Four Spiritual Disciplines

Read: 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22

Being in Christ is being in union with Him. To be one with Him. Him in us and we in Him. This was His desire from the very beginning, to have us so close to Him in relationship with each other. (Jeremiah 13:11, John 17:20, 21)

All this takes place as His Spirit begins to dwell in us. As this anointing comes upon us we are changed from glory to glory. (Ezekiel 36:25- 27, 2 Corinthians 3:17, 18)

We begin to hunger and thirst for more of Him as we also yearn to do new things while we leave our old ways behind. These four disciplines are not the things we do to win the favor of God. But these are supposedly the results of being renewed in and by Him. These have become our nature while our old nature begins to fade away.

1) Prayer - You can tell how healthy a relationship is by examining the amount and level of communication between the parties involved. The Word of God encourages us to pray. (Philippians 4:6,7) It is not some ritual that should be practiced simply by repeating a set of patterned devotional words. This type of conversation has no real traffic to it� only a dead end. It is lifeless simply because there is no one on the other line. (Matthew 6:7) Communication is the evidence of union. It is a response to the presence of God in our lives. (Exodus 3:4, 5) Real prayer is interactive, responding in context to the Spirit�s reply while God speaks in the other line. We can be sure that God will speak to our hearts therefore we must respond wholeheartedly. (1 Corinthians 14:15)

2) Bible Study - As we grow in relationship with Jesus, we will begin to yearn for more of His Word. (1 Corinthians 2:10) The exciting thing about it is that we will begin to understand while He teaches us according to our capacity. (1 Corinthians 2:12, Mark 4:24, 25) Feeding us according to our devotion. The Word of God encourages us to bible study for it is an indespensable factor for our growth. (Hebrews 6:1, 1 Peter 2:1, 2) Without it we will remain infants in Christ not knowing the deeper riches of His love and promises.

3) Fellowship - Having a relationship with God does not mean isolating ourselves from the rest of the world. In fact, the Lord Jesus Himself while He was in the flesh displayed this while He would constantly spend time together with both His disciples and sinners. (John 21:10-13; Matthew 9:11-13) Fellowship with Jesus means fellowship with others.(1 John 1:3) It is here where we learn to function with the rest of the body of Christ. We learn to listen to each other and at the same time build each other up. Sharing the grace that God has given each one of us as we also learn to cooperate with each other in humility of mind and spirit. (Romans 12:15, 16; Hebrews 3:12, 13; 10:24, 25) Without this, our Christianity will be incomplete. As we fellowship with others we are given an opportunity to give ourselves as Jesus gave all of Himself for us. (John 13:15, 16)

4) Evangelism - There is no greater joy than to be used of God. To be available for Him when He calls us. The first three disciplines discussed above are to some degree exclusive. It is difficult for unbelievers to relate to the type of activities discussed above without having an encounter with Jesus first. And it is not always easy to bring people to meetings with Jesus. Often times people are afraid of what they do not understand yet. (Mark 5:15-17) Evangelism is bringing Jesus to the people. Sharing with them the joy and love of Jesus through words and deeds of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 4:20) This is the will of God... His strategy to reach out to the lost. Everyone who has encountered Him has been called to testify to others. (Mark 5:18, 19; 8:38) This is the man that God commends. This is the service that God will honor. It may not be done in the same ways, but the results are the same...redemption and life anew. (John 12:26)

These practices didn�t earn us God�s favor, but they allowed the grace of God to strengthen and encourage a believer to resist temptation and overcome the schemes of the evil one.