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The Discipleship Gospel: What Jesus Preached—We Must Follow
IS THE GOSPEL YOU PREACH MAKING DISCIPLES—OR CONVERTS?
Many today preach a gospel that makes converts, but not disciples. This is the result of “non-discipleship gospels,” which exclude the necessity to follow Jesus from their message. The Discipleship Gospel challenges the church today with a fresh reading of Jesus’ gospel—one that we must learn to preach again.
“The gospel you preach determines the disciples you make,” the authors write.
Bill Hull and Ben Sobels use key biblical texts to describe why discipleship is not just an add-on to the gospel, but an essential part of it. The authors define seven essential elements of Jesus’ gospel and why you must include each one in your gospel if you want to make disciples, not just converts. In this book, they help you clarify your understanding of the gospel, learn how to contextualize your message, and create a plan to make disciples who embrace the full gospel—in your church and beyond.
“Every Christian needs to read this important book. It identifies the challenges and negative effects of gospels that are devoid of discipleship and reminds us that salvation includes full life in Christ as we grow to be more like him.”
— ROBBY GALLATY , Senior Pastor, Long Hollow Baptist Church, president of Replicate Ministries
“With biblical and theological precision, The Discipleship Gospel instructs us to replace the gospel of easy believism with Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom. Until we get the gospel right, we can’t expect the state of discipleship to change. This book takes us to the very foundation upon which disciple making is built.”
— GREG OGDEN , Chairman of the Board, Global Discipleship Initiative
“Ben and Bill show us how Jesus’ gospel calls us to both salvation and discipleship—no exceptions, no excuses. I pray that every pastor and leader who reads it will be changed by it.”
— BOBBY HARRINGTON , pastor and cofounder, Discipleship.org
Many today preach a gospel that makes converts, but not disciples. This is the result of “non-discipleship gospels,” which exclude the necessity to follow Jesus from their message. The Discipleship Gospel challenges the church today with a fresh reading of Jesus’ gospel—one that we must learn to preach again.
“The gospel you preach determines the disciples you make,” the authors write.
Bill Hull and Ben Sobels use key biblical texts to describe why discipleship is not just an add-on to the gospel, but an essential part of it. The authors define seven essential elements of Jesus’ gospel and why you must include each one in your gospel if you want to make disciples, not just converts. In this book, they help you clarify your understanding of the gospel, learn how to contextualize your message, and create a plan to make disciples who embrace the full gospel—in your church and beyond.
“Every Christian needs to read this important book. It identifies the challenges and negative effects of gospels that are devoid of discipleship and reminds us that salvation includes full life in Christ as we grow to be more like him.”
— ROBBY GALLATY , Senior Pastor, Long Hollow Baptist Church, president of Replicate Ministries
“With biblical and theological precision, The Discipleship Gospel instructs us to replace the gospel of easy believism with Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom. Until we get the gospel right, we can’t expect the state of discipleship to change. This book takes us to the very foundation upon which disciple making is built.”
— GREG OGDEN , Chairman of the Board, Global Discipleship Initiative
“Ben and Bill show us how Jesus’ gospel calls us to both salvation and discipleship—no exceptions, no excuses. I pray that every pastor and leader who reads it will be changed by it.”
— BOBBY HARRINGTON , pastor and cofounder, Discipleship.org
- GenresDiscipleship
176 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2018
63 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Bill Hull
78 books31 followersBill’s passion is to help the church return to its disciple making roots and he considers himself a discipleship evangelist. This God-given desire has manifested itself in 20 of pastoring and the authorship of many books. Two of his more important books, Jesus Christ Disciple Maker, and The Disciple Making Pastor, have both celebrated 20 years in print. Add his third in the popular trilogy, The Disciple Making Church , and you have a new paradigm for disciple making.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 8, 2024
It wasn’t bad. It was repetitive
August 19, 2023
In the book The Discipleship Gospel, Bill Hull and Ben Sobels set out to accomplish two tasks. The first of these is to expose how so many churches and ministries in our day are proclaiming an incomplete gospel. Bill Hull goes so far as to call them false gospels and lists five different false gospels that are being preached today: the forgiveness only gospel, the gospels of the left and right, the prosperity gospel, and the consumer gospel. The second task is to demonstrate how discipleship was an integral part of the gospel Jesus preached and what we must preach in our day. By highlighting the seven elements of the gospel, defining justification and sanctification, and laying the groundwork for a theology on discipleship, Hull and Sobels demonstrate ho we can re-integrate discipleship into the gospel we preach and the ministries we serve.
Primarily by looking at two scriptures in Mark (1:14-17, 8:27-31) as well as 1 Corinthians 15, the authors demonstrate that there are seven elements that must be present in any clear presentation of the gospel. The first four are statements: “God’s Kingdom is here, Jesus is the Christ, Jesus died for our sins, and Jesus was resurrected on the third day.” In addition to these statements, there are three ways a listener is called to respond: “Repent of sin, believe the gospel, and follow Jesus.”
In most presentations of the gospel today, it is the first and the last of these that are absent. As an example, just look at the ABC’s of salvation. In this popular presentation of the gospel we are called to do three things: A = admit we are sinners, B = believe in Jesus Christ, and C = confess Christ publicly. Within this short presentation, we see five of the seven elements, but the kingdom and discipleship are glaringly absent.
Another commonly used gospel presentation is the Romans Road. This evangelism tool typically uses four scriptures from Romans to present the gospel. First, Romans 3:23 tells us that all, including me, have sinned. Then Romans 6:23 states that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Next, Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. Finally, Romans 10:9 admonishes us to confess and believe that we might be saved. As with the ABC’s, the central five elements are all present, but there is no mention of the Kingdom of God or of Discipleship.
According to Hull and Sobels, the absence of any mention discipleship in these two evangelism strategies, as well as in evangelistic sermons shared in countless throughout the world is a travesty. Apparently, nearly everyone everywhere is getting it wrong, and they have been for centuries. The authors even take it a step further and imply that those today who are not preaching the discipleship are preaching “a different gospel in the twenty-first century,” and “they have the same apostolic double curse as those in the first century.” No mention is made that this first curse (Galatians 1:6-9) immediately follows a brief gospel that does not include all seven elements (Galatians 1:3-5). Neither is it mentioned that the second curse (Galatians 5:4) is embedded in the context of those preaching circumcision. The entire book of Galatians is a warning against those who would add elements to the gospel, not a warning to those who do not include all seven elements in every single presentation of it.
The Discipleship Gospel does an excellent job of identifying seven elements of the gospel that must be present in any healthy ministry. However, by conflating evangelism and discipleship, they wrongly claim that each of these elements must be present in every evangelistic enterprise. Discipleship must follow evangelism just as naturally as the left foot follows the right as we follow Christ and just as sanctification must follow hard on the heels of justification. However, as Spurgeon reminded us, sanctification is not justification. And discipleship is not evangelism. Hull and Sobels are right in claiming that an effective discipleship ministry is sadly lacking from the church. They also do an excellent job of mapping out how this lacking ministry can be brought into any church. But they are wrong in claiming that the reason discipleship is lacking is because discipleship is not a part of our evangelistic outreach. The reason is because too many churches are ineffective at doing the hard work of funneling people from the crowd to the congregation to the committed to the core.
Primarily by looking at two scriptures in Mark (1:14-17, 8:27-31) as well as 1 Corinthians 15, the authors demonstrate that there are seven elements that must be present in any clear presentation of the gospel. The first four are statements: “God’s Kingdom is here, Jesus is the Christ, Jesus died for our sins, and Jesus was resurrected on the third day.” In addition to these statements, there are three ways a listener is called to respond: “Repent of sin, believe the gospel, and follow Jesus.”
In most presentations of the gospel today, it is the first and the last of these that are absent. As an example, just look at the ABC’s of salvation. In this popular presentation of the gospel we are called to do three things: A = admit we are sinners, B = believe in Jesus Christ, and C = confess Christ publicly. Within this short presentation, we see five of the seven elements, but the kingdom and discipleship are glaringly absent.
Another commonly used gospel presentation is the Romans Road. This evangelism tool typically uses four scriptures from Romans to present the gospel. First, Romans 3:23 tells us that all, including me, have sinned. Then Romans 6:23 states that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Next, Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. Finally, Romans 10:9 admonishes us to confess and believe that we might be saved. As with the ABC’s, the central five elements are all present, but there is no mention of the Kingdom of God or of Discipleship.
According to Hull and Sobels, the absence of any mention discipleship in these two evangelism strategies, as well as in evangelistic sermons shared in countless throughout the world is a travesty. Apparently, nearly everyone everywhere is getting it wrong, and they have been for centuries. The authors even take it a step further and imply that those today who are not preaching the discipleship are preaching “a different gospel in the twenty-first century,” and “they have the same apostolic double curse as those in the first century.” No mention is made that this first curse (Galatians 1:6-9) immediately follows a brief gospel that does not include all seven elements (Galatians 1:3-5). Neither is it mentioned that the second curse (Galatians 5:4) is embedded in the context of those preaching circumcision. The entire book of Galatians is a warning against those who would add elements to the gospel, not a warning to those who do not include all seven elements in every single presentation of it.
The Discipleship Gospel does an excellent job of identifying seven elements of the gospel that must be present in any healthy ministry. However, by conflating evangelism and discipleship, they wrongly claim that each of these elements must be present in every evangelistic enterprise. Discipleship must follow evangelism just as naturally as the left foot follows the right as we follow Christ and just as sanctification must follow hard on the heels of justification. However, as Spurgeon reminded us, sanctification is not justification. And discipleship is not evangelism. Hull and Sobels are right in claiming that an effective discipleship ministry is sadly lacking from the church. They also do an excellent job of mapping out how this lacking ministry can be brought into any church. But they are wrong in claiming that the reason discipleship is lacking is because discipleship is not a part of our evangelistic outreach. The reason is because too many churches are ineffective at doing the hard work of funneling people from the crowd to the congregation to the committed to the core.
May 14, 2019
This book is a necessary plea for the western church to redefine its purpose -- that is, to give up on over-simplified "gospels" that are not true to the life and teaching and commands of Jesus Christ, and to take up the task of authentically making disciples as Jesus did and as he commanded his followers to do. The first half of the book is a careful reading of many biblical texts that makes a strong argument for this discipleship agenda. For those who already buy into the task, it may seem slow or pedantic, but I believe it's necessary given the rarity of authentic disciple-making in the western church today. The second half of the book moves toward implementation strategies, balancing both the call to personal commitment and broad suggestions of what it will take to change the way we practice Christianity to be more faithful to Jesus' teachings and his model.
My biggest critique of the book is that the authors never explicitly tackle the one task that seems most critical from a theological perspective -- the definition of salvation itself. Though I don't think it's the authors' intention, it would be possible to read this book and still believe (as so much of western Christianity does) that believing Jesus is all about going to heaven when you die. That thin version of salvation is the chief enemy of authentic discipleship today. Implicitly, it would be hard to take this book seriously and hang on to such an oversimplified view; however, I wish the authors had specifically addressed how different Jesus' definition of being saved seems to be than what is taught in most churches today.
All in all this is a very accessible and very necessary book for the western church today. Pastors and church leaders will do well to take this book seriously.
My biggest critique of the book is that the authors never explicitly tackle the one task that seems most critical from a theological perspective -- the definition of salvation itself. Though I don't think it's the authors' intention, it would be possible to read this book and still believe (as so much of western Christianity does) that believing Jesus is all about going to heaven when you die. That thin version of salvation is the chief enemy of authentic discipleship today. Implicitly, it would be hard to take this book seriously and hang on to such an oversimplified view; however, I wish the authors had specifically addressed how different Jesus' definition of being saved seems to be than what is taught in most churches today.
All in all this is a very accessible and very necessary book for the western church today. Pastors and church leaders will do well to take this book seriously.
May 5, 2025
Finally
The authors have brought a very approachable book combining the best of Wright, Bates, McKnight, Bonhoefer, Willard, and Peterson's views of the gospel of the Kingdom and discipleship. As Hull always does, he and his coauthor lay a clear and direct path yet allow for much contextualization. I have understood much of the theological concepts presented in this book for over a decade but this book presented a 7 part layout of the gospel I hadn't written out before and I will reference this much moving forward. It added to my meta narrative gospel sharing approach that brings the person listening into the story of God. The authors lay out 4 declaratives and 3 imperatives in their gospel presentation... I appreciate this as it is simple to teach and remember. Also their bold proclamation of what is the whole gospel and warnings of false gospels was refreshing and I have yet to read anyone else who has said these things so boldly and graciously at the same time. Good work.
The authors have brought a very approachable book combining the best of Wright, Bates, McKnight, Bonhoefer, Willard, and Peterson's views of the gospel of the Kingdom and discipleship. As Hull always does, he and his coauthor lay a clear and direct path yet allow for much contextualization. I have understood much of the theological concepts presented in this book for over a decade but this book presented a 7 part layout of the gospel I hadn't written out before and I will reference this much moving forward. It added to my meta narrative gospel sharing approach that brings the person listening into the story of God. The authors lay out 4 declaratives and 3 imperatives in their gospel presentation... I appreciate this as it is simple to teach and remember. Also their bold proclamation of what is the whole gospel and warnings of false gospels was refreshing and I have yet to read anyone else who has said these things so boldly and graciously at the same time. Good work.
May 23, 2018
This book takes on the heart of the Gospel. Is it really grace by faith alone? If so, what does that mean with respect to our following Jesus? Hull & Sobels shine light on the common belief that following is a Gospel “add-on”. The result is an important book, because, the Gospel you preach determines the disciple you produce. I enjoyed this well-written book, but it can get repetitive. There's a glaring hole in this book as well...what about Paul's communication of the Gospel? It's very different than Jesus' communication that Hull & Sobels focus on. I wish they would have dealt with that because while they say this isn't a Gospel-add on, the silence on the Pauline Gospel makes it more difficult to fully embrace.
June 16, 2024
Rambling but Overall Helpful
I was getting the accompanying discipleship tool based on the Gospel of Mark.
They say it’s important to read this before using that tool.
I kept feeling the text was going in circles…I finally finished it and await seeing the discipleship tool to know if reading this was essential.
Still I guess it was helpful …
I keep feeling it could have been more direct and perhaps fleshed out more.
I was getting the accompanying discipleship tool based on the Gospel of Mark.
They say it’s important to read this before using that tool.
I kept feeling the text was going in circles…I finally finished it and await seeing the discipleship tool to know if reading this was essential.
Still I guess it was helpful …
I keep feeling it could have been more direct and perhaps fleshed out more.
July 31, 2018
Beyond excellent. A must read for every church member.
November 21, 2019
Thought provoking!
July 10, 2025
Thought provoking read!
September 29, 2025
read this, today!
Great book, incredible and practical use of scripture. You will find in every chapter a takeaway which you can truly implement.
Great book, incredible and practical use of scripture. You will find in every chapter a takeaway which you can truly implement.
October 10, 2025
Required reading.
December 11, 2025
Phenomenal book on discipleship and what it means to follow Jesus.
May 19, 2023
Radical Challenge to Church as We Know It
The Discipleship Gospel challenges the many popular gospels in the church today: the gospel of the right, the gospel of the left, the prosperity gospel, the social justice gospel, the “love“ gospel. It makes the solid claim that a gospel not centered on Jesus as the crucified and resurrected Lord of the kingdom of God, and indeed the world, is no gospel. It makes the further solid claim that a gospel that doesn’t call people to join that kingdom by repenting, believing, and following Jesus in every area of life is no gospel. This is an important word from God to the church.
The Discipleship Gospel challenges the many popular gospels in the church today: the gospel of the right, the gospel of the left, the prosperity gospel, the social justice gospel, the “love“ gospel. It makes the solid claim that a gospel not centered on Jesus as the crucified and resurrected Lord of the kingdom of God, and indeed the world, is no gospel. It makes the further solid claim that a gospel that doesn’t call people to join that kingdom by repenting, believing, and following Jesus in every area of life is no gospel. This is an important word from God to the church.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews