Reading Report 6

Practicing the Disciplines: Reading Report 6

For these reading reports, and for the purpose of documenting developments and experiences with the disciplines, these are the chosen disciplines:

1.                  From Part 1: Meditation from The Inward Disciplines

2.                  From Part 2: Simplicity from The Outward Disciplines

3.                  From Part 3: Guidance from Corporate Discipline

In the development of my meditation to date and as inspired by Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline and also by Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in The Same Direction, my

meditation came to include fasting and a whole lot of prayer. I cannot emphasize enough that one does not have to wait for meditation or to be in the “right place,” drawing God close means

praying constantly. “For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” to:

“16 πάντοτε χαίρετε, rejoice always,

17 ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, pray without ceasing,

18 ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε, give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV/TGNT).

A recent discussion raised an important point, and that is how does one know when we are hearing the voice of God? One knows His voice because He is our shepherd whom we have

engaged with every day and night in prayer and meditation, Jesus declares in the Gospel of John; “my sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Peterson’s book teaches the reader to a deep focus (obedience) of the Songs of Ascents from the Psalms, Foster

also suggests meditating on selected scripture, our task is to “initiate the message into our reality of which the passage speaks.”1 Therefore if one were meditating on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, praying without ceasing doesn’t mean praying even in the most awkward moments like in an elevator (but why not?) but it does mean that if one can initiate constant prayer, one grows in learning how to do this and how to give the Lord more of our time in our thoughts. This is how we are changed and transformed as well; it is growing into the practice of praying without ceasing. The verses also say to “rejoice always” and “give thanks in all circumstances.” These are imperatives for living in “His Spirit,” these are imperatives for prayer but also for peace of mind, being humble and rejoicing in the Word of the Lord and thanking Him for that we are

blessed with and for in the present time. The Greek for “rejoice always” is πάντοτε χαίρετε, it

could stand alone as χαίρετε! And it would mean rejoice! Can we rejoice in meditation? Yes, that is why Paul repeats similar imperatives in almost the same manner in Philippians:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice, χαίρετε!

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The Inward disciplines are Meditation, Prayer, Fasting and Study. We might learn incorporating verses that command an action for us such as these contribute to the spiritual formation we are seeking. We find imperatives in the Lord’s Prayer that state:

“ἁγιασθήτω1 τὸ ὄνομά σου· ἐλθέτω2 ἡ βασιλεία σου· γενηθήτω3 τὸ θέλημά σου” (Matt. 6:9-10).

We say these to God in prayer: “Holy is your name! Your kingdom Come! Your will be done!” No one said meditation should contain our love and joy for the Lord, χαίρετε!

1.     Foster, 2018, pg. 30

The Outward Disciplines: Simplicity

If we are truly surrendering to God our hearts, and minds and souls, (Mark 12:30 Deut. 6:4,5), then we will be molded, we will be changed, we will learn to live in the simplicity God

intends. In the past several weeks and in writing on simplicity in previous reports, a concern is to turn someone’s life changes into a badge of honor, or to take pride in our piety. Clearly, this is sin, but as we are growing in the Lord, the simplicity we are to embrace into our lives will be made clear by God himself. This is why Simplicity as an outward discipline is tied closely to the development of the inward disciplines, particularly prayer, meditation and study. As one grows in the inward disciplines, one should be changing in our philosophy, epistemology and our vision.

The meaning of our self-definition as being “Christian,” the very definition in our understanding will change, possibly we will realize that our perceptions change as we grow in the Word and in our Faith. What doesn’t change is God, what doesn’t change is the Word. He is Constant. Finding stability in the very foundation of the universe is to humble ourselves and seek wisdom in God. Living by The Simple Rules

In my previous section, I discussed some of the imperatives found in scripture, truly these are the simple rules of the humble servant/pilgrim of God, such as:

“Get wisdom! get understanding!” (Proverbs 4:5-6),

“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.” (Proverbs 4:7). Also from Proverbs:

“Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).

“Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips” (4:24).

“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. (4:25).

“Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways” (4:26). “Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:27).

In the Letter of James, James writes:

“If any of you lacks wisdom…ask God…and it will be given to you” (James 1:5NIV).

For the sake of this exercise in Simple Rules i.e. Biblical imperatives, consider Matthew 7:7-8).

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (NIV).

These are Jesus words, in His words we find that seeking Him and His wisdom, we are being formed and made humble in the disciplines. As discussed in a previous report, we must “seek

first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Guidance: The Bible

Foster will include the Bible for spiritual direction for we are “being formed and transformed by reading prayerfully we are being formed more and more into the image of Jesus Christ.”1

In this reading report of the Spiritual Disciplines, I have included guidance from scripture in the other disciplines. It is very clear to us that scripture is our greatest source for spiritual formation. For those of us who wish to read the Bible in the Koine Greek, it can be a fulfilling occupation to seek to read the Bible in the original languages. If we use our gift of imagination, we can feel we are ourselves living in the first century experiencing Jesus’ ministry in real time.

Seeking the Kingdom of God is seeking God, to be close to the trinitarian God, to go

deeper into scripture and let the Holy Spirit illuminate the Word of God so that we can see God is always revealing himself to us as we grow in Him. We can count on the Bible to reveal God to us, we can count on the Holy Spirit to bring God’s Word in scripture to life, the very words are

1.     Foster, 2018, pg. 187

the Living Word of God. Paul will state in Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and

approve what God’s will is; his good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV). Paul’s letters offer many enlightening lessons on the Will of God, τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ.

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified:

that you should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thess. 4:3). It should be our choice to live by the Will of God, and in these days, the 21st century, the world itself needs more examples of people living by the Will of God. Pray to Him: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Psalm 143:10). Seeking to be in conformance with the Will of God is to be in the Will of the Trinitarian God, who has been revealed and has

expressly made it known to us in Jesus in the testimony of the New Testament that:

“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).

“…for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (I Thessalonians 5:18).

Works Cited

Foster, Richard J. Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. HarperOne, 2018.