The Essential Commandment: A Disciple's Guide to Loving God and Others

by Greg Ogden

Is it really possible to live out the Great Commandment?

When an expert in the law asked Jesus what the greatest commandment is, Jesus gave a clear and simple answer:

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

But what does the Great Commandment look like on the ground, in our day-to-day lives? And can we even come close to living it out?

Jesus, Greg Ogden believes, has a simple answer to that too. He writes, "Jesus didn't follow [the Great Commandment] up by saying, 'I know I'm asking a lot, but do the best you can. I know you'll never fully approximate this high and lofty goal, but it's still worth striving for.' . . . Jesus thinks this is possible." And with Jesus, Ogden has found, it is possible—and essential.

In this practical, in-depth handbook, Ogden draws from his years of pastoral experience training and discipling others to help us truly be changed by Christ into people who love God and love others with all that we are. Following the format of his bestselling Discipleship Essentials, each chapter includes

a core trutha memory versean inductive Bible studya reading on one aspect of the Great Commandment

Thoughtful questions will also help you examine your heart and life and move you to open yourself to God's transforming work.

Above all, Ogden helps you see that the Great Commandment is actually a great invitation to join God in bringing his kingdom to earth. And as you learn to do so, you'll find that the greatest commandment leads to the greatest life possible.

Genres: Discipleship

204 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2011

About the author

Gregory J. Ogden (DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary) lives out his passion of speaking, teaching, and writing about the disciple-making mission of the church after spending twenty-four years in pastoral ministry. Most recently Greg served as executive pastor of discipleship at Christ Church of Oak Brook in the Chicago western suburbs. From 1998-2002, Greg held the position of director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary and associate professor of lay equipping and discipleship.

Greg is the author of several books such as Unfinished Business, Discipleship Essentials, Transforming Discipleship, Leadership Essentials(with coauthor Daniel Meyer), and The Essential Commandment. He is a partner in the Global Discipleship Initiative (GDI), which trains, coaches, and inspires pastors and Christian leaders to establish indigenous, multiplying, disciplemaking networks, both nationally and internationally. Greg and his wife, Lily, have been married more than forty-five years and have one adult daughter and two grandchildren.

Reviews

[Kathy Domsic · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times this book was difficult. I loved the readings. It was the questions, that I at times had difficulty with. They could be difficult to answer, but with prayer and discussion within our group I came to a deeper understanding of what it means to how we are to love all others, not just those we choose to love.

[Harold Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Disciple's Guide To Loving God And Others"

"Is it really possible to live out the Great Commandment?

When an expert in the law asked Jesus what the greatest commandment is, Jesus gave a clear and simple answer:
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

But what does the Great Commandment look like on the ground, in our day-to-day lives? And can we even come close to living it out?

Jesus, Greg Ogden believes, has a simple answer to that too. He writes, "Jesus didn't follow [the Great Commandment] up by saying, 'I know I'm asking a lot, but do the best you can. I know you'll never fully approximate this high and lofty goal, but it's still worth striving for.' . . . Jesus thinks this is possible." And with Jesus, Ogden has found, it is possible--and essential.

In this practical, in-depth handbook, Ogden draws from his years of pastoral experience training and discipling others to help us truly be changed by Christ into people who love God and love others with all that we are. Following the format of his bestselling Discipleship Essentials, each chapter includes
a core truth
a memory verse
an inductive Bible study
a reading on one aspect of the Great Commandment
Thoughtful questions will also help you examine your heart and life and move you to open yourself to God's transforming work.

Above all, Ogden helps you see that the Great Commandment is actually a great invitation to join God in bringing his kingdom to earth. And as you learn to do so, you'll find that the greatest commandment leads to the greatest life possible." (From the IVP Website)

About the Author: Greg Ogden (D.Min., Fuller Theological Seminary) is a writer, speaker and discipleship teacher living in Monterey, California. He was formerly executive pastor of discipleship at Christ Church of Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Illinois. Previously he was academic director of the doctor of ministry program and associate professor of lay equipping and discipleship at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. For twenty-three years he served as a pastor with the Presbyterian Church, USA.

While senior pastor of Saratoga Federated Church in Saratoga, California, he developed a discipleship program used by over 15,000 people and resulting in his book Discipleship Essentials. Subsequent volumes in the Essentials Series include Leadership Essentials (with Dan Meyer) and The Essential Commandment. Greg has also authored the books Unfinished Business (Zondervan) and Transforming Discipleship (InterVarsity Press).

Getting the Most from The Essential Commandment

Introduction: Jesus Believes It Is Possible!

1 The Essential Commandment Explained

Part One: Love the Lord Your God . . . with All Your HEART
2. A Broken and Contrite Heart
3. A Listening Heart

Part Two: Love the Lord Your God . . . with All Your SOUL
4. Our Soul Thirsts for God
5. Our Souls . . . Fully Alive . . . to the Glory of God

Part Three: Love the Lord Your God . . . with All Your MIND
6. Having the Mind of Christ
7. Transformation of the Mind

Part Four: Love the Lord Your God . . . with All Your STRENGTH
8. Focusing Your Energy
9. Growing Healthy Bodies

Part Five: Love Your NEIGHBOR As Yourself
10. Have Mercy for Those in Need
11. Love Those Who Would Do You Harm
12. Demonstrate Compassion: Loves Evidence

Appendix A: How Are We to Understand the Essential Commandment?

Appendix B: Building a Discipleship Ministry

My Thoughts About the Book: The Essential Commandment is both a book and a 12 session study guide that addresses the issue of the "Greatest Commandment" and how we are to live it out in our lives. This book is Biblically solid in its theology and at times painfully practical as it gets to the "heart of the matter" regarding our loving God and others. Such love does not come naturally or easily for us as fallen individuals who still have a sin nature to do battle with, but Greg Ogden's book is a real help at sorting out the truth concerning how we are to put to death our selfish sinful nature and live as Christ lived and love as Christ loved. If you purchase this book and read it and apply what you learn you will most assuredly love God and others more which is exactly what we are called to do as followers of Christ. Personally, I found this book to be most insightful and helpful and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to grow in their love for God and others.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book at no cost from Intervarsity Press for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

[Lynn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It is the second discipleship book I've used (I've done the green "Essentials" book several times. I like Ogden's consistent format among books. I've gotten a lot out of my discipleship communities which have used Ogden's books. The format is easy to follow, first you have a core truth and questions, then a memory verse and questions, then bible reading and questions and then a reading where the author shares personal stories and insights and final questions. While I have enjoyed both books, it was really hard to get into this book for the first few chapters, but around chapter 4 or 5 I started to enjoy it. I learned a lot and I'm glad I used this book for the discipleship we are finishing. My wife has already used it for 2 ladies' discipleship groups and she liked it too.