practising spiritual disciplines - The Youth Ministry Resourcer

PRACTISING SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

The disciple needs to begin to practise spiritual disciplines. The
spiritual disciplines are the personal and corporate means of spiritual
growth (Colossians 2:20-23 and 1 Timothy 4:7,8). The way to spiritual
maturity is through discipline. God uses three primary agents to bring
change in the believer: people (Proverbs 27:12), circumstances (Romans
8:28) and spiritual disciplines. The word translated discipline in the New
Testament is a Greek word gumnasia from which we get the English word
gymnasium and gymnastics. The spiritual disciplines can be thought of as
spiritual exercises.

Spiritual maturity is not primarily concerned with outward performance - it
concerns who we are. When we substitute activity for communion with God, we
live our spiritual lives on the surface. The primary method that God has
given for the nurturing of the spiritual life is discipline. A disciple by
definition is a disciplined person. Communion with God is not going to just
happen - it is not spontaneous. Discipline is required if we are going to
go deeper with God and have fellowship with Him.

The practise of spiritual disciplines have always been regarded as a vital
part of faith development. By definition, a spiritual discipline is the
intentional practise of some aspect of the Christian life (such as prayer
or reading Scripture) in a regular and habitual manner. Practising
spiritual disciplines is like learning to play the guitar: drudgery during
the early stage, but in the long run the effort is worthwhile.

The benefits of spiritual disciplines: (1) They Help us Develop Intimacy
with God - the goal of the disciplines is not salvation - we are saved by
faith in Christ (Romans 10:9-10) but as we practise them, we are helped in
our walk with Jesus and develop intimacy with God. (2) They Help us Become
like Christ - they also shape us into godly people (1 Timothy 4:7). We need
them because we are weak, enslaved to ingrained habits, and cannot live a
Christlike life on our own. As we live under the discipline of God we are
able to overcome these weaknesses and habits. (3) They Help us Receive the
Grace of God - in a sense the spiritual disciplines are a means of grace -
they put us in the path of God's grace.

Various books describe and help people to apply the spiritual disciplines,
such as: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People by Keith Drury;
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster; Spiritual Disciplines for the
Christian Life by Donald Whitney; The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas
Willard; and Disciplines of the Holy Spirit by Dr. Siang-Yan Tan. Different
writers suggest ways in which to categorise the disciplines:

Keith Drury divides the disciplines as follows: (1) Inner Personal
Disciplines: grudges - releasing old hurts; thought life - overcoming
impure thoughts; humility - putting off pride; ambitions - abandoning
selfish ambition. (2) Interpersonal Disciplines: restitution - making
things right; restoration - restoring a fallen Christian; honesty -
speaking absolute truth; peacemaking - mending broken relationships.

Richard Foster divides the disciplines in this way: (1) Inward Disciplines:
meditation; prayer; fasting, study. (2) Outward Disciplines: simplicity;
solitude; submission, service. (3) Corporate Disciplines: confession;
worship; guidance, celebration.

Dallas Willard suggests that the spiritual disciplines can be grouped into
two categories: (1) Disciplines of Abstinence (things you do without):
solitude, silence, fasting, simplicity, chastity, secrecy and sacrifice.
(2) Disciplines of Engagement (things you do): study, worship, celebration,
service, prayer, fellowship, confession and submission.
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE #1: MEDITATION

Christian meditation is the ability to hear God's voice and obey his word.
Richard Foster says that meditation creates an emotional and spiritual
place which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart.
This kind of inner fellowship transforms the inner personality. Dr. Siang-
Yang Tan says that meditation is pondering over Scripture verses or
passages in such a way that the written Word of God becomes a living Word
of God applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Misconceptions of Meditation
Meditation is a greatly misunderstood aspect of the devotional life. It is
not synonymous with Eastern meditation - the goal of which is detachment
from the world. While detachment plays a role in Christian meditation, it
is simply the path to attachment. As we detach ourselves from the confusion
of all that is around us, we go on to a richer attachment to God. Another
misconception is that mediation is too difficult and should be left to
professionals. This is simply not true! Another misconception is that
meditation is out of touch with the twenty first century. In fact,
meditation helps us to engage with life more fully, and not escape from it.

Preparing to Meditate
The best way to learn how to meditate is to meditate. (1) A time for
meditation - it is wise to find a regular time each day to engage in
meditation; yet realise that what we do with the rest our time will impact
on the value of our fixed times of meditation. (2) A place for meditation -
we should find a place that is quiet and free from interruption - a regular
place is preferable. (3) A posture for meditation - in one sense posture
plays no part, but in another it is important. The body, mind and spirit
are inseparable. It is best to find a position in which you are most
comfortable and least distracted. It is probably best to sit in a straight
chair, with the back straight, and with both feet flat on the floor. It is
often best to close the eyes to avoid distractions. The aim is all of this
is to center the attention of the body, emotions, the mind and the spirit
on the glory of God.

Forms of Meditation
(1) Meditatio Scripturarium -this is meditation on Scripture. Here we
internalise and personalise the passage we are look at. We should take a
small portion of scripture and live with it for some time; seeking to live
the experience through the use of our senses where appropriate. (2) Re-
collection - this is also called centering down. Where we become still and
enter into recreating silence. One technique is called palms down, palms
up. Here we place our palms down as a symbolic indication of our desire to
turn over any concerns that we may have to God. We pray a prayer that will
release that area to God. After a few moments of surrender we turn our
palms up as a symbol of our desire to receive from the Lord. We pray for
whatever it is that we need from the Lord and wait in surrendered silence.
(3) Meditation on creation - this form of mediation shows that we believe
that God reveals himself through His creation. We give our attention to the
created order and allow it to direct our attention to God. (4) Meditation
on events - Here we reflect on events and seek to interpret their
significance to us. It is best accomplished with the Bible in one hand and
a newspaper in the other.

Donald Whitney, in Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, deals with
meditation under the heading: Bible Intake. Here he explores memorizing,
meditating and applying God's Word. He shows how scripture emphasises the
importance of meditation, especially in Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3 and Psalm
119. His guidelines for meditation include: (1) Selecting a passage; (2)
Repeating it in different ways; (3) Rewriting it in your own words; (4)
Looking for applications to your life; (5) Praying through the text; (6)
Taking your time with the passage.
MEDITATION WORKSHEET

Entering In:
Jesus reminds us that heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will
never pass away (Matt. 24:35). God's Word is absolutely trustworthy; it is
eternal and endures forever (Isa. 40:8). Paul exhorts us to let the Word of
Christ dwell in us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all
wisdom, and sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in our
hearts to God (Col. 3:16). Let us more and more, each and every day, be a
people of the Word, growing into the image of Christ as we draw near to God
through study and meditation.

Right Now:
Read 2 Timothy 3:16. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you and empower you
through the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17). Ask
God to help you become a person of the Word!

In the Coming Days and Weeks:

* Decide to read the Bible on a daily basis. Start by reading a chapter a
day, pausing to meditate on a verse or two that the Spirit brings to your
attention. Review the steps of meditation. Ask questions of the text and
enter into dialogue with the Spirit as you ruminate on the Word. If you are
more ambitious, you may want to pick up a copy of The One Year Bible
published by Tyndale and read the three or four chapters assigned daily so
that you can read through the whole Bible in one year.

* Combine your Bible reading and meditation time with your prayer time.
Remember what George Muller learned - meditation and prayer are crucial
means of knowing God and the Holy Spirit's power.

* Make a commitment to memorize at least one verse or text of Scripture a
month. If you haven't already done so, try the Topical Memory System put
out by the Navigators. It should be available at your local Christian
bookstore.

* The study of God's Word requires discipline - which includes careful
thought, reflection, and reading of Bible study aids or tools like
commentar