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Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus: Reading the Bible like Dallas Willard

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Discover new, vibrant ways to experience God’s presence through Bible studyExperiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus offers a unique pathway to deeper spiritual engagement, using Dallas Willard's revolutionary approach to reading the Bible. More than a study tool, Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus invites you to transform your encounters with Scripture from mere information gathering to profound spiritual experiences. Using primary source material and insights from Willard, Dave Ripper takes you on an immersive exploration of Scripture that mirrors the intellect of a philosopher and the heart of a mystic.You'll find experiential exercises designed to prompt reflection and foster enriching group conversations, helping you not just to read, but to truly know the God of the Bible. Perfect for pastors, ministry leaders, and spiritual seekers shaped by voices like Eugene Peterson and Richard Foster, Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus offers a call to experience God’s presence in new and vibrant ways.Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding and connection with Scripture as a disciple of Jesus. It offers practical tools, insights, and exercises that can be applied both individually and in group settings. By incorporating the teachings of Dallas Willard, Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus provides a unique perspective on reading the Bible that goes beyond simple information gathering."Ripper aims to demonstrate that encountering God through Scripture is, according to Willard, the primary vehicle for a life of authentic Christian spiritual formation. ... Protestant spiritual formation via Dallas Willard for those seeking a deeper spiritual engagement." – Library Journal Review, May 2025

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2025

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216 people want to read

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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Josiah Harmon.
34 reviews2 followers
July 23, 2025
Very good book. I think the beautiful part of this book (and its main purpose) is in teaching us how to engage with Scripture and it does a wonderful job of that. Chapters 3-5 and 8 are really really good and I would recommend this book to anyone trying to figure out how to transform their lives through engaging with Scripture. There is something so wonderful about the way that Dallas Willard is described by his pupils and the reverence with which he studied the Bible. It is pretty incredible how effective and deeply changing the work he did is. Read this book!
Profile Image for John Vick.
7 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2025
Thank you, Dave Ripper, for the gift of this book! I feel more deeply in love with the Lord (and the teachings of Dallas Willard) through this book - and I am confident I will be looking to this book as a resource many times in the decades ahead.
2 reviews
June 29, 2025
Become a Better Disciple of Jesus by Better Reading the Bible

If you want to stretch your Bible reading in righteous and transforming ways, you should read this book! You can learn in a few hours to accomplish what it took me decades to learn on my own!

What does the book teach? The key concept is gaining more communion and union with God through your Bible reading, connections that will make you a much more fruitful disciple of Jesus. You will learn to encounter God uniquely through each time you read Scripture, to draw deeper into and receive more from that reading, and to be more willing and able to cooperate with being transformed by the Holy Spirit! In addition, you will gain the ability to be more fruitful through sharing the Bible with others. The insights are enhanced by references to Scripture and the experiences of Dallas Willard in seeking these results through his advanced Bible reading approaches.

Most people read the same verses in the Bible over and over, and they draw the same, often superficial, perspective each time. I'm reminded of my great-grandmother. As new Bible reader myself, I asked her what she learned from reading the long genealogies that can be found there. She answered that she just read them, didn't get anything out of that reading, but she kept hoping something would occur for her. That reaction struck a chord in me, giving me a hunger to understand more. Eventually, I moved beyond listening to many verse-by-verse sermons to begin reading a variety of translations, study Bibles with notes in them, and commentaries. I began to gain new information each time. If certain verses seemed foundational to me, I memorized and repeated them often. Much later, I learned to imagine myself in the situation I was reading about as one of the people there. I also discovered multi-day silent retreats where I could focus on just a few verses, expecting that God would speak to me through those verses. Gradually, I took more and more of the content to heart, and I changed in good ways. I share this information with you because the author takes you through a similar journey where interacting with the Bible will mean mostly encountering God and being transformed by the experience. If you hunger and thirst for that kind of communion and union with Him, this is an excellent book for the purpose. Pay particular attention to chapters 4 and 5. If you are ever called to teach based on the Bible as a lay person or as a pastor, Chapter 8 will be especially helpful. If I had read this book as a young person, I would have had much faster and more certain progress in becoming a better disciple of Jesus.

There's a lot of Dallas Willard in the book. Thank God that there is. His perspective on overcoming the Great Omission (making disciples ... not just converts) is well captured here ... focused on interacting with the Bible as an encounter with God. Although I have read all of Dallas Willard's books and his biography, I found much new-to-me information in this book about Willard's approach to Bible studies and transformation.

However, the author moves beyond the writings of Dallas Willard to describe a pathway to communing and partially uniting with God in the IMMERSE method described in Chapter 5. It's a valuable synthesis of a way to read more like I believe God intended all of us to read the Bible and relate to it.
Profile Image for Bret Hammond.
Author 3 books15 followers
May 30, 2025

“You can know Jesus by acquaintance–directly, personally, interactively. You can experience a transforming friendship with Jesus that begins now and lasts forever as you apprentice your life to his. Jesus’ invitation to everyone is to taste and see and experience life in the kingdom. Scripture is a gateway to eternal living.” – Page 26




As someone who reads mostly from electronic sources, I confess I miss the process of wearing out a physical copy of the Bible. I’ve known families who have treasured dog-eared, highlighted, and note-filled Bibles from ancestors. All I can offer my descendants is my Bible App password (don’t look at the weird stuff).



But in the end, it’s not about what’s marked on the page—it’s about what’s hidden in the heart. I hope the way I’ve doggedly read and dog-eared life itself offers a better inheritance than a busted-up book.



Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus (Reading the Bible like Dallas Willard) by Dave Ripper has rekindled the desire to wear out a Bible even as I read it on my Kindle! Dave delightfully channels Dallas as he offers instructions, challenges, and even (ugh) homework, guiding the reader to “Willard’s experiential approach to reading scripture theologically, biblically, practically, and even accessibly, in hope that local churches may become centers for spiritual formation.” – Page 10



I’m only about halfway through, but I already see great potential in this book. It’s one worth sharing as we desire to see the image of Christ grow within us. This would be an excellent guide for small-group leaders, pastors, and others seeking to come to the Bible with a purpose greater than simply checking the “I have read the terms and conditions” box.



A little over a year ago, I posted this on Facebook:




An Observation from a Spiritual Formation Pastor:

This may be a gross exaggeration, but it seems to me the majority of books I read on “Spiritual Formation” are simply attempts to dumb down stuff Dallas Willard said.

And, as a self-professed dumb guy, I’m ok with that.




I’m still ok with that! I love seeing Dallas’ life and legacy made accessible to a new generation. As Hebrews might put it: he being dead yet speaketh.




“It is better in one year to have ten good verses transferred into the substance of our lives than to have every word of the Bible flash before our eyes.”

— Quoted from Dallas on page 63


Profile Image for Elise Pettijohn.
7 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2025
This book does a good job of distilling the essential tenants of Dallas Willard’s teachings (at least, the way I perceive them) in an understandable and inspiring way. It also struck an effective balance between appreciating Willard for who he was in Christ, while ultimately pointing to the God he served.

I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I would’ve enjoyed more in-depth descriptions of what the Ignatian Exercises (spiritual practices taught by Saint Ignatius) actually entail, not just what they hope to accomplish in those who practice them.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing more about Dallas Willard (particularly if you’ve liked John Mark Comer’s books, but aren’t ready to commit to reading a full Willard book). If you’re already well-read in Willard’s works, you may find this book repetitive, though I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Profile Image for Ben Tuel.
2 reviews4 followers
July 22, 2025
Just a couple quotes from the book that jumped off the page…

“Interacting with scripture as communication that leads to communion necessitates a deep trust in the slow, unhurried work of God. Allowing communion to lead to union with God is the journey of our lifetime. So keep showing up expectedly. Relinquish your agenda. And enjoy the deep contentment, joy, and confidence that come from being with God in his word.”

“The New Testament is not just a volume filled with nice stories about a nice savior. It contains the best answers to life‘s greatest questions, taught by the most brilliant person to ever live. Obedience to these teachings brings the abundance of life Jesus offers (Jn 10:10).”
Profile Image for Sean.
213 reviews9 followers
June 6, 2025
As someone relatively new to Dallas Willard’s work, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But this book turned out to be an incredible introduction. I’ve heard so much about him through John Mark Comer that my curiosity was already sparked.

What I appreciated most was the personal feel. Dave’s relationship with Dallas added warmth and depth to the book. It genuinely felt like I was sitting in on conversations between them about how to read and live out Scripture.

This is more than just a summary of Willard’s ideas. It’s an invitation to engage with Scripture in a way that shapes your life as a disciple of Jesus. Highly recommended for anyone looking to grow in both understanding and practice.
92 reviews1 follower
July 13, 2025
This compendium of Dallas Willard’s life and teaching was very helpful to understand spiritual formation. The author sounds as if he read everything ever produced by his hero to write this work. If you are interested in spiritual formation and D Willard’s influence on the subject this is a helpful beginning. I enjoyed reading it and have a plan in place to start using it and working into the process.
31 reviews
August 20, 2025
I discovered the work of Dallas Willard early in my nearly thirty years of ministry. He has been very impactful on my spiritual life. David Ripper has written a very good book on the ministry of Willard and helped to teach us how Willard thought through spiritual matters, especially as it concerns reading Scripture. I would recommend the book for anyone who wants to learn more about Willard or for anyone who wants to grow more effective in their personal Bible study and teaching.
Profile Image for Jennifer Franzke.
19 reviews2 followers
July 14, 2025
I was reading & studying the Gospel of Matthew as I was reading this book, and it helped refocus my time on union instead of just communication. As a teacher, the chapter on teaching was full of fantastic points that I will be incorporating into my teaching. If you’re looking to take you “quiet time” to another level, definitely pick up this book!
Profile Image for Michael Austin.
Author 20 books35 followers
July 1, 2025
What an excellent book! I look forward to going back through it, taking notes, and trying some of the suggested practices. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Justin Ruszkiewicz.
197 reviews1 follower
July 5, 2025
Outstanding book! Makes me want to dive into all the Willard classics. Loved how the book was structured. Very insightful and helpful.

Rating: 9/10, five stars!
Profile Image for Sarah Blount.
28 reviews
July 11, 2025
Always appreciate Willardian insight. Chapter 5 on the IMMERSE favorite was the highlight for me.
Profile Image for Samantha.
13 reviews30 followers
July 19, 2025
A great synthesis of much of Willard’s teaching. Many helpful application points and practices on how to incorporate Willard’s thoughts+ideas in everyday life.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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