3 Dimensions of Discipleship: Great Grub from Dallas Willard

Fantastic piece from Dallas Willard. Here's a snippet

Living as Jesus’ disciple, I am learning from him how to lead my life in the Kingdom of the Heavens everywhere I am, in every activity I engage in. There are three dimensions of this learning.

First, I am learning to do the things which Jesus explicitly said to do. It is quite literally nonsense to call Jesus “Lord,” and not do what he said. “Lord” means nothing in such a case. (Luke 6:46-49) But because I do accept him as Lord, his instructions on behavior are my treasures for living life. Of course I cannot do what he said by just trying. I must train! I must, through appropriate courses of action, become inwardly transformed by grace to become the kind of person—in my inmost thoughts, feelings, attitudes and directions of will—who will routinely do the kinds of things he said to do. I will then not be governed by anger, contempt or lust. And I will be able to bless those who curse me, love my enemies, and so forth, because I am one in whom the character and power of Christ has come to dwell through the processes of discipleship to Christ.

Second, I am learning to conduct the usual activities of life—in home, school, community, business and government—in the character and power of Christ. Jesus himself, of course, spent most of his life on earth as an “independent contractor” or businessman. Jesus could have led the ordinary life of the ordinary citizen in all of its legitimate respects. He can show us how to live now, as a mother or father, banker or computer programmer, teacher or artist, in the Kingdom of the Heavens. His character and power and personal guidance will lead us into life as it should be in all of these areas of human existence.

Third, I am learning to exercise the power of the kingdom—of Christ in his Word and Spirit—to minister good and defeat evil in all of the connections of earthly existence. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38) Apprenticeship to Jesus means that, in tiny steps, we learn to exercise this power seen in Jesus. Growth in character is primary, for power requires substance of character if it is to be used for Christ’s purposes. Christ had no character problems, but we do. Prayer, in its aspect of training for Kingdom life, is primarily a matter of learning to exercise power in a way that is both profitable and safe.

I've printed out the whole article, as, like Christmas turkey, it needs several days of preparation, cooking, chewing over and digesting. Ht David Cooke, a link well worth visiting in its own right.

Evasive Action

 “Poetry may make us a little more aware of the deeper unnamed feelings which form the substratum of our being, to which we rarely penetrate, for our lives are mostly a constant evasion of ourselves.” TS Eliot.

I heard this quoted by Gordon MacDonald a few months ago, reflecting on the fall of King David, and our habit of running away from our past rather than repairing it. It's one of those quotes which has latched on to me and won't let go, so I've a feeling it's not finished with me yet. I do find it easier to be active than reflective, and to fill time with distractions/stuff rather than letting myself settle.

One of the reasons I avoid myself is fear. I was quite nervous getting ready for a 7 day silent retreat back in May, partly it was fear of what God might do to me once He got me alone for 7 days without my Seven Dwarves (Twitter, internet, TV, Wii, Books, background music, comfort snacking) to provide junk consolation. It turned out much better than I expected. But I'm still falling back into the old evasive actions, and still haven't done what I promised I'd do after hearing Macdonalds words. For 6 months I've intended to go back through my life story, asking God to show me where the knots and wounds are, and to help me face up to them. And I'm still avoiding it.

Blessing in (heavy) Disguise

Thought provoking post by Michael Hyatt 'Does God Send Negative People Into our Lives?'

a snippet:
It’s easy to resent negative people. But what if God has a deep and important purpose for sending them—something that He intends for our good because He truly loves us.

Question: What possibility is present when you encounter negative or difficult people that is not present at other times?

The comments on the post are well worth a read too.

Review Questions 2

a set of questions for the start of a New Year (thanks to James Lawrence for inspiration)

• What am I grateful for from last year?
• What are the 3 or 4 key things that I've learnt from the year that I don't want to forget?
• What will help my love for Jesus grow stronger this year?
• What am I fearful or anxious about How ill I face these things this year?
• Which spiritual discipline am I gong to major on as a means of God's grace being more at work in my life?
• Which fruit of the Spirit is God longing to produce in my life? What steps will I take to work with the Spirit?
• Whaich leadership principle/aspect of leadership am I going to grow in?
• Who do I long to see come to faith in Christ? What am I going to do to make that more likely?
• What are the next steps in the growth of those I most care for (god-children, family members, friends) that I could facilitate/encourage?
• When am I going to have my regular quiet/prayer days through thisyear? (put them in the diary!)
• Where do I sense God's call on my life developing/changing, and how will this be reflected in my priorities for the year?

They're designed for folk in Christian leadership, but could apply to most disciples. I remembered last week that I'd not got round to arranging any quiet days for 2009, so first up I need to book a day in to tackle this stuf.......

follow the review questions bookmark for others in this series.

An Education

Englands humiliation in the Stanford 20/20 match put me in mind of a story. I think it's from Gordon Macdonald's classic 'Ordering your Private World', but can't quite remember.

The story goes that a junior manager in a large company was involved in a big business deal, which went pear-shaped and he lost the company $20m. He was called to the Chief Executives office, and turned up looking suitably sheepish. "I'm very sorry sir", he said "and fully accept your decision to sack me."

"Sack you?" responded the CEO "why would I want to sack you? I've just spent $20m on your education!"