The Jouney: Training Session #1

Hey everyone, here is our first lesson for the new "The Journey" study.

The Why and What of Spiritual Disciplines

Focus
Spiritual Disciplines are those personal and corporate disciplines that promote spiritual growth. These spiritual disciplines include bible intake, prayer, worship, evangelism, service, stewardship, fasting, silence, journaling, and learning. The most important feature of any discipline is its purpose. Without purpose there will be no desire to continue any discipline. Take an Olympic athlete for example. If their training did not have the purpose of making it to the Olympic Games and winning a medal then there would be no reason to continue the training. The purpose of the spiritual disciplines is godliness aka Christlikeness. These disciplines are the God-given means we are to use in the Spirit-filled pursuit of becoming like Christ. Godly people are disciplined people. God seems to use three things that help us become more like Christ: other people, our circumstances, and spiritual disciplines. The disciplines are a way that we can further the process of holiness by God’s grace. God has given us the spiritual disciplines as a means of receiving His grace and growing in godliness. When we practice the spiritual disciplines we are placing ourselves before God for Him to work in us.

Think of these disciplines as a river out of which flows God’s grace to us. If we do not practice these disciplines we run the risk of God’s transforming grace being held back and as a result bearing little fruit. Once we begin to practice these disciplines, however, the river of grace flows and we are changed. Many times students and adults will ask, “Why can’t I change?” or “How can I become more like Christ?” Our best place to look for these answers is in the spiritual disciplines. The great Baptist pastor Charles Spurgeon once said, “I must take care above all that I cultivate communion with Christ, for though that can never be the basis of my peace yet it will be the channel of it.”

God expects us to practice the spiritual disciplines. This is implied in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” The same is true in this offer of discipleship: “Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me’” (Luke 9:23). These verses tell us that to be a disciple of Jesus means to lean from and follow Him. Learning and following involve discipline, for those who only learn accidentally and follow incidentally are not true disciples. Godliness is a life long journey. The spiritual disciplines should always have the goal of godliness in mind or they will become boring and drudgeries. But if we follow the example of Jesus we will find that he was the most disciplined man who ever lived and the most joyous and passionate man to ever live.

The Word
1 Timothy 4:7, 1 Peter 1:15-16, Matthew 11:29, Luke 9:23, and Galatians 5:22-23.

Respond

1. Name some of the spiritual disciplines?

2. What is the goal of the spiritual disciplines? (Why discipline yourself to read the Bible, pray, fast, meditate, serve, evangelize, give, worship?)
3. Did Jesus practice the spiritual disciplines? (prayer, worship, bible study and etc.)
4. What is more valuable? A healthy and fit body or godliness? Read 1 Tim. 4:7-8. (We know the Sunday School answer to this question, but what do you place the most value on in your life? Comfortable life, fun, sports, friends, girlfriend or boyfriend, or godliness?)
5. How much TV do you watch? Why does this matter? How does this relate to godliness? (You can often see what you value most by how you spend your free time).
6. How much do you value godliness?

Activity Response

This week pay attention to how you spend your time. Read 1Timothy 4:7-8 and believe it as the word of God.