What is Your Plan for Achieving Christ-likeness?
April 29th, 2010Do you have a detailed plan for achieving financial success? Many Christians do.
Do you have a detailed diet and exercise plan for achieving bodily success? Once again many Christians do.
But most Christians do not have any plan at all on how they will be spiritually transformed so they obey Christ’s teachings.
Now I am not saying that caring about your finances or your health are bad things, they are good things. But next to your spiritual health they are nowhere near as important. As followers of Christ we should spend the time and effort to come up with detailed, intentional plans on how we are going to work with the Holy Spirit to become the “Kingdom” people that God wants us to be.
So to help you in starting this process I am going to list a number of questions that have been helpful to me as I have worked towards building a “spiritual health plan” for myself:
- Where exactly are you now in your spiritual walk?
- How do you compare to Christ’s standard?
- What are your greatest weaknesses?
- What do you still need to learn about Christ’s teachings?
- Do you hold a Biblical worldview or are some of your beliefs influenced by non or even anti-Christian sources?
- Are you obedient to all of Christ’s teachings?
- What teachings are you having the hardest time keeping?
- What spiritual disciplines could you use to help you indirectly conquer your failures?
- Have you prayed to the Holy Spirit for the help and grace you need?
- What is the next step you should immediately take in moving towards Christ-likeness?
Take the next step. Answer the questions above and use those answers to begin making your spiritual health plan.
How to Use Solitude in Your Christian Life
April 24th, 2010In the previous two posts on solitude, we looked at what solitude was and some of the places it is mentioned in the Bible. Now we are going to go over a few different ways you can start using the discipline of solitude right now.
Set a Goal
What do you want to accomplish with solitude? Force yourself to pray? Catch up on reading the scriptures. Or just get to experience more of God in your life?
Like any discipline, solitude is best when it is focused. Know what you want to accomplish, so if your mind starts wandering you can stop it.
Make Time for Solitude
What if I don’t have time for solitude? Make time. Set aside a number of hours each week to get away from other people. Book the time, let other people know you will not be available at that time.
People sin so being around other people all the time can be a bad influence. By being alone you can be more attuned to God and help ‘center’ yourself from problems created by other people.
Setup Your Environment to Help Your Time of Solitude
Go into a room with a closed (and hopefully locked) door or go outside to a place no one else is. Shut off your cell phone, wear ear protection if necessary and make sure to shut blinds so you cannot see outside.
Do not turn on music or the television, you want complete silence. Do not have any books or other distractions about. From personal experience this can be very hard at first, but stick with it and you will see the benefit.
Make Sure to Get Help from the Spirit
Ask other Christians (or your mentor) to pray for you as you seek solitude.
Pray for help from the Holy Spirit – your guide – that it would be a beneficial time for you and that your time alone would bring you closer to Jesus, help you understand His teachings more, and help you gain the will to obey His teachings.
Using Solitude with Other Spiritual Disciplines
Solitude is one of the disciplines of abstinence, in that you are taking away something – in this case other people’s company – in order to make room for something else, whether it is trying to experience God in the silence, for rest and recovery or to aid in one or more of the other spiritual disciplines like prayer.
Now let’s look at some specific disciplines or outcomes you might want to accomplish while being alone.
Experiencing God
The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” – 1 Kings 19: 11-13
Elijah found God not in the storm, the wind, or any great event but in silence and solitude.
If you are not experiencing God enough in your life, take some time alone with the express purpose of a meeting with God.
Rest and Recovery
If you are an introvert like me, having time alone to recharge is essential to your physical and spiritual well being. Take time apart from others and rest. As a side benefit, hopefully you will draw closer to God then.
Finding Time to Pray
If you have trouble praying as much as you would like, use some of your blocked away time alone to pray. As a follower of Jesus Christ you can approach God any time you want. He is there and He wants to talk to you.
Studying Scripture
Like prayer, many believers are negligent in studying Scripture as much as they need to. Come up with a bible study plan and use part of your time alone to read the Word of God.
How to Pray
April 21st, 2010Many Christians struggle with their prayer life….
… I know, I have often struggled myself.
Learning how to pray or what to pray for are important aspects to utilizing prayer as a spiritual discipline. The following items can be used to create your own personal prayer checklist.
The Lord’s Prayer as a Guide
Any good Christian disciple will look to Christ first. Luckily He gave us explicit instructions how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer.
This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. – Matthew 6:9-13
Start With God
The Lord’s Prayer, like the universe starts with God.
One of the main types of prayer is the prayer of praise. Acknowledge how great God has been in your life and that He is worthy of your worship.
The second part about God is that you should pray that His will is done, starting with your own life.
Tied in with praising God is thanking God for the blessings in your life. Whenever I am down I starting praising God for the good things in my life… and I am not down for too much longer.
I cannot remember where I heard it, but one of the sayings that has stuck with me through the years is this: one of the greatest sins you can commit is not being thankful enough for the good things God has put in your life. The person then went on to say ‘If you are not thankful enough for the good things in your life, do not be too surprised if they are taken away.
Anyone who studies Christian spirituality and authentic discipleship knows that the key is obedience to God’s will. Pray that you know and understand God’s will for your life and that you take part in God’s plan for you.
Our Daily Bread
There is a lot more to prayer than just asking for things. That is a mistake I made when I first became a Christian because I did not properly know how to pray.
It is perfectly all right to pray for the things you need in your life. Jesus said that you should come boldly before the throne of grace with your requests. Just do not make God you ‘magic ask for things slave’.
Forgiveness
At the heart of the Gospel is forgiveness.
First ask for forgiveness of your own sins, both for the wrongs you have done and the good things you have failed to do.
Then forgive anyone who has wronged you. By forgiving others you can be free of the hate and bondage that comes when someone betrays you.
I have unfortunately had to practice this last one a lot in the past few years so I know the value first hand of forgiving others. If you do not forgive them, the pain will build up inside until it eats you up.
Protection from the Evil One
The second last item in the Lord’s Prayer is to ask not to be put to the test. If you want a Biblical example of someone put to the test, read the book of Job.
When things are going well we tend to think it is because of us. By remembering this part of the prayer, you can protect against pride and the fall that comes with pride.
The last item is for deliverance, from Satan and the evils in this world. We all go through trials and suffering. Our own attempts to fix these problems often backfire. Ask for help from God, and how God wants you to face the situation.
I hope these points have been useful, there is so much more to cover on the subject of prayer.
Biblical Basis for the Discipline of Solitude
March 31st, 2010Examples of Jesus Use of Solitude
Jesus sought to be alone many times during His ministry. You can also see that solitude is also often matched with other disciplines such as prayer.
When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. – Matthew 14:13
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. – Matthew 14:23-24
And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. - Mark 1:11-12
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. – Mark 1:35
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” – Mark 6:31
And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. – Mark 6:46
Early the next morning He went out into the desert. The crowds searched everywhere for Him, and when they finally found Him, they begged Him not to leave them but to stay at Capernaum. – Luke 4:42
But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. – Luke 5:15-16
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. – Luke 6:12
Other Bible Passages on Solitude
After a quick search through my bible, I found the following verses:
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. – Isaiah 30:15
He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. – Matthew 12:19
My next post will look at some applications of solitude and how you can use it.
Introduction to the Discipline of Solitude
March 30th, 2010Why Solitude?
The benefits I have found from this discipline are:
- In the stillness and silence you can experience God easier
- It is great for quiet reflection
- You can think about what you have learned recently
- You can think about your recent experiences, successes and failures in your spiritual growth
As a spiritual discipline solitude has always come naturally to me because I am an introvert, and always need time alone to recharge and rest. Even though I like being around other people I need time alone or I will become irritable and cranky so I knew the benefit from this discipline early in my Christian walk.
I have found that in general any time of solitude is good but you have to make sure you have no distractions:
- no TV
- no Internet
- no music
- no games
- no books…. even the Bible
If you are trying solitude for the first time a room with a closed door inside works well. Later on you might want to try being alone outside if you can find a place with no distractions.
In future posts I will try to cover the Biblical basis for solitude, and how to incorporate it into your Christian life.
Has anyone else practiced this discipline? What have you learned from it?
Investigating the Link Between Physical Discipline and Spiritual Discipline
March 28th, 2010One of the areas I am looking to improve in my life is my discipline in physical as opposed to spiritual matters.
I am doing this for a number of reasons:
- A desire to live healthier and lose weight
- A desire to improve my willpower in general
- The holistic relationship between body, mind and soul
I believe improving my discipline overall will improve my spiritual discipline because:
- A lot of the spritual disciplines like fasting and solitude have physical components to them
- A lot of the temptations we face spiritually like lust are driven by our bodies
- In developing my general willpower it should help all areas of my life including spiritually
- Our culture is materialistic and focussed on bodily sensations and pleasures, as Christians it is hard to escape those influences if you do not actively work against them
So what areas of my life am I targetting right now:
- Eating habits – garbage in, garbage out
- Regular exercise
- Sleeping better
- Denying bodily urges like hunger that are not essential
I believe in lifestyle changes and not resolutions or diets or anything like that. What other physical changes should I make that would help me to become a better follower of Jesus?
Catechesis and Discipleship
March 14th, 2010Christianity Today has a great article on the importance of Catechesis (the teaching of Christian doctrine) and how vital it is to discipleship. Here is a passage from the article, I have highlighted the most important parts:
Historically, the church’s ministry of grounding new believers in the rudiments of Christianity has been known as catechesis—the growing of God’s people in the gospel and its implications for doctrine, devotion, duty, and delight. It is a ministry that has waxed and waned through the centuries. It flourished between the second and fifth centuries in the ancient church. Those who became Christians often moved into the faith from radically different worldviews. The churches rightly sought to ensure that these life-revolutions were processed carefully, prayerfully, and intentionally, with thorough understanding at each stage.
With the tightening of the alignment between church and state in the West, combined with the impact of the Dark Ages, the ministry of catechesis floundered. The Reformers, led by heavyweights Luther and Calvin, sought with great resolve to reverse matters. Luther restored the office of catechist to the churches. And seizing upon the providential invention of the printing press, Luther, Calvin, and others made every effort to print and distribute catechisms—small handbooks to instruct children and “the simple” in the essentials of Christian belief, prayer, worship, and behavior (like the Westminster Shorter Catechism). Catechisms of greater depth were produced for Christian adults and leaders (like Luther’s Larger Catechism). Furthermore, entire congregations were instructed through unapologetically catechetical preaching and the regular catechizing of children in Sunday worship.
The conviction of the Reformers that such catechetical work must be primary is unmistakable. Calvin, writing in 1548 to the Lord Protector of England, declared, “Believe me, Monseigneur, the church of God will never be preserved without catechesis.” The Church of Rome, responding to the growing influence of the Protestant catechisms, soon began to produce its own. The rigorous work of nurturing believers and converts in the faith once for all delivered to the saints, a didactic discipline largely lost for most of the previous millennium, had become normative again for both Catholics and Protestants.
The critical role of catechesis in sustaining the church continued to be apparent to subsequent evangelical trailblazers of the English-speaking world. Richard Baxter, John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, and countless other pastors and leaders saw catechesis as one of their most obvious and basic pastoral duties. If they could not wholeheartedly embrace and utilize an existing catechism for such instruction, they would adapt or edit one or would simply write their own. A pastor’s chief task, it was widely understood, was to be the teacher of the flock.
Spiritual Growth’s Dirty Little Secret
January 18th, 2010Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. – Philippians 2:12-13
Spiritual growth… sanctification… walking as Jesus walked… we all want those things.
Why then does it sometimes seem so hard to make progress in this area?
That question haunted me for a long time, until I learned the answer. An answer I still do not entirely like, but that is due to my own desire for easy fixes.
Spiritual growth….. requires….. work.
It is that simple.
Yes, God ultimately ‘works in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.’
But at the same time we are required to put in the work. And to do so with ‘fear and trembling’…. a sense of the upmost seriousness and commitment.
In what sense do we use work here?
Let me turn to dictionary.com – Work is the physical or mental effort or activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something.
So we need directed effort towards the goal of becoming like Jesus and following Him.
To end, I thought I would throw in some synonyms of work to ponder….
assignment, attempt, commission, daily grind, drudge, drudgery, effort, elbow grease, endeavor, exertion, functioning, grind, grindstone, industry, job, moil, muscle, obligation, pains, performance, production, push, salt mines, servitude, slogging, stint, stress, striving, struggle, sweat, task, toil, travail, trial, trouble, undertaking
By themselves, none of those words inspires a lot of happy thoughts. But the goal of the hard work should. Spiritual growth is a lifelong process, a marathon instead of a sprint. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus as we race towards Him together.
What is Christian Training?
December 30th, 2009The term training is usually used in reference to sporting events. Since most people are familiar with some form of sports I figured this was one of the easier ways I could introduce you to training in the context of Christian discipleship.
Picture Susan the athlete. She has just entered a marathon race with the goal of finishing the marathon…
… to actually finish a marathon can be a very difficult. How will she be able to do it?
Training Increases Your Odds of Succeeding
Susan and her coach Bill come up with a training program that is specifically designed to increase her endurance so she can finish the grueling marathon.
If you were coming up with a training program for Susan, what would you choose to include?
Here is a small sample I came up with:
- Education – about running, the marathon rules, date/time of competition, location of track, competitors etc
- Diet- no more cheeseburgers
- Weight lifting – especially for leg strength
- Cardio – heart health and endurance
- Visualization techniques – picturing achieving the goal
- Drills – how to start race, passing others, stride to use, changing speed during race, finishing strong etc
So just off the top of my head I came up with a large list. And that was just for running a marathon…
… what about running the marathon of the disciple of Christ?
The main goal of this site is to build up disciples of Christ, men and women who learn and obey the teachings of Christ.
Just as Bob provided Susan with a program and tools to help her, I hope I can provide you with the means of successfully finishing your Christian race.
I have written a more in depth and technical definition of Christian training that you might want to read over as well.