-Personal and Organizational Effectiveness-
Joseph M. Mellichamp
BOOKS
What would motivate a person to choose to become a disciple of Jesus? Obviously, one would feel great admiration and love, would really believe that Jesus is the most magnificent person who has ever lived. One would be quite sure that to belong to Him, to be taken into what He is doing throughout this world so that what He is doing becomes your life, is the greatest opportunity one will ever have.
Do you believe this? What Dallas Willard is saying here is since Jesus is the most magnificent person who ever lived, the greatest opportunity you will ever have is to become His disciple [Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins Inc., 1998]. The opportunity to be a disciple of Jesus is a greater opportunity than to study in one of the world’s great universities, or to apprentice under one of the world’s most powerful executives or judges, or to set a world’s record in any sport, or to live and move among the political or artistic leaders of the world. In fact, think of any opportunity you will ever have in your life. Being a disciple of Jesus makes any other opportunity you have pale in comparison.
So how does one become a disciple of Jesus? There are some wonderful resources available to help you if this is a question which has puzzled you. I have been fortunate over the last several years to study and teach some of the books that, in my view, are indispensible in helping one become a disciple of Jesus and I have written Study Guides for four of them: The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life by Os Guinness, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, The Training of the Twelve by A.B. Bruce, and The Man in the Mirror by Patrick Morley. In addition, I have written two small books that you should find extremely helpful as you begin or continue your relationship as a disciple of Jesus: The Devotional Life for Followers of Jesus and The Prayer Life for Followers of Jesus. Each of these books plus some other resources I have developed are cataloged on this Website.
Mere Christianity: Discussion and Study Guide for the Book
by C. S. Lewis
In early 2000, Mere Christianity was named by Christianity Today as the most influential Christian book of the Twentieth Century. But many today are reluctant to attempt to read this great classic, oftentimes because they are intimidated by Professor Lewis’ academic credentials and impressive resume. With Dr. Mellichamp's notes and Lewis’ book, you’ll be able to follow these important concepts, and enjoy discussing and answering Mellichamp’s questions with others.
The Prayer Life for Followers of Jesus
The parallels between an audience with a head of state and an audience with the King of the universe are innumerable. There are also many important contrasts. For example, we are invited into God’s presence and, unlike a head of state, any time is convenient with the King of kings. Furthermore, as His child, you are extremely important to Him; no request is too small as to be trivial or too large as to be impossible for Him. This book will help you to organize your prayer requests and give you a written record of the things God is accomplishing in your life and will stimulate you to thank Him for specific answers to specific prayers.
The Devotional Life for Followers of Jesus
Given the vital importance of the devotional life for the follower of Jesus, one would expect that the majority of believers would be experiencing exciting times with the Lord through His word. Yet this is simply not the case. Many admit that their devotional times are not what they should be. I'm personally satisfied that it's in the devotional times that we cultivate our relationship with Jesus and that it's this relationship that is the difference between just understanding the facts of Christianity and having a vital, dynamic relationship with the Lord of the universe and being invited to understand His plans and be involved in His work in His Creation.
The Man in the Mirror: Discussion and Application Guide
The Man in the Mirror is not a book you can simply read, lay aside, and expect to have all your problems neatly solved and put behind you. We have designed the discussion and application questions in this Guide, to enable you, either in a small group or on your own, to systematically identify and address the challenges you face as a man seeking to follow Jesus as a faithful disciple.
The Christian Man: Discussion and Application Guide
Twenty four Christian men from all walks of life gave input to The Christian Man by answering the question, “What issues and topics would you like to see addressed in a book on biblical manhood?” This Discussion and Application Guide will enable you to systematically dig deeper into the issues which are really important to you and to do the things which are fundamental to becoming the man God wants you to be.
The Training of the Twelve: Discussion and Study Guide for the Book by A.B. Bruce
Written in 1871 by A.B. Bruce, a Scottish minister, this great classic will captivate you from the moment you begin reading. You will wonder at Bruce’s mastery of Scripture and insight into the ways of Jesus and the manner of the men who followed Him. For the serious follower of Jesus Christ today, nothing is more important than understanding how Jesus works in the lives of His disciples—for our own spiritual growth and for our ministry in His behalf in the lives of others.
Ministering in the Secular University: A Guide for Christian Professors and Staff
In the past 100 years, Christianity has been relegated to the unimportant or trivial regions of the university. Today, there is no place in the university for Christian thought and ideals and no place in the university’s research enterprise for Christian ideas. The issue must be addressed on two fronts. The intellectual front—the appropriate role of Christianity in the university and the personal front—how Christian academics attempt to impact students, associates, and individual universities for Christ. This book is for the serious Christian academic concerned with having an impact for Christ in the university.
Tenure: How To Earn It
A number of years ago, I became concerned over the number of young assistant professors who were not successfully navigating the tenure process. I saw a number of talented people who experienced what for an academic is major failure—yet was preventable. They were not approaching the tenure process in the right way, they did not have a good strategy for negotiating the process, they were misallocating their time and effort, and I thought perhaps some good fatherly advice from an older professor could be beneficial. In this book, I present a sure-fire strategy for earning tenure, which will get you off to a strong start in academe, whether you are at a major state or private university or a liberal arts college.
The Call: Discussion and Study Guide for the Book
by Os Guinness
When I finished reading this great book for the first time, I had highlighted most of the book, and I immediately moved it into my all-time top five books. The Call should be required reading for every serious follower of Jesus. One cannot live purposefully in life without answering the Call of Jesus of Nazareth. With these study notes and Guinness’ wonderful and insightful book, you’ll be able to follow these important concepts, and enjoy discussing and answering the questions with others.
The Gospel of Matthew: Discussion and Study Guide
While Matthew does not explicitly state his purpose in writing his gospel, it is almost universally agreed that he was attempting to prove that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Messianic predictions of the Old Testament prophets. Matthew also gives us the most systematic arrangement of Jesus’ teaching in the entire New Testament. In this Study Guide, Dr. Mellichamp shows how Matthew has given us a detailed eyewitness account of the life and ministry of Jesus, the son of God and Savior of the world.
Go Fast, Turn Left
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Romans: Discussion and Study Guide
The Book of Romans has often been called the gospel according to Paul because in this master-piece, Paul lays out in a systematic manner exactly what is necessary in order to become a true follower of Jesus. In this Study Guide, Dr. Mellichamp analyzes Paul’s presentation of fundamental Christian doctrines including the truth about God, the truth about humans, and how we may be set free from the requirements of the law.
The Gospel of Mark: Discussion and Study Guide
The Gospel of Mark is commonly thought to be Mark’s recording of the Apostle Peter’s sermons. Did Mark get it right? Bible scholars believe that 91 percent of Mark’s Gospel is included in Matthew and 53 percent in Luke’s. Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not! Matthew and Luke were so confident that Mark’s account was accurate they did not hesitate to use Mark as an important source. In this Study Guide, Dr. Mellichamp shows how Mark was uniquely qualified as a close associate of Peter to convert Peter’s sermons into this vivid and lively account of the life and ministry of Jesus.
The Acts of the Apostles: Discussion and Study Guide
In Acts 1:8 Jesus said to the Apostles, “…and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” In The Acts of the Apostles, Dr. Luke chronicles the remarkable spread of Christianity starting from Jerusalem after the resurrection of Jesus to the far corners of the known world. In this Study Guide, Dr. Mellichamp analyzes Luke’s story of how the Apostles, against all odds and in the face of great opposition, took the message of Jesus to the people of their world.
The Gospel of Luke: Discussion and Study Guide
In this Study Guide, Dr. Mellichamp shows how Luke has given us an historically accurate account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, the son of God and Savior of the world. Mellichamp provides detailed outlines of each of the chapters in the book and he poses numerous application questions which will help you understand the book either working on your own or with a small group.
The Gospel of John: Discussion and Study Guide
The Apostle John almost certainly knew the Lord Jesus more thoroughly than any of His other followers. When John wrote the gospel which bears his name, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, he gave us a compelling defense of the deity of Jesus. As C. S. Lewis wrote, “Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse…” In this Study Guide, Dr. Mellichamp shows how John used seven miracles Jesus performed and His seven “I am” claims to demonstrate conclusively the divinity of Jesus.
The Revelation: Discussion and Study Guide
A surprising number of Christians are intimidated by the last book of the Bible, The Revelation of Jesus to John. This is most unfortunate because the book is so important to a clear understanding of God's plan for the future. In this Study Guide, Dr. Mellichamp describes the different approaches of interpreting the Revelation, he gives detailed outlines of each chapter in the book and he presents numerous questions which will help you understand the major themes of the book.
