Now we move to the next essential discipline--Simplicity: Uncluttering Our Minds
One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow,
`Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go
In our pursuit of intimacy with God, we will find that our minds need time and experience in order to assimilate these concepts. They are foreign---very unnatural—to the natural mind. The natural state of mind for all of us is to satisfy physical wants—mostly legitimate ones—as a primary motivation in virtually every area of life. The disciplines are spiritual activities that feel awkward at first. Like any new model of behavior, they must be wrestled with, talked through, come to terms with, tried on. As time passes, and by the grace of God, a few of them will begin to settle into a routine. You will discover, looking back over a few months, that you have changed. How did it happen? You set your sails in a new direction, and you are no longer helplessly blown by the guts of each gale. The disciplines have given you the ability to choose your destination: intimacy with God that results in Christlikeness. The simplicity of your choice helps unclutter your mind.
Remember our key verse???
10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope], (Philippians 3:10, The Amplified Bible)
Notice the words “continually transformed.” This perspective may also prove helpful: Christlikeness is a journey, not a destination—at least on the side of God’s radical transformation of the world during the end times. The joy is in the journey. Plan on a lifetime of travel. While you’re at it, learn to enjoy the ride, despite of the inevitable wrong turns and sometimes toilsome progress. The satisfaction and peace you gain far outweigh the inconvenience.
SOURCES OF MIND-CLUTTER
In order for intimacy with the Almighty to become our determined purpose, we will have to make some major changes. That process begins with an honest assessment of what stands in our way. The first and most obvious challenges we face are the enormous complications of this century and the resulting clutter it produces in our minds.
a. Most of us today say yes to far too many things. That means we are busier than we need to be, perhaps because we fear the void in our souls that a few quiet hours might reveal. “Much of our activity today is little more than a cheap anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty life.” (Lewis Sperry Chaffer, founder of Dallas Theological Seminary)
b. Most of us do not plan time for leisure and rejuvenation. We dutifully pull out our day planner to fill the spaces between activities. Stop and think: when was the last time you marked off a block of time in your planner and wrote “rest” in the middle of it?
c. Most of us experience the joy of accomplishment. A wise man once wrote, “A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.” (Proverbs 13:19 NKJV). But with too much to do, we dash off to the next obligation, often without finishing the previous one or taking the time to stand back and savor a job well done.
d. Most people living in wealthy countries owe more than they can hope to repay. And to make matters worse, most are working their way even deeper into debt. “The borrower becomes the lender’s slave” (Proverbs 22:7).
e. Most of us fool ourselves into thinking that with our modern technology we have simplified our lives. Truth be told, we have complicated them.
Aleksandr Solzhenistsyn once wrote:
Do not pursue what is illusory. All that is gained at the expense of your nerves decade and is confiscated in the fell of night. Live with the steady superiority over life. Don’t be afraid of misfortune. Do not yearn after happiness. It is, after all, the same. The bitter doesn’t last forever. And the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing. It is enough if you don’t freeze in the cold. And if thirst and hunger don’t claw at your insides, if you back isn’t broken, if your feet can walk and your arms can bend, if both eyes can see, if both ears hear, then whom…whom should you envy?
Our life is frittered away by detail. Simply. Simply. – Henry Thoreau
2 Corinthians 11:2-4 (New American Standard Bible)
2For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I (A)betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might (B)present you as a pure virgin.
3But I am afraid that, as the (C)serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
4For if one comes and preaches (D)another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a (E)different spirit which you have not received, or a (F)different gospel which you have not accepted, you (G)bear this (H)beautifully.
Take note of his concern: that their “minds will be led astray.” From what? Simplicity. Purity.
2 Cor. 11:3 The Message
1-3Will you put up with a little foolish aside from me? Please, just for a moment. The thing that has me so upset is that I care about you so much—this is the passion of God burning inside me! I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her husband. And now I'm afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ.
Pause to ponder the words “seduced” and “lured away.” Both are like erosion, silent and slow and subtle. But talk about damaging!
The virtue of simplicity
The message of Christianity is quickly becoming a system of enlightened thinking instead of a simple call to turn from sin and pursue a relationship with God.
I urge you to focus fully on simplicity, on purity.
Simple – a compliment, meaning unwavering, disciplined, determined, moving in a clearly defined direction—but not now. Not it is suggests you’re not operating at full capacity above the shoulders!
CLUTTER AS THE ENEMY OF SIMPLICITY
Where is your ship going? It is blown here and there by the shifting winds of complications? Is anyone at the helm? Are you reacting to the needs of immediate or ordering your priorities to enjoy deeper devotion to Jesus Christ? Have you found yourself working harder, not for the satisfaction of a job well done but to keep one step ahead of your creditors? Do you use technology to simply your life, or do you spend much of your time and money maintaining your gadgets?
Too much clutter in your mind leaves insufficient room for devotion to Christ. And it shows up how you relate to Him. For instance, do you take time to pray?
What about meditation? Psalm 1:2
You need to invest time and the energy to cultivate a depth of devotion. It is that which requires us to simplify—to unclutter our lives, to weed the garden of our minds to make room for something beautiful to grow.
What are specific ways we should incorporate this new understanding so that we become more like Jesus Christ?
Maintaining An Uncluttered Private Life
Think of your own personal life. 2 Cor. 5:9-10
Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
1. Do you spend time with God? I mean private time all alone with Him. Would you find it helpful to begin simplifying your schedule so that you can begin meeting with God, even if it is for 15 minutes each day? 15 UNINTERRUPTED MINUTES…away from people, with the television and radio…and cellphone turned off. Time spent alone with God.
There is always a good reason to leave the Master’s feet to do His work—or so convince ourselves. So, to protect that time, I’ve had to make one tiny yet powerful world a regular part of my vocabulary.
The word is no.
We can make our lives as complicated or as simple as we desire with a kind, polite, respectful, yet all-important no.
This may be especially difficult for you if you are multitalented. Chances are good that a person with a limited number of abilities has a less complicated life than those of you who are good at several things. You can speak, you can sing, you can organize, you can put meetings together, you get things done, and your disciplined in those areas; so people naturally call on you. I read years ago that the world is run by tired people. I think that’s true. You’ve heard the adage, “If you want to get something done, ask somebody who’s busy.” Well, maybe it’s time for you, the busy person, to say, “No, not this year. I won’t be in charge of this.” Or, “No, I’m not able to plan this and that.” Or, “I’m sorry, I can’t do what I thought I could when I said yes earlier. Please find someone else.”
Just say no.
2. Have you become a clutter person within? Our surroundings often reflect what’s going on inside. When my desk, my closet, and my car start getting cluttered, that’s a sign that my life has accumulated needless extras while I wasn’t paying attention. It’s normal. That can happen to anyone who is productive. But it can’t stay that way.
Maintaining An Uncluttered Public Life
1. Are good things keeping you from choosing God’s best? The process of simplifying life can be very painful process involving some extremely difficult decisions.
Philippians 3:13-14
Look at the example Jesus gave us. When He came to the end of His earthly ministry, though only 33 years old, He said boldly, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). That’s an uncluttered life. He could have gotten much more involved with the 12 disciples, or He could have chosen 25 disciples to more than double His earthly outreach. He could have traveled to Rome, the seat of civilization at the time, or to Athens, where He could touch great minds in order to extend the impact of His ministry to a much broader base of humanity.
But Jesus chose only 12 disciples. He mentored them slowly and intimately and never traveled very far from the place of His birth. Some might say that if you’re going to revolutionize the world, you need to care your cause to as many parts of it as possible. But Jesus deliberately limited His itinerary. He kept His ministry simple. At the end, just before breathing His last, He said, “It is finished.”
2. Are too many material possessions draining your energy, leaving you exhausted and maybe even resentful? Simplifying may call for unloading some of your material possessions that require so much of your time, energy, and money that you should invest elsewhere. Consider selling or perhaps giving away some of those burdens.
SIMPLICITY LEADS TO INTIMACY
One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow,
`Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go
Are you going where you want to go, or are the gales of a complicated life pushing you away from the best destination? Simplify. Your journey toward intimacy includes of simplicity, which but its exercise, leaves you with more time, not less. And because this discipline is an exercise in subtraction, the fruit of it is additional room—margin, some call it—to enjoy a long-lasting, satisfying, rewarding, intimate relationship with God.
Credit to Charles Swindoll for his book "So, Do You Want To Be Like Christ?"
Monday, March 23, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Intimacy: Deeping Our Lives
Essential Discipline Number One
Again, I give credit to Charles Swindoll for his book, "So, Do You Want To Be Like Christ?"
Let's begin.
We live in a society that tries to diminish us to the level of the antheap so that we scurry mindlessly, getting and consuming. It is essential to take counteraction…Every one of us needs to be stretched to live at our best, awakened out of dull moral habits, shaken out of petty and trivial busy-work. – Eugene Peterson
a. How necessary is change. We’re so grateful we’re not where we once were more than 10 years ago, not only geographically but also spiritually and personally. Growth is change but, as we will see later, not all change is growth.
b. How essential is perspective. Life seemed so complicated, so difficult while living it back then. But glancing back over our shoulders, things looked very different because we were different.
GROWING BEYOND EARLY LOVE VERSUS LEAVING IT
Let’s shift gears from the geographical and the physical realms to the spiritual and the personal. In so doing, let me remind you of an ancient church that you and I would probably have attended had we lived in that city at the end of the first century. It was among the best churches of the era. The church is named simply “the church in Ephesus” (Revelation 2:1). This is what the Lord Himself had to say about this church and He sized it up:
I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false. Revelation 2:2
Here is a church that worked diligently and was known for its zeal and discernment. They would have nothing to do with apostolic pretenders. This discerning group of believers formed a church famous for its doctrine. It was biblically sound and probably had strong leaders, with many courageous people willing to take a stand in opposition to wrong. They gave no time to folks who were phony. They were zealous and firm and relentless in their pursuit of truth. So far, so good. However, all was not well in the Ephesian church.
Verse 4 begins with the linguist call a particle of contrast: but. For three verses we read nothing but commendable things, attributes of a local assembly of believers that would have drawn you and hundreds of other first-century worshipers like you to the church at Ephesus. “But I have this against you,” the Lord says with a sigh. “You have left your first love.”
John R. W. Stott’s What Christ Thinks of the Church adds:
They had fallen from the early heights of devotion to Christ which they had climbed. They had descended to the plains of mediocrity. In a word, they were backsliders… Certainly the hearts of the Ephesian Christians had chilled.
CHILLED. What a horrible way to describe the heart of a Christian!
Stott continues, “Their first flush of ecstacy had passed. Their early devotion to Christ had cooled. They had been in love with Him, but they had fallen out of love.”
How much had changed since Paul had penned his last comment to that church in his letter to the Ephesians: “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love” (Ephesians 6:24)
In that benediction, I feel and longing in the great apostle’s heart that the Ephesian Christians experience no waning of love. By the time John wrote the book of Revelation 30 years later, Paul’s dreams were dashed. Jesus said, in effect, “You left that love. You once had a love that was incorruptible, but you abandoned it. You once enjoyed a devotion that was consistent, meaningful, satisfying. In fact, the warmth of your love transformed your thinking and your attitudes; it revolutionized the way you related to Me, to your heavenly Father, to your brother and sisters. But you have cooled off.”
Let’s go on a brief spiritual pilgrimage together.
Journey back in your mind to your first day as a brand-new believer in Jesus Christ. Return to that time when your love was budding and emerging into full bloom. Remember when you would speak of Christ and it would ignite your heart with an exciting burst of zeal and delight? Remember when prayer was new and untried, and you felt its power as you communed with the Almighty? Remember when the Bible was that delicious Book of truth filled with delectable insights you had never known before? Remember when sharing Him with someone else represent the highlight of your week? Remember when your devotion was consistent, fulfilling, enriching…deep?
What happened to all of that? When you ponder those questions—not just in passing, but taking time to concentrate as you ponder them—perhaps you feel like one of the Ephesian Christians whom Jesus urged, “Remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first.” (Revelation 2:5)
Your spiritual life may be in need of some major changes. A new perspective is essential in order to rekindle that first-love kind of relationship where God is real again, where you and He are on much closer speaking terms. The kind of intimacy that doesn’t require a stirring message from the pulpit and doesn’t depend upon a great worship event or concert but simply exists as a natural part of your walk.
INTIMACY WITH GOD REQUIRES ACTION
Distance from God is a frightening thing. God will never adjust His agenda to fit ours. He will not speed His pace to catch up with ours; we need to slow our pace in order to recover our walk with Him. He will not scream and shout over the noisy clamor; He expects us to seek quietness, where His still, small voice can be heard again. God will not work within the framework of our complicated schedules; we must adapt to His style. We need to conform to His way if our lives are to be characterized by the all-encompassing word godliness.
Godliness is still our desire as believers, isn’t it?
But the great question is, how? How do busy people, living fact-paced and complicated lives, facing relentless pressures, consistently walk with God? Whatever would be included in the answers, we can be assured that they will not come naturally, automatically, quickly, or easily. I do not think a person on this earth has ever been automatically godly or quickly godly or easily or naturally godly. “This world is no friend of grace to help up on to God.” Everything around us is designed to make us dissatisfied with our present condition.
Henri Nouwen said that while he was driving through LA on one occasion, he felt like he was driving through a giant dictionary—words everywhere, sounds everywhere, signs everywhere, saying, “Use me, take me, buy me, drink me, smell me, touch me, kiss me, sleep with me.” He found himself longing to get away from all those words, all those giant signs and sounds. Why? Not because there was something innately wrong with those things—some, but not all. He grieved that it was all so empty, so devoid of God.
So how do we pull it off? How, in a world bent on distracting us from growing deeper in our first love always enticing us to pursue the pointless, do we find closeness with God? How do you and I become more godly? The word is DISCIPLINE. The secret lies in our returning to the spiritual disciplines.
1 Timothy 4:1-8
Paul was sitting alone in a dungeon when he wrote this letter to Timothy. His younger friend was serving as pastor of a church—interestingly, the church in Ephesus. This instruction came sometime after the letter wrote to the Ephesians and before the letter Jesus wrote to that same church in Revelations 2.
It is so easy to get religious instead of godly.
The general public may have this marvelous idea about how godly we are, when if the truth were known, many of us would have to say, “I am stagnant, and I have been that way longer that I want to admit.”
What is missing? Stop and think. It’s that “first love,” the great fountain that both generates the spiritual disciplines and feeds on them.
The almighty, awesome God loves it when we are intimate with Him. So, our goal is intimacy, and according to Scripture, intimacy with God requires spiritual disciplines.
The cause of the distressed human condition, individual and social—and its only possible cure—is a spiritual one.
The Kingdom of God as real part of our daily lives. But the hardest thing in the world, it seems, is for God to have our full attention so that intimacy with Him glows from within and can be seen by others as a passion that is authentic. A humble spirituality that leaves us, the clay, willingly soft and malleable in the hands of the Potter, our sovereign God.
I want depth, I don’t want heights. I want substance; I don’t want speed. I want fulfillment in my walk with Christ, not just talk about my fulfillment. I want to be able to think theologically and biblically, not be entertained with theological theories and biblical stories.
Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people. - Richard Foster
Don’t suspect for a moment that our environment makes us deep. Hanging out at church hoping it will transform you into a deep Christian is only slightly less foolish than expecting enough time in a garage to turn you into a car. Our environment—even a spiritual nurturing one—won’t change us. The Spirit of God working on our volition changes us. Furthermore, we become more malleable in the hands of the Spirit when soften by the disciplines. Inevitably God works through those disciplines to create people with depth—people with a greater capacity for wisdom.
WITH WISDOM COMES CHRISTLIKENESS
We need wisdom, not just knowledge. God is willing to give wisdom, but not on our terms. As we go deeper, He begins to entrust us with more and more of His mind. In the process we become more like Christ.
When tragedy strikes, we don’t need more intelligence. We don’t need a great number of skills. We need depth. Job 23:10-12…Paul- 2 Corinthians 12:9..
Philippians 3:10…For my determined purpose is to know Christ…
INTIMACY WITH GOD MUST BE INTENTIONAL
Intimacy is the state of being intimate, belonging to or characterizing one’s deepest nature. Intimacy is marked by a very close association, contact, or familiarity. Relationally, intimacy is a warm and satisfying friendship developing through long association on a very personal and private level.
How distant are you from God right now? Has your closeness with Him chilled? Could that be why your worship has become perfunctory? Do you sing the songs while thinking about something else?
Discipline is training that corrects and perfects our mental faculties or molds our moral character. Discipline is control gained by enforced obedience. It is deliberate cultivation of inner order.
So how are intimacy and discipline connected?
Intimacy – Goal
Discipline – Means to that end
Our great tendency in this age is to increase our speed, to run faster, even in the Christian life. In the process our walk with God stays shallow, and our tank runs low on fumes. Intimacy offers a full tack of fuel that can only be found by pulling up closer to God, which requires taking necessary time and going to the effort to make that happen. Remember, Paul said that his “determined purpose” (discipline) was that he might “know God more intimately and personally” (the goal).
Intimacy and discipline work together—and in the process, in a very real way, the means (discipline) leads to the very satisfying end (intimacy).
Again, I give credit to Charles Swindoll for his book, "So, Do You Want To Be Like Christ?"
Let's begin.
We live in a society that tries to diminish us to the level of the antheap so that we scurry mindlessly, getting and consuming. It is essential to take counteraction…Every one of us needs to be stretched to live at our best, awakened out of dull moral habits, shaken out of petty and trivial busy-work. – Eugene Peterson
a. How necessary is change. We’re so grateful we’re not where we once were more than 10 years ago, not only geographically but also spiritually and personally. Growth is change but, as we will see later, not all change is growth.
b. How essential is perspective. Life seemed so complicated, so difficult while living it back then. But glancing back over our shoulders, things looked very different because we were different.
GROWING BEYOND EARLY LOVE VERSUS LEAVING IT
Let’s shift gears from the geographical and the physical realms to the spiritual and the personal. In so doing, let me remind you of an ancient church that you and I would probably have attended had we lived in that city at the end of the first century. It was among the best churches of the era. The church is named simply “the church in Ephesus” (Revelation 2:1). This is what the Lord Himself had to say about this church and He sized it up:
I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false. Revelation 2:2
Here is a church that worked diligently and was known for its zeal and discernment. They would have nothing to do with apostolic pretenders. This discerning group of believers formed a church famous for its doctrine. It was biblically sound and probably had strong leaders, with many courageous people willing to take a stand in opposition to wrong. They gave no time to folks who were phony. They were zealous and firm and relentless in their pursuit of truth. So far, so good. However, all was not well in the Ephesian church.
Verse 4 begins with the linguist call a particle of contrast: but. For three verses we read nothing but commendable things, attributes of a local assembly of believers that would have drawn you and hundreds of other first-century worshipers like you to the church at Ephesus. “But I have this against you,” the Lord says with a sigh. “You have left your first love.”
John R. W. Stott’s What Christ Thinks of the Church adds:
They had fallen from the early heights of devotion to Christ which they had climbed. They had descended to the plains of mediocrity. In a word, they were backsliders… Certainly the hearts of the Ephesian Christians had chilled.
CHILLED. What a horrible way to describe the heart of a Christian!
Stott continues, “Their first flush of ecstacy had passed. Their early devotion to Christ had cooled. They had been in love with Him, but they had fallen out of love.”
How much had changed since Paul had penned his last comment to that church in his letter to the Ephesians: “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love” (Ephesians 6:24)
In that benediction, I feel and longing in the great apostle’s heart that the Ephesian Christians experience no waning of love. By the time John wrote the book of Revelation 30 years later, Paul’s dreams were dashed. Jesus said, in effect, “You left that love. You once had a love that was incorruptible, but you abandoned it. You once enjoyed a devotion that was consistent, meaningful, satisfying. In fact, the warmth of your love transformed your thinking and your attitudes; it revolutionized the way you related to Me, to your heavenly Father, to your brother and sisters. But you have cooled off.”
Let’s go on a brief spiritual pilgrimage together.
Journey back in your mind to your first day as a brand-new believer in Jesus Christ. Return to that time when your love was budding and emerging into full bloom. Remember when you would speak of Christ and it would ignite your heart with an exciting burst of zeal and delight? Remember when prayer was new and untried, and you felt its power as you communed with the Almighty? Remember when the Bible was that delicious Book of truth filled with delectable insights you had never known before? Remember when sharing Him with someone else represent the highlight of your week? Remember when your devotion was consistent, fulfilling, enriching…deep?
What happened to all of that? When you ponder those questions—not just in passing, but taking time to concentrate as you ponder them—perhaps you feel like one of the Ephesian Christians whom Jesus urged, “Remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first.” (Revelation 2:5)
Your spiritual life may be in need of some major changes. A new perspective is essential in order to rekindle that first-love kind of relationship where God is real again, where you and He are on much closer speaking terms. The kind of intimacy that doesn’t require a stirring message from the pulpit and doesn’t depend upon a great worship event or concert but simply exists as a natural part of your walk.
INTIMACY WITH GOD REQUIRES ACTION
Distance from God is a frightening thing. God will never adjust His agenda to fit ours. He will not speed His pace to catch up with ours; we need to slow our pace in order to recover our walk with Him. He will not scream and shout over the noisy clamor; He expects us to seek quietness, where His still, small voice can be heard again. God will not work within the framework of our complicated schedules; we must adapt to His style. We need to conform to His way if our lives are to be characterized by the all-encompassing word godliness.
Godliness is still our desire as believers, isn’t it?
But the great question is, how? How do busy people, living fact-paced and complicated lives, facing relentless pressures, consistently walk with God? Whatever would be included in the answers, we can be assured that they will not come naturally, automatically, quickly, or easily. I do not think a person on this earth has ever been automatically godly or quickly godly or easily or naturally godly. “This world is no friend of grace to help up on to God.” Everything around us is designed to make us dissatisfied with our present condition.
Henri Nouwen said that while he was driving through LA on one occasion, he felt like he was driving through a giant dictionary—words everywhere, sounds everywhere, signs everywhere, saying, “Use me, take me, buy me, drink me, smell me, touch me, kiss me, sleep with me.” He found himself longing to get away from all those words, all those giant signs and sounds. Why? Not because there was something innately wrong with those things—some, but not all. He grieved that it was all so empty, so devoid of God.
So how do we pull it off? How, in a world bent on distracting us from growing deeper in our first love always enticing us to pursue the pointless, do we find closeness with God? How do you and I become more godly? The word is DISCIPLINE. The secret lies in our returning to the spiritual disciplines.
1 Timothy 4:1-8
Paul was sitting alone in a dungeon when he wrote this letter to Timothy. His younger friend was serving as pastor of a church—interestingly, the church in Ephesus. This instruction came sometime after the letter wrote to the Ephesians and before the letter Jesus wrote to that same church in Revelations 2.
It is so easy to get religious instead of godly.
The general public may have this marvelous idea about how godly we are, when if the truth were known, many of us would have to say, “I am stagnant, and I have been that way longer that I want to admit.”
What is missing? Stop and think. It’s that “first love,” the great fountain that both generates the spiritual disciplines and feeds on them.
The almighty, awesome God loves it when we are intimate with Him. So, our goal is intimacy, and according to Scripture, intimacy with God requires spiritual disciplines.
The cause of the distressed human condition, individual and social—and its only possible cure—is a spiritual one.
The Kingdom of God as real part of our daily lives. But the hardest thing in the world, it seems, is for God to have our full attention so that intimacy with Him glows from within and can be seen by others as a passion that is authentic. A humble spirituality that leaves us, the clay, willingly soft and malleable in the hands of the Potter, our sovereign God.
I want depth, I don’t want heights. I want substance; I don’t want speed. I want fulfillment in my walk with Christ, not just talk about my fulfillment. I want to be able to think theologically and biblically, not be entertained with theological theories and biblical stories.
Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people. - Richard Foster
Don’t suspect for a moment that our environment makes us deep. Hanging out at church hoping it will transform you into a deep Christian is only slightly less foolish than expecting enough time in a garage to turn you into a car. Our environment—even a spiritual nurturing one—won’t change us. The Spirit of God working on our volition changes us. Furthermore, we become more malleable in the hands of the Spirit when soften by the disciplines. Inevitably God works through those disciplines to create people with depth—people with a greater capacity for wisdom.
WITH WISDOM COMES CHRISTLIKENESS
We need wisdom, not just knowledge. God is willing to give wisdom, but not on our terms. As we go deeper, He begins to entrust us with more and more of His mind. In the process we become more like Christ.
When tragedy strikes, we don’t need more intelligence. We don’t need a great number of skills. We need depth. Job 23:10-12…Paul- 2 Corinthians 12:9..
Philippians 3:10…For my determined purpose is to know Christ…
INTIMACY WITH GOD MUST BE INTENTIONAL
Intimacy is the state of being intimate, belonging to or characterizing one’s deepest nature. Intimacy is marked by a very close association, contact, or familiarity. Relationally, intimacy is a warm and satisfying friendship developing through long association on a very personal and private level.
How distant are you from God right now? Has your closeness with Him chilled? Could that be why your worship has become perfunctory? Do you sing the songs while thinking about something else?
Discipline is training that corrects and perfects our mental faculties or molds our moral character. Discipline is control gained by enforced obedience. It is deliberate cultivation of inner order.
So how are intimacy and discipline connected?
Intimacy – Goal
Discipline – Means to that end
Our great tendency in this age is to increase our speed, to run faster, even in the Christian life. In the process our walk with God stays shallow, and our tank runs low on fumes. Intimacy offers a full tack of fuel that can only be found by pulling up closer to God, which requires taking necessary time and going to the effort to make that happen. Remember, Paul said that his “determined purpose” (discipline) was that he might “know God more intimately and personally” (the goal).
Intimacy and discipline work together—and in the process, in a very real way, the means (discipline) leads to the very satisfying end (intimacy).
So, Do you want to be like Christ? Introduction
This year I decided to implement a study series for our discipleship and it's based on Charles Swindoll's on book entitled "So, Do You Want To Be Like Christ?"
In my desire to see Christ's heart formed in my JAG, I am confronted with the question that made me pursue our study--What is my determined purpose in life?
I hope this will help you in your pursuit of God...in His desire that we will be transformed and conformed in the image of His Only Begotten Son JESUS CHRIST.
Again, thanks Charles Swindoll for your invaluable contribution to our Christian walk. And Jerry Bridges for the supplemental material from your book, "The Discipline of Grace".
I. Introduction
The Gymnasium of the Soul
Tom Landry: “My job is to get men to do what they don’t want to do in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to achieve.”
Achieving anything requires discipline – determined, deliberate, definable actions with a clear goal in mind.
Many centuries ago, Paul coached Timothy, his son in the ministry, with the words, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). Timothy was the pastor of the church in Ephesus, a Las Vegas sort of city near the Mediterranean coast in buzzing with the commerce of a world empire. The temple of Artemis—one of the wonders of the ancient world—drew worshippers from every corner of the empire, which created a volatile mix of the occult and money. Ephesus was a busy, rich, sensual place to be a Christian. Sounds familiar?
Discipline. Such a hard word to read, isn’t it? Seeking intimacy with the Almighty requires focused determination, demands specific changes in attitude and behavior, and will come with a number of heartbreak and setbacks.
Paul chose carefully when he selected the Greek term gumnazo. (Most English transliterations spell it gymnazo, from which we get the word gymnasium.) The NASB renders it “discipline.”
Exercise yourself toward godliness. (NKJV)
Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please (MSG)
Train yourself to be godly. (NIV)
Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. (NLT)
Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit. (Phillips)
Paul has in mind the word picture of an athlete preparing for the day of competition. I would prefer to translate it “Condition yourself,” which raises two points:
First, conditioning involves repetitive training exercises so that the athlete’s mind and the appropriate muscle groups learn to work together reflexively and automatically. Conditioning combines endurance and skill. Conditioning turns game-winning abilities into habits.
Second, no one can condition someone else. An athlete can seek out a coach to help him with conditioning, but he cannot hire someone to do the work for him. Condition yourself.
Conditioning is between you and God.
Paul’s event is godliness. “Condition yourself toward godliness.” Paul uses the Greek world for godliness ten times in his writings; eight of them appear in 1 Timothy. Godliness is central to Paul’s advice to Timothy.
A “godly” person is one who ceased to be self-centered in order to become God-centered. Christ became a man and, as a result of His earthly ministry, we see how God intended for humans to behave. Jesus is our unblemished example of godliness. Therefore, a godly person is a Christlike person.
OUR GOALS AS CHRISTIANS IS TO BECOME LIKE CHRIST.
Christianity and its goals, Christlikeness, have a person in mind: Christ! What sets Christian spiritual activity apart from all other religions is that they have knowledge of Christ as their goal; not moral perfection (although you will become more moral), not tranquility (although your life will become remarkably more peaceful).
So why exercise spiritual disciplines? To know Jesus Christ. They are simply a means by which you come to know Him experientially. By imitating Him, by sharing His experiences, by living life as He lived it, allowing the Holy Spirit to shape you by the disciplines from the inside out, you will become more like Him.
10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope], (Philippians 3:10, The Amplified Bible)
When you pray, pray so that you may know Him. When you seek to simplify, do it as a means of knowing Him more. When you surrender, or behave with humility or sacrifice, do it with the sole purpose in mind to know Him.
Transformed into His Likeness
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB
How can a destructive insect that can literally strip a tree of its leaves (at least a swarm of them can) become a dainty creature that can land on the petal of a flower blossom without defacing it? In short how can a caterpillar become a butterfly?
It’s called metamorphosis.
In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul calls it transformation (being transformed). The Greek word for transformation is metamorphoomai. You can readily see that our English word metamorphosis is essentially a transliteration of metamorphoomai. It’s fascinating and instructive to know that Paul uses the same word that describes the spiritual transformation in the life of a Christian. The process is just as mysterious, and the results are even more striking.
SANCTIFICATION (we ought to become familiar if we desire to pursue holiness) – is the work of the Holy Spirit in us whereby our inner being is progressively changed, freeing us more and more from sinful traits and developing within us over time the virtues of Christlike character. It does involve our wholehearted response in obedience and the regular use of spiritual disciplines that are instrument of sanctification.
REGENERATION – the new birth (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36: 26-27; 2 Cor. 5:17; Titus 3:5)
The goal of sanctification is likeness to our Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 8:29 he said that God “predestined [all believers] to be conformed to the likeness of Son.” Christlikeness is God’s goal for all who trust in Christ, and that should be our goal also. Both words, transformed and conformed, have a common root, form, meaning a pattern or mold. “Being transformed” refers to the process; conformed refers to the finished product. Jesus is our pattern or mold. We are being transformed so that we will eventually be conformed to the likeness of Jesus.
Ephesians 4:24, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Hebrews 12:10, “that we may share in his holiness”
1 Peter 1:16, “Be holy, because I am holy”
To become like Jesus is to come to the place where we delight to do the will of God, however sacrificial or unpleasant that will may seem to us at the time, simply because it is His will.
In my desire to see Christ's heart formed in my JAG, I am confronted with the question that made me pursue our study--What is my determined purpose in life?
I hope this will help you in your pursuit of God...in His desire that we will be transformed and conformed in the image of His Only Begotten Son JESUS CHRIST.
Again, thanks Charles Swindoll for your invaluable contribution to our Christian walk. And Jerry Bridges for the supplemental material from your book, "The Discipline of Grace".
I. Introduction
The Gymnasium of the Soul
Tom Landry: “My job is to get men to do what they don’t want to do in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to achieve.”
Achieving anything requires discipline – determined, deliberate, definable actions with a clear goal in mind.
Many centuries ago, Paul coached Timothy, his son in the ministry, with the words, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). Timothy was the pastor of the church in Ephesus, a Las Vegas sort of city near the Mediterranean coast in buzzing with the commerce of a world empire. The temple of Artemis—one of the wonders of the ancient world—drew worshippers from every corner of the empire, which created a volatile mix of the occult and money. Ephesus was a busy, rich, sensual place to be a Christian. Sounds familiar?
Discipline. Such a hard word to read, isn’t it? Seeking intimacy with the Almighty requires focused determination, demands specific changes in attitude and behavior, and will come with a number of heartbreak and setbacks.
Paul chose carefully when he selected the Greek term gumnazo. (Most English transliterations spell it gymnazo, from which we get the word gymnasium.) The NASB renders it “discipline.”
Exercise yourself toward godliness. (NKJV)
Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please (MSG)
Train yourself to be godly. (NIV)
Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. (NLT)
Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit. (Phillips)
Paul has in mind the word picture of an athlete preparing for the day of competition. I would prefer to translate it “Condition yourself,” which raises two points:
First, conditioning involves repetitive training exercises so that the athlete’s mind and the appropriate muscle groups learn to work together reflexively and automatically. Conditioning combines endurance and skill. Conditioning turns game-winning abilities into habits.
Second, no one can condition someone else. An athlete can seek out a coach to help him with conditioning, but he cannot hire someone to do the work for him. Condition yourself.
Conditioning is between you and God.
Paul’s event is godliness. “Condition yourself toward godliness.” Paul uses the Greek world for godliness ten times in his writings; eight of them appear in 1 Timothy. Godliness is central to Paul’s advice to Timothy.
A “godly” person is one who ceased to be self-centered in order to become God-centered. Christ became a man and, as a result of His earthly ministry, we see how God intended for humans to behave. Jesus is our unblemished example of godliness. Therefore, a godly person is a Christlike person.
OUR GOALS AS CHRISTIANS IS TO BECOME LIKE CHRIST.
Christianity and its goals, Christlikeness, have a person in mind: Christ! What sets Christian spiritual activity apart from all other religions is that they have knowledge of Christ as their goal; not moral perfection (although you will become more moral), not tranquility (although your life will become remarkably more peaceful).
So why exercise spiritual disciplines? To know Jesus Christ. They are simply a means by which you come to know Him experientially. By imitating Him, by sharing His experiences, by living life as He lived it, allowing the Holy Spirit to shape you by the disciplines from the inside out, you will become more like Him.
10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope], (Philippians 3:10, The Amplified Bible)
When you pray, pray so that you may know Him. When you seek to simplify, do it as a means of knowing Him more. When you surrender, or behave with humility or sacrifice, do it with the sole purpose in mind to know Him.
Transformed into His Likeness
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB
How can a destructive insect that can literally strip a tree of its leaves (at least a swarm of them can) become a dainty creature that can land on the petal of a flower blossom without defacing it? In short how can a caterpillar become a butterfly?
It’s called metamorphosis.
In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul calls it transformation (being transformed). The Greek word for transformation is metamorphoomai. You can readily see that our English word metamorphosis is essentially a transliteration of metamorphoomai. It’s fascinating and instructive to know that Paul uses the same word that describes the spiritual transformation in the life of a Christian. The process is just as mysterious, and the results are even more striking.
SANCTIFICATION (we ought to become familiar if we desire to pursue holiness) – is the work of the Holy Spirit in us whereby our inner being is progressively changed, freeing us more and more from sinful traits and developing within us over time the virtues of Christlike character. It does involve our wholehearted response in obedience and the regular use of spiritual disciplines that are instrument of sanctification.
REGENERATION – the new birth (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36: 26-27; 2 Cor. 5:17; Titus 3:5)
The goal of sanctification is likeness to our Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 8:29 he said that God “predestined [all believers] to be conformed to the likeness of Son.” Christlikeness is God’s goal for all who trust in Christ, and that should be our goal also. Both words, transformed and conformed, have a common root, form, meaning a pattern or mold. “Being transformed” refers to the process; conformed refers to the finished product. Jesus is our pattern or mold. We are being transformed so that we will eventually be conformed to the likeness of Jesus.
Ephesians 4:24, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Hebrews 12:10, “that we may share in his holiness”
1 Peter 1:16, “Be holy, because I am holy”
To become like Jesus is to come to the place where we delight to do the will of God, however sacrificial or unpleasant that will may seem to us at the time, simply because it is His will.
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