“God, Me, and We” Disciplines
Thinking like Jesus is one thing; but without action, it’s just words. As one of my friends once told me, if the Greeks had compiled the New Testament, the fifth book would have been “Thoughts.” Instead, right after the Gospels (good news), we have “Acts.” Now, we turn to acting like Jesus.
Randy Frazee writes that there are ten spiritual disciplines of the Christian life that activate a person’s journey with Jesus. These are the exercises we use to practice our faith. Much like a piano student learns (and re-learns) how to play an instrument, we practice our faith in many ways. The ten we focus on this month are the ones critical to a thriving convert. I’ve divided these practices into the “God, me, and we” disciplines—those that develop our relationship with God, myself, and others. For the next three Sundays, we’ll be discussing these practices.
October 4- God
Worship, Prayer, and Bible Study
October 11- Self
Single minded devotion to God
A life fully surrendered to God
Generosity with the time and money God has given us
October 18- Others
Biblical community
Spiritual gifts
Sharing faith with others
Many of us were taught in youth group that this journey from thinking to acting is the distance from the head to the heart. I suggest to you it’s much more than that. It’s the revolution of a life that changes us; our feet, our hands, and causes us to reach out to each other as well. To go there, we need humility, a teachable spirit, and a desire to mature in our faith. We need to spend even more time in the “belly of the fish.” As Jonah, the apostle Paul, and so many others learned, the journey of following God begins downward into the depths of our lives. We learn so much better when we’re dependent, vulnerable, and needy. So as we take the next step in the Jesus Revolution, pray for God to teach you again. All of us need the practice.