TEN TRAITS OF A VITAL CHRISTIAN
Trait #3 Practices The Spiritual
Disciplines John 15:1-8
I was on a Zoom call with a retired
pastor friend Stan with whom I have been meeting in person monthly from his
time in Quincy for the past fifteen years. Now, he lives in Indianapolis, hence
the Zoom. These moments of connection have been mutually encouraging. I asked
Stan how his wife Mary was doing, and he said, "She had gone to attend a Bible
study group from Bible Study Fellowship, with 600 women and 200 children attending. There are four such classes in
Indianapolis, plus a men's class, which meets on Saturdays.
When I heard about the staggering
numbers of men, women, and children studying the Bible, I said out loud, "Wow!" I was amazed
at the believers' Christian Vitality and Spiritual Discipline in the Midwest.
We don't see such vitality in the New England areas. Have
we become cold like our region in loving God and practicing the Spiritual
Disciplines?
Some
might think the spiritual disciplines are only for spiritual giants and not for
me. This is not true, and God wants these disciplines to be practiced by all of
his children: those who have jobs, care for children, clean homes, school
teachers, cab drivers, etc. Some others might think they are for beginners and
new believers, but not for me; I am a seasoned Christian.
In
Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster says, "I am a beginner,
especially after several years of practicing every discipline discussed in this
book. As Thomas Merton says, "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 lives."[1] In our
series on Vital Christian Living, we learned that a vital christian experiences
God's Empowering Presence daily and engages in God-Exalted Worship personally
and publically with other believers in the Church. Today, we will examine Trait
# 3, A Vital Christian Practices the
Spiritual Disciplines. John 15:1-8.
I. The
Significance of Spiritual Disciplines.
Before examining some core spiritual
disciplines, we want to understand what spiritual disciplines are, their
purpose, and why Christians need to practice them. The spiritual disciplines
are teachings taught and practiced by Jesus, his disciples, and the early
Church. They are recorded in the scriptures for all believers to follow for all
generations. What is their purpose?
Richard Foster explains the purpose
of the Spiritual Disciplines: "The Bible called people to such disciplines
as fasting, Prayer, worship, and celebration but gave almost no instructions on
how to do them. They are an inward and spiritual reality, and the heart's inner
attitude is more crucial than the mechanics for coming into the reality of the
spiritual life.
The Spiritual Disciplines are
grace-giving. They allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can
transform us. God has ordained the Disciplines as the means by which we place
ourselves where He can bless us. We should not think of them as some dull
drudgery aimed at exterminating laughter from the face of the earth. Joy is the
keynote of all the Disciplines."[2]
Therefore, we Christians should celebrate those disciplines rather than resent
them.
In his book Becoming A Healthy
Disciple, Steve Macchia writes, "I have discovered over the years that practicing
the spiritual disciplines is not to know more data about God, more facts about
his Word, or more information about the Christian life. Instead, the
disciplines are for the purpose of knowing and experiencing the richness and
vitality of a relationship with God. This
relationship begins with the Lord expressing his intimate love for us."[3]
In essence, the spiritual disciplines are essential to living a vital Christian
life in this troubled World where we are called to be the light and the salt
and share God's love and his plan for humanity. Among several spiritual
disciplines, we will examine three disciplines a Vital Christian must practice.
II.
Practicing the three Core Spiritual Disciplines:
These three core disciplines are fundamental
yet essential for our Christian Vitality. In the New Testament, Jesus, his disciples,
and the Early Church practiced them, leaving an example for us to follow. They
are Studying the Scriptures, Praying, and the Works of Service.
In I Timothy 4:1-8, the Apostle Paul
warns how Christians will turn away to conspiracies and be deceived in the
later days. Then he implores Timothy, as a good minister, to entrust the
scriptural truths of faith and the good teaching he had followed to the
believers. Then he says, "Have
nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train
yourself to be godly. For
physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all
things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to
come."
Athletes discipline themselves in
daily training their bodies to win a prize or succeed in what they want to
accomplish in life. Similarly, Christians are called to strengthen their
spiritual muscles to be vital and bear much fruit in God's Kingdom. These spiritual disciplines, or intellectually knowing
them, will not benefit us spiritually, But practicing them will make us
spiritually vital and fruitful in God's Kingdom. Keeping the training concept in mind, let's explore these
spiritual disciplines.
A.
Practicing the Spiritual Discipline of Studying God's Word.
When
we are born again, we are like spiritual infants who crave spiritual milk, God's
Word, for our spiritual growth (I Pet 2:2). I can not emphasize how important
it is to eat the daily spiritual bread for our spiritual nourishment. Without
this, we will be weak in our Christian faith and be easily deceived and led
astray by the devil and his false teachers. If we sincerely believe and follow
this teaching of Jesus, "But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will also be given you." Matt 6:33. I guarantee that
we will be blessed beyond belief. Jesus
told the believing Jews, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my
disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John
8:31-32. In John 15:1-8, Jesus points out that we will become fruit-bearing
Christians by remaining in Him and his words in us. Hope Church encourages
everyone who attends to read, study, and obey God's Word regularly.
B.
Practicing the Spiritual Discipline of Praying
How can
we first seek God's Kingdom and righteousness? By practicing the following two
disciplines: Prayer and Service. Jesus taught his disciples principles for
vital Christian living through what we know as the Lord's Prayer. If we pray
sincerely, we will know God as our Heavenly Father. Many people
in the World do not understand this loving and redeeming Truth.
We honor God and pray for His
Kingdom to come. We pray for our needs. We forgive others because we want God's
forgiveness. And we also ask for God's protection 6:9-14 6:9-14. At Hope
Church, we regularly practice this spiritual discipline of Prayer. For some of
you, the spiritual muscle of Prayer may be weak. Your prayer life will only
grow by praying regularly. I encourage you to join the Wednesday prayer group
to practice this spiritual discipline of Prayer.
C.
Practicing the Spiritual Discipline of the Works of Service.
The spiritual discipline of studying God's Word and Praying will motivate us to serve God and the people in God's beautiful World. We follow a servant King who came not to be served but to serve. Jesus commands us to love one another as he has loved us. Everyone will know that we are His disciples by our love for one another. John 13:34-35. The unbelievers in the World do good works, hoping their good works will save them. But we, the believers, do good to others because we are saved. Let us excel in doing good to as many people as possible, and as long as we can, people will glorify our Father in Heaven by seeing our good works. Let us practice these three spiritual disciplines: Studying God's Word, Praying, and Serving.
