Chapter by Chapter, Week by Week
How can we grow up
to be like our Lord, Jesus?
… by living as he lived
With all the hard things happening in our country and around the world, we need practices that ground us in what is True and solid from the Word of God. I’m writing here about one such practice that has kept my mind and heart from panic and moved me toward trust in the God who says He will never leave or forsake us. I stand on that solid place as I both grieve the loss of life and continue to trust in God. My heart goes out to all who are suffering today.
Once a week, at 6:30 AM, I walk half a block up my street to meet my neighbor. Sometimes we walk and talk. Sometimes we sit at her table, sip tea, and excitedly share what we’ve discovered in the current chapter of the book we’re reading together. Afterwards, we pray.
This may seem like a small hour in a week, but let me tell you, it is anything but.
This hour is packed with lively give and take from the truths of scripture, the challenge of the author’s words, the encouragement of each other’s experiences, the depth of common cause, and the grace of the Spirit of God who is with us to guide and direct our conversation.
As we read and discuss, we pray that the Spirit will guide our understanding and our will to do what He leads us to do.
Today, we discussed Chapter 2 in The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives, by Dallas Willard. In this chapter, Willard discusses “practical theology,” which is, in simpler terms, how we grow spiritually.
Christ’s commission in Matthew 28:19-20 was to “go and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey (do) everything I have commanded you.” Willard believes that evangelism has been strongly emphasized in our church history and has been quite successful. We’re good at saying, “Come to Jesus!” But we need more and better teaching on how to obey (do) what we know God is asking of us, so we can grow to become more like Christ.
Growing in Christlikeness requires a serious effort. It doesn’t just happen.
So how do we do it?
Willard suggests that spiritual disciplines, such as fasting, solitude, silence, meditation, submission to a spiritual overseer, simple living, prayer, and others, are essentials for growth in Christlikeness.
If we read the gospels closely, we will find that these were the practices that Jesus himself practiced!
Logically, we must conclude that if we want to be more like Jesus, we need to do the things He did while here on earth.
The rest of the book will address this situation by teaching us more about how to practice and grow to be more like Christ.
I am excited to read and discuss the next chapter because I certainly want to mature in my faith to be more like Christ!
Spiritual disciplines, I must add, are not a series of activities to do and then cross off a list.
They do not earn favor with God.
They do not make us “better” Christians.
But they will make us hungrier for the Spirit of God to have His way in us. We will become more sensitive to God’s voice. And, to our surprise, loving Jesus and our fellow man will be more possible than we could ever imagine. They will make us even more thirsty for that “spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14
We have many chapters left in this book, so I need to stop here and encourage you to find a friend and together decide on a book to read chapter by chapter. Set up a time to meet, and then find the joy of a journey with Christ that will open you up to even more of God’s work in your life, for your good and His glory.
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Here are a few books my friend and I have read chapter by chapter, week by week. They have led us to grow spiritually in powerful ways:
Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer by Tyler Staton
Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.
How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People by Pete Greig
The Familiar Stranger by Tyler Staton
Another idea would be to read from The Holy Bible: book by book, chapter by chapter. My friend and I meet with other groups for Bible study, but reading it this way, with a friend, would be a rich and powerful way to grow in our faith.
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Thanks for reading all the way down here! It is a pleasure to write for you to share what is on my mind and in my heart.
Have a wonderful day.
With much Love,
Deane