Book Review: "10: Qualities that Move You from a Believer to a Disciple" by Dennis Rouse
Summary
In "10: Qualities that Move You from a Believer to a Disciple," Pastor Dennis Rouse presents a compelling framework for spiritual growth beyond mere belief. Drawing from his extensive pastoral experience leading Victory World Church, a multicultural congregation of over 16,000 members from 140 nationalities, Rouse identifies ten characteristics that distinguish disciples from believers.
The book begins with a powerful introduction contrasting surface-level Christianity with devoted discipleship. Rouse shares his personal journey from spiritual emptiness to discovering the transformative joy of "abiding in God's love." Each subsequent chapter explores one quality of discipleship, saying that:
A Disciple Has: A Passionate Commitment to Jesus
A Disciple Has: Extraordinary Love for People
A Disciple Has: The Heart of a Servant
A Disciple Is: Sensitive and Submitted to the Holy Spirit
A Disciple Is: Governed by the Authority of the Word
A Disciple: Lives Morally Pure
A Disciple Is: Evangelistically Bold
A Disciple: Engages in Biblical Community
A Disciple Is: Just and Generous
A Disciple: Lives On Purpose
Throughout, Rouse weaves personal anecdotes, biblical exposition, and practical applications to challenge readers to move beyond comfortable/consumeristic Christianity into discipleship. The end of each chapter includes reflection questions designed for both individual and group study.
Key Themes
The Believer vs. Disciple Distinction
A central theme running throughout Rouse's book is the contrast between casual belief and committed discipleship. This isn't a minor distinction, but represents two fundamentally different approaches to following Jesus. Rouse articulates this difference clearly when he writes:
“A believer is someone who gives intellectual assent to the truths of the Bible and may occasionally feel close to God, but disciples are so overwhelmed by those truths and the reality of God that everything in their lives revolves around Jesus.”
This distinction aligns with Jesus’ teaching in Luke 9:23-24, where He says,
“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
Jesus didn't call people to merely believe in Him intellectually but to follow Him wholeheartedly, even at great personal cost.
Throughout the book, Rouse builds on this contrast by offering practical examples that help readers identify where they might fall between the two. For instance:
He notes that believers tend to exalt their opinions and feelings above Scripture, while disciples submit their thoughts to biblical authority.
Believers view church as a place to hear God's Word; disciples see it as a place to learn how to do God's Word.
This framework calls to mind James 1:22-25, which exhorts us to be
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
James uses the powerful metaphor of looking in a mirror - the person who merely hears the word glances at their reflection and immediately forgets what they look like, while the one who acts on God's word continues to look into "the perfect law of liberty" and is blessed in what they do.
What makes Rouse's theme particularly compelling is how he grounds it in grace rather than works-righteousness. He consistently returns to the idea that deeper discipleship flows from experiencing God's love more fully, not from striving harder to earn His approval. This reflects Paul's teaching in Galatians 2:20 that the Christian life is "no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
By weaving this theme throughout each chapter, Rouse creates a cohesive call to move beyond comfortable Christianity into the adventure of whole-hearted discipleship that Jesus intended for all believers.
Grace as the Foundation for Discipleship
Rouse presents a refreshingly grace-centered approach to discipleship that stands in contrast to the performance-driven Christianity many of us have experienced. Despite calling readers to radical commitment, Rouse consistently emphasizes that our transformation stems from God's love rather than from our works. Early in the book, Rouse articulates this principle with clarity:
“The reason we sin after we’ve been born again is that we’ve moved away from God’s love. Without His love, we’re left with only our performance to define us.”
This establishes his central thesis that authentic discipleship flows from experiencing God's love, not from trying to earn it.
This perspective perfectly aligns with the apostle Paul's teaching in Romans 5:1-2, where he writes,
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
Our standing before God is based entirely on grace accessed through faith, not our performance.
Rouse builds on this foundation throughout the book by showing how each discipleship quality emerges from a heart that has been captured by God's love. For example, when discussing moral purity, he doesn't simply present a list of rules to follow. Instead, he explains how our desire for purity grows naturally as we experience more of God's forgiveness and grace. This mirrors what Paul teaches in Titus 2:11-12:
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age."
Particularly moving is Rouse's personal testimony of encountering God's unconditional love during a spiritual crisis. He recounts God speaking to his heart:
"What you're experiencing is very common. It's Satan's plan for people to define themselves by their successes and failures instead of My unconditional love, forgiveness, and acceptance. When that happens, they eventually feel condemned, pressured, and hopeless" (p. 9).
This experience transformed Rouse's understanding of the Christian walk from performance-based to grace-based.
The beauty of Rouse's approach is that it doesn't diminish the call to radical discipleship but rather places it on the proper foundation. By anchoring discipleship in grace, he addresses the common misconception that grace leads to spiritual complacency. Instead, he demonstrates how grace, properly understood, becomes the very fuel for passionate devotion to Christ. As Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15,
"For the love of Christ compels us... that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again."
Through personal stories, biblical exposition, and practical guidance, Rouse continually returns to this theme: discipleship isn't about trying harder in our own strength, but about abiding more deeply in Christ's love and allowing that love to transform us from the inside out—exactly as Jesus taught in John 15:5,
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
Cultural Engagement with Spiritual Distinctiveness
Rouse advocates for disciples to engage with culture while maintaining biblical values: "Like Jesus, we are to be friends with unbelievers so we can earn the right to be heard when we share the gospel with them, and like Jesus, we keep our hearts pure from the stain of sin and the shadow of darkness. It's not one or the other; it's both" (p. 153).
Biblical Support
Passionate Commitment
Rouse grounds his call to passionate commitment in Luke 14:26-27: "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."
He correctly interprets this challenging passage: "Jesus is making a stark comparison: Our love, our devotion, and our priority of honoring Jesus should be so strong that our love for family members will look like 'hate' in comparison" (p. 35). This reflects the biblical principle of Jesus' preeminence without suggesting actual hatred toward family.
Biblical Community
The book's emphasis on authentic community is firmly rooted in Acts 2:42-47, where the early church demonstrated remarkable unity and mutual care. Rouse accurately notes: "A crazy goal I had when we started our church was to give $100 million while I was the pastor. At this point, we're almost halfway to that goal, about $50 million. We give twenty to twenty-five percent of the church's income to missions and caring for the vulnerable" (p. 202).
This emphasis on generosity in community reflects the biblical pattern where believers held possessions in common and "gave to anyone who had need" (Acts 2:45).
Strengths
Cultural Relevance with Biblical Fidelity
One of the book's greatest strengths is its ability to apply biblical discipleship to contemporary cultural issues without compromising scriptural truth. For example, Rouse addresses how Christians should respond to the LGBTQ+ community:
"Several years ago, I decided to make a special effort to improve the conversation with the gay community. As I got to know a number of those in the LGBT community, I saw many deep wounds they'd suffered because they'd been condemned by people in the church" (p. 60).
He balances truth and love: "When Jesus interacted with sinners, He didn't focus His attention on their sins. He touched them, healed them, picked up their babies, and had dinner with them... Jesus loved them all, and He made sure they felt His love" (p. 61).
Practical Application
Each chapter moves beyond theory to practical implementation. For example, in discussing moral purity, Rouse offers specific guidance: "If we know that a certain magazine inflames our desire to have more stuff so we can't stop thinking about our next purchase, we need to cancel the subscription and throw away the old copies. If we've been frequenting websites that inflame inordinate passions, we need to buy software that blocks those sites" (p. 129).
Personal Vulnerability
Rouse's willingness to share his own struggles adds credibility and relatability. Describing his spiritual dryness despite outward success, he writes: "Everything in my life looked good on the outside. The church I was pastoring was experiencing incredible growth, and people's lives were being touched around me every day in a very powerful way, yet I felt like I was running on empty most of the time" (p. 9).
Weaknesses
Questionable Scripture Translation Choice
While Rouse generally draws from translations such as the New King James Version (NKJV), New International Version (NIV), and the English Standard Version (ESV), he occasionally quotes from The Message (MSG), Eugene Peterson’s highly interpretive paraphrasing of the Bible. The Message often takes significant liberties with the biblical text, prioritizing contemporary relevance over accuracy. For readers who are committed to careful biblical exegesis, these references to The Message translation may be problematic. The Message serves more as a commentary than a Bible translation, and using it as scriptural authority can lead to misunderstanding what God’s Word actually says. For instance, compare Romans 12:1-2 in The Message with the same passage in the ESV:
The Message: “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering.”
ESV: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Rouse quotes Romans 12:1-2 on page 77 using The Message translation.
While The Message may feel as if it’s making the text more accessible to modern readers, it sacrifices precision and can inadvertently insert ideas that aren’t present in the original text. For a book that is focused on discipleship, greater care with translation choices would strengthen its biblical foundation. So, the issue, while not undermining the book’s overall message, does require readers to approach quoted scriptures with discernment, ideally checking them against more accurate translations.
Limited Theological Development
While the book presents a robust biblical case for discipleship qualities, some theological concepts could benefit from deeper development. For instance, in discussing the Holy Spirit's role, Rouse emphasizes experiential aspects:
"When the Holy Spirit comes upon you with power, you'll see and do things you never dreamed possible. God may give you prophetic utterances; sick people will be healed; demons will flee at your command; and you'll communicate with the heart of God through your own prayer language" (p. 94).
While these experiences may occur, a more thorough exploration of the Spirit's work in sanctification through the ordinary means of grace would provide theological balance.
Prosperity Gospel Adjacent Language
While the book generally avoids prosperity gospel teachings, occasionally language suggests financial blessing follows generosity:
"Within two months, God orchestrated a series of events that brought in enough money to bring us up to the level where we'd been when we gave it all away, and since then, God has continued to pour out His blessings on our lives beyond anything we had ever dreamed possible!" (p. 202)
Though Rouse clarifies, "The guarantee isn't a promise of financial riches, but spiritual riches" (p. 208), some readers might still interpret certain passages through a prosperity lens.
Binary Believer-Disciple Framework
The stark dichotomy between "believers" and "disciples" occasionally oversimplifies the spiritual growth journey, potentially discouraging Christians who find themselves between categories. A more nuanced progression model might acknowledge that spiritual maturity often involves back-and-forth movement rather than a linear transition.
Who It's For
This book is particularly suited for:
Christians who feel stuck in their spiritual growth
Small group leaders seeking discipleship curriculum
Church leaders wanting to foster deeper commitment in their congregations
New believers ready to move beyond conversion into discipleship
Long-time Christians seeking spiritual renewal
The accessible writing style makes it appropriate for readers at various spiritual stages, though it will most benefit those already familiar with basic Christian concepts and terminology.
Final Thoughts & Recommendation
"10: Qualities that Move You from a Believer to a Disciple" delivers a powerful, Scripture-based call to radical Christian living. Dennis Rouse effectively challenges comfortable Christianity while emphasizing grace as the foundation for transformation. His multicultural ministry experience adds credibility to his biblical exposition.
While some theological aspects could be more thoroughly developed, and prosperity-adjacent language occasionally appears, these don't significantly detract from the book's overall biblical soundness and practical value.
I would highly recommend this book to Christians seeking deeper commitment and church leaders looking to foster discipleship cultures. Readers should, as with any spiritual text, compare its teachings with Scripture and consider it a supplement to—not replacement for—direct biblical study. The reflection questions and group study guide make it particularly valuable for small groups wanting to foster authentic discipleship conversations.
