By the Way: Getting Serious about Following Jesus

"...an inspiring read from beginning to end." -Midwest Book Review

Includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter! Foreword by Derwin Gray, founding pastor of Transformation Church and former NFL player. What if asking Jesus into our hearts is not the heart of the gospel?In By the Way, pastor and author Derek Vreeland reframes everything we've been told about Christianity and what it means to follow Jesus. Discipleship isn't an add-on. Jesus didn't say, Go into all the world and get people saved or Get people to ask me into their hearts. Jesus said, Go therefore and make disciples. Reclaiming discipleship as the heart of the Christian faith means seeing anew the gospel, the cross, the resurrection, transformation, and the community of faith. We learn the ways of Jesus by practicing them, Vreeland says, and in By the Way, he introduces us to the ways of Jesus.

Discipleship means joining God's joyful mission of reconciliation on earth, not just saving souls for the afterlife. Following Jesus is more like taking a long walk in the woods than sitting in a classroom. Living by the Way takes practice--and that's the point.