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The Activated Disciple: Taking Your Faith to the Next Level
Practice Is Over. It's Game Time. The Activated Disciple teaches you how to imitate God, so you can become an instrument for him to transform the world. If you yearn for a life that moves beyond believing and practicing, if you yearn to become an "activated" disciple, then this book is for you. The foundation of discipleship is imitation. The Activated Disciple learns to walk in the ways of the Lord. Discipleship requires such a close relationship with God that every area of your life is transformed. It is about opening yourself to God and inviting him to dwell within you, becoming holy as he is holy, loving as he is loving. By imitating God, disciples become the instruments God employs to transform the world. ● Take your faith to the next level. ● Transform every area of your life to become more like Christ. ● Learn how to overcome the obstacles that keep you from being the disciple you are called to be. ● Move beyond believing and practicing your faith, and begin radically living it. ● Learn how to become an instrument of transformation in the lives of others.
133 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 19, 2018
62 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Cavins
101 books170 followersAfter twelve years as a Protestant pastor, Jeff returned to the Catholic Church under the guidance of Bishop Paul Dudley. His conversion story, one of the best known and inspiring stories of its kind, is chronicled in the best-selling book, My Life on the Rock.
Over the past several decades, Jeff has dedicated his life to developing The Great Adventure: A Journey through the Bible, a practical, interactive program that helps people read the “big picture” of God’s plan in Sacred Scripture and understand its meaning for their lives. The Great Adventure presents the entire sweep of the Bible in a way that is easy to understand and genuinely fun. Its unique Bible Timeline learning system has revolutionized Catholic Bible Study for hundreds of thousands of Catholics since 1995.
Jeff received his MA in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Over the past several decades, Jeff has dedicated his life to developing The Great Adventure: A Journey through the Bible, a practical, interactive program that helps people read the “big picture” of God’s plan in Sacred Scripture and understand its meaning for their lives. The Great Adventure presents the entire sweep of the Bible in a way that is easy to understand and genuinely fun. Its unique Bible Timeline learning system has revolutionized Catholic Bible Study for hundreds of thousands of Catholics since 1995.
Jeff received his MA in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 20, 2022
This volume was one of three I started using after ‘The Bible in a Year Retreat’. They were:
The Activated Disciple: Taking Your Faith to the Next Level
The Activated Disciple 40 Day Challenge Journal
The Activated Disciple Course
I will be honest it took me longer than 40 days to work through the three resources. I had several resource3s planned for Lent and fell behind on this one. That being said, it is an excellent book, and when paired with the other two resources is exceptional. The description of the book is:
“The Activated Disciple teaches you how to imitate God, so you can become an instrument for him to transform the world.
If you yearn for a life that moves beyond believing and practicing, if you yearn to become an "activated" disciple, then this book is for you. The foundation of discipleship is imitation. The Activated Disciple learns to walk in the ways of the Lord. Discipleship requires such a close relationship with God that every area of your life is transformed. It is about opening yourself to God and inviting him to dwell within you, becoming holy as he is holy, loving as he is loving. By imitating God, disciples become the instruments God employs to transform the world.
● Take your faith to the next level.
● Transform every area of your life to become more like Christ.
● Learn how to overcome the obstacles that keep you from being the disciple you are called to be.
● Move beyond believing and practicing your faith, and begin radically living it.
● Learn how to become an instrument of transformation in the lives of others.”
And the chapters are:
One: Are You a Fan or a Follower?
Two: Imitating God
Three: Who’s Choosing Whom?
Four: Relationship Is a Process
Five: Going All In
Six: The Disciplines of a Disciple
Seven: Covered in the Dust of the Rabbi
Eight: A Cup of “Keurigma”
I only highlighted three passages my first time through the book. In part because I was using the companion journal. They were:
“Leviticus is about holiness, and that is why it was the foundation of study for young Jewish children. The first sixteen chapters of Leviticus, often called the “priestly code,” are followed by chapters seventeen through twenty-seven, which are called the “holiness code.” We find that both divisions of the book intertwine, creating a marvelous, revelatory relationship between ritual and holiness.”
“The foundation of discipleship is imitation. Israel is called on to imitate God in the world, but how does a nation go about imitating a God that they cannot see? The answer: God reveals to them who he is and how to be holy as he is through his words and deeds. God has a plan. Israel will receive God’s Word, will observe all that God does, and will learn how to imitate God. In the truest sense possible, God is discipling Israel, with the hopes that they will become like him; they will be transformed into his likeness by imitating him in all that they do.”
“The foundation of discipleship is imitation, and the blueprint is found in, of all books, Leviticus.”
I was using adaptive technology and listening to the final section of the book. My son who is 14 came in; he listed with me for a while, and then asked what it was. He asked if he could read it once I was finished. That is a great testament to the power of this volume.
This book is written in Cavins engaging manner. It is exciting to read, and doing so over time with the journal forces you to really slow down and interact with the material. The book is well written and one that if very important for all Catholics today. We need to really know what we believe, how to share it, and fully live it out. This is a great resource for helping us grow in that. Often Cavins reveals the Jewish roots of specific practices or traditions.
It is another excellent resource from Jeff, and from Ascension Press. I highly recommend this book to all Catholics.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!
The Activated Disciple: Taking Your Faith to the Next Level
The Activated Disciple 40 Day Challenge Journal
The Activated Disciple Course
I will be honest it took me longer than 40 days to work through the three resources. I had several resource3s planned for Lent and fell behind on this one. That being said, it is an excellent book, and when paired with the other two resources is exceptional. The description of the book is:
“The Activated Disciple teaches you how to imitate God, so you can become an instrument for him to transform the world.
If you yearn for a life that moves beyond believing and practicing, if you yearn to become an "activated" disciple, then this book is for you. The foundation of discipleship is imitation. The Activated Disciple learns to walk in the ways of the Lord. Discipleship requires such a close relationship with God that every area of your life is transformed. It is about opening yourself to God and inviting him to dwell within you, becoming holy as he is holy, loving as he is loving. By imitating God, disciples become the instruments God employs to transform the world.
● Take your faith to the next level.
● Transform every area of your life to become more like Christ.
● Learn how to overcome the obstacles that keep you from being the disciple you are called to be.
● Move beyond believing and practicing your faith, and begin radically living it.
● Learn how to become an instrument of transformation in the lives of others.”
And the chapters are:
One: Are You a Fan or a Follower?
Two: Imitating God
Three: Who’s Choosing Whom?
Four: Relationship Is a Process
Five: Going All In
Six: The Disciplines of a Disciple
Seven: Covered in the Dust of the Rabbi
Eight: A Cup of “Keurigma”
I only highlighted three passages my first time through the book. In part because I was using the companion journal. They were:
“Leviticus is about holiness, and that is why it was the foundation of study for young Jewish children. The first sixteen chapters of Leviticus, often called the “priestly code,” are followed by chapters seventeen through twenty-seven, which are called the “holiness code.” We find that both divisions of the book intertwine, creating a marvelous, revelatory relationship between ritual and holiness.”
“The foundation of discipleship is imitation. Israel is called on to imitate God in the world, but how does a nation go about imitating a God that they cannot see? The answer: God reveals to them who he is and how to be holy as he is through his words and deeds. God has a plan. Israel will receive God’s Word, will observe all that God does, and will learn how to imitate God. In the truest sense possible, God is discipling Israel, with the hopes that they will become like him; they will be transformed into his likeness by imitating him in all that they do.”
“The foundation of discipleship is imitation, and the blueprint is found in, of all books, Leviticus.”
I was using adaptive technology and listening to the final section of the book. My son who is 14 came in; he listed with me for a while, and then asked what it was. He asked if he could read it once I was finished. That is a great testament to the power of this volume.
This book is written in Cavins engaging manner. It is exciting to read, and doing so over time with the journal forces you to really slow down and interact with the material. The book is well written and one that if very important for all Catholics today. We need to really know what we believe, how to share it, and fully live it out. This is a great resource for helping us grow in that. Often Cavins reveals the Jewish roots of specific practices or traditions.
It is another excellent resource from Jeff, and from Ascension Press. I highly recommend this book to all Catholics.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!
December 26, 2018
This is a good effort from Jeff Cavins at putting together a solid plan for Catholics to develop their personal and communal discipleship. He challenges the reader to go beyond intellectual understanding of the faith to a fully lived expression of the faith that reaches out to share the Good News with others.
Cavins explains in some detail the Jewish traditions of discipleship/devotion to a rabbi and shows how these are the root of what needs to happen between us and Jesus: a disciple seeks to follow, to live like, to be like his master. Then, he challenges the reader to go "all in" - to make following Jesus and developing the relationship with him the primary way of living. This way of living as a Catholic disciple necessarily involves daily prayer, reading Scripture, participating in the Sacraments, living the Liturgical Year, walking with the Saints, constant conversation with God, and the ability to share both the kerygma and the story of how God has changed your life. Great stuff.
The reasons I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the frequent promotion of Cavin's other Ascension Press products: The Great Adventure Bible Study and The Great Adventure Bible. More than halfway through, you learn that you should have picked up the accompanying workbook with the practical ideas: The Activated Disciple Challenge Guide which is sold separately.
Cavins explains in some detail the Jewish traditions of discipleship/devotion to a rabbi and shows how these are the root of what needs to happen between us and Jesus: a disciple seeks to follow, to live like, to be like his master. Then, he challenges the reader to go "all in" - to make following Jesus and developing the relationship with him the primary way of living. This way of living as a Catholic disciple necessarily involves daily prayer, reading Scripture, participating in the Sacraments, living the Liturgical Year, walking with the Saints, constant conversation with God, and the ability to share both the kerygma and the story of how God has changed your life. Great stuff.
The reasons I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the frequent promotion of Cavin's other Ascension Press products: The Great Adventure Bible Study and The Great Adventure Bible. More than halfway through, you learn that you should have picked up the accompanying workbook with the practical ideas: The Activated Disciple Challenge Guide which is sold separately.
April 21, 2020
I got a lot out of this book. Even though my review will not adequately portray the depth of it, hang tight my dude. The author describes what it means to be a disciple of Christ, pure and simple, but with great clarity of detail. It tackles misconceptions and recognizes truth as truth.
This book isn't about any shallow yeah-im-Christian-i-go-to-church-on-sunday-relationship. It leads one to begin or dive deeper into the adventure of a lifetime. Not only will it be a personal adventure, but one where you journey with others, a community of those with the same goal in mind- ultimately unity with God in heaven. Not only that, but also how to live out your discipleship through evangelization, through love. The book can act as a starting point to the renewal of something awesome.
I will definitely read it again, probably with highlighters in hand next time. One thing I wish I knew was that the author also made a companion journal to follow up with the reader for forty days in a program that also has online videos. I wasn't aware of that and I currently only have the book. Anyway, yes there are a ton of books that could be to you as this was for me, but regardless, I'd recommend :)
This book isn't about any shallow yeah-im-Christian-i-go-to-church-on-sunday-relationship. It leads one to begin or dive deeper into the adventure of a lifetime. Not only will it be a personal adventure, but one where you journey with others, a community of those with the same goal in mind- ultimately unity with God in heaven. Not only that, but also how to live out your discipleship through evangelization, through love. The book can act as a starting point to the renewal of something awesome.
I will definitely read it again, probably with highlighters in hand next time. One thing I wish I knew was that the author also made a companion journal to follow up with the reader for forty days in a program that also has online videos. I wasn't aware of that and I currently only have the book. Anyway, yes there are a ton of books that could be to you as this was for me, but regardless, I'd recommend :)
December 28, 2025
What a great way to end the year by learning how to be a disciple of Jesus! The way kerygma was explained, and how to have a plan whenever talking to people makes complete sense. We all encounter friends, family, neighbors, and even strangers that are dealing with a lot of burdens. In telling them that Jesus loves them , and that he died to save them are two huge statements that could really help people redirect their focus. I never knew the book of Leviticus was first taught to seven year olds on how to be disciples of God. I feel more energized in my faith and have tools that will help me to do the will of God. Thank you!
February 3, 2023
Jeff Cavins has given good information about sharing your faith with others. I have just finished the book & need to start the 40 day challenge. I just hope that I can be bold enough to encourage others with a joyful heart for Christ. Jeff’s last chapter has the seven points of the classic kerygma to help someone become an activated disciple.
March 2, 2025
Amazing book with so many insights!!
A really inspirational book with many and many exemplos and guidance that can be easily achieved in life. I totally recommend this book for those seeking to increase their ability bto help themselves to be a disciple and to help othet on the same path!!
A really inspirational book with many and many exemplos and guidance that can be easily achieved in life. I totally recommend this book for those seeking to increase their ability bto help themselves to be a disciple and to help othet on the same path!!
June 24, 2020
This book is primarily for intentional seekers and beginning and growing Catholic disciples who are looking for how to “activate” - live out - their discipleship. There are good, basic suggestions for living the Catholic Faith, growing in prayer, and even sharing the faith with others.
October 12, 2021
The editing and format of the book made it seem much lower quality than it was, and much of the content was fairly repetitive. I'm excited for the accompanying journal, but don't think this book is much help.
February 28, 2019
Such a good book. I'm going to start the challenger on March 6.
September 13, 2019
This would pair with with Creating Intentional Disciples. Cavins' description of the seven points of the classic kerygma feel a bit simpler, achievable. A great guide to living one's faith.
Read
October 15, 2019Helps you decide "whats next"
Jeff Cavin touched a nerve when he asks are you a disciple or a fan of Jesus. Seems I am falling far short. Guess I will get the workbook.
Jeff Cavin touched a nerve when he asks are you a disciple or a fan of Jesus. Seems I am falling far short. Guess I will get the workbook.
March 2, 2020
Jeff Cavins give the reader how to be an activated disciple... it is not about knowing theology and every word... but putting the word of God into action.
March 4, 2020
This was such a wonderful book!! I loved everything it had to say about becoming an activated disciple!! And Jeff Cavins always has great materials!! I highly recommend this book!!
July 23, 2021
This was a very quick and simple read. This book was a nice reminder of how we must cultivate daily habits of living with the Lord.
June 9, 2023
Jeff gives readers the how to on living and sharing Catholic Faith and challenges us to be followers instead of fans.
September 8, 2023
I need to read this book several times. What a great way to live your life. I know for a fact that God loves me...oh...and He loves you too!
December 31, 2023
Need to read this at least once a year!
February 3, 2024
Love how Jeff Cavins writes. So readable and great practical ways to take your faith to the next level. Can't wait to embark on the 40 day challenge!
April 21, 2020
Jeff Cavins helps you to understand what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus. Through applicable stories and teachings, he covers the pillars of the Christian faith and inspires you to share the Good News with others. Especially great read for people coming into the Christian faith.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews