Proclaimer Blog
Get it – With Him (Ken Smith)
In this very readable little book, Ken Smith seeks to convince his readers of the virtues and indeed the importance of discipleship. It is ideally suited for pastors and ministers, though it’s message is relevant to a wider audience, such as older mature Christians who could take younger Christians under their wing.
After quoting an opening poem, a note to the reader reminds us that the Bible talks in principles, and that the principles apply to both sexes and so that “while the accent [of this book] may seem to fall heavily on men, the principles are usually applicable to both sexes”. Therefore though this book is geared towards men it’s overarching message is applicable to those without a Y chromosome.
There is much to admire in this short book. Smith goes a long way to convincing us as to why we should want to take part in Biblical discipleship using many Biblical examples of where this can be seen. He also uses contemporary examples, several from his many years in pastoral ministry. [Ken serves as Pastor of Syracuse Reformed Prebyterian Church and is known in part for how God used him to play in the conversion of Rosaria Butterfield.]
Having done this Ken suggests where we can find suitable men to be discipled. Smith does not ignore the difficulties of this and how so often our culture does not make this easy but he does talk practically on what we can do to combat this. Smith also states the importance of training our pastors themselves in discipleship, something that he says shouldn’t be taken for granted. He then moves on to give us a sort of quick start guide to discipleship.
If you are looking for a comprehensive guide to discipling others then this is not the book for you. If, however you want a quick read that will inspire you to start the process of discipling a younger Christian with a few helpful hints of how to start then this book would be an excellent place to start. A quick, worthwhile and inspiring read.
– Ben Burge