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"If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong." (1 John 1:8,9)
We need to live with integrity before God - He knows our hearts anyway. Our most important act of confession happens in our honest dialogue with our heavenly Father. God's desire is to forgive - so that we can experience the freedom and transformation that comes from confession and forgiveness.
Confession is a "consciously chosen course of action that brings us under the shadow of the Almighty" (Foster, pg. 127).
There is also a relational / community component to confession that we exercise with wisdom and much prayer.
"Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with." (James 5:16 - The Message)
There is probably no spiritual discipline that grinds against our cultural worship of independence and self-sufficiency than the discipline of confession. It requires humility, accountability, repentance, and a willingness to let other people into our lives in some very deep and intimate places.
Yet followers of Jesus Christ have been given the authority to receive the confession of sin from another and forgive in His name (John 20:23; Matt 18:15-20). What a gift to extend the grace and love of God to others as we live in covenant community - with transparency and grace.
Proposed Schedule of Disciplines:
Our spiritual discipline for July is "simplicity." What a challenge in a complex modern world! I think the elusive (and sometimes romanticized) goal of a "simple" life is unattainable in the western world in which we live - and maybe a wrong goal. A better goal may be for each one of us to add the "r" and move toward a "simpler" life. We can all (both corporately and individually) make small and large decisions toward a simpler lifestyle.
Richard Foster states in Celebration of Discipline, "Simplicity is freedom. Duplicity is bondage. Simplicity brings joy and balance. Duplicity brings anxiety and fear...the Christian Discipline of Simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle." Both the inward and outward aspects of simplicity are essential.
Biblical Perspective for further study:
- In Deut 8:11-19, the people of Israel are warned about the dangers of becoming too comfortable in a time of abundance.
- Luke 12 points us to an attitude toward possessions that is free of preoccupation and anxiety, with a generous spirit to those in need.
- Psalm 112 - an affirmation for those who hold wealth wisely.
- Phil 4:11-13 - living in contentment and trusting God in all situations.
"The grass is always greener on the other side because we are not watering the grass on our side of the fence."
Byron Hardy
Proposed Schedule of Disciplines:
We are a driven culture - obsessed with the clock and the goal of accomplishing more than is humanly possible in the few hours we seem to have in a day. We work longer hours than at any other time in history and then our family lives involve drive thru meals and running from one activity to the next.
This is why God knew we needed Sabbath rest in our lives...
Genesis 2:2&3 "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing so on the seventh day he rested from all His work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." NIV
The Sabbath is a means by which our living pattern imitates God's (Exodus 20:3-11). Work is followed by rest. The Hebrew word for Sabbath means to "stop, rest, desist." We are not created to continually work - or we break down. Unfortunately, not incorporating Sabbath rhythms into our lives has led to more breakdowns that we will ever fully know.
"Of all the Ten Commandments, being negligent of this one has resulted in more deaths than even the prohibition against murder." R. Paul Stevens
It is not to be a legalistic discipline, but a delight in the Lord (Isaiah 58:13). The apostle Paul says that there is freedom in how we keep the Sabbath (Romans 14) but we should never lose the Sabbath purpose - the "Sabbath rhythm" of intentional time to be in harmony with God, to have a time of "re-creation", and to enjoy creation.
The importance and priority of the Sabbath is throughout the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Jesus again takes this principle of law and moves it from restriction (how the religious leaders of that day observed it) to life giving freedom. "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even on the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27, 28) - Jesus fulfilled it rather than annulling it. It is not just about the absence of work, but experiencing the joy of God and entering into God's work. Jesus observed the Sabbath by creating and recreating, resting and bringing rest to others.
In the deepest sense we do not keep Sabbath; the Sabbath keeps us. On our own we are not capable of sustaining our orientation toward God and our heavenly direction. That leaves us with a biblical paradox: we must labor to enter that rest (Heb 4:22). (R. Paul Stevens).
Check out further articles on Sabbath (MB Herald - February 24, 2004 at www.mbherald.com).
Proposed Schedule of Disciplines:
Few things build true "community" like the discipline of service. People committed to serve one another out of a love for Christ and what he has done for us.
Jesus portrayed this when he washed the disciples' feet. This act of service was typically done by the least of all people. By Jesus completing this task, he submitted himself to being the least of all; "For I have given you an example that you should also do as I have done for you" (John 13:14, 15). He abolished any thought of a hierarchy in God's kingdom and in fact, turned it upside down.
Jesus said the greatest commandment was to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' No other commandment is great than these." Mark 12:30, 31
Godly service is placing others' needs in front of our own. In Mark 9:35, Jesus speaks these words to the disciples, "Anyone who wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else." This is the hardest part of service, putting our needs after the needs of others. It is contrary to society around us. While society would say that we should put others first, the reality is too often that accumulation of wealth and guarding one's personal time is the most important.
Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline) says it well. "Service is not a list of things that we do, though in it we discover things to do. It is not a code of ethics, but a way of living. To do specific acts of service is not the same thing as living in the Discipline of Service."
May we serve God and others with hearts of gratitude for what God has done, that he may say... "well done, good and faithful servant."
Proposed Schedule of Disciplines:
"The purpose of the Disciplines is freedom. Our aim is the freedom, not the Discipline. The moment we make the Discipline our central focus we will turn it into law and lose the corresponding freedom" (Foster, pg. 96, Celebration of Discipline).
Ephesians 5:21 calls the body of believers to, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
The Apostle Paul writes about submission in all kinds of human relationships - within the church, to authorities in culture, husbands and wives, owners and slaves, parents and children. It is a mutual submission more radical than that culture (or ours for that matter) has ever seen. One of the most powerful calls to mutual submission is in the tiny book of Philemon - Paul's plea to Philemon regarding his runaway slave, Onesimus. Onesimus was to submit to Philemon by returning, and Philemon was to submit to Onesimus by setting him free... "out of reverence for Christ."
Richard Foster states... "of all the Spiritual Disciplines none has been more abused than the Discipline of submission"... (pg. 96).
Submission does not extend to when it becomes destructive or goes against the Word of God. Our submission to God and His Word are top priority.
Foster goes on to state that every Discipline has a corresponding freedom and the corresponding freedom for submission is... the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way.
Submission is not about an outward act but about an inward attitude of the heart. We can be outwardly obedient, but inwardly rebellious.
We live a life of submission because Jesus modeled it and called us to this life of self-denial and accountability to one another. He had an upside down view of greatness where true leadership is found in being the servant of all.
The most significant act of Jesus' life of submission was a servanthood so radical that it took him to the cross...for us.
"If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it." Matt 10:39
Jesus told his disciples "if any of you wants to be my follower you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life." (Mark 8:34,35)
Proposed Schedule of Disciplines:
It's interesting how, in our desire to "imitate Christ", we pick and choose the aspects of what Jesus modeled, to suit our preferences. One undeniable aspect of Jesus' life and ministry was his practice of fasting. When Jesus spoke on fasting, it was such an assumption that people fasted, that he did not say "if you fast..." but rather started out by saying, "when you fast..." (Matt 6:16).
Fasting is an invitation and an opportunity to focus intently on God through self-denial of food (there are many ways to approach this) and prayer.
The current season of Lent is a spiritual preparation time, including fasting, for 40 days before Easter (Mar 1 - April15) that many evangelical churches are returning to as part of their spiritual formation.
The Bible does not explicitly state that we must fast. It is modeled and used throughout scripture at various times for various reasons, but it is always to be a time focused on God. History has shown that too often legalism has become the abuse of fasting - but it is a freedom to be enjoyed in the presence of God.
Fasting can have many different expressions (there are many good resources - books, articles, internet that give great detail on this). The most important part in either a partial fast or abstaining from all food for a period of time, is to focus on God during that time.
Isaiah 58 is a great passage that really challenges what "true fasting" is about as well.
Try fasting one meal per week as a beginning point if you haven't fasted before.
Proposed Schedule of Disciplines:
We are called to give all of who we are to God as a living and holy sacrifice (Romans 12:1)... "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering" (The Message).
Giving is so much more than just finances, yet it often seems that when we start with giving our finances, it changes our heart in becoming "giving" people in all aspects of life - that's why Jesus talked about money so much...
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Jim Eliott
We make a living by what we get; but we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill
God has given us two hands - one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing. Billy Graham
God wants his children to be conformed to the unselfish likeness of His Son. Someone once said "Giving is not God's way of raising money; It is God's way of raising people in to the likeness of His Son." Unknown
Some Practical Suggestions for "giving" in 2006:
- discern (individually / as a family) a pro-active goal for giving for 2006
- give away a quality physical possession to someone who can really use it
- give an intentional block of time to serve somewhere this month
- look at your calendar, your bankbook, and talk with your family to assess where your treasures truly are (Matt 6:21)
Proposed Schedule of Disciplines:
6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6,7)
"Prayer catapults us onto the frontier of the spiritual life. It is original research in unexplored territory... it brings us into the deepest and highest work of the human Spirit. Real prayer is life creating and life changing." (Richard Foster - Celebration of Discipline")
Proposed Schedule of Disciplines:
There is nothing that is as critical for a church as individuals staying intimately connected to the Living God. One of the areas we want to emphasize in 2006 is the area of spiritual disciplines to aid and encourage each one of us in this area. Our goal is to focus on one spiritual discipline each month to help focus us in spiritual formation. We are encouraging the various groups and ministries to use these in a variety of ways throughout the year. This emphasis will come alongside our sermon series throughout the year, but will not be the specific focus (with the exception of Prayer in January).
Dallas Willard is a teacher and writer in the area of spiritual formation. He speaks about the power of spiritual disciplines in a person's life, and how they are not about a works salvation, but rather are "receptacles for grace." They become receptacles through which we experience God's grace in our lives. "Grace is God acting in our lives to do things we can't do on our own. Grace is not opposed to effort; it's opposed to earning" says Willard.
Richard Foster wrote the well known book, "Celebration of Discipline" and states that superficiality is the curse of our age and that the desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people. Spiritual disciplines call us to move beyond surface living into the depths.
We look forward to what God will do as we journey together.
Proposed Schedule of Disciplines:
There is nothing that is as critical for a church as individuals staying intimately connected to the Living God. One of the areas we want to emphasize in 2006 is the area of spiritual disciplines to aid and encourage each one of us in this area. Our goal is to focus on one spiritual discipline each month to help focus us in spiritual formation. We are encouraging the various groups and ministries to use these in a variety of ways throughout the year. This emphasis will come alongside our sermon series throughout the year, but will not be the specific focus (with the exception of Prayer in January).
Dallas Willard is a teacher and writer in the area of spiritual formation. He speaks about the power of spiritual disciplines in a persons life, and how they are not about a works salvation, but rather are "receptacles for grace". They become receptacles through which we experience God's grace in our lives. "Grace is God acting in our lives to do things we can't do on our own. Grace is not opposed to effort; it's opposed to earning" says Willard.
Richard Foster wrote the well know book, "Celebration of Discipline" and states that superficiality is the curse of our age and that the desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people. Spiritual disciplines call us to move beyond surface living into the depths.
We look forward to what God will do as we journey together.