The Invested Life, a new book on discipleship by Joel C. Rosenberg and Dr. T.E. Koshy is a great biblical and practical tool for Christians to learn from, grow in, and use with others. By implementing the Scriptural advice in this book, you can partner with God’s Spirit in turning believers into disciples, which of course is our Lord’s commission to His church.
The objective of The Invested Life is pretty straight forward. The authors advocate that every Christ follower should be able to answer two simple, yet profound questions: 1.) Who is investing in me? and 2.) Whom and I investing in?
As a church consultant and ministry partner who serves churches and young adults by helping them create a biblical model of discipleship, I consider this new work was a fantastic introductory. There is a growing awareness for the need of intentional discipleship in Western Churches. The evangelistic crusades of the 1950’s placed a high emphasis on conversion, but many believers were left at the altar as spiritual infants. Rosenberg and Koshy are determined to change that tide among this generation. They define the three characteristics of a Disciple as 1.) having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ 2.) a personal relationship with an older, wiser believer, and 3.) relationships with younger believers.
Grounded in Scripture, The Invested Life teaches that disciplers should look for F.A.T people to disciple. The acronym stands for potential disciples who are faithful, available, and teachable. These themes are fleshed out by showing how Jesus modeled discipleship in the calling and making of the twelve.
Though the authors and I differ slightly in our theology of spiritual gifts and the purpose of the church as discussed in chapter 7 “Go Deeper”, The Invested Life, no less offers a Scriptural mandate for relational discipleship.
I received my copy of The Invested Life free from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
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