Dear Trekker,
This old soldier has a major confession this month. Hang with me! Confession is good for the soul, I’m told… and hope. But I continue to learn; I am getting it!
For years I’ve had a judgment/conviction that too often many believers have preached only rules and regulations from Scripture, which, if simply followed, would produce a “good life.” So, I have sought to emphasize in my writing not “our efforts,” but the transformational work of the Holy Spirit. You long time trekkers have read this repeatedly from my pen. The assumption was that “the Holy Spirit wasn’t born yesterday,” and, if we just “discovered” the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, life would turn out well. It was a package deal. Discover the Holy Spirit and your spiritual worries would be over.
Practically speaking, I lapsed into the “baptism of the Holy Spirit/second blessing” crowd (which I believe, still misses the mark) without realizing it, i.e. there is a special work of the Spirit that if we have “it,” all will be well. The summum bonum of spirituality, so to speak. Our part in this effort is de-emphasized, or not present at all. Well… there is more, much more.
Trekker, I think I have shared only half the story. The Holy Spirit must have us… our commitment is to His work in us by exercising personal discipline to carry it out. It doesn’t “just happen” because we believe in the presence, power and work of the Spirit. It is an active partnership.
I have spent the last several weeks going through Dallas Willard’s definitive trilogy… In Search of Guidance, The Spirit of the Disciplines, and The Divine Conspiracy. Yes, I wish I had been exposed to these works years ago. What a gold mine of practical and eternal truth! In Search of Guidance, Willard writes: “God certainly is not a jolly good fellow, nor is he a “bully.” But then neither are we intended by him to be robots wired into his instrument panel, puppets on his string, or slave dancing at the end of the whiplash of his command.” Perhaps the missionary pioneer E. Stanley Jones says it best, and Willard quotes him in the same context: “Obviously God must guide us in a way that will develop spontaneity in us. The development of character, rather than direction in this, that, and the other matter, must be the primary purpose of the Father! He will guide us, but He won’t override us (italics mine). That fact should make us use with caution the method of sitting down with a pencil and a blank sheet of paper to write down the instructions dictated by God for the day. Suppose a parent would dictate to their child minutely everything he is to do during the day. The child would be stunted under that regime. The parent must guide in such a manner, and to the degree that autonomous character, capable of making right decisions for itself is produced; God does the same” (italics mine).
Little wonder then that we are admonished in Scripture (Philippians 2:12,13) “to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God (the Holy Spirit) who works in you (us) to will and to act according to his good purpose.” A disciple then “works out” spiritually as one works out hard in the fitness center… sweaty, gut wrenching, holding nothing back! A follower of Jesus (disciple) disciplines himself/herself to be like Jesus… or it won’t happen. The Holy Spirit has the power, but we must apply it in the spiritual disciplines. This I am learning.
In early Scripture memorization, the Pauline admonition to Timothy to “discipline yourself unto Godliness” was planted in my mind. Good challenge, good words… but how does it happen? Only through discipline… understanding the equation of being like Jesus, understanding the purpose of the gift of the Holy Spirit, understanding the life-style of Jesus which is focus, follow-through and fidelity of all effort and action.
I remember years ago when Richard Foster’s popular “Celebration of Disciple” hit the Christian market. I read it, believed it, but did not sense the absolute dire need to build into my life spiritual discipline as a life style. Don’t we all struggle with discipline? Discipline must be diligently practiced, I am learning more each day, or we do not “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Willard, in his trilogy, hammers transformational truth home as no one else I have ever read. He rightly reflects on the tendency to “baptize” into church membership as a primary goal, not the making of disciples. The great commission is to “make disciples” as we go throughout life, baptizing and teaching the truth Jesus taught. If no discipleship, there is no practical truth being passed from generation to generation.
In the past I’ve believed that the Holy Spirit unleashed by Jesus in the soul of believing and receiving man is an unbounded force, flowing freely and capable of instilling in each of us the character of God. Though the human canvas is never blank, the page never empty, the clay never unformed, the divine artist is faithful and relentless. Total, creative energy from the Spirit simply accomplishes the work of God. Irresistible grace in the extreme! Somewhat true, but not the full story!
In contrast, to actualize true discipleship, to become the achiever, or the successful artist and the creative genius like the Lord Himself, discipline must be practiced, exercised, and doggedly pursued. As demonstrated in the God-man Jesus, realization of great potential occurs only when bounded by discipline, and a resolute commitment to practice, routine, structure and habits of the heart. Discipline (as Christ lived) becomes not a binding restriction, but a boost to freedom to be all Christ wants us to be. Discipline and disciplines are the conduit through which spiritual enjoyment grows and develops into the likeness of Christ.
What are some of the main disciplines for vibrant Christian living? There is no perfect list. Better a short list followed than a long list given lip service. Willard speaks of the “vigil,” where one rejects sleep to concentrate on spiritual matters. The keeping of a journal or spiritual diary is another, though it doesn’t fit the usual pattern of disciplines. Physical labor can be a discipline, especially for those who are deeply committed to structured disciplines of solitude, fasting, study and prayer.
Through practicing disciplines, I am more likely to bless those who curse me, forgive my neighbor, pray without ceasing, rejoice always, give thanks in everything and be at peace when I’m not given credit or recognition for deeds I’ve done. Discipline activity inwardly prepares me for growth and effectiveness in the Kingdom, without doubt.
What potential is the use of the spiritual disciplines! I am finding them riveting even in my octogenarian years. For sure, the power of the Spirit is not displayed in my life without the spirit of the disciplines. Perhaps it is so with you.
Your friend,
Jim Meredith