Being Conformed thru Discipline part 8

Here’s a few more disciplines to consider that we find in the New Testament.

Secrecy

Matthew 6:1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Confession

Psalm 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

Psalm 51:1-4 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Do not feel worried if you do not remember all your little peccadilloes in confession, for as you often fall imperceptibly, so you are often raised up imperceptibly. -Francis de Sales

 Listening

If you have trouble hearing God speak, you are in trouble at the very heart of your Christian experience. -Henry Blackaby

The Discipline of Listening (which includes Obedience: to hear is to obey in the New Testament) is often questioned in our secular way of thinking in America.  To think that God speaks to us, to you, is perhaps unbelievable, yet consider the words of Jesus.

John 10:25-30 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
I and the Father are one."

Proverbs 8:33-34 Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.
God did not address the call to Isaiah;  Isaiah overheard God saying, “Who will go for us?” 

The call of God is not for the special few, it is for everyone.  Whether or not I hear God’s call depends upon the state of my ears;  and what I hear depends upon my disposition. Oswald Chambers (MUFHH 1/14)

You have never heard the voice of God, and you say: “The day of miracles is past.  I am never disturbed.  I make my own plans and live where I please and do as I like.  What do you mean by a disturbing element?”  …Beloved, you are living still among the fleshpots and garlic of Egypt.  You are still in slavery…  You know no disturbing voice?  God never points out for you a pathway altogether different from the one you planned?  Then my brother, you are living still in the land of slavery, in the land of darkness. -G. Campbell Morgan

Being Conformed thru Discipline part 7

Joel 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.

Matthew 6:16-18 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

In our day and age of consumption the Discipline of Fasting for the believer is a challenge and seems out of date.  Yet as you can read above from the lips of Jesus, that Fasting should be a regular part of our devotional life and walking in following Jesus.  In fact look at the rest of Matthew 6 and see that fasting is treated like Praying or Giving, which most consider a normal part of following Jesus.  Consider the following quotes:

The fast day was a glorious day, such as London has scarce seen since the Restoration.  Every church in the city was more than full, and a solemn seriousness sat on every face.  Surely God heareth prayer, and there will yet be a lengthening of tranquility. -John Wesley, in 1756, after the king of England called for a national fast because of a threatened invasion by France

It was not Christ’s intention to reject or despise fasting… it was His intension to restore proper fasting. - Martin Luther

Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have been high days indeed; never has Heaven’s gate stood wider; never have our hearts been nearer the central Glory. -C.H. Spurgeon

First, let fasting be done unto the Lord with our eye singly fixed on Him.  Let our intention herein be this, and this alone, to glorify our Father which is in heaven. - John Wesley

Self-indulgence is the enemy of gratitude, and self-discipline usually it's friend and generator. That is why gluttony is a deadly sin. The early desert fathers believed that a person's appetites are linked: full stomachs and jaded palates take the edge from our hunger and thirst for righteousness. They spoil the appetite for God. - Cornelius Platinga, Jr.

Now it is not my intention here to write about the different types of fasts found in the Bible or the different ways that you can practice this in your life, you can read or find a PDF copy online of Richard Fosters book: The Celebration of Discipline.  It is my hope that you consider this discipline of fasting and make it yours… in your life… as you follow Jesus.

Being Conformed thru Discipline part 6

I would like to say a little more about our time in God’s Word and the absolute necessity of hiding His Word in our hearts.  There are many ways to fill our mind these days with God’s Word.  We have the written Word, everybody has a Bible… or 2 or 3.  I have the Bible on my IPOD (max Mclean reading it, which I bought years ago as MP3s) and now also on my IPhone, which has multiple versions for free in print and audio… Max Mclean again, but for free.  We have so many opportunities, but in our harried lives we must carve out time to be with God in His Word.

There are many passages that come to mind about the importance of this, but here’s just a few all from Psalm 119.

Psalm 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:28 My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

Psalm 119:37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.

Psalm 119:89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

Psalm 119:101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.

Psalm 119:172 May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.

Now there are many ways to read God’s Word, here is an ancient idea from Church History which many Christians have practiced in following Jesus.  It’s called “Lectio Divina” (latin) = sacred reading. Simply put:

Lectio = reading: pick a short passage to read

Meditatio = meditation: take some time to reflect on this passage

Oratio = Prayer: pray it back to God

Contemplatio = contemplation: be silent before God, and yield to His presence

Why not try it today with Ephesians chapter 1 or 3, great chapters to read, meditate on and personalize while praying back to the Father.

Being Conformed thru Discipline part 5

All of life requires discipline if there is going to be growth, maintenance and change.  In athletics it’s often stated No Pain, No Gain.  The disciplines in the Christian’s life are practiced to get us where we want to be and that is closer to Jesus.  To have His life further revealed and living through me

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Today in reading My Utmost for His Highest be Oswald Chambers I read…

The Habit of Enjoying Adversity

. . . that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body —2 Corinthians 4:10

We have to develop godly habits to express what God’s grace has done in us. It is not just a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that “the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” And it is adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh. Is my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the basic irritation of “myself” that I would have apart from Him? The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me. No matter how difficult something may be, I must say, “Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this.” Instantly, the Son of God will move to the forefront of my life, and will manifest in my body that which glorifies Him.

You must not debate. The moment you obey the light of God, His Son shines through you in that very adversity; but if you debate with God, you grieve His Spirit (see Ephesians 4:30). You must keep yourself in the proper condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is. Discovering a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God’s sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to “supply all your need” (Philippians 4:19).

Keep your soul properly conditioned to manifest the life of the Son of God. Never live on your memories of past experiences, but let the Word of God always be living and active in you.

Being Conformed thru Discipline part 4

What are the Spiritual Disciplines? The following are commonly thought of through Church History as Spiritual Disciplines.  This list is not exhaustive, but I hope it provokes thought, interest and practice.

Solitude & Silence (often overlooked in our busy & noisy day and age)

Matthew 14:23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
John 6:15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.

“Here he spent precious hours alone, praying aloud, singing praise to the Lord, quoting Scriptures of promise and challenge that flooded his mind—now wrestling in urgent prayer,  now pacing the hillside in silence.” -Biography of Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators

“Our age has been sadly deficient in what may be termed spiritual greatness.  At the root of this is the modern disease of shallowness.  We are all too impatient to meditate on the faith we profess…  It is not the busy skimming over religious books or the careless hastening through religious duties which makes for a strong Christian faith.  Rather, it is unhurried meditation on gospel truths and the exposing of our minds to these truths that yield the fruit of sanctified character.” - Maurice Roberts

In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds.  If he can keep us engaged in “muchness” and “manyness,” he will rest satisfied.” -Richard Foster

Prayer:

Luke 11:1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

“Prayer, secret, fervent, believing prayer—lies at the root of all personal godliness” -William Carey

“The great fault of the children of God is, they do not continue in prayer;  they do not go on praying;  they do not persevere.  If they desire anything for God’s glory, they should pray until they get it.  Oh, how good, and kind, and gracious, and condescending is the One with Whom we have to do!  He has given me, unworthy as I am, immeasurably above all I had asked or thought!” -George Muller

Journaling:

Psalm 77:11-12 I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

We must face the fact that many today are notoriously careless in their living.  “This attitude finds it way into the church.  We have liberty, we have money, we live in comparative luxury.  As a result, discipline practically has disappeared.  What would a violin solo sound like if the strings on the musician’s instrument were all hanging loose, not stretched tight, not “disciplined”? -AW Tozer

“The practice of keeping a diary would promote vigilance.  The lives of many are spent at a sort of hazard… Now a diary would have a tendency to raise the standard to such persons by exciting vigilance.” -Josiah Pratt

Study & Meditation:

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
Psalm 19:11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

“Plenty of people who are under the Word, are not in it.” - Howard Hendricks

Next Time a Little more of this.

Being Conformed thru Discipline part 3

"Discipline Without Direction Is Drudgery"

“We do not want to be beginners.  But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners all our life!” Thomas Merton

The word for discipline in the New Testament is  "Gumnasia" = To Exercise Discipline… note to exercise, and the word gym in the Greek word gumnasia.  We must exercise the spiritual disciplines if we are to get stronger, be in shape in Jesus. The disciplines are NEVER an end to themselves, but rather they put me in a place to see and be with Jesus.  Conisder…

Luke 18:35f As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.
They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Luke 19:1f Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny

himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

“I must take care above all that I cultivate communion with Christ, for though that can never be the basis of my peace—mark that—yet it will be the channel of it.” Charles Spurgeon

There is a Danger in neglecting the Spiritual Disciplines and then atrophy will set in. Rather there is a Freedom in Embracing the Spiritual Disciplines

2 Peter 1:6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness

The Spiritual Disciplines are the “Door to Liberation.” Richard Foster

“Freedom and discipline have come to be regarded as mutually exclusive, when in fact freedom is not at all the opposite, but the final reward, of discipline.” Elizabeth Elliot

There is an Invitation to All Believers to Enjoy the Spiritual Disciplines

 “My central aim is that we can become like Christ by doing one thing—by following Him in the overall style of life he chose for Himself.  If we have faith in Christ, we must believe that He knew how to live.  We can, through faith and grace, become like Christ by practicing the types of activities He engaged in, by arranging our whole lives around the activities He Himself practiced in order to remain constantly at home in the fellowship of His Father.” Dallas Willard

Next time the Spiritual Disciplines to consider for our lives in following Jesus.

Being Conformed thru Discipline part 2

Now striking the above balance can prove tricky as there are some Pit Falls in the Disciplines such as:

1. Reliance on “Willpower” and “Human Determination” to overcome sin

Colossians 2:20-3:4 Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

2. Self-Righteousness -righteousness is a gift from God, through His grace alone;

Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Romans 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

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.

3. Turning the Spiritual Disciplines into Legalistic Requirements

Matthew 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 23:4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

2 Corinthians 3:6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

And when we do that they become External, Manipulative, Judgmental and result in Fear and Pride

4. Comparisons with Others (always leads to one of the two extremes-either I praise myself by patting myself on the back or I belittle myself and kick myself in the butt... comparisons are seldom good for us)

Some of the benefits of Discipline include what Dallas Willard calls“The Law of Indirect Preparedness” it;s good to be ready, we never know what’s coming around life’s next bend.  And finally let me suggest that Holy Habits become our Character (we begin to smell like Jesus)

2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Sow a thought and you reap an action;

Sow an act and you reap a habit;

Sow a habit and you reap a character;

Sow a character and you reap a destiny

Being Conformed thru Disicipline part 1

Again while away on Sabbatical I’ll be blogging and I’d like to continue from Dr Ken Boa’s book: Conformed to His Image.

Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in the classical disciplines of the spiritual life.  I teach a class called Holy Habits, which is all about the classic Christian disciplines,  We must discipline ourselves in all areas of life, why woul we ever think that following Jesus will just occur in us without attention?

2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

The alternative to discipline is disaster. -Vance Havner

Ours is an undisciplined age.  The old disciplines are breaking down… Above all, the discipline of divine grace is derided as legalism or is entirely unknown to a generation that is largely illiterate in the Scriptures.  We need the rugged strength of Christian character that can only come from discipline.-V. Raymond Edman

We must find balance and fight the extremes in disciplining ourselves in Christ.

Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

John 14:15-17 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Romans 12:1-8 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
1 Peter 1:22-25 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.

There are 2 Extremes:

#1: An Overemphasis of God’s role and minimizes our role

#2: An Overemphasis of our role and minimizes God’s role

We Need Both!!!

1. We Need to Depend on the Holy Spirit

John 15:4-5 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

2. We Need to Discipline Ourselves –

1 Timothy 4:7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
2 Timothy 2:3-6 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

The WORD still Speaks

I have just started my 3^rd Sabbatical, and am the second day.  Though away till July, it is my plan to still keep in touch through this blog.

Currently I find myself in the Minor Prophets (only minor because of the length of their writings) and I have been struck with the phrase: “the word of the LORD.”

The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel: Hosea 1:1
The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel. Joel 1:1
Hear this word the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel--against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: Amos 3:1
The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: Jonah 1:1
The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah--the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Micah 1:1 As I was reading and meditating John 1 came to mind.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17

It’s all about Jesus… The Word that spoke, the Word that became flesh, the Word that still speaks. So

Hear the word of the LORD…. Hosea 4:1