Spiritual Disciplines #3: Fasting

Fasting is voluntarily abstaining from food for a specific period of time for spiritual purposes.  Closely related to fasting is the practice of abstinence, which is the abstaining from certain foods for a period of time.  The idea of fasting and abstinence is all about discipline and self-denial, learning how to say “no” to oneself, and focusing on God.  Fasting is always accompanied by prayer.

In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster writes, “In a culture where the landscape is dotted with shrines to the Golden Arches and an assortment of Pizza Temples, fasting seems out of place, out of step with the times.”  For this reason, the ancient practice of fasting may be more important in our time than ever before.  It is important to note that while fasting may have some physical health benefits, it is primarily a spiritual exercise.

Before I describe how one might fast it is necessary to note that fasting is not for everyone.  For some with certain health conditions skipping even one meal may not be advised.  However, one can still abstain from certain foods at particular times, for example, giving up chocolate during Lent.  This is also sometimes called a partial fast.

Fasting is simply the skipping of one or more meals.  The “rules’ for your fast are between you and God, unless you are part of a group that agreed to a group fast.  Some choose to allow themselves juice during their fast, others do not.  Some choose to fast a whole day or more.  Some choose a “daylight” fast which, during the winter months at least, would allow for breakfast and dinner at normal times.  A daylight fast is practiced by Muslims during the month of Ramadan.  Because Ramadan is a lunar month it sometimes occurs during summer which, in our part of the world, can make this fast very difficult.  There is also a practice known as “skip-a-meal” in which people skip one meal a week which, in addition to the spiritual benefits of fasting, makes them more aware of world hunger and then donate the money they would have spent on the meal to a hunger program.  Anyway, like I said, the “rules” are up to you or the people with whom you are fasting.

I have to confess, I am kind of a weakling when it comes to this.  My fast is lunch one day a week, usually Tuesdays.  So, I would like to invite you, especially with Lent approaching to join me in fasting at least one meal a week, or abstaining from a certain food for at least one day a week.  In fact, let’s make it a “skip-a-meal” and donate the money to our Food Pantry.  Let us fast and pray (and give) together and see what God will do in us and in our churches. 

Spiritual Disciplines #2: Prayer

This month we continue our discussion about spiritual disciplines, following Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline, with a discussion on the discipline of prayer.

Prayer is talking to God.  I have often called prayer a wish properly addressed.  What do I mean by that?  If we sent a letter, or an email, but did not put on it the correct address, it would not arrive at its destination.  Too often we express our wishes, our hopes, our dreams, and our fears, to ourselves, to others, or even just to the air around us.  Too often even what we call our prayers are merely addressed “to whom it may concern,’ rather than being addressed directly to God.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Anxiety, worry, is the direct opposite of prayer.  Or, as I said before, prayer is worry properly addressed.  Imagine how much, and how deeply, you would pray if you took every worry, every wish, every hope, every fear and addressed it to God in prayer rather than simply talking to yourself, or others, about it.  Imagine if every time you said, “Oh my God,” or “Thank God,” it really was a prayer and not just an expression.

One of the greatest difficulties many people have with prayer is knowing what to say.  Of course, sometimes we don’t have to say anything.  Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through groaning too deep for words.”  And, while there is a danger of falling into overly formal and repetitive prayer, (Matthew 6:7) many people find it useful to use some kind of pattern or outline for their prayer time.  Many of you may have heard me talk about the ACTS model or “The four things to say to God every day.”

·         Adoration – “I love you.” – We praise God and tell him we love him.

·         Confession – “I’m sorry.” – We confess our sins and ask for forgiveness.

·         Thanksgiving – “Thank you.” – We thank God for all that we have.  “Count your blessings.”

·         Supplication – “Please…” – We ask God for the things we need, for ourselves, and others.

I believe that prayer changes things, but the first thing that prayer changes is the one who prays. Foster said, “In prayer, real prayer, we begin to think God’s thoughts after him.”  I have found, over and over again, that when I really pray about something, especially in the area of inter-personal relationships, that while I am praying, my perspective begins to change and I am able to see things more clearly and positively.  Having said that, I can also tell you about many times that God has come through for me and my family and our churches in real concrete ways in direct answer to prayer.

But what if the answer is “no?”  Sometimes God says, “no.”  There is simply no other way to put it.  That is God’s right as God.  We pray for the healing of a loved one, but instead God takes them to heaven.  (Not really much to complain about there, if we really think about it.)  We pray for the new job, but God seems to want us right where we are.  All we can do is trust that what God wants for us, in the long run, is better than what we want for ourselves in the moment.  Garth Brooks sang, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”  I would only correct that by saying that God answers every prayer but sometimes the answer is “no.”

I leave you with the prayer of St. John Chrysostom and early church father from the 4^th Century: “Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.” 

Spiritual Disciplines #1: Meditation

As we begin a new year we often begin with a “New Year’s Resolution” and often these can involve something to do with our spiritual life.  For instance, we often begin a new year with a resolution to read our Bible and pray every day.  But as we all know these resolutions often fall by the wayside before January is even over.  In order to help us keep our resolutions I will be writing on spiritual disciplines for 2017.

As an outline for this series I will be using Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline.  I would encourage you all to obtain a copy, they are available through Amazon.  Foster, conveniently, writes about twelve disciplines, so we will be able to talk about one each month in 2017.  There are four inward disciplines: meditation, prayer, fasting, and study; four outward disciplines: simplicity, solitude, submission, and service; and, four corporate disciplines: confession, worship, guidance, and celebration.

Foster begins his book with the discipline of meditation but goes to great lengths to distinguish Christian mediation from meditation in eastern religions, for while those traditions encourages one to meditate in order to find answers from within oneself, Christian meditation, however, is looking outward to God and God’s Word to find answers.

Meditation simply means to think deeply.  In our case, we are thinking deeply about God and God’s Word.  It is important to remember that the object of our meditation is God as he has revealed himself in Scripture, not our own thoughts about God.  If prayer, which we will talk about next month, is talking to God, then meditation could be seen as listening for God’s answer; listening for that still small voice. (1 Kings 19:12)

While it is possible to meditate anytime and anywhere, for the beginner, Foster recommends finding a particular time of day, even just a few minutes, in a quiet comfortable location and a comfortable posture, no need to sit cross-legged on the floor.  Choose perhaps a small verse, or even single word, of Scripture upon which to meditate. For instance, one might choose Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.”  One could reflect on what it means to be still, what it means to know God and to let God be God.  One could try to understand what God might be using the verse to try to say to me in my present situation.  Other things upon which to meditate would be words of hymns and songs, or attributes of God, such as goodness or holiness.

We have started off our series on spiritual disciplines with one of the most difficult to practice, but we may as well start with the hard stuff when we are the most motivated.  I am by no means an expert on many of these disciplines, especially meditation, so I would encourage you to acquire a copy of Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline from Amazon, or another bookseller, and join me throughout 2017 in building up our spiritual health together. 

2016 Holiness Series #7: Two Kinds of Holiness

This is the last article in our series on holiness, so I would like to finish up by talking about the two different, and equally important, forms that holiness can take: Personal Holiness and Social Holiness.

These two kinds of holiness are based on the Great Commandment, or the Great Commandments, since Jesus said there were two of them: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Personal holiness, also called by Wesley “works of piety,” is about loving God.  Personal holiness can be divided into two parts.  First, it is about practicing the spiritual disciplines like prayer, worship, and Bible Study.  We could summarize this with the word “piety.”  Second, it is about living in obedience to the moral demands of the Bible which includes, but is certainly not limited to, sexual purity, honesty, and healthy habits.  We could summarize this with the word “purity.”  (In the early days of Methodism Methodist were not allowed to drink alcohol and one had to sign a pledge of total abstinence in order to join a Methodist church.  Later, only clergy had to.  Now, unfortunately in my opinion, we do not seem to care about that anymore.  However, Methodists are still encouraged to practice moderation.)

Social holiness, called “works of mercy” by Wesley, is about loving our neighbor.  Like personal holiness, it is made up of two parts.  First, it is about giving money, resources, time, and effort to help those in need, like in Matthew 25, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, caring for the sick, visiting those in prison, the list could go on and on.  We could summarize this with the word “compassion.”  Second, it is about using our vote and our voice to advocate in society for what we believe is right.  We could summarize this with the word “justice.”  (We have to be careful with this last one, because it is very easy for the church to get tangled up in worldly politics and for one part of the church to start taking sides against another.)

Often all these parts work together.  Take for example the Temperance Movement which led to the Prohibition of alcohol in the 1920’s.  Methodists were a huge part of that movement.  The reason Methodists participated in that movement (justice) is because they believed that drinking alcohol was morally wrong (purity) and that it often caused poverty, sickness, and crime (compassion).  So, out of concern for purity and compassion, they used their votes and voices, to advocate for the justice issue of Prohibition.

Both types of holiness, and all four areas, are necessary to the Christian life and are necessary in the church if we are to accomplish the mission God has given us.  So, let us be holy people.  Let us practice personal and social holiness.  Let us all be people of piety, purity, compassion, and justice.

2016 Holiness Series #6: How to Get Holiness

By now you might be saying, “OK, Pastor Brian, how do I get holiness?”  Here’s some advice…

·         The first step is admitting that holiness is necessary.

We need to understand that a relationship with a holy God requires holiness on our part.  The Bible says that without holiness no one will see God. (Hebrews 12:14)

Also, in the midst of an evil world, we need to realize that simply “believing in God” or “going to church” is never going to change our lives or change the world.

·         The second step is admitting that holiness is possible.

God calls us to be holy and promises to make us holy.  If holiness is not possible, God would not do that.  God does not command us to do what he will not make possible for us.

·         The third step is to devote yourself to being holy and seeking holiness.

o   Sanctification (being made holy), like Salvation, is a gift of God by grace received through faith.

Sanctification is not something we do; it is something God does in us when we surrender ourselves to God in prayer.

Sanctification begins the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  At that moment, we are forgiven of our past sins and, in a sense, we are already holy.  Remember from the first article, holy means set apart for God; that is what happens when we get saved.  If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are already holy, we just don’t always act like it.

o   Sanctification begins in the heart.

Many people get hung up on the way to holiness by focusing on their outward behavior, things we shouldn’t do or words we shouldn’t say.  Holiness, however, begins in the heart.  We can have a pure heart, “our heart can be in the right place,” even if our words and actions don’t always come out perfect.  Over time, however, if our heart is right, our words and actions will follow.

o   Sanctification is both a crisis and a process.

As I said before, sanctification begins at salvation, but it grows over time.  Sometimes we have a big spiritual experience and we take a big step in holiness, other times we grow in holiness by little steps every day.

o   Sanctification is about what we do as much as what we don’t do.

Sometimes we think of holiness as a list of things not to do.  However, it is actually more about what we DO.  The spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer, Bible reading, giving and serving in the church and the community, are what helps us to grow in holiness.

I do not claim to be holy, at least not yet, but I am on my way.  I have never been to Dallas, but I can look at the map and tell you how to get there.  I just happen to be the guy holding the map of God’s Word.  I hope you will join me on a journey to holier and healthier and happier living.

2016 Holiness Series #5: John Wesley and Christian Perfection

            You may not remember, but we are in a series on holiness.  We have dealt with some other matters for the last several months, but now we are ready to take up again the issue of holiness.

            You may need to look back at previous posts, to remind yourself of what we have covered.  First, we defined holiness not as primarily being good, but being wholly devoted and completely set apart for God.  Then, talked about holiness in the Old Testament and how God created people to be holy, set apart for him, and how he called the nation of Israel to be holy.  Next, we looked at the call to holiness in the New Testament.  Finally, we saw how the early church maintained its holiness under pressure of persecution by the Roman Empire and how holiness was maintained by the monastic movement, monks and nuns, in the midst of the corruption of the church of the Middle Ages. 

Now, we turn our attention to John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, and his view of holiness.  Wesley took seriously the call to holiness found in the Bible and all the verses we have looked at in previous articles.

Never one to beat around the bush, Wesley wrote and preached a sermon with the provocative title: “Christian Perfection” which you can read at http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-40-christian-perfection/.  Wesley, however defines Christian perfection very carefully. 

First, Wesley says that Christians are not so perfect as to be free from imperfections that arise from illness and disability, ignorance, error, or temptation.  As human beings, we will always be limited in these ways.  All of this is a result of what is called original sin, the sin and brokenness we are all born with and that is in the world we are born into.

Next, Wesley talks about how Christians are perfect.  According to Wesley, each and every individual Christian can, by the grace of God working in us and by the power of the Holy Spirit, avoid all willful sin.  To understand this, we need to understand Wesley’s definition of sin, which may be different than the one many of you are carrying around.  For Wesley, as sin is a willful violation of a known law of God.  In order to be a sin, an action has to both be known to be wrong and done on purpose. 

So, here is the good news: You cannot sin by accident.  The bad news is that this raises our level of responsibility and our need for God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ.  We all have physical and mental limitations, but those limitations are not sins. We all make mistakes, but mistakes are not sins, and sins are not mistakes.  We all face temptations, but temptations are not sins, unless we give into them.

Next time we will talk about how to get to holiness, or at least begin the journey to it. 

2016 Holiness Series: #3 Holiness in the New Testament

            I know what you’re saying after the last article, “OK, Pastor Brian, I know that the Old Testament is all about God’s holiness and following all those rules about holiness and relating to God, but in the New Testament it’s different. The New Testament is all about grace, not holiness, right?”

            Right! And wrong!  The theme of God’s grace, God’s desire to forgive people when they mess up and admit it, is found in both testaments, but so is the theme of holiness.  If you stop and think about it, God’s grace doesn’t make sense without God’s holiness.  Without holiness, grace means that God forgives us for doing things that really weren’t that big of a deal in the first place.  That’s not very impressive.  But when we understand God’s holiness we realize what a big deal sin is and what a big deal grace is.

            In fact, if you are thinking that the pressure lets up a bit in the New Testament, check out these words from Jesus.

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28

            Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, quoting the Old Testament passages I quoted in the last article, “Be perfect (holy) as your heavenly Father is perfect (holy.)”  In 1 Thessalonians 4:3 Paul says that it is the will of God that we should be sanctified (made holy.)

            Perhaps the following passage from 1 John gives us the best summary of the New Testament view of sin, forgiveness, and holiness.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 1 John 1:8-2:2; 3:9

What John is saying here is basic theology. 

1.    Everybody has sinned. 

2.    Nobody has to sin.

3.    Forgiveness is always available.

4.    The child of God will not continually, intentionally, and willfully sin because God is working their hearts. (NOTE: Do not miss the nuance here.  When we sin it does not mean the game is over; we simply go back to the top of the list.  Sanctification is a process of being changed by God from the inside out.)