Untamed

Reactivating A Missional Form Of Discipleship

by Alan & Debra Hirsch

**Summary**

This book addresses the lack of discipleship that has become one of the greatest obstacles facing the modern Western church. The authors argue that costly, transformative discipleship is now viewed as more of an advanced option for super-Christians rather than the expectation for the normal Christ-follower.
Churches need to reclaim the disciple-making model that Jesus lived. Small-scale transformational communities focused around Jesus and His mission to bring the Kingdom of God to the earth. Jesus tells His followers that for love of Him and others they must throw away everything and follow Him to a cross. But that this love is the more fulfilling way.
Each Christ-follower is consecrated for a specific task—with the privilege of partnering with God in the work of His kingdom. For the church to live into her full potential, she must equip the laity as well as the clergy. And she must allow all of the giftings to be manifested through her: apostleship, prophecy, evangelism, shepherding, and teaching.
**Author’s Website:** Untamed - Book by Alan and Debra Hirsch

Favorite Quotes

“I have come to believe we are never going to be the movement Jesus wants unless we first get the issues of discipleship right. This is because the health and growth of transformative Jesus movements are directly related to their capacity to make disciples. No disciples, no movement—it’s that simple.”

“When we try to take shortcuts to costly discipleship, we end up with a domesticated existence that is far from the liberated, untamed life Jesus calls us to.”

“To be a truly radical disciple does require a relentless evaluation of life’s priorities and concerns, together with an ongoing, rigorous critique of our culture, to ensure we are not adopting values that subvert the very life and message we are called to live out.

“Let’s be honest: for many Christians, Jesus has come to look and behave like a nice, regular high-conformity, somewhat-morally upright/uptight church goer.”

“Untamed disciples must allow themselves to be drawn into the numinous and somewhat dangerous orbit of the divine if they are going to be genuine lovers of God. As the moth is drawn to the flame, believers who have made God into a system of ideas need to risk being overwhelmed by God again if they wish to be authentic disciples. Being an untamed follower of Jesus means risking ecstasy and losing control.”

“Surely, loving a city requires that we feel its pain. The pain of the city can be a thermometer that connects us with the heart of God. To walk around and sense the lostness, despair, and longing can be difficult, but it is necessary if we are to make connections between God and the community.”