Disciplines for a Life to the Full

As the American church declined (modestly in the 1970s and more substantially in the 1990s), another parallel phenomenon was brewing. We saw a global entourage of para-church ministries on college campuses, prolific publishing, contemporary Christian music and annual conferences for movements like the Young, Restless and Reformed who had a goal of recovering historic Christianity, addressing cultural issues with the Gospel and promoting theological distinctives across denominations. What do these things have in common? Intentional evangelism is certainly one theme, but the deeper thread was a renewed focus on the spiritual disciplines.

Recovering a Lost Art

Richard Foster “rang the bell” in his 1978 work Celebration of Discipline which was followed by Dallas Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines (1988), Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (1991 with Navigators) and more. These men agreed that spiritual disciplines cultivate a closer relationship with God and drive spiritual growth. Whitney, building on Foster and Willard before him, lays out ten channels of God’s grace that promote Christian holiness:

1. Bible Intake (ie reading and memorization)
2. Prayer
3. Worship (ie weekly church and singing)
4. Evangelism
5. Serving Others
6. Stewardship of Time/Treasure/Talents
7. Fasting
8. Silence and Solitude
9. Journaling
10. Learning

Of course there is nothing new under the sun (Ecc. 1:9), but they have helped revive a drive particularly among young Christians to prioritize their maturity. I think of modern “quiet times” which I associate with Starbucks, iPods and your favorite celebrity preacher. And yes, God.

Toward the Early Christian Understanding

One of the more admirable (and less relatable) examples of discipline is in desert monks like Anthony who in 270AD (age 20) sold all his possessions, gave to the poor, retired to a solitary cave and spent his life in prayer and meditation. Today, you won’t even see a fraction of this dedication. Military recruiting is down, parents do not want to parent, and the time you and I spend mindlessly scrolling may be too depressing to even name out loud. But among some, it is making a comeback— perhaps for an unfortunate reason: expressive individualism. In postmodern times, we hear about grinding at work, hitting the gym or pruning relationships to be the best, healthy you. But there are a few reasons why spiritual disciplines stand apart from self-help habits and matter for the Christian life.

1. Disciplines are meant to benefit more than just me (see “serving others” in the above list), which is why the early Christians were willing to die for their faith.
2. The notion of a “personal spiritual life” would have been foreign to Christians in the first centuries of the church. Christianity was always a corporate venture with personal implications.
3. Disciplines are explicitly commanded or reasonably deduced from Scripture. So that’s why gardening (no matter how much it might help you connect with God) is not listed.

Discipline is Discipleship

The Bible itself defines ‘discipline’. The primary Greek word for “discipline” in the New Testament is paideia for “to educate” and occasionally, gymnasia (yes, like gymnasium) for “to exercise.” Both have in mind the idea of intentional training as we see included in 1 Tim. 4:7: train yourself for godliness. You have heard that the word “disciple” or mathetes means “learner” or “follower”. We immediately think of Matt. 16:24-25 “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it…’”

From Genesis to Revelation, we are saved by grace and not by works. The Gospel is opposed to earning God’s favor, but that doesn’t mean the Christian life is opposed to effort. The three churches I’ve worked for are called New Life, Living Branch, and River Oaks, so since I can’t get away from it, let’s consider the imagery of trees and water illustrating the “Spirit-filled life”.

The Biblical Flow from Discipline to Overflow

The encouragement the Lord gives Joshua is that if he is strong and courageous to meditate on God’s Word day and night, he will be prosperous. This is no prosperity gospel; it’s the fruit of discipleship at work. Psalm 1 tells us,

“Blessed is the man…whose delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

Jeremiah 17 picking up on the same idea says the man who trusts in the Lord (which is more natural if you pray, read your Bible and go to church!) will neither fear nor cease to bear fruit. The point is that God is all we need to be satisfied. Psalm 23 famously says,

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.“

It goes on to say,

my cup overflows

What does this mean? With enemies all around, God invites us to his table and gives us an eternal meal. The resources are endless with Him. And the invitation every day and every moment is for the faithful to sit down and be fed! The Lord is our chosen portion and our cup and where we find fullness of joy (Ps. 16:5, 11) but we must come to Him for that joy. In John 7:37-38 Jesus says “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” You’ve heard it said, “You can’t pour out from an empty cup.” Well, Jesus said it first.

An Invitation to Rest for the Soul

The word “discipline” can sound so…unappealing. But what if we’re not being called to yet another to-do list item? What if the point in these biblical commands to pray, or sing, or share our faith, or give, or serve others, or (in our noisy culture) to be alone and silent – what if they weren’t meant to burden us?

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29 (ESV)

In a world of “have to,” taking a step back from other priorities and responsibilities to be with God and do his business is a vacation of “get to.” Time is precious and in short supply. Jesus isn’t wanting us to run on fumes and serve Him on drained batteries. The Kingdom is not about pumping out mediocre Christians. This is the God who said, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10).” Friends, work hard for soul rest and train yourself for godliness.

Cody A. Brobst is the Associate Pastor of Discipleship Ministries at River Oaks Presbyterian Church in Lake Mary, FL and a Navy Chaplain (Military Sealift Command- Norfolk, VA). He enjoys running, reading and rhythm (guitar) and lives in Winter Springs, FL with his wife Courtney and their three girls.