True discipleship is intentional and deliberate. It is the practice of spiritual disciplines for the purpose of personal spiritual growth and transformation into the likeness of Christ. Discipleship is not only what we do to help others come to know Christ better; it is also the work of developing the character of Christ within ourselves.
A foundation for developing the spiritual disciplines is given to us in 1 Timothy 4:7-8.
7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:7-8)
The word for “train” yourself in godliness is, in Greek, gymnaze, from which we get the words “gymnastics” and “gymnasium.” It also means “exercise” yourself. In the next verse the apostle Paul says that physical training brings only temporary benefit — here on this earth — but the benefit of spiritual training, of the spiritual disciplines, which are a kind of spiritual gymnastics, is twofold: it holds promise “for both the present life and the life to come.” The spiritual disciplines are actions of our mind and body that help us to stabilize the elements of the soul — intellect, emotions, and will. As we practice them, we come to a condition of the inner person in which the Spirit conquers the flesh in us, and God is glorified in our lives.
The spiritual disciplines can be categorized in various ways, but fundamentally they are of two kinds — disciplines of abstinence and disciplines of engagement. The disciplines of abstinence are so called because in them we usually give up something we are accustomed to — for example, food, noise, speaking, comfort, praise, sex, and so on. In the disciplines of engagement, by contrast, instead of giving something up, we take part in something — for example, worship, confession, fellowship, celebration, or submission to others.
The disciplines of abstinence help us to put off our old nature, while the disciplines of engagement help us to put on the new self, created in the image of God (Ephesians 4:17-24).
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17-24)
| Disciplines of Abstinence | Disciplines of Engagement |
| Fasting — abstaining from food and/or water for a set period of time; Silence — abstaining from speaking for a set period of time — a counter to the universal tendency to fill up the quiet and saturate it with sounds; Solitude — withdrawing from others and devoting ourselves to seeking God — a counter to the excessive busyness of our lives; Chastity — abstaining from sexual thoughts and actions for a set period of time — it helps us gain the strength to master the normal sexual instincts that begin to control us; Frugality — keeping our purchases within set limits — it develops in us a sense of moderation and care for those poorer than ourselves; Secrecy — keeping silent about the good deeds we have done and the achievements we have in various areas; Stewardship — giving ten percent of our income to the ministry of God’s people; Sacrifice — going without certain things (including money, time, and resources) for the sake of God’s work or of others; |
Confession — disclosing and sharing our sins and failures before God and other spiritual and trusted people; Fellowship — gathering and communing with other members of the body of Christ — this helps us to sustain one another; Prayer — communing with God for the purpose of fulfilling His will. Regular personal prayer is essential if the believer is to learn to respond to God’s leading and to draw near to God; Meditation — it orders our thought life and helps us to understand God’s will. Through it we begin to see life and ministry from God’s point of view; Worship — giving glory to God — through it we breathe in God’s presence and invite God to enter our lives; Celebration — rejoicing over what God has done in your life — a “table spread in the presence of our enemies” — it brings us joy and boldness; Service — doing something for someone else without expecting to be repaid — it helps free us from envy, resentment, the desire to impose ourselves, and a strong sense of ownership; Submission (Yieldedness) — giving up the notion that our own ideas are the most important and that our decision is final. |
Training in godliness is an inward change in which we surrender to the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts. In this way we begin to live God’s kind of life. All of this is possible because 2 Peter 1:3-4 says:
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4)
Here it says that we have everything we need, both for our earthly life and for our fellowship with God. And not only that, but through faith in the sacrifice of Christ and through being washed with His precious blood, we become children of God and members of God’s family. In other words, we become “participants in the divine nature.” And since we are such by faith and by promise, we must also live as such in practice. This means change. And this change in us comes about through the practice of the spiritual disciplines (2 Peter 1:5-7).
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)
Notice how this list begins: “Make every effort to add…” This is our action, our responsibility. How do we develop these virtues in ourselves? Through the spiritual disciplines.
True discipleship requires that we be resolved in advance to develop and practice the spiritual disciplines. God’s work and the change within us is not something that happens automatically, by itself, or by chance. It happens when we consciously engage our will and begin to seek God’s fullness in every sphere of our lives. This means that we must intentionally do the things that are necessary for our spiritual growth. We must intentionally surrender our will to the will of God, so that God’s will may become our will. We must intentionally set aside time for God. We must intentionally develop our prayer life. We must intentionally read God’s Word and listen with our spiritual ears, so as to hear what God has to say to us through it.
The spiritual disciplines help us to think about God every day and to love Him more today than we loved Him yesterday. They stir up in us a desire to obey Him. Through them we come to know God’s heart, and God works His character into us.
ENTHUSIASM AND ZEAL FOR GOD
True discipleship requires that we be enthusiastic about the spiritual disciplines and zealous for God. We will have of God’s presence exactly as much as we truly want. For God certainly desires to be present and to govern our lives. The question is how much room we will give Him to do so. Jesus told two parables to illustrate this (Matthew 13:44-46).
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-46)
What we notice here about these two “lucky” men, who found treasures, is that they are so joyful and enthusiastic about their discoveries that they sell everything they own in order to obtain what they want. We often hear about the “cost of discipleship” as though it brought us nothing but losses and deprivations. But what we notice here is that these two men, who sell all that they have, do not think they are giving up anything. They think they are gaining something more. They are certain that they will receive something incomparably more valuable than what they had until that moment. They are more than ready to give up all their possessions in order to gain something more valuable than everything they own.
THE PEARL NECKLACE
The cheerful little girl with a mane of golden curls was almost seven. As she reached the checkout counter of the store with her mother, she spotted them — a string of sparkling white beads in a little pink foil box. “Oh, Mommy, please! Would you buy them for me?” Her mother first looked at the back of the package, and then at the pleading eyes of her daughter’s upturned little face. “Two ninety-five. That’s almost three leva. If you really want them and promise to be good and help me more, I’ll give you the money, but you’ll have to earn it. Your birthday is only a week away, and then perhaps you’ll also get a coin or two from Grandma.”
When she got home, Katya immediately emptied her piggy bank and counted the coins in it — there were only thirty-four stotinki. After dinner she asked her mother to let her wash the dishes, and then she went straight out to take out the trash. On her birthday her grandmother gave her a brand-new two-leva note, so that at last she had gathered the money she needed to buy the beaded necklace.
Katya loved her beads. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere — to Sunday school, to kindergarten, even to bed. She took them off only when she went swimming or when she bathed. Her mother told her that if they got wet, the color might come off and turn her neck green.
Katya had a very tender and loving father. Every evening, when she went to bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come to her bedroom to tell her a story. One evening, after he had finished his story, he asked Katya:
— “Do you love me?”
— “Oh, yes, Daddy! You know I love you.”
— “Then give me your beads.”
— “Oh, Daddy, not my beads! Take Whirlwind — the white horse from my toy collection — the one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy, the one you gave me. He’s my favorite.”
— “All right, sweetheart, Daddy loves you. Good night!” He kissed her on the cheek and left.
About a week later, at another such moment, Katya’s father asked her again:
— “Do you love me?”
— “Daddy, you know I love you.”
— “Then give me your beads.”
— “Oh, Daddy, not my beads! But you can take my doll — the new one I got for my birthday. She’s so beautiful. I’ll even give you the yellow blanket that matches her pajamas.”
— “All right, thank you! Sleep well, my little beauty. God bless you, and know that Daddy loves you!” As always, her father kissed her on the cheek and left.
A few evenings later, when her father came into her room again, Katya was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed. As he drew near, he noticed that her chin was trembling and a silent tear was running down her cheek.
— “What is it, Katya? What’s the matter?”
Katya said nothing. Instead she lifted her little hand toward her father. When she opened it, the little beaded necklace glinted in her palm. A little tearfully, she finally said to her father:
— “Here, Daddy, take it, it’s for you!”
Barely holding back his own tears, her father reached out one hand toward the cheap little necklace, and with the other he reached into his pocket and drew out a blue velvet box with a string of real pearls, and handed it to Katya. He had been carrying them with him all along. He had simply been waiting for her to give up her cheap beads, so that he could give her the real treasure.
Such is our heavenly Father. He waits for us to give up the false things we have clung to, so that He may give us the true, eternal treasure. What is it that He is waiting for you to give up? When God desires to discipline us, it is not to take something away from us, but to give something to us.
A DESIRE TO BE USED BY GOD
True discipleship requires that we desire to be used by God for His work. As disciples we long to be part of something greater than ourselves. We ought to yearn for the privilege of being used by God and of identifying ourselves with His kingdom. If we truly desire to be Christ’s disciples, we could not imagine that all we will have on this earth is a self-centered life in which we merely struggle to make as much money as possible in order to provide ourselves with as many pleasures as possible. No; as disciples of Christ we want our life to have an eternal dimension, an eternal worth. We desire to invest ourselves in the kingdom of God. We desire to discover what our gifts are and to understand how we can use them for the glory of God.
The apostle James asks what good it would do if we had the means to help someone, and instead of doing it, we only told him that we would pray for him (James 2:14-17).
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:14-17)
Our spiritual life is closely bound up with the growth of the kingdom of God. When we grow, then it too grows. When we halt our growth, then the kingdom of God also slows its growth. The only way the kingdom of God can be made manifest is through us. The kingdom of God is where God’s will is revealed and carried out. Its borders extend as far as God’s laws and principles are known and kept. If we learn God’s Word and apply it in our lives, then the kingdom of heaven will grow.
A REQUIRED SUBJECT, NOT AN ELECTIVE
Discipleship is not merely one of many options for the Christian. Whether or not you are a devoted Christian is not so much a matter of choice. Some think that discipleship is only for those who are excessively devoted, and that they themselves have no need to go that far. There is no such thing. Discipleship is not only for certain people who are “really given over to God.” It is for all who bear the name of Christ. God’s call to us is to grow and to reach “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). In this spirit the author of the letter to the Hebrews says the following (Hebrews 5:11-14):
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14)
Notice that here, as in 2 Peter 1:3-12, the subject is growth. It speaks of disciples and teachers. It speaks of infants and the mature; it speaks of training. This shows us that God desires every believer to grow and to be strengthened in his faith. Halting one’s growth and turning back is equivalent to a curse and destruction (Hebrews 6:7-8).
7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Hebrews 6:7-8)
Does this sound to you like something optional? No. There are only two possibilities — either you grow and receive blessing, or you degrade and receive a curse and condemnation. The choice is yours, but spiritual growth is not a matter of choice; it is required. And from this it follows that the spiritual disciplines too are required, because it is precisely they that foster our spiritual growth.