Christian Focus

I had low expectations of this book. Quite low in fact. My confession is that when I saw it was written by a former student of SMBC (whose name I recognised but whom I don't know) and published by the same company that publishes books by the principal of SMBC, I assumed that he had pulled a few strings and got her into print.

I assume that such arrangements are common place, and that if a book ever comes out with my name on the cover it will be because someone has called in some significant favour. But, having never heard of Christine Dillon other than as a missionary to be prayed for, I expected a book that was more self-indulgent than useful, kind of like a blog!

But this is a great book! And one that I cannot recommend highly enough. Here's why:

1. It's unique. Scan your local Christian book store for a book on one-to-one Christian discipleship and I suspect that, apart from a couple of youth titles, you will probably come up empty handed. Certainly there does not appear to be anything like it written from a reformed perspective, and, if they exist at all, fewer still written from a non-American perspective. Now, an American perspective is no bad thing, and I think Aussie and British Christians have a lot to learn from their American brothers and sisters in many areas, but there is a massive cultural gulf between us and them.

Dillon is an Australian (I think) who works as a church planter in Taiwan. Apparently she wrote this book because 'good books on the topic seem surprising scarce' (p.8), and by the scarceness I was surprised as well. Perhaps it is little wonder that very few Christians have Christian mentors, and that fewer still have disciples!

2. It's practical. I love thick biblical commentaries and I love systematic theologies (which are all thick, if not 3 volumes). But for a book subtitles 'helping one another grow spiritually', a slender, practical volume was called for. And this one is immensely practical. I found the chapters 'Types of One-to-One Discipling' and 'What is the Goal of Discipling?' to be particularly useful and was particularly helped by their distinctions between formal and informal discipleship, and the suggestion that one of the goals of discipling is to prepare for suffering (p.31). I think that any book that acknowledges the likelihood of Christian suffering is better than the pop-psychology, self-help crap that occupies most of the shelf space at most Christian booksellers, and to include that as a function of discipleship is very helpful indeed. While sections details the steps to discerning who, where and when to disciple at first seem rather too prescriptive, they contain useful information that one would be foolish not to take on board in to some extent or other.

3. It's Biblical. I can imagine many churches encouraging people to disciple others, as modelled in the Bible. There would be appeals to various parts of Scripture, and the obligatory inclusion of the Great Commission. Dillon includes all of that, and the book is grounded in the Bible, but that's not what I mean. The biblical-ness of this book is that it assumes that discipleship will be 'the process of becoming more like Jesus, as we are transformed by the Holy Spirit' (p.13) and that that will only happen through faithful, diligent study of the Word of God.

Don't read me wrong here; Dillon's view of discipleship is much more that private Bible study, and it is a costly exercise that involves sacrifice, commitment and diligence. She does not say that the Bible be opened at every meeting. However it is clear that the Bible is what is being used to inform and enable Christ-like transformation by the Holy Spirit. To this end, there are a number of useful sections on reading the Bible with your disciple, and teaching the disciple to study the Bible themselves.

4. It's reflective. Each chapter contains opportunities for reflection. Now at this point, a lot of Christian books would have opted for a limp-wristed approach to reflection requiring you to contemplate how you feel, if not express them in some form of journal. Dillon's points for reflection require the reader to think practically and theologically, and to acknowledge deep biblical truths as they prepare to disciple others.

I have very few criticisms of 1-2-1 Discipleship, and as you will see, those that I do have are relatively minor. Firstly, while the cover design is catchy and engaging, the typeface is stupid. Apparently colophon's used to include details of the font so you knew who (or rather which font) to blame. No such details are included, probably for obvious reasons, but it is a font that is difficult to read and should be reserved for wedding invitations and the like.

And secondly, I would have loved to hear Christine Dillon's thoughts on how we create a culture of discipleship. How can it be taught from the pulpit? How can it be facilitated through encouragement and equipping? In many ways it's a difficult thing to for a person to approach a more mature Christian and ask to be discipled. But perhaps it's an even more difficult thing for a more mature Christian to approach another and ask if they would like to be discipled (especially in Australia where the only thing worse than affirming another person is affirming yourself). Either way, it's got to be that more mature Christian who takes the initiative in discipleship, and this book will greatly assist by motivating that response and equipping those that God has called.

Chris Ashton, http://chrisashton.com.au/

I must admit that I had put off reading 1-2-1 Discipleship for a full year before starting ... We have worked in cross-cultural work in the Philippines for the past 15 years - teaching, discipling and training leaders in a number of different settings ... and the last thing I was interested in was yet another 'magic potion' Bible study course that claimed to be the key to spiritual growth.
BUT from the first chapter onwards, I found myself saying, 'Finally! someone has taken principles we have found to be true to life, and the commonsense hints that we have informally & formally passed onto others - and put them all down together, in a logical, easy-to-read format in one place!'
We have found what is written in Christine's book to be true. We have lived by similar principles for many years, and have seen God at work molding people into His image. This is not yet another Bible Study course, but rather tenets of life, clearly stated and explained. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who believes in the value of investing in others' lives.

Susan Chapman, Philippines.