The DISCIPLINES

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Those who have received Jesus as Lord & Savior are called to discipleship, a life of attempting (by God's grace) to follow the example of Jesus.  In contemporary experience, these attempts are often a frustrating series of starts and stops, punctuated by( vows to be better next time, to try harder next time....

The apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9:26, recognizes the frustrating and fruitless efforts that sometimes make up the Christian life.  He describes some individuals as “running aimlessly”; others he compares to boxers who fight against the air. 

Paul's metaphor connecting the Christian life to an athletic event is relevant on several levels: the Christian and the athlete both make effort toward a goal, and they both must undergo rigorous training in order to get their bodies to behave as they want them to. 

The problem, as Paul sees it, is that though no one would run a race or enter a boxing match without first training, many followers of Christ attempt to live as Jesus without first undergoing spiritual training.  They set themselves the highest standard—to live as Jesus did—then simply jump into it, relying on their own efforts and perhaps some sporadic prayer.

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul addresses this issue.  He writes, ^“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly” (1 Timothy 4:7).  Paul not only instructs Timothy on what to avoid, but reminds him of the necessity of training or (in the King James translation) exercising yourself towards godliness.

That we need training or exercise only begins to address the issue of discipleship.  The question that remains is what does spiritual exercise or training look like?  Throughout much of Christian history, the processes of spiritual training have been defined under the general label of the disciplines.  But what are spiritual disciplines?

According to Dallas Willard, "a discipline for the spiritual life is...nothing but an activity undertaken to bring us into more effective cooperation with Christ and his Kingdom... The same thing happens with disciplines for our spiritual life. When through spiritual disciplines I become able heartily to bless those who curse me, pray without ceasing, to be at peace when not given credit for good deeds I've done, or to master the evil that comes my way, it is because my disciplinary activities have inwardly poised me for more and more interaction with the powers of the living God and his Kingdom. Such is the potential we tap into when we use the disciplines.”

Over the course of 5 Wednesday nights, we will be examining the classic Christian disciplines, the role they played in the life of Jesus and his disciples, and the benefit they can have in our lives as through their practice (or exercise) we become better able to live out Jesus in our lives.

Class starts Wednesday, September 22

Dinner 6:30 - 7:00

Worship & Study 7:00 - 8:00

Childrens programs from nursey through high school

COMING in NOVEMBER:

A Topical Study of the Book of Romans