Becoming a Disciple Making Church by Neil T. Anderson - Book Review

   Not what I expected!  Those are the first words that come to mind when I think about this book.  I think from the title - Becoming a Disciple Making Church - I expected a step by step list of ways to become better at discipleship.  What I found in this book was some very deep material that gets to the heart of the issues.
   So, other than my opinion that the title doesn't quite equal what I expected, this is an excellent book on discipleship.  The truth is that we live in a world full of people who carry all kinds of baggage.  And when those people give their lives to Christ, Satan is very good at reminding them of that baggage.  This book is designed to help the pastor/counselor/friend help that person overcome the baggage and live a victorious Christian life.
  The topics range from Victory over Darkness to the Battle for the Mind to Overcoming Anger, Depression, Sexual Strongholds and the all important issue of Marriage.  The main focus of the book is actually pretty simple - It is extremely hard to be all that God wants you to be if you are still dragging all of this baggage around.  God wants to set you free.  But that path to freedom isn't easy. 
   One quote from the author really stood out to me.  He was referencing how people carry baggage and basically try to make it on their own.  And that is the biggest mistake that any Christian can make.  We can't make it on our own.  We need Jesus.  But here's the quote from the book:  "It is human nature to think only of our resources when God gives us seemingly impossible task...We call Him Lord and pray earnestly for His guidance, but we struggle to give up our self-sufficiency.  We started out natural existence by saying 'I can do it' when we were two years old, and we want to believe that we can...We struggle to hang on to the last vestige of our natural life, while God is orchestrating just the opposite."
   God loves us!  And God wants everyone of us to live victorious lives.  We just have to trust Him.  And if we do, He can deliver us from all of the baggage that we carry.  He's an amazing God!  This is a great book that digs deeply into those thoughts.  It's a good read for those who are on the front lines working in God's kingdom.
  I would like to thank Bethany House for the opportunity to review this book.  It's a great addition to any pastor's library.

God Bless,

Marcus