Month: October 2010

The concept of pilgrimage refers to a journey or search of great significance. Adherents of many religions participate in pilgrimages today. Jews go to Jerusalem while Muslims go to Mecca. Christians through the centuries have also at times made pilgrimages to places such as Jerusalem, similar to what the Jews did in Bible times for the great feasts. 

For us who follow Christ today, it is important to realise that there is no particularly holy places or holy sites we need to visit. The earth is the Lord's and his presence is everywhere. He no longer dwells in temples made with hands but rather he dwells in the hearts of his people. He is Immanuel – God with us … right here right now. 

Yet in many ways, our lives as followers of Christ is still a journey. He calls us and we follow. We are pilgrims on this earth, in transit. We look forward to the day when Jesus returns and his kingdom is fully revealed. In the meantime, we seek to bring his kingdom here on earth – his rule and reign in all areas of life. 

In the Psalm 84 David said this … 

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. 

What joy for those whose strength comes from the LORD, who have set their minds (or hearts) on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem. O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob. 

Psalm 22 was a song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem …

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” And now here we are, standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a well-built city; its seamless walls cannot be breached. All the tribes of Israel — the LORD’s people — make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks to the name of the LORD, as the law requires of Israel. 

In what ways can we see our life as a pilgrimage today? How can this thinking assist us in our daily living?

For further reading, consider the classic Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan and The Sacred Journey by Phyllis Tickle and Charles Foster. 

This coming weekend, we continue with our "Ancient Practices" series. We will be looking at two unique practices: The Liturgical Year and Pilgrimage. 

The English word "liturgy" means "a form of public worship, a particular arrangement of services, or a particular form or type of communion service." Every church tradition has some form of liturgy, whether it is formal or informal, planned or more spontaneous, joyous or reverential. Church gatherings right back in the first century included various aspects such as singing, prayer(s), communion or the Lord's Supper, giving, teaching and fellowship (see Acts 2:42-47 for example). 

The liturgical year or Christian year consists of the observation of the various seasons and special events in the life of those who follow Christ. The nation of Israel, as recorded in the Old Testament, marked their year with various feasts that were ways for them to remind themselves of their identity and their place in history as the people of God. These celebration times included Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.

The New Testament church focused on a weekly gathering on the first day of the week (Sunday), which they used to remind themselves of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Over the centuries, followers of Christ have continued to remember Christ's death and resurrection weekly, but also annually around Easter time, a festival with a mixture of Christian and pagan practices. In addition, commemorating the birth of Jesus (advent at Christmas time) has also become a common practice. Some Christian traditions follow a highly detailed yearly calendar while others barely refer or connect to any annual cycle.  

Times and seasons are important to God. They remind us of our journey as his people who are part of His unfolding story in time. Remembering significant events is also important, such as Jesus' death and resurrection, as well as ordinances instituted by Jesus such as baptism and communion.

What other ways can we have a sense of connection to our roots as followers of Christ and ensure we stay connected to our story? 

For some further insight, check out The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister and The Feasts of Israel by Kevin J. Conner.  

As we are talking about "Ancient Practices," I thought it would be worth re-posting this article on Dallas Willard and "spirituality."

In June 2005, as part of my Doctor of Ministry program with Fuller Theological Seminary, I participated in a two week intensive course on Spirituality and Ministry with Dallas Willard.

Dallas Willard is a very godly and gifted person who has written widely on the topic of 'spirituality'. He also lectures on philosophy at the University of California. Our focus included a study of the various Christian disciplines that enable a person to be truly 'like Christ'.

Here are a few of my favourite quotes and thoughts from Dallas:

1. Unfortunately, we often think that being a Christian is about trying hard to be like Jesus. Spiritual transformation is not a matter of trying harder, but of training wisely (1 Tim.4:7-8). A lot of Christians 'try' hard to be like Jesus and then either 'fake it' (act like they’re doing okay) or they give up ('I’m not perfect just forgiven').
2. "Authentic transformation really is possible if we’re willing to do one thing: arrange our life around the kind of practices Jesus engaged in to receive power from the Father."
3. "How many people are radically and permanently repelled from The Way by Christians who are unfeeling, stiff, unapproachable, boringly lifeless, obsessive and dissatisfied? Yet such Christians are everywhere, and what they are missing is the wholesome liveliness springing from a balanced vitality with the freedom of God’s loving rule … Spirituality wrongly understood or pursued is a major source of human misery and rebelling against God."
4. On the discipline of celebration – "Joy is strength. Its absence will create weakness. Failure to attain a deeply satisfying life always has the effect of making sinful actions seem good. Here lies the strength of temptation … Normally, our success in overcoming temptation will be easier if we are basically happy in our lives."
5. Not long after moving to Chicago into a new fairly high pressured ministry position, John Ortberg asked his mentor, Dallas Willard, "What do I need to do to stay healthy and alive spiritually?" Long pause. "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life", he said at last. Another long pause. "Okay, I’ve written that down", John told him, a little impatiently. "That’s a good one. Now what else is there?" John had many things to do and this was a long distance conversation, so he was anxious to cram as many units of spiritual wisdom into the least time possible. Another long pause. "There is nothing else", Dallas said.

For those interested in reading some of Dallas' material, I'd recommend the following books. They are not light reading but they have a great deal of depth in them.

• The Divine Conspiracy – this book is a comprehensive exploration of life in the Kingdom.
• The Spirit of the Disciplines – this is a classic book on spiritual disciplines. You might also want to check out The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg, who studied under Dallas Willard. He refers to this book as 'Dallas for Dummies'.
• Renovation of the Heart – a practical book focused on helping us put on the character of Christ.
• The Great Omission – this book takes a fresh look at Jesus' teaching on discipleship.
• Hearing God – a book explaining how to build an intimate relationship with our Creator.

You can also check out his author page at amazon.com and web site for a variety of helpful resources, including some articles that he has written. Dallas passed away in 2013.

This coming weekend, we will be looking at another ancient practice used by followers of Christ for centuries – fasting. Jesus himself fasted for 40 days at the beginning of his ministry, releasing great power into his ministry. He expected that his followers would fast from time to time too. Fasting can be a powerful personal discipline to train our will, to help develop self-control, and to tune our spiritual sensitivity towards God. 

To read some more about fasting, click here. 

Some additional recommended resources include:

Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough by Elmer Towns

Fasting by Scot McKnight

Simplicity and Fasting by Jan Johnston

Fasting Made Easy by Dr Don Colbert

This weekend we continue our series on Ancient Practices. God is calling his people back to the "ancient paths" and one of those is discipleship. Disciples are those who have been captured by the love of Jesus and who have responded by surrendering their lives to his loving leadership. Their goal is to be like him – in the attitudes, their actions, and their life mission. Becoming like Jesus is a process and a partnership. It includes the Holy Spirit, life's circumstances, and spiritual practices.

Spiritual practices are exercises that disciples engage in to train themselves to be like Jesus. As apprentices to Jesus, they realise that they have entered a life of training, not just trying. Salvation is by grace not by our own works. We cannot earn God's love. Grace is opposed to earning … but not to effort. Disciples are "disciplined ones" who discipline their life around activities that position them to experience life transformation.

One of the most important spiritual practices is constant prayer. "Constant" means continual and "prayer" means conversation with God. Only as disciples are continually connected to Jesus will they develop the closeness they desire and live fruitful lives. Jesus put it this way when teaching his first disciples …

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. [John 15:4-5. NLT]

There are different "abiding styles" and it is important to discover how God has wired us uniquely to connect with him. We know that God is with us at all times (his "omni-presence") but we all long for those special times when we are aware of his presence in a tangible way.

Each one of us are at a different place in our journey as disciples. Some are seeking, others are just beginning, others are growing, while others have matured over many years. Whatever stage we are at, sometimes we become stalled or even dissatisfied. At these times, we may need help from others or our spiritual hunger can drive us to seek God with greater passion.

Here are some recommended resources for those desiring to grow in various aspects of the spiritual practice of constant prayer:

Continue reading “Ancient Practices (#2) – Constant Prayer” →

Last weekend at CityLife Church, we began a series of messages called Ancient Practices. We are re-discovering some of the practices that disciples of Jesus have engaged throughout the centuries in order to become like their master. Our primary resources are the stories about Jesus and his life on earth as recorded in the Gospels. We can also learn much from other followers of Christ and how they lived out their faith, as recorded in the rest of the New Testament.

Here are some modern-day Christian leaders and authors who have thought deeply about discipleship and spiritual formation who I would highly recommend:

1. Dallas Willard. Dallas is one of the foremost thinkers and writers on Christian spirituality today. Highly recommended would be: The Spirit of the Disciplines, The Divine Conspiracy, and The Great Omission. Click here to see a list of Willard's books, all of which are excellent. 

2. Richard J. Foster. Foster's book The Celebration of Discipline is a classic. Click here to see all of Foster's books.

3. The Ancient Practices series edited by Phillis Tickle and published by Thomas Nelson. We have gleaned many insights for our series from these resources.

3. James Ryan Smith. Smith's apprentice series is excellent: The Good and Beautiful God, The Good and Beautiful Life and The Good and Beautiful Community. Also, check out Renovare.  

4. Robert E Coleman. Coleman's books The Master Plan of Evangelism and The Master Plan of Discipleship are outstanding. 

I hope that you find these resources helpful. 

Disciples have it as their goal to become like their master – Jesus. This was Jesus’ clear intended goal for his followers: "follow me, learn from me, take my yoke upon you, follow my example, make disciples, teach them to put into practice everything I have taught you." Only as we experience genuine personal transformation will we see the social transformation we all seek.

Genuine transformation into the character of Christ really is possible. Growth and change involve a process and it is a partnership between God and us (see Phil.2:13). As we journey through life we all go through various trials and challenges. These are part of God’s plan to develop character in us (Jam.1:2-4). Thankfully, the Holy Spirit lives within us and is readily available to help us move towards what Jesus would be and do (2 Cor.3:18. Gal.5:22-23. Jn.15:8).

Spiritual practices (or disciplines) are activities that we engage in as disciples to participate with God’s work in our lives. We “put on” the new nature of Christ by engaging in regular activities that are within our power than enable us to become what we could not by direct effort (see Col.3:12-14. 2 Pet.1:1-8). We don’t engage in spiritual practices to earn or merit our salvation or forgiveness but in order to experience the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. GRACE is the opposite of earning, not effort. Spiritual practices are wisdom not righteousness. They are wise practices that train and transform our hearts. Athletes understand the importance of training. Paul compared our Christian life to the training of an athlete in several passages (1 Cor.9:25. 1Tim.4:7-8. 2 Tim.2:5). When we engage in the spiritual disciplines as training, we are doing so to change how we live. Most people want to change but fail – not because they are not trying, but because they are not training properly.

There are a great variety of spiritual practices: contemplative (including prayer, Scripture, meditation, solitude, silence, Sabbath, fasting, simplicity or journaling), communal (including celebration, singing, service, fellowship, generosity or confession) and missional (including sharing your story, proclaiming the good news in word or deed, showing hospitality, assisting the poor and needy, working for justice, loving your neighbor or serving your community). The aim is not to add more and more activities to our already busy lives but rather to join God in how we spend every day. It’s about living as apprentices of Jesus in our ordinary, everyday lives. 

Tomorrow: some resources for disciples of Jesus. 

The prophet Jeremiah lived and ministered in a time of growing spiritual apathy and moral decline. Despite repeated warnings, God's people were drifting away from Him. As a result, instead of being a positive influence on the surrounding nations, they were becoming just like them. They had already fallen from the height and splendour of David and Solomon's time, now long forgotten. Little did they know that they were very close to seeing Jerusalem destroyed. Before long they would be carried away into captivity by the cruel Babylonians.

Jeremiah prophesied words of warning and also words of hope. He called the people back to God. At one point he says, 

“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls (Jeremiah 6:16).”

Unfortunately, they didn't listen. They continued on their own way … and suffered the consequences.

Here we are, thousands of years later. In many ways, we live in a somewhat similar situation. In the West, the influence of the church on society is in decline. The church has been pushed to the margins of our culture and few seem to be concerned. At times, "Christians" don't seem to be much different from their "non-Christian" neighbours. Is this what Jesus had in mind? Or are we missing something?

According to speaker and author Dallas Willard, the "Great Commission" which Jesus gave has become the "Great Omission." The church at large seems to be doing everything BUT the main thing Jesus gave us to do – "make disciples." Has the "gospel" become merely a fire escape from hell to ensure that we get to heaven when we die … rather than about living the life of Jesus … right here right now on earth?

This coming weekend, we will be starting a new series of messages at CityLife Church called "Ancient Practices." We will be looking at the core mission of the church as being that of "making disciples" and over the course of the series we will look at some of the practices that disciples can engage in to position themselves to allow the Holy Spirit to transform them. After all, social transformation begins with genuine personal transformation. 

Maybe we need to face these new contemporary challenges with age-old wisdom. To move forward we may need to first look backward. When we drift off course, it's time to find our way again … back on the ancient paths.