John Ortberg unpacks what the Gospel according to Jesus is, how Dallas Willard’s theology informs us still today, why all of us should strive to be apprentices of Jesus, and why churches need to take the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous back. To learn more about the podcast or access the show notes, visit www.redletterpodcast.com.

In the conversation with John Ortberg, we address the importance of spiritual disciplines. Why not practice the spiritual disciplines of Jesus? To help you go deeper into leading yourself (and your church) to building the habits of Jesus, we’d love to introduce you to the 40-Day Being Challenge.

Many Christians today aren’t great at maintaining the habits of Jesus. 

Even the most “mature” Christians struggle with opening up in community, prioritizing prayer, and seeking regular solitude. But that doesn’t have to be your story. 

Being Challenge guides you through 40 days of practical, simple-to-understand challenges to help you learn, develop, and grow in the five keystone habits of Jesus.

You can learn more about the challenge here!

Resources mentioned in the episode

becomenew.com

Steps by John Ortberg

The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg

Soul Keeping by John Ortberg

The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard

Renovaré & Spiritual Formation resources

Red Letter Living resources

Voices of the LCMS YouTube Videos

Key insights from the episode: 

• “Spiritual formation is not optional; it’s happening all the time.” – John Ortberg

   

• “Everyone is being formed by something. The question is: who are you apprenticed to?” – John Ortberg

   

• “Transformation starts inside and naturally flows outward.” – John Ortberg

   

• “AA got the 12 steps from the church, and now the church needs them back.” – John Ortberg

   

• “Apprenticeship to Jesus is the best way to be human.” – John Ortberg

John Ortberg’s Challenge: Do the next right thing.

Are you following Jesus? 

Many want to be greater followers of Jesus but don’t know how. We extensively studied everything Jesus commanded of us and located five key targets to which Jesus invited His followers. The five targets are Being, Forgiving, Serving, Giving, and Going.

In partnership with LifeWay Research, we created a Red Letter Challenge Assessment that will measure you according to these five targets. And the best news of all: it’s free! You will get results back immediately and be presented with the next steps to help you become an even greater follower of Jesus.

You can take the FREE Red Letter Challenge Assessment here.