The Imperfect Disciple: Grace For People Who Can't Get Their Act Together

This book was about discipleship while, at the same time, being a bit of an anti-discipleship book. It was pushing back against set formulas and practices that we do in the hope that we would be accepted. But also showing the goodness of the formulas and practices that Christians do. It sought to reframe the things Christians do, not because we have to, not so people or God would think we are good, but because they are good, as they bring us closer to God and others. 

Wilson is a great writer, with good observations mixing in humour and honesty. By no means does Wilson claim to have his life together; in fact, he says Christianity is only for the weak and losers, which he takes comfort in because that is what he is.

What Jesus has done is good news only for losers. If you’re not a loser, in fact, you can’t have Jesus.

Throughout this book, it looks at practices like evangelism, Bible reading, prayer, church and grace. By using stories from the Bible and Wilson's life, he shows the extraordinary grace and love Jesus has towards people who are failures and don't have it all together. That the work of Christ helps us to be. We don't have to do, as we are loved and forgiven in Christ. We now can be who Christ loves, and we must never forget this grace that the Gospel offered to us, who are weak losers.

I appreciated the imagery that ran throughout each chapter, dealing with an aspect of the gospel. Each chapter started with a description of the gospel that would be woven throughout to emphasise a point. Here is a random sample of intro lines:

My gospel is a little sweaty and ragged around the edges.
My gospel is smudged. It doesn’t seem at first glance much to look at.
My gospel broadcasts on a different frequency.
My gospel has been both a welcome mat and a place mat.
My gospel is a Narnian wardrobe.
My gospel is a handful of crumbs.

On different practices or rhythms of the Christian life, Wilson has to say this about the following:

The Bible:

But the primary reason to read the Bible is not to learn stuff but to be stuff. Transformation is the primary reason the written Word of God exists.

If you plan on keeping Christ at the center of your life, you must plan on keeping Christ at the center of your Christian practice, including your Scripture reading.

Prayer:

if we looked not for “results” in prayer but relationship, we might find it more appealing.

Prayer in its essence is simply that: daily explicit worship of the one who loves you more than anyone else does and saved your life as no one else could.

Since prayer is acknowledged helplessness—spilling our guts—the more we pray, the more we are abiding in the strength of God alone.

Church

The gospel is a family meal. It is meant to be enjoyed regularly and intentionally in the presence of others and for the benefit of others.

There is no concept of the church in the New Testament as a collection of individuals with individual ambitions and preferences.

most Christians love the idea of community—until it begins to infringe upon their decision making.

The real church isn’t Instagrammable. But you can’t dismiss it with a swipe. It endures forever. It may not look like much, but it’s hellproof.

Throughout the book, the gospel of grace is hit again and again.

In ourselves none of us stands justified. In Christ we are justified. In the gospel his goodness becomes ours.

This is refreshing, this is transforming. It means we don't have to do things to be loved by God. It means we don't have to earn our salvation. It means we are free to love and live for God, who first loved us. Like someone who is lost in the jungle thinking the war is still on, we need to give up and realise that the war is over, God has won.

And even though God knows us, really deep down, He still loves us.

That real you, the you inside that you hide, the you that you try to protect, the you that you hope nobody sees or knows—that’s the you that God loves...No, he doesn’t love your sin, of course. But he loves your true self.

Once we discover that grace is oxygen, we can breathe freely. The reality of our true, sinful self doesn’t have to define us.

you are free to own up to your true sinful self because you are set free from your true sinful self.

This book, probably won't be a classic, it won't be up there with Knowing God or the Cross of Christ, but for it's moment, it was a good reminder of grace and an encouragement to keep going with God, for He is grace is sufficent for us. I liked the honesty, I liked the humour and I liked the reminder that it is by faith and not works that we are saved and it is by faith and not works that we live.

Grace is all-sufficient for weakness and for suffering because Jesus is all-sufficient.

Grace doesn’t just go all the way down to our weakness and suffering; it goes all the way up to our deliverance, all the way up to the throne of God