INTRODUCTION TO THE DISCIPLINES
Introduction
This is an introduction into some ancient Christian practices known as “Spiritual Disciplines”. These practices serve as doorways through which we invite God to change our hearts and draw us closer to Him. James 4:7-8a says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you…” In order to have a walk that is deeper on a spiritual level, we must engage in some activities that bring about a spiritual focus. Modern Christianity seems to say “Be nice, Go to Church, Do the Right Thing.” Many Christians end up feeling empty with advice like that. We want to find some spiritual fuel for our lives that reminds us that God is real.
The goal of the Spiritual Disciplines is Spiritual Formation. “Spiritual Formation is the process of transforming the inner reality of the self in such a way that the overall life with God seen in the Bible naturally and freely comes to pass in us. Our inner world becomes the home of Jesus, by his initiative and our response. (Foster in Graybeal and Roller, p. xi, xii). We are seeking to form our lives and hearts into the image of Jesus Christ.
What are the Spiritual Disciplines that bring about this Spiritual Formation? They include fasting and prayer, study and service, submission and solitude, confession and worship, meditation and silence, simplicity, frugality, secrecy, sacrifice, and celebration. (Foster in Graybeal and Roller, p. xii). Spiritual disciplines can be described as behaviors that facilitate spiritual growth.
The primary requirement for investing ourselves in the Disciplines is a longing after God. Psalm 42:1,2, 7 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?.. .Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” There are some realistic struggles as we begin this series of study.
1. STRUGGLES WE FACE WITH THE DISCIPLINES
Ignorance. The Bible calls us to fasting, prayer, worship, and celebration but gives almost no instruction on how to do them. How many sermons have you heard on fasting … or on the importance of centering Prayer … solitude? This has not been a topic of discussion in Christian circles in any expansive way.
Turning the Disciplines into Mechanics. Practicing the disciplines is not like a science project where you prove the outcome by demonstrating the process. The effects of the Disciplines are inward, spiritual, and affect the heart. Instead of “just tell me what to do” we need to be thinking “just tell me how to become”.
Turning the Disciplines into Laws. These classes are not meant to suggest that those who do not practice the Disciplines are somehow not committed to Jesus. We are not suggesting that God will like us better if we practice the Disciplines. The Disciplines represent a search for intimacy with God, not a new set of rules. “It is not the spiritual disciplines per se that transform us into the likeness of Christ. Without the work of God’s Spirit within, practices guarantee nothing.” (Calhoun, p. 18).
Seeking an Experience. An experience with God is not to be refused, but we are not looking to create such. We may not feel God’s nearness at all. That does not mean He is not near. Feelings are a dangerous barometer of success or intimacy. What often happens when we fall into this temptation is that we reject reality in order to try to discover some other world of the Spirit. This temptation reveals the subtle belief that we cannot experience God in the world we are in, but rather must go beyond this world to experience the things that are truly spiritual. (Metamorpha website)
Trusting Willpower. We need to grow beyond our dependence on willpower to overcome sin. “Whatever may be the issue for us – anger, fear, bitterness, gluttony, pride, lust, substance abuse – we determine never to do it again; we pray against it, fight against it, set our will against it, but the struggle is all in vain and we find ourselves once again morally bankrupt or, worse yet, … proud of our external righteousness…Willpower will never succeed in dealing with the deeply ingrained habits of sin.” (Foster, p. 4, 5)
Bearing little spiritual fruit. “…Spiritual gifts must be developed by discipline in order to bear spiritual fruit.” (Whitney, p. 23)
2. WHY STUDY THE DISCIPLINES?
They are a Means of Receiving Grace. “God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving his grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us.” (Foster, p.7) Galatians 6:8 “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life”
The Disciplines are a way of sowing to the Spirit … getting us into the ground where God can work within us and transform us. “As we place ourselves in them to seek communion with Christ, His grace flows to us.” (Whitney, p. 19)
A Means of Pursuing Godliness. 1 Timothy 4:7 “…discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness…”
Revelation of False Self-Conceptions and Idols of our heart. “Becoming aware of what is true and false about us is essential for spiritual growth, and it is not always comfortable.” (Calhoun, p. 19)
Jesus Expects us to Seek Him. “Throughout the centuries the disciplines of prayer, confession, worship, stewardship, fellowship, service, attending to Scripture and the Lord’s Supper have remained constant channels and disciplines of grace. These time-resilient disciplines give the church in every age and culture ways to keep company with Jesus.” (Calhoun, p. 18). Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Jesus Modeled the Disciplines For Us. “Jesus was the most disciplined Man who ever lived and yet the most joyful and passionately alive. He is our example of discipline.” (Whitney, p. 24)
Conclusion
The undisciplined are like playwright George Kaufman, who was enduring a sales pitch from a gold-mine promoter. The salesman was praising the productivity of the mine in hopes of persuading Kaufman to buy shares in it. “Why, it’s so rich you can pick up the chunks of gold from the ground.” Kaufman said, “Do you mean I’d have to bend over?” The gold of Godliness isn’t found on the surface of Christianity. It has to be dug from the depths with the tools of the Disciplines. (Whitney, p. 22) For the most part, the practicing of the disciplines will usually have two outcomes for our soul. The disciplines can either bring consolation (a feeling of closeness with God) or desolation (a feeling of God’s absence). (Coe)
God’s Grace is unearned and unearnable, we are not trying to win God’s love. We are simply putting ourselves in a place where God can change us (so that we can fulfill the potential God has created in us).
REFERENCES
Albecht, Charles & Susie. www.wcg.org/lit/spiritual/group/discip1.htm
Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, 2005, InterVarsity Press.
Coe, Dr. John. Class Notes, www.metamorpha.com
Foster, Richard J. Celebration of Discipline Special 20th Anniversary Edition, 1998, Harper Collins.
Graybeal, Lynda L. and Roller, Julia L. Learning From Jesus, 2006, Renovare, Inc.
Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life, 1991, NavPress.
