us and lead us in decision making? (92-93) c. How does the Holy Spirit empower us and lead us in overcoming temptation? (93-95) 20. The disciples in the New Testament often followed their Lord expecting unplanned change. We, on the other hand, like manage to our lives in order to eliminate unplanned change. (92) Discuss Dodson s practical ways to expect unplanned change and respond to the Spirit in these circumstances. (93) a. Instead of getting angry or frustrated when unplanned things occur, ask the Spirit to show you his purposes in the circumstances. b. Instead of just deciding which restaurant or coffee shop you want to go to, ask the Spirit to lead you. c. Instead of jamming your calendar full of personal preferences, pray and ask the Spirit to guide you as you plan your week, month, or year. 21. Dodson argues that in order to experience the Spirit s power, we need know the Spirit as a person, to begin a relationship with him through prayer. Discuss the steps the author suggests. a. You may need to begin with repentance over your neglect of the Spirit. Confess your sinful self-reliance to the Father and the Spirit, asking the Son for forgiveness, and thanking God for the gift of the Spirit. b. Make the point of addressing the Spirit throughout the day in ways that reflect his role in your life (understanding, discernment, decision making, power to overcome sin, desire for God, faith in the gospel, etc.). c. Memorize and meditate on texts that show you who the Spirit is so that you can get to know him (Ex. 31:3; Num. 27:18; 1 Sam. 16:13; Joel 2:28-29; Acts; Romans 8; 1 Cor. 2; 2 Cor. 3; Gal. 3-6). Rejoice in the gift of the Spirit as a person who indwells us with the power to believe in the gospel, and through the gospel, to glorify and enjoy God! 5
22. The gospel converts disciples three times, not just once- converting us to Christ, to church, and to mission. (105) a. The gospel calls us into community and onto mission. (108) Why is it important to focus on what man is converted to? b. What is the importance of the church community as displaying the power of the gospel to the world? (111-117) 23. Dodson calls the church to fight for what is truly noble and beautiful by applying the gospel in community in order to reflect the image of Jesus. He encourages the readers to form fight clubs which are small, simple groups that meet regularly to help one another beat up the flesh and believe in the gospel of grace. (121) The author gives three ways in which a fight club should function. Take some time to discuss the importance of each aspect. a. Know your sin: Ask yourself these questions: (122-125) i. Sin: What certain sins are present struggles in your life? ii. Circumstance: When are you tempted to sin? iii. Motive: Why are those particular sins so desirable for you? b. Fight your sin: Habitually weaken the flesh through constant fighting and contending in the Spirit for sweet victory over sin. The fight against sin is regular and progressive, not occasional and instant. (125-129) c. Trust in your savior: Trust in the promises of God found in Christ. Trusting in Christ will allow us to cut through religious performance and spiritual license, leading to soulsweetening obedience. (129-138) 24. We depersonalize the gospel by removing Jesus and replacing him with our own efforts. When the Spirit is a forgotten god, trusting Jesus becomes a fading proposition. Dodson argues that faith in Jesus comes not from mustering it up, but through reliance on the Holy Spirit. (131) Discuss how each of the following propositions works out in our daily life. a. The Spirit empowers faith in the Word of God. b. The Spirit inclines our hearts to believe the promises of God. 25. According to Dodson we need to cultivate fresh faith in the gospel by praying to the Spirit for three things. Why are each of these things important? (133) a. Insight into God s promises b. Experience of our need c. Creation of desire 6
26. An important aspect of gospel centered discipleship is developing the habit of comparing the promises of sin to the promises of the gospel. He writes there is something about seeing the futility of sin next to the beauty of Christ. (135) Dodson gives several examples of what this might look like. Take some time and walk through each example and share what impacted you the most. a. Sexual lust (134) b. Vanity (134) c. Pride (134-135) d. Anger (135) 27. As a group, read and discuss Dodson s principles for Fight Club. Develop a plan to utilize his principles (or a similar form better suited for your specific group) for gospel centered discipleship relationships. What did you learn from his suggestions? What are the things that you might need to implement in your own discipleship relationships? (136-138) a. Simple b. Reproducible c. Missional d. Biblical i. Text ii. Theology iii. Life 7