Tag: spiritual

Created to gather and build

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 3 – Dancing in the Kingdom– Chapter 17 – Finding our place

Created to gather and build

[Bible references:  Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:11-16; 5:18-19; Colossians 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Peter 4:10;]

When we become part of the Body of Christ, we are given spiritual gifts for the express purpose of building up one another so that we may serve each other, help each other become more unified in our faith and in the knowledge of Christ and ultimately more like Christ. And it is part of that great mystery that we experience God more fully in both the giving and receiving of God’s grace through each other.

Furthermore, it is as a community of believers that we participate in the sacraments of the church. We cannot baptize ourselves and we cannot share communion by ourselves. And then there are other aspects of worship, which although we can do at any time during the week, it is only when we come together to worship that we can build up one another. This worship includes participating in the sacraments, reading and preaching scripture with each other, praying with each other, and singing hymns and spiritual songs with each other. We need to gather regularly in order to effectively build one another up. That is why we are encouraged to gather with one another.

Observe

Read Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 4:10; Colossians 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; Hebrews 10:24-25. In what ways can we encourage one another when we gather together?

New Jerusalem’s Urban Garden

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 3 – Dancing in the Kingdom– Chapter 16 – Fixing our eyes

New Jerusalem’s Urban Garden

[Bible references: Genesis 1-2; 1 Corinthians 12; 14;1 Peter 1, 4; Revelation 21-22]

In the now-broken earth, many people think of human civilization only as a corruption and pollution of the earth, that the earth was only meant to be pristine – as it supposedly was before humans started to mess it up. While we certainly have abused the earth in many ways, that does not mean all aspects of human civilization are inherently bad. When we use our God-given capabilities to join God in His kingdom building, that is good. Many of the things that we design, create and build are inherently good. The problem lies in our corruption and the world’s corruption that causes us to misuse every good thing.

When we were charged with filling and subduing the earth, it did not mean that we were to simply expand the Garden of Eden. God had given us many gifts to use, including tremendous creative abilities. We were given various spiritual gifts for the purpose of building one another up; we were given artistic gifts to make articles for the Tabernacle and Temple; we were given gifts of singing, making musical instruments and craftsmanship, hunting, trading, sailing – in general, making the things of civilization.

Those same gifts are available for current task of participating with God in the process of bringing His Kingdom to earth, a process that shall lead to ultimate uniting of heaven and earth, a process that leads not to the original Garden of Eden, but of an urban garden attached to the new Jerusalem.

It is undeniable that, despite the corruption we see, God has provided us an abundance of creative skills for displaying His transcendence and glory in our art, technology, engineering, and sciences. He has also given us social and political skills to create human public and private institutions that can organize our abilities to do good.

But it does not take much observation to also notice the corruption that has permeated our society. It can seem hard to determine if we have misused more than properly used the gifts and abilities God has given us. Nevertheless, as God’s co-regents we have been given a sacred obligation to nurture the place he gave us in anticipation of God’s final restoration of the earth.

Reflect

How can you use the gifts and skills that God has given you to help give people hope for the future?

Observe

Read 1 Peter 1. If our mind is set on seeing Christ soon, how shall we prepare?

Everything Belongs

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 3 – Dancing in the Kingdom– Chapter 16 – Fixing our eyes

Everything Belongs

[Bible references: Leviticus 27:30; Psalm 22:27-28; 2 Corinthians 4:1-18; Hebrews 12:1-29]

The gift that true contemplatives offer to themselves and society is that they know themselves as part of a much larger story … Only when we live and see through God can “everything belongs.” …All religious teachers have recognized that we human beings do not naturally see; we have to be taught how to see.[1]

In our last chapter, we looked at the spiritual disciplines which God can use to conform us more to His image. We saw that although those disciplines had an internal focus – they were meant to conform us as individuals. We saw that the disciplines have an external purpose – to enable us to build up others in the body of Christ. That prepares us now to extend our outward focus on God’s work in restoring His kingdom and the many ways in which we can participate with God in restoring the breadth and depth of His kingdom.

All of creation belongs to the Lord. All of creation was designed to be His temple – a place where God would be with His image-bearers. The care of all creation was given to His image-bearers because they themselves are temples of God in whom the Holy Spirit dwells and therefore able to be His stewards. Despite our rebellion, the responsibility given to us was not removed; even though both it and we are corrupted and even though we are unable to remove that corruption. Also, despite our rebellion, our Creator has not ceased to love us. In His inexhaustible compassion, he has not left us to ourselves but means to restore us, along with all of creation. He means to continue the project He began at the beginning of creation, the project of transforming us to become more like Him.

[1] Rohr, Richard. “Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer.” The Crossroad Publishing Company 2003

Observe

Read Leviticus 27:30; Psalm 22:27-28. Everything, including us, belongs to God. How does that affect how we treat everyone and everything around us?

Discipline of Distress

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 3 – Dancing in the Kingdom– Chapter 15 – Reforming our Souls

Discipline of Distress[1]

[Bible references: Psalm 11:1-7; 24:1-10; Acts 4:23-31]

“Whenever you are in a time of stress, you should go to the Psalms. They have a medicine for everything, they depict every situation that a human being can be in, and they’ve addressed every emotion you could ever have. They also tell you how to process that emotion or about that situation before God.” [2]

Often in times of difficulty we are prone to turn our focus on whatever it is that is bothering us. This spiritual discipline, sometimes known as “don’t waste an illness,” helps us to confront what has caused us distress, and then to use our distress as an opportunity to lean more fully on God. Instead of being preoccupied by a difficulty we can learn to become occupied with the presence of God.

There are three ways distress can affect us.

  • Distress tends to cause us to focus on the problem in front of us. Like Peter, when He saw Jesus walk on the water, tried to also walk on the water but he became distracted by the winds and waves and lost his focus on Jesus.
  • At other times, distress can make us lean into whatever means of control we have, but again, we focus on the means of control that are right in front of us, forgetting that we are not the ones really in control.
  • Also, as part of needing to control our circumstances, we may avoid acknowledging our suffering or our fears instead of being honest about them to God, which will allow those things to control us later.

When we are confronted by things that cause us distress, we can train ourselves to focus more on God than the situation immediately in front of us, to remember that the Lord is on the throne, that He knows our situation, that He is in control, and that He knows our fears and concerns, that He has a plan. In the future, we may be able to look back like Peter and Joseph and see God’s hand at work in times of distress.[3]

In difficult times, worrying may indicate that we are thinking that we know more than God about how things should be working, and we are worrying that He is not going to get it right. In fact, God may also be testing us, to help us come to grips with what is in our heart, to better understand ourselves, to grow in the faith and to examine our priorities.

[1] Keller, Tim. “Disciplines of Distress” Redeemer City to City 26 Mar 2020 redeemercitytocity.com/articles-stories/tim-keller-disciplines-of-distress

[2] Keller, Tim. “Disciplines of Distress” Redeemer City to City 26 Mar 2020 redeemercitytocity.com/articles-stories/tim-keller-disciplines-of-distress

[3] Peter is remembering that Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and Israelites were anointed to do what God had already predestined them to do. Gen 5:20, Joseph is telling his brothers that the very things that they had intended to do evil, God was going to use it for the good.

Observe

Read Psalm 11:1-7; 24:1-10; Acts 4:23-31. In these passages, what did the people concentrate on in their distress?

Disciplines of our hearts

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 3 – Dancing in the Kingdom– Chapter 15 – Reforming our Souls

Disciplines of our hearts

[Bible references: Matthew 6:24; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:12-19; 9:25-27; 1 Timothy 4:7-8,12; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Hebrews 4:1-11; 5:14; 2 Peter 1:3-25]

Anyone who remembers learning … remembers choosing to engage in repeated practice over and over and over precisely so that the rhythms become practices.[1]

Spiritual disciplines are personal and interpersonal practices (habits or activities – not attitudes or character qualities) that are taught or modelled in Scripture which promote spiritual growth among believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The spiritual disciplines derive from the gospel and take us deeper into an understanding of the gospel and they are the sufficient means by which we can know and experience God so that we can become more like Him.

“Spiritual discipline, then, is developing soul reflexes so that we know how to live. We discipline ourselves to develop soul memory in normal times so that we’ll be equipped for the times of high demand or deep crisis.”[2]

A few words of caution: Although spiritual disciplines are the means to godliness that does not mean that we are godly just because we practice them. The great error of the Pharisees was that they felt by merely doing these things they were godly. The disciplines are meant to provide opportunities for Christ to transform us – they are not meant to be a burden or an end in themselves. Although we engage in the disciplines to pursue God we should not rely on our effort or our strength, but by resting in power of the Spirit.

Although God will grant Christlikeness to us when Jesus returns, until then He intends for us to grow toward it. We aren’t merely to wait for holiness; we’re to pursue it.”[3]

“The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us . . . The inner righteousness we seek is not something that is poured on our heads. God has ordained the Disciplines of the spiritual life as the means by which we place ourselves where he can bless us. In this regard it would be proper to speak of ‘the path of disciplined grace.’ It is ‘grace’ because it is free; it is ‘disciplined’ because there is something for us to do.” [4]

Maturity requires incremental growth, accumulation of experience

Before we begin to look at the specific disciplines available to us, we should consider their overall purpose. We are beings created in the image Christ, and although we are not Christ, we can become more like Him. Becoming like Christ is a process. We have examples all around us to show us that growth is a process. Plants start from a seed then, in time, grow and develop new parts until the plants become mature and can reproduce. The same with animals. These examples indicate to us that not only is growing a process but that there is an aspect to growth that is built in to automatically happen. Animals and plants, with proper nutrients and environment, will just naturally become mature.

Allowing intentional choices to become habits and the habits to shape our character

But image-bearers of Christ are not merely plants or animals. Our growth is dependent on the development of culture, which are aspects of our way of life that are not automatic but rather are chosen. We can make choices, moral choices, about what we think is important, to set priorities and values. Those choices started in a garden full of abundant food, but we had a choice to not eat the fruit from one particular tree, we had a choice to make based on love and obedience.

Allowing different disciplines to strengthen each other

The spiritual disciplines provide us with choices, to be intentional about how we want to grow. We will see that each discipline is dependent on the others, and each discipline can then weaken or strengthen the others. So, we may enter the disciplines at any point, but we should not neglect the others. We can choose to start from an area of strength or an area of weakness, but we should not neglect the other paths to growth.

The discipline of the soul is not disconnected from the discipline of the body

We are embodied creatures. As we engage in disciplines, we should consider the interplay of soul and body and how they affect each other. We see this effect when, on the one hand it is true that if we are feeling confident then our bodies tend to present a confident posture and on the other hand, it is also true that if we are not initially feeling confident then intentionally assuming a confident posture can produce the feeling of confidence. This leads us to the phrase, “fake it till you make it.” We should keep the interplay of spiritual and material, body, and soul, in mind as we engage in our spiritual disciplines.

Our bodies are the very temple of the Holy Spirit within us, and it is through our bodies that we exercise our faith – and through which we are capable of exercising immorality. To that end, the apostle Paul saw fit to discipline his body as part of his overall ministry.

Forming our virtues

Virtues are the qualities of Christ in our lives that are provided by Him: qualities such as compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness. These qualities help us escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust. (KJV)” But although these qualities are given by Him, we are exhorted to strengthen those virtues with spiritual disciplines. For example, we should add virtue to our faith and virtue to our knowledge for knowledge without virtue only makes someone a walking textbook. Virtue helps add to our faith, to our knowledge, to our self-control, to our perseverance, to our godliness, to our brotherly kindness and to our brotherly love. It all hinges on godly virtues being added to our faith.

As Christians, we all want to grow in spiritual maturity and Christlikeness. Elders should be models of Christian maturity, qualified to the office primarily based on their character. While the Bible provides one quality related to skill (the ability to teach) and one related to the amount of time a man has been a Christian (not a recent convert), all the other qualifications are related to character. Yet while these traits are demanded of elders, they are not unique to elders. Elders are to be exemplars of the Christian graces which all Christians should aspire to. Every congregation is meant to be full of men and women who are above reproach, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, sober, gentle, peacemaking, not lovers of money, mature, humble, and respected by outsiders.

[1] Smith, James K.A. “You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit.” Brazos Press 2016. eBook

[2] Rumford, Douglas. SoulShaping. Tyndale House Publishers 1996

[3] Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life Navpress 2014

[4] Foster, Richard J. Celebration of Discipline Harper & Row Publishers ©1978

Observe

Read Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 9:25-27; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:9-11; 2 Peter 1:3-25. We are paradoxically called to both work and to rest. How do we do both at the same time?

Mystery of our humanity

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 2 – The Kingdom Revealed – Chapter 13 – Distinctives within the body of Christ

Mystery of our humanity

[Bible references: Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-25; Isaiah 59:1-21; Matthew 5:32; 19:4-6; John 8:31-47; Romans 5:12-21; 6:1-23; 7:1-25; 8:18-25; 12:3-8; I Corinthians 2:14; 7:1-40; 12:1-31; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:11-16; 5:21-33; Hebrews 3:12-14; 3:4]

What is the role of spiritual gifts?

God gives spiritual gifts that to different individuals for the building of the body of Christ. These gifts include exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, prophecy, service, teaching, administration, apostle, discernment, faith, healings, helps, knowledge, miracles, prophecy, teaching, tongues, tongues interpretation, wisdom, apostle, evangelism, pastor, prophecy, teaching, celibacy, hospitality, martyrdom, missionary, voluntary poverty. Different congregations stress different sets of gifts and some congregations will claim that some of the gifts have ceased.

What are the roles of families, marriage, and singleness?

There is a sense in which the church family transcends the biological family. The church family consists of every baptized adult, single or married and all adults can be considered as a parent to all those who are baptized after their own baptism. In a healthy congregation, the single and married adults socialize and serve together.[1]

There has been some contention regarding the roles of male and female. In some congregations, male and female are considered to be equal in all ways, but in others, they consider men and women to have equal value but complementary roles in marriage and within the congregation, where women are not allowed to have authority over men.[2]

Some congregations exalt the value of marriage and the value of procreation. Certainly, marriage reflects the Trinity, but the exaltation of marriage is sometimes done to the denigration of singleness, where the unmarried are not considered to be as mature or fulfilled as the married. In the other direction, singleness is sometimes held in high view, as the unmarried are seen as available to serve the church more whole-heartedly without the distractions that come with marriage. This view is particularly seen in the Roman Catholic denomination where convents and monasteries are available for the unmarried to serve the church and where unmarried men are available to serve as priests and bishops.

What is the role of sexuality?

Most of the church has regarded heterosexual sex within the bond of marriage and celibacy outside of marriage to be the norm, but an increasing number of congregations have become affirming of same-sex marriage. Added to that, post-modern thinking has led to the degradation of gender identification according to biological characteristics while promoting gender identification according to cultural or personal feelings. This transition has led to a rejection of the traditional male/female identification in favor of an unending array gender identities and to an increasing acceptance of transsexuality even within parts of the church.

Some congregations have fallen into the habit of choosing to simply reject people who don’t conform to the overall culture of the congregation, with this rejection being amplified by those people who don’t conform to the congregation’s sexual or gender norms. This is contrasted to other congregations that while not affirming non-heterosexual sexuality or the non-binary gender identification, desire to show acceptance to people who experience same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria without outrightly affirming same-sex marriage or gender transitioning.

How is our sexuality not just a physical issue but also a spiritual one?

There is a profound difference between human sexuality and the sexuality of other creatures. Because humans are made in the image of God, the union of husband and wife reflects the union of Christ and the church. The physical and emotional intimacy and intensity reflects of the intimacy and intensity between Christ and the church. The love and sacrifice of Christ for the church should be reflected in the love and sacrifice of the husband for his wife. The sexual union is not just a physical union, but it is a spiritual one.

[1] Hackman, Gordon. “Hauerwas on Marriage, Singleness, and the Church as First Family”North of the Tracks 3 Mar 2007 gordonhackman.blogspot.com/2007/03/hauerwas-on-marriage-singleness-and.html ; Griffith, Ryan. “Single in a Church of Families” Desiring God 16 July 2021 www.desiringgod.org/articles/single-in-a-church-of-families; Ware, Graham. “Marriage, Singleness, “Family Values,” and the Church” Pass the Salt Shaker 19 Mar 2015 www.desiringgod.org/articles/single-in-a-church-of-families; Treweek, Dani. “Singleness Lessons I Learned from the Early Church” Christianity Today 2 December 2021 www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/december-web-only/celibacy-singleness-early-church-lessons.html

[2] Roat, Alyssa. “What are Complementarianism and Egalitarianism? What’s the Difference?” Christianity.com www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-are-complementarianism-and-egalitarianism-what-s-the-difference.html

Observe

Read I Corinthians 12:1-31. How does the distribution of spiritual gifts relate to the church as a body?

Growth in the faith

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 2 – The Kingdom Revealed – Chapter 12 – Launching the church

Growth in the faith

[Bible references: Genesis 2:9; 1 Samuel 2:6; Isaiah 61:1-11; 1 Corinthians 3:7; Ephesians 4:15-16; Colossians 1:10]

In the book of creation, God has shown us that it is a normal process for living things, plants and animals, to grow from seed to maturity and to the production of new seeds. That gives us a template for the process of spiritual growth as well, not only for us as individuals but for the church as a whole. When Christ planted His church, it took time for the church to study the mysteries of the faith and then to develop its doctrines and teachings about things such as the mysteries of who God is, who we are as individuals and how we can grow in our knowledge of Christ. This process would happen in the context of changing situations and emerging challenges such as growing numbers of new members in the church and the expansion of the church into new territories which add growing numbers of new languages to think and communicate in. Adding new languages and cultures makes things more complex, but at the same time provides the church new opportunities for learning and growing in the faith.[1]

[1] Richards, Olly. “9 Surprising Health Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language” Story Learning storylearning.com/blog/9-health-benefits-of-learning-a-foreign-language

Observe

Read Isaiah 61:1-11. What seeds are being referred to in Isaiah 61:11?

The gifts of the faith

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 2 – The Kingdom Revealed – Chapter 12 – Launching the church

The gifts of the faith

[Bible references: Romans 12:1-8, 1 Corinthians 7:7-8; 12; 13:1-3; Ephesians 3:6-8; 4; 1 Peter. 4:7-11]

One way to discover what gifts we may have is by serving in our community. As we serve in various ways, we may discover that God has particularly blessed our service in various ways. Sometimes others may point out those abilities or gifts to us. Another way to discover our gifts is to read about those gifts and certain gifts may become apparent to us that way. Another way is take a questionnaire and the results of that questionnaire may reveal certain gifts to us. It may be helpful to take such a questionnaire with someone else because they may have different insights into the questions.

As we mature and encounter different life experiences, we may discover that different gifts emerge or that God has provided differently for us in our different circumstances. God knows us and our circumstances and may provide differently as we change and our circumstances change.

To strengthen the spiritual gift questionnaires, Saddleback Church has created the SHAPE assessment tool. What this tool does, is combine the spiritual gifts assessment with other things that define us: these factors are Spiritual gifts, Heart (our desires), Abilities (talents we have), Personality (who we are) and Experience (the things we’ve lived through).[1]

Scripture reveals that all who are in Christ are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and that the Spirit has given us various gifts that we can use to help build up other members of the body of Christ. A couple of Bible passages listed in the table below mention some of these gifts (the lists are not exhaustive):

Romans 12
exhortation
giving
leadership
mercy
prophecy
service
teaching  		1 Corinthians 12
administration
apostle
discernment
faith
healing
helps
knowledge
miracles
prophecy
teaching
tongues
interpretation
wisdom		Ephesians 4
Apostle
Evangelist
Pastor
Prophecy
teaching    		Misc. Passages                                                                                celibacy (1 Cor. 7:7-8)
hospitality (1 Pet. 4:9-10)
martyrdom (1 Cor. 13:1-3)
missionary (Eph. 3:6-8)
voluntary poverty (1 Cor. 13:1-3)  
Biblical lists of spiritual gifts

[1] Saddleback Church “Shape Guides” Saddleback Church www.ministryideas.com/doc/shape_discovery_tool.pdf; Hill, Kevin M. “S.H.A.P.E. Test” Free Shape Test www.freeshapetest.com;

Reflect

What abilities do you have that benefits other people?

Observe

Read 1 Peter 4:7-11. What is our motivation for exercising our spiritual gifts?

Disciplines of the faith

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 2 – The Kingdom Revealed – Chapter 12 – Launching the church

Disciplines of the faith

[Bible references: Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-2; 19:14; 37:7; 40:1; 133:1; Proverbs 1:1-9; Matthew 4:19; 5:8, 14-16; 6:1-18,30-33; 9:1311:29; 12:7,32; 23:12,23; Mark 12:30; Luke 16:13; John 4:22-24; 13:1-17; 17:23; Acts 1:8; 2:42; 10:43; 13:28; 14:23; 26:18; Romans 8:25; 9:15-18; 10:14-18; 12:9-12; 13:1-5; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 13:4; 2 Corinthians 1:12; 9:6-13; 11:2-3; Ephesians 1:10; 4:2-3, 11-14; 5:1-4,21; 6:18; Philippians 1:10; 2:15; 4:4-8; Colossians 4:2-6; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; 4:1-5; 6:6-8; 2 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 4:1-11; 12:11; 13:4; James 3:17; 4:10; 5:16; 1 Peter 4:10; 1 John 1:3-7,9]

Fruits, whether of the Spirit or of a plant, do not develop without time and nurturing. God’s intentions are clear from His design of Creation, that everything in Creation is designed to operate by built-in processes. The normality and regularity of those processes inspired Christians investigating natural phenomena to develop what we now call the modern scientific method.[1]

In the same way that natural phenomena are subject to natural processes, spiritual phenomena are subject to spiritual processes, and those processes are the normal way God chooses to work through us and grow us into creatures who increasingly resemble Him. It is therefore recognized that the most effective way for Him to work with us is for us to engage in the practice of spiritual disciplines, which are habits that we try to build into our lives which invite God to transform us. When we practice spiritual disciplines, we voluntarily make ourselves available to yield to God and to give Him the opportunity to shape us. The resulting change, our transformation, is His work. The disciplines we practice are merely the means by which we cooperate with him. There are various ways we can categorize these disciplines (inward vs. outward, etc.) although various disciplines are not perfectly one category or another. One way to categorize the disciplines, which is shown below, is to describe disciplines in which we abstain from things (disciplines of abstinence) and those in which we engage with others (disciplines of engagement).

Disciplines of Abstinence:

  • meditation (silence, solitude, journaling)[2]
  • fasting[3]
  • submission (obedience)
  • patience
  • humility
  • Sabbath (rest)
  • purity of heart (chastity)
  • secrecy
  • simplicity

Disciplines of engagement:

  • service
  • confession (self-examination)
  • worship
  • celebration[4]
  • unity
  • forgiveness
  • mercy
  • stewardship (generosity, giving)
  • fellowship
  • evangelism
  • studying the Bible
  • thanksgiving
  • prayer

We should not think of disciplines as processes which deprive us of enjoyment, or which reduce the flourishing that God has intended for us. Rather, the disciplines can make our lives more enjoyable and enhance our flourishing. Because we, like all creatures, are made in a particular way, we will be better off if we stay in the environments for which we are designed. For instance, trains are built to best run when they are on railroad tracks, off the tracks they can hardly operate, but on the tracks, they can operate at their best. In the same way, spiritual disciplines put us in the best environment for us to thrive according to the way we are designed.

[1] Hannam, James. “How Christianity led to the rise of modern science” Christian Research Institute www.equip.org/articles/christianity-led-rise-modern-science

[2] Mathis, David. “Journaling as a path to joy” Desiring God” Desiring God www.desiringgod.org/articles/journal-as-a-pathway-to-joy; Chechowich, Dr. Faye. “Journaling as a Spiritual Discipline” BibleGateway www.biblegateway.com/resources/scripture-engagement/journaling-scripture/spiritual-discipline

[3] Mathis, David “Fasting for Beginners” Desiring God 26 Aug 2015 www.desiringgod.org/articles/fasting-for-beginners

[4] Heath, Elaine. “The Spiritual Discipline of Celebration” Ministry Matters 24 Dec 2019 www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/9930/the-spiritual-discipline-of-celebration

Reflect

Some disciplines will come easier than others, but they all need to be practiced if we are to flourish in each area. Which area do you need to grow in?

Observe

Read Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-2; 19:14; 37:7; 40:1; 133:1. What are some of the disciplines that mark a life of faith?

Assembly of God’s people

Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents

Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 2 – The Kingdom Revealed – Chapter 12 – Launching the church

Assembly of God’s people

[Bible references: Isaiah 54; Matthew 5:44-48; 16:18; 18:17; 28:16-20; Luke 17:3; Acts 2:42-47; 11:22; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 12; 14:19, 26, 35; Ephesians 5:32; James 5:13-20]

God did not create us to be isolated individuals. In fact, He created us in His image, a mysterious Triune God who is at once a person, God, and is also a community: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. To help us understand this complexity, the Bible uses a couple of metaphors that are used to describe the church. Sometimes scripture describes the church as a building of which Christ is the cornerstone, sometimes as a body with many parts that are all necessary for each other, and sometimes as a bride with Christ as the Bridegroom. All these metaphors give us different ways to think of how we connect to each other.

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for assembly is “qahal,” and in the New Testament it’s the Greek word, “ecclesia.” In both the Old and New Testaments there were people who believed in God. These days we call the assembly of God’s people the “church,” but where did that word come from.

The word “church” is derived from the Scottish work “kirk” which is derived from the Greek word “kuriakon” which means belonging to the Lord (Greek “kyrios”). In the Bible, this word was used a couple of time to refer to “the Lord’s” supper and “the Lord’s” day.  In this same expression, sometimes the building where those “who belong to the Lord” meet is also called the church, where it’s the building that belongs to the Lord.

The word “church” is used in a variety of ways: the whole body of Christians in one city; a particular local congregation; or the whole body of believers on earth (past, present and future). Throughout this book, the word ‘church,’ using the lower case ‘c,’ refers to this whole body of believers. It might be clearer if, perhaps, we used the term am Yahweh (“people of Yahweh”) (Numbers 11:29) to refer to all believers through time, through Old and New Testaments.

There are also other words in the Bible that are used to describe Christians in general:

  • Brethren – those who belong to a spiritual brotherhood or fellowship.
  • Believers – those whose doctrine is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Saints – Those who are consecrated to God, holy ones who are separated from the world and dedicated to God
  • The Elect – those who are chosen by God
  • Disciples – those who follow Jesus to learn from him.
  • Christians – those who belong to Christ
  • Those of the Way – those who follow Christ, live like Him

There are also metaphors used to refer to the church:

  • The Body of Christ – which refers to the many inter-related functions of the people in the church. Related to this is the way we sometimes say the church ought to be regarded more as an organism rather than an organization.
  • The Temple of God – which sometimes refers to the entire church being built on the cornerstone, “Jesus,” and sometimes to the individual believers in whom the Holy Spirit resides.
  • The Bride of Christ – which refers to the intimate relationship we all have with Jesus.
  • Pillar and buttress of the truth – which refers to the need to behave correctly and defend the truth.

All of this is to say that there are many ways to refer to “the church,” depending on what one wants to emphasize. But it is clear that the mission of “the church” is to

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:19-20).

Making disciples, being a disciple, is a life-long process. It includes many things, the commands given to Adam to steward the earth and create a culture that glorifies God, all the ways in which we can love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, all the ways in which we can love our neighbor – and even our enemy, all the ways in which we can be a part of our church community that builds one another up, and all the ways in we can worship God in all we do.

Toward that end, God has given spiritual gifts to each one of us, so that in context of the community we can build each other up and help each other grow into the unity of the faith.

 “Local congregations … must resume the practice of making the spiritual formation of their members into Christlikeness their primary goal, the aim which every one of its activities serve” [1]

God has not supplied one person with all the gifts but has divided them among the disciples in a community so that together we might build one another up. The church is a community designed to worship together, to share the sacraments, to build one another up and hold each other accountable.

It is in the context of living in community that we can grow in love towards others as we learn to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others, even those with whom we disagree and with those who are unable to respond equally. Our attitude should be the same as the attitude of our “good and overflowing God” to generously reach out to others with the good news of the gospel.

[1] Willhoit, James C. “Spiritual formation as if the church mattered” Willhoit, James C. “Spiritual formation as if the church mattered” Baker Academic 2008

Reflect

What groups of people do you identify with?

Observe

Read James 5:13-20. What power is there when people pray together?