The church today offers countless programs, suggestions, and systems for becoming an effective disciple of Jesus. Yet, it seems fewer and fewer people are living like Jesus intended for His followers to live. Often, our discipleship efforts fall short because we fail to follow Jesus's clear instructions on how to grow in our faith. Right before departing into Heaven, Jesus gave us the key to effective disciple-making: teaching baptized believers to identify His commands and training them to obey those commands.

The commands of Christ are not suggestions, guidelines, or mantras. They were spoken with authority by the Son of God. While Jesus walked humbly on this earth as a man, He still was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, reigning forever. His commands are authoritative, and as His followers, we need to know them and commit to putting them into practice.

The Commands of Christ: Unlocking God's Plan for Effective Discipleship was written to help you identify, understand, and practically apply each of these commands. As you learn to obey these commands and help others to do the same, you will truly be an effective disciple of Jesus.

Stacey Burkholder serves as the Associate Pastor at Bridge Christian Church in Fishersville, Virginia. He spent his first twenty-one years at Bridge as Student Minister and Outreach Pastor. Stacey has been married to his beautiful wife Sherri for twenty-seven years and is the proud father of three talented and hilarious children: Ryan, Arizona, and Austin.

Todd Brown is one of the founding elders of Bridge Christian Church, which started in 1996. Since 1997, he has served in the dual role of pastor/elder. Todd is a graduate of Johnson University and served for eight years in the youth ministry in North Carolina. He and his wife Karen were married in 1978 and have two sons, Chad and Taylor, and five grandchildren.