To build the kind of church Jesus envisioned in John 17 we must help our people realize that it is not about us or about our church. It’s about His kingdom, a kingdom that centers around Christ’s glorious act of self-sacrifice. If we think we can present the Gospel without surrendering and forsaking everything in us, then we have not understood the Gospel.

From DaveBlackOnline (April 8, 2009, 7:52 AM):

The basic thesis of my new book The Jesus Paradigm is that discipleship goes far beyond mere lip service. Like Bonhoeffer, I seek to emphasize Nachfolge — the German title of Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship. The German word simply means discipleship. Followers of Jesus Christ are expected to, well, “follow” Him! As Bonhoeffer puts it, “Only the believer is obedient, and only the obedient person believes.” (The German original is fantastic: “Nur der Glaubende ist gehorsam, und nur der Gehorsame glaubt.”) Declared righteousness ALWAYS produces practical righteousness if it is genuine.