The Growth Factor
Spirituality
John T. Collins
Living And Loving God’s Message
Object:
He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches." And again he said, "To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
-- Luke 13:18-21
The Bible tells us that as children of God we are made in his image. I understand there are many different understandings as to what that means, but what I want to bring to your attention as you read this chapter is that we are all made to grow and become more like him. Now I'm not referring to physical growth. I'm talking about spiritual growth. But in order to do so we must first prune away those areas of our life that cause our growth to be hindered. Let me see if I can give you an example.
Not far from where we live there's a water slide park that opens every summer. It's not easy to miss because on any given day in July or August tourists fill the entire park. As you drive by you see families and teenagers having the time of their life. But what you'll also notice is that every slide has a long line of people patiently waiting their turn. That is, with the exception of one slide that most people fear. I like to call it "suicide run" and you can be sure there's never anyone in that line.
I've named it "suicide run" because it stands over fifty feet in the air suddenly dropping straight down into a pool of ice cold water. It's so frightening that rumors have spread throughout the area of people having heart attacks on the way down. I'm not sure they're true stories, but by the look of the slide I could see that being a strong possibility.
I will be the first to admit that I don't like heights, nor do I like thrill rides. One day this particular slide kept calling out my name, almost challenging me to face my fears. Finally, after much consideration, and praying that God would miraculously intervene and close the slide down, I made my way to the top of the slide -- ready to face my fears!
As I stood at the very top all I could hear was the whistling of the wind. The people below looked like ants, and the view of the entire shoreline was visible. I felt weak in my knees and my stomach was beginning to fill with those nervous butterflies. I wondered to myself as to whether or not I had lost my mind, but I knew that there was no turning back.
Slowly I sat down on the slide and looked down below. I truly wanted to cry, but before I could get up and leave, something inside of me gave me the courage to let go of the bars and overcome my fear. I landed below in the cold water three seconds later with my bathing suit now fitting like a thong, but also having a great sense of pride within myself. I had faced that which I feared and have discovered that just as in the spiritual realm, each time we do so -- we grow to become a new person.
I am fully convinced that one of the biggest stumbling blocks to spiritual growth is fear. So many times we let that which we are afraid of get in the way of serving God. And what we're actually giving up when we allow ourselves to be overcome is the chance to grow into the passionate Christians God has called us to become.
Do you remember the story of Moses? One of the first things Moses feared was his lacking eloquence of speech. (Read Exodus 4:10-17.) God chose Moses to lead his people out of Egypt, and to do so he would have to speak before the Pharaoh and the Israelites. Yet, Moses didn't want to go because he was afraid he would fail.
Just imagine if Moses never went....
Do you remember the story of Jesus calling for Simon Peter to follow him? (Read Luke 5:1-11.) The first thing Simon Peter said was, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Believing he was unqualified to live up to Jesus' expectations, and afraid he would be rejected, he nearly threw away the chance of a lifetime.
Imagine if Simon Peter didn't find the courage to answer Jesus' call....
You see, fear can dominate our thinking and lead us to believe we're unqualified or unfit to answer God's call to serve him. When we allow this to happen we never grow into the person God wants us to become. But you know what I've discovered along the way? Christians who have a passionate spirituality put themselves out there even if doing so frightens them at times. They take the time to prune away that which hinders the greatest spiritual growth.
Some of the best preachers I know today were at one point afraid of public speaking. Many singers, who have beautiful voices and a great stage presence, didn't wake up one day feeling comfortable in front of a large crowd. It took time, practice, and courage. I guess I could go on and on with other examples where I've seen this to be true, but what I want you to see is that in order for any Christian to grow passionate about their spirituality they must first be willing to take risks and trust that God will never call us to do anything unless he first believes that we can succeed.
In the rest of this chapter I'd like to highlight three areas of our spirituality that if cultivated and given attention, will allow us to grow to become the passionate Christian we all desire to be. These areas include knowledge, prayer, and love.
Growing In Knowledge
One of my favorite seminary professors would always say, "Faith without works is dead, but faith without knowledge is deadly!" What he meant was that some of the greatest atrocities in human history (such as the Crusades, the Holocaust, and more) have been led by so-called Christians who had some sense of faith in Jesus Christ, but who lacked knowledge in what Jesus actually taught. The end result can often be dangerous, to say the least, and can also misrepresent our faith.
As we read our newspapers and listen to the nightly news we see this to be the case in certain fundamentalist Islamic groups. Although I am not a Muslim, nor confess to be well versed in the Koran, I find it hard to believe that Islam has so successfully survived throughout the centuries because it calls for killing, slander, and intolerance of others. Rather, I believe that ignorance is to blame for the most recent atrocities we've seen done in the name of Islam.
We might even see this in our own local churches today. I heard of one church whose council couldn't get along on any matter. One particular night they were engrossed in a very serious and heated debate over which color the hall carpet should be. Things got so out of hand that the president and the treasurer actually got into a fistfight with each other. Faith without knowledge is deadly!
You see, authentic spiritual growth requires not only a deep-seated belief in Jesus Christ, but it also requires constant study and reflection. Would you take a doctor very seriously if he told you that he went to medical school, yet never studied? Or a lawyer who never read her law books? Of course not! So why would it be any different for a Christian? We must also pursue higher levels of understanding when it comes to our faith.
I've heard it said that going to McDonald's doesn't make us a hamburger, any more than going to church makes us a Christian. Christians who practice a passionate spirituality understand that part of growing into the people God would have us become means we continue to study and learn about the teachings of scripture, church doctrine, church history, and other areas, because in doing so we are then in a position to celebrate our faith with integrity.
Why is it that so few people want to do that? I'm sure there are many possible answers to that question, but one of the most common reasons I have heard is that many people are afraid. They are afraid someone is going to see how little they know about the Bible. They are afraid they are going to get nothing out of it. They are afraid they are going to be challenged to change their lifestyles. They are afraid it's going to be too big a commitment. The list could go on and on, but suffice it to say, fear seems to once again be the greatest stumbling block for spiritual growth in our churches today.
Let me give you an example of how I've seen this to be true. A few years ago, I started a Bible study for beginners. There were about ten people in the group and I'll never forget the look of frustration on one woman's face when they were all asked to open their Bibles to the book of Genesis. That poor woman, who had been coming to church for as long as anyone could remember, finally confessed, saying, "Pastor, I can't find it!"
At first I thought she was kidding, but realized after a few moments that she was serious. She had been coming to church for nearly 45 years and couldn't find the first book of the Bible. She later went on to tell me that she was always afraid of being made fun of or looking stupid, which is why she never attended a Bible study before. It wasn't long after she confronted her fear that she started to ask questions.
I always tell the people in the congregation I serve that a good question is always better than a bad answer. I encourage the people around me to question and to wonder about scripture. Because truth be told, none of us have all the answers. None of us have all wisdom. However, by asking questions and striving to find the right answers we can grow in understanding, and what's more, we grow in knowledge of God's word, church doctrine, and church history. All of which help us to grow more passionate in our spirituality.
No one knew this truth better than Martin Luther. Although Martin Luther was a preacher, teacher, scholar, pastor, father, and husband, he always believed that at the core of his faith, study was important. John Piper, reflecting on Luther's life, wrote:
For Luther, the importance of study was so interwoven with his discovery of the true Gospel that he could never treat study as anything other than utterly crucial and life-giving and history shaping. Study had been his gateway to the gospel and to the Reformation and to God. We take so much for granted today about truth and about the Word that we can hardly imagine what it cost Luther to break through to the truth, and to sustain access to the Word. Study mattered. His life and the life of the church hung on it. We need to ask whether all the ground gained by Luther and the other Reformers may be lost over time if we lose this passion for study, while assuming that truth will remain obvious and available.4
Some say we are living in an anti-intellectual society. As I understand it we are more focused on entertainment than on education. A good example of this is found when one looks at the yearly income of a schoolteacher against the yearly income of a basketball, football, or baseball player. The problem is that this resistance to learning has also made its way into our churches as well. Would it be too bold to say that the fastest growing churches in America today are the ones that place a heavy emphasis on entertainment and emotionalism rather than on learning and reflection? I'll let you be the judge of that!
A few weeks ago, I was talking to a friend who happens to be a Pentecostal Christian. Although we differ theologically on just about every issue, I love carrying on conversations with her because so often she challenges me to consider things I wouldn't normally think about. That day we were discussing infant baptism and I had prepared numerous scriptural and theological references as to why I believed it was God's will. Finally after a few minutes of discussing this with her she finally said to me, "Pastor, you think too much!"
I think in her own kind way she was trying to tell me that sometimes my faith circulates too heavily in my mind and perhaps not enough in my heart. I've come to believe that authentic faith needs to be fairly balanced. It's not enough to say that we have all faith and yet lack knowledge. Otherwise, we'd be unable to make ethical decisions with integrity. We'd be nothing more than robots. What's worse, we wouldn't be using one of the greatest gifts that God has given to us -- our minds.
Let me challenge you to consider growing in your own understanding of what you say you believe. Realize that true spiritual growth requires effort and courage on your part, but as with anything else that is desirous, it leads to a greater sense of passion and commitment along the way. Church shouldn't be a place where we are entertained. Church should be a place where we are challenged to grow into the person God would have us become.
Growing In Prayer
I always liked the story of the old man who lived in a very corrupt city. Crime was rampant, addiction was epidemic, and very few people knew the Lord. Suffice it to say it wasn't a very hopeful place to live.
Every morning that man got up, went down to the street below, and yelled out at the top of his lungs, "Keep praying to God!"
Afternoon would come and that man would go down again and yell out, "Keep praying to God!"
Again, in the evening, he would go down into the street and yell out, "Keep praying to God!"
The old man didn't make everyone on the block very happy with his constant yelling. In fact, one of the neighbors met the old man in the street one day and said, "Listen, old man, all of your yelling and screaming about praying to God isn't going to change things around here. Don't you know that there's crime and corruption and all sorts of trouble in this city? Why not give it a rest? You're not going to change the world!"
The old man thought about it for a moment and then said, "You know, you're right. My constant screaming about praying to God isn't going to change the world, but one thing's for sure, it's going to keep the world from changing me."
First Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray without ceasing." This means that God loves to hear our voices all through the day. God loves to hear what's on our minds and in our hearts. God loves for every one of us to constantly speak to him on a daily basis.
I've found that our prayers often cease when we feel intimidated by what others will think of us. Unlike that old man who wouldn't let the world change him, so many of us do just that. We keep our spiritual life private for none to see and go along with what the world expects from us. Perhaps we do this so as not to push our beliefs on others, nor to offend anyone. How offensive it must seem to God that we'd rather hide him than make him known through our confidence in prayer. What's worse? We miss the opportunity to hear God speak to us!
I've always been attentive to the text in Luke 9:26 that says, "Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Do we not pray openly without ceasing because we are ashamed of Jesus Christ? I don't have the answer to that question, but as you think about where you are in your own prayer life ask yourself if there's any truth in it for you.
This chapter is not a manual on how to pray or what to pray. There are plenty of books already written on that subject. I believe you already know how to pray. There's a way that feels comfortable and natural for you. It might be that you enjoy praying written prayers, or repeating mantra prayers, or the Lord's Prayer. Maybe you're one of those people who prefers spontaneous prayer. However it is that you feel most comfortable praying, all I'd like to suggest is that you do so with perseverance and without ceasing on a daily basis. Then, here's the key to effective prayer -- we must listen!
When we read the gospels we will often find Jesus praying alone. He made it a priority every single day to center himself in prayer. I'd like to believe that he did this not only to give the Father thanksgiving and blessing, but so that he could constantly discover the Father's will by listening to him.
In fact, some of the Christians that I know who have a passionate spirituality will tell me that they never make an important decision without first praying. Whenever they need direction or focus, prayer becomes the center of their lives. Their prayers are not focused on getting something as much as they are focused on getting closer to God by listening to what he will reveal.
Begin to practice these same principles in your own life. Realize that at first, daily prayer may seem difficult, uncomfortable, or even challenging for you to stay focused. You might even have a hard time hearing God's voice at first. But through time you will be better able to discern God's will for your life, and not only will you grow more comfortable in speaking openly to your creator, you'll begin to hear his voice. Go ahead, see if what I'm saying is true! Before reading any further, why not say a prayer?
Growing In Love
One of the observations I've made, after meeting many different Christian people along the way, is that oftentimes I find there can be an imbalance in one's spirituality. So often we find that someone has plenty of intellectual knowledge of God, and yet lacks an active prayer life. Or there are those who love to pray long prayers, and yet live with nothing more than a Sunday school understanding of their faith. Finally, what I find more often are those who are very well educated when it comes to understanding their faith and know how to pray eloquent prayers, yet lack the last most important part of their faith development -- love.
Some people say God spoke more about money than any other subject. I think that statement is wrong. Jesus spoke more about love than any other subject. Love is at the very heart of our gospels and our faith. Without love, the Bible says, we are nothing. (Read 1 Corinthians 13.) Jesus spoke of the greatest commandment.
"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and all your strength." The second is this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no greater commandment greater than these.
-- Mark 12:29-31
What Jesus is telling us is that authentic passionate spirituality must include love. Seems simple enough. But if we read Jesus' words carefully we see that this commandment requires every ounce of our being. It is not to be approached haphazardly or lightly, but with great effort and determination. It's been my experience that love, at least true love, is not easily practiced because it calls for all of us to be giving of our time, honest in all matters, and always considerate to all people around us. It means that we allow ourselves to be vulnerable.
Here's what I want you to consider: Jesus is asking us to grow in three areas -- love of neighbor, love of God, and love of self. How do we do that?
Rather than give an answer, let me see if I can suggest where the journey can begin. Think back to what was said in chapter 1: Appreciating God's grace begins when we come to terms with our own true nature. By doing that, we come to see that we are flawed and have made our own mistakes. In fact, it would be arrogant for us to believe that we are better than anyone else. When we're rigorously honest about our own shortcomings, weaknesses, and failures we are then in a position to have compassion for the people around us. Jesus once said, "Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?" (Luke 6:41).
I've also always been challenged by what it says in 1 John 4:20: "Those who say, 'I love God,' and hate their brothers or sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen." Yikes!
You know, we can look around and see ugliness in the eyes of our neighbors. We can get focused on how poor a person's character is, and if we really get focused on all the negative qualities of these people we can begin to hate them. As spiritual people we must understand that just like a child who can have unexplainable love for a rag doll God loves all of his people much the same way, and to want to destroy or hurt something that means so much to God only hurts our relationship with him as well.
We're called to love people in this world (just as God loved us even when we were caught up in sin). We're called to see the people around us as brothers and sisters, and in the process we're called to become more like Christ himself. It's not easy to do, but it's the very purpose of our faith.
Every once in while we meet people who share this same vision. We meet people who are compassionate, caring, and faithful. They accept you for who you are whether good or bad, and I can bet that if you've ever met such a person in your own life you've probably never forgotten them. Because these are the people that have seen you the way that God sees you -- broken, yet lovable.
I'll never forget my second grade Sunday school teacher. She probably stood five feet tall, had long, brown hair, a cute little smile, and had one of the nicest personalities I can remember. I always thought when I was in her class that she had been sent to us by God. In my active imagination I thought of her as an angel. She was caring and compassionate and always had kind things to say.
One Sunday, a little boy named Michael had joined our class. He was a year older than all of us, but looked younger because he was very thin and frail looking. His hair (even at that young age) was seemingly gray and missing patches. He wasn't very tall, nor did he have a lot to say. I found out years later that he had a rare form of leukemia that had stunted his growth.
I can remember how on that first day some of the children in the class started picking on him and calling him names. One child started spitting spitballs on him, and just as tears began to fall from Michael's eyes, the teacher saw what was going on.
Immediately, she stopped what she was doing, went over to little Michael, and put her arms around his neck. Then I'll never forget what she said to our class. She said, "Is this how you're going to live the rest of your lives? Teasing and hurting people who God loves?" And from that day on, no one in the class ever teased Michael again.
I guess in some ways I've spent most of my life up to this point trying to answer that question. What kind of a person will I be known as when I die? A person filled with anger, hatred, and prejudice? Or will I be known as a child of God who loves, cares, and has compassion for others?
Maybe a better question to ask is, "What will people remember about you?"
I've learned something from Christians who practice a passionate spirituality that loving is a one-day-at-a-time venture. Each day, they remind themselves that sometimes God calls them to hold hands with those who sit in darkness. Sometimes they are called to give of themselves. Sometimes to be patient. Sometimes they're called to resist taking offense with people who are spiritually sick.
To love people the way that God loves us is difficult -- but when we strive to do so we meet the risen Christ again and again along the way. It is my prayer that we Christians around the world grow to become more loving in our hearts, more concerned for the needs of others, but most importantly, that we grow to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, all of our mind, and with all our soul and that we love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Because it's in doing these things that our faith becomes our passion.
Time For Reflection
1. What area of your spiritual life needs the most growth? (Examples may include Bible study, learning about church history or doctrinal theology, and getting involved.)
2. Where have you seen the greatest growth within yourself? How were you able to grow?
3. What style of prayer works best for you? At what point during the day do you pray? What do you find yourself praying for the most?
4. How do you share Christ's love in the world? Where would you like to start sharing God's love?
5. Tell of a time you were able to overcome a fear and share how it changed your life.
-- Luke 13:18-21
The Bible tells us that as children of God we are made in his image. I understand there are many different understandings as to what that means, but what I want to bring to your attention as you read this chapter is that we are all made to grow and become more like him. Now I'm not referring to physical growth. I'm talking about spiritual growth. But in order to do so we must first prune away those areas of our life that cause our growth to be hindered. Let me see if I can give you an example.
Not far from where we live there's a water slide park that opens every summer. It's not easy to miss because on any given day in July or August tourists fill the entire park. As you drive by you see families and teenagers having the time of their life. But what you'll also notice is that every slide has a long line of people patiently waiting their turn. That is, with the exception of one slide that most people fear. I like to call it "suicide run" and you can be sure there's never anyone in that line.
I've named it "suicide run" because it stands over fifty feet in the air suddenly dropping straight down into a pool of ice cold water. It's so frightening that rumors have spread throughout the area of people having heart attacks on the way down. I'm not sure they're true stories, but by the look of the slide I could see that being a strong possibility.
I will be the first to admit that I don't like heights, nor do I like thrill rides. One day this particular slide kept calling out my name, almost challenging me to face my fears. Finally, after much consideration, and praying that God would miraculously intervene and close the slide down, I made my way to the top of the slide -- ready to face my fears!
As I stood at the very top all I could hear was the whistling of the wind. The people below looked like ants, and the view of the entire shoreline was visible. I felt weak in my knees and my stomach was beginning to fill with those nervous butterflies. I wondered to myself as to whether or not I had lost my mind, but I knew that there was no turning back.
Slowly I sat down on the slide and looked down below. I truly wanted to cry, but before I could get up and leave, something inside of me gave me the courage to let go of the bars and overcome my fear. I landed below in the cold water three seconds later with my bathing suit now fitting like a thong, but also having a great sense of pride within myself. I had faced that which I feared and have discovered that just as in the spiritual realm, each time we do so -- we grow to become a new person.
I am fully convinced that one of the biggest stumbling blocks to spiritual growth is fear. So many times we let that which we are afraid of get in the way of serving God. And what we're actually giving up when we allow ourselves to be overcome is the chance to grow into the passionate Christians God has called us to become.
Do you remember the story of Moses? One of the first things Moses feared was his lacking eloquence of speech. (Read Exodus 4:10-17.) God chose Moses to lead his people out of Egypt, and to do so he would have to speak before the Pharaoh and the Israelites. Yet, Moses didn't want to go because he was afraid he would fail.
Just imagine if Moses never went....
Do you remember the story of Jesus calling for Simon Peter to follow him? (Read Luke 5:1-11.) The first thing Simon Peter said was, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Believing he was unqualified to live up to Jesus' expectations, and afraid he would be rejected, he nearly threw away the chance of a lifetime.
Imagine if Simon Peter didn't find the courage to answer Jesus' call....
You see, fear can dominate our thinking and lead us to believe we're unqualified or unfit to answer God's call to serve him. When we allow this to happen we never grow into the person God wants us to become. But you know what I've discovered along the way? Christians who have a passionate spirituality put themselves out there even if doing so frightens them at times. They take the time to prune away that which hinders the greatest spiritual growth.
Some of the best preachers I know today were at one point afraid of public speaking. Many singers, who have beautiful voices and a great stage presence, didn't wake up one day feeling comfortable in front of a large crowd. It took time, practice, and courage. I guess I could go on and on with other examples where I've seen this to be true, but what I want you to see is that in order for any Christian to grow passionate about their spirituality they must first be willing to take risks and trust that God will never call us to do anything unless he first believes that we can succeed.
In the rest of this chapter I'd like to highlight three areas of our spirituality that if cultivated and given attention, will allow us to grow to become the passionate Christian we all desire to be. These areas include knowledge, prayer, and love.
Growing In Knowledge
One of my favorite seminary professors would always say, "Faith without works is dead, but faith without knowledge is deadly!" What he meant was that some of the greatest atrocities in human history (such as the Crusades, the Holocaust, and more) have been led by so-called Christians who had some sense of faith in Jesus Christ, but who lacked knowledge in what Jesus actually taught. The end result can often be dangerous, to say the least, and can also misrepresent our faith.
As we read our newspapers and listen to the nightly news we see this to be the case in certain fundamentalist Islamic groups. Although I am not a Muslim, nor confess to be well versed in the Koran, I find it hard to believe that Islam has so successfully survived throughout the centuries because it calls for killing, slander, and intolerance of others. Rather, I believe that ignorance is to blame for the most recent atrocities we've seen done in the name of Islam.
We might even see this in our own local churches today. I heard of one church whose council couldn't get along on any matter. One particular night they were engrossed in a very serious and heated debate over which color the hall carpet should be. Things got so out of hand that the president and the treasurer actually got into a fistfight with each other. Faith without knowledge is deadly!
You see, authentic spiritual growth requires not only a deep-seated belief in Jesus Christ, but it also requires constant study and reflection. Would you take a doctor very seriously if he told you that he went to medical school, yet never studied? Or a lawyer who never read her law books? Of course not! So why would it be any different for a Christian? We must also pursue higher levels of understanding when it comes to our faith.
I've heard it said that going to McDonald's doesn't make us a hamburger, any more than going to church makes us a Christian. Christians who practice a passionate spirituality understand that part of growing into the people God would have us become means we continue to study and learn about the teachings of scripture, church doctrine, church history, and other areas, because in doing so we are then in a position to celebrate our faith with integrity.
Why is it that so few people want to do that? I'm sure there are many possible answers to that question, but one of the most common reasons I have heard is that many people are afraid. They are afraid someone is going to see how little they know about the Bible. They are afraid they are going to get nothing out of it. They are afraid they are going to be challenged to change their lifestyles. They are afraid it's going to be too big a commitment. The list could go on and on, but suffice it to say, fear seems to once again be the greatest stumbling block for spiritual growth in our churches today.
Let me give you an example of how I've seen this to be true. A few years ago, I started a Bible study for beginners. There were about ten people in the group and I'll never forget the look of frustration on one woman's face when they were all asked to open their Bibles to the book of Genesis. That poor woman, who had been coming to church for as long as anyone could remember, finally confessed, saying, "Pastor, I can't find it!"
At first I thought she was kidding, but realized after a few moments that she was serious. She had been coming to church for nearly 45 years and couldn't find the first book of the Bible. She later went on to tell me that she was always afraid of being made fun of or looking stupid, which is why she never attended a Bible study before. It wasn't long after she confronted her fear that she started to ask questions.
I always tell the people in the congregation I serve that a good question is always better than a bad answer. I encourage the people around me to question and to wonder about scripture. Because truth be told, none of us have all the answers. None of us have all wisdom. However, by asking questions and striving to find the right answers we can grow in understanding, and what's more, we grow in knowledge of God's word, church doctrine, and church history. All of which help us to grow more passionate in our spirituality.
No one knew this truth better than Martin Luther. Although Martin Luther was a preacher, teacher, scholar, pastor, father, and husband, he always believed that at the core of his faith, study was important. John Piper, reflecting on Luther's life, wrote:
For Luther, the importance of study was so interwoven with his discovery of the true Gospel that he could never treat study as anything other than utterly crucial and life-giving and history shaping. Study had been his gateway to the gospel and to the Reformation and to God. We take so much for granted today about truth and about the Word that we can hardly imagine what it cost Luther to break through to the truth, and to sustain access to the Word. Study mattered. His life and the life of the church hung on it. We need to ask whether all the ground gained by Luther and the other Reformers may be lost over time if we lose this passion for study, while assuming that truth will remain obvious and available.4
Some say we are living in an anti-intellectual society. As I understand it we are more focused on entertainment than on education. A good example of this is found when one looks at the yearly income of a schoolteacher against the yearly income of a basketball, football, or baseball player. The problem is that this resistance to learning has also made its way into our churches as well. Would it be too bold to say that the fastest growing churches in America today are the ones that place a heavy emphasis on entertainment and emotionalism rather than on learning and reflection? I'll let you be the judge of that!
A few weeks ago, I was talking to a friend who happens to be a Pentecostal Christian. Although we differ theologically on just about every issue, I love carrying on conversations with her because so often she challenges me to consider things I wouldn't normally think about. That day we were discussing infant baptism and I had prepared numerous scriptural and theological references as to why I believed it was God's will. Finally after a few minutes of discussing this with her she finally said to me, "Pastor, you think too much!"
I think in her own kind way she was trying to tell me that sometimes my faith circulates too heavily in my mind and perhaps not enough in my heart. I've come to believe that authentic faith needs to be fairly balanced. It's not enough to say that we have all faith and yet lack knowledge. Otherwise, we'd be unable to make ethical decisions with integrity. We'd be nothing more than robots. What's worse, we wouldn't be using one of the greatest gifts that God has given to us -- our minds.
Let me challenge you to consider growing in your own understanding of what you say you believe. Realize that true spiritual growth requires effort and courage on your part, but as with anything else that is desirous, it leads to a greater sense of passion and commitment along the way. Church shouldn't be a place where we are entertained. Church should be a place where we are challenged to grow into the person God would have us become.
Growing In Prayer
I always liked the story of the old man who lived in a very corrupt city. Crime was rampant, addiction was epidemic, and very few people knew the Lord. Suffice it to say it wasn't a very hopeful place to live.
Every morning that man got up, went down to the street below, and yelled out at the top of his lungs, "Keep praying to God!"
Afternoon would come and that man would go down again and yell out, "Keep praying to God!"
Again, in the evening, he would go down into the street and yell out, "Keep praying to God!"
The old man didn't make everyone on the block very happy with his constant yelling. In fact, one of the neighbors met the old man in the street one day and said, "Listen, old man, all of your yelling and screaming about praying to God isn't going to change things around here. Don't you know that there's crime and corruption and all sorts of trouble in this city? Why not give it a rest? You're not going to change the world!"
The old man thought about it for a moment and then said, "You know, you're right. My constant screaming about praying to God isn't going to change the world, but one thing's for sure, it's going to keep the world from changing me."
First Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray without ceasing." This means that God loves to hear our voices all through the day. God loves to hear what's on our minds and in our hearts. God loves for every one of us to constantly speak to him on a daily basis.
I've found that our prayers often cease when we feel intimidated by what others will think of us. Unlike that old man who wouldn't let the world change him, so many of us do just that. We keep our spiritual life private for none to see and go along with what the world expects from us. Perhaps we do this so as not to push our beliefs on others, nor to offend anyone. How offensive it must seem to God that we'd rather hide him than make him known through our confidence in prayer. What's worse? We miss the opportunity to hear God speak to us!
I've always been attentive to the text in Luke 9:26 that says, "Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Do we not pray openly without ceasing because we are ashamed of Jesus Christ? I don't have the answer to that question, but as you think about where you are in your own prayer life ask yourself if there's any truth in it for you.
This chapter is not a manual on how to pray or what to pray. There are plenty of books already written on that subject. I believe you already know how to pray. There's a way that feels comfortable and natural for you. It might be that you enjoy praying written prayers, or repeating mantra prayers, or the Lord's Prayer. Maybe you're one of those people who prefers spontaneous prayer. However it is that you feel most comfortable praying, all I'd like to suggest is that you do so with perseverance and without ceasing on a daily basis. Then, here's the key to effective prayer -- we must listen!
When we read the gospels we will often find Jesus praying alone. He made it a priority every single day to center himself in prayer. I'd like to believe that he did this not only to give the Father thanksgiving and blessing, but so that he could constantly discover the Father's will by listening to him.
In fact, some of the Christians that I know who have a passionate spirituality will tell me that they never make an important decision without first praying. Whenever they need direction or focus, prayer becomes the center of their lives. Their prayers are not focused on getting something as much as they are focused on getting closer to God by listening to what he will reveal.
Begin to practice these same principles in your own life. Realize that at first, daily prayer may seem difficult, uncomfortable, or even challenging for you to stay focused. You might even have a hard time hearing God's voice at first. But through time you will be better able to discern God's will for your life, and not only will you grow more comfortable in speaking openly to your creator, you'll begin to hear his voice. Go ahead, see if what I'm saying is true! Before reading any further, why not say a prayer?
Growing In Love
One of the observations I've made, after meeting many different Christian people along the way, is that oftentimes I find there can be an imbalance in one's spirituality. So often we find that someone has plenty of intellectual knowledge of God, and yet lacks an active prayer life. Or there are those who love to pray long prayers, and yet live with nothing more than a Sunday school understanding of their faith. Finally, what I find more often are those who are very well educated when it comes to understanding their faith and know how to pray eloquent prayers, yet lack the last most important part of their faith development -- love.
Some people say God spoke more about money than any other subject. I think that statement is wrong. Jesus spoke more about love than any other subject. Love is at the very heart of our gospels and our faith. Without love, the Bible says, we are nothing. (Read 1 Corinthians 13.) Jesus spoke of the greatest commandment.
"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and all your strength." The second is this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no greater commandment greater than these.
-- Mark 12:29-31
What Jesus is telling us is that authentic passionate spirituality must include love. Seems simple enough. But if we read Jesus' words carefully we see that this commandment requires every ounce of our being. It is not to be approached haphazardly or lightly, but with great effort and determination. It's been my experience that love, at least true love, is not easily practiced because it calls for all of us to be giving of our time, honest in all matters, and always considerate to all people around us. It means that we allow ourselves to be vulnerable.
Here's what I want you to consider: Jesus is asking us to grow in three areas -- love of neighbor, love of God, and love of self. How do we do that?
Rather than give an answer, let me see if I can suggest where the journey can begin. Think back to what was said in chapter 1: Appreciating God's grace begins when we come to terms with our own true nature. By doing that, we come to see that we are flawed and have made our own mistakes. In fact, it would be arrogant for us to believe that we are better than anyone else. When we're rigorously honest about our own shortcomings, weaknesses, and failures we are then in a position to have compassion for the people around us. Jesus once said, "Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?" (Luke 6:41).
I've also always been challenged by what it says in 1 John 4:20: "Those who say, 'I love God,' and hate their brothers or sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen." Yikes!
You know, we can look around and see ugliness in the eyes of our neighbors. We can get focused on how poor a person's character is, and if we really get focused on all the negative qualities of these people we can begin to hate them. As spiritual people we must understand that just like a child who can have unexplainable love for a rag doll God loves all of his people much the same way, and to want to destroy or hurt something that means so much to God only hurts our relationship with him as well.
We're called to love people in this world (just as God loved us even when we were caught up in sin). We're called to see the people around us as brothers and sisters, and in the process we're called to become more like Christ himself. It's not easy to do, but it's the very purpose of our faith.
Every once in while we meet people who share this same vision. We meet people who are compassionate, caring, and faithful. They accept you for who you are whether good or bad, and I can bet that if you've ever met such a person in your own life you've probably never forgotten them. Because these are the people that have seen you the way that God sees you -- broken, yet lovable.
I'll never forget my second grade Sunday school teacher. She probably stood five feet tall, had long, brown hair, a cute little smile, and had one of the nicest personalities I can remember. I always thought when I was in her class that she had been sent to us by God. In my active imagination I thought of her as an angel. She was caring and compassionate and always had kind things to say.
One Sunday, a little boy named Michael had joined our class. He was a year older than all of us, but looked younger because he was very thin and frail looking. His hair (even at that young age) was seemingly gray and missing patches. He wasn't very tall, nor did he have a lot to say. I found out years later that he had a rare form of leukemia that had stunted his growth.
I can remember how on that first day some of the children in the class started picking on him and calling him names. One child started spitting spitballs on him, and just as tears began to fall from Michael's eyes, the teacher saw what was going on.
Immediately, she stopped what she was doing, went over to little Michael, and put her arms around his neck. Then I'll never forget what she said to our class. She said, "Is this how you're going to live the rest of your lives? Teasing and hurting people who God loves?" And from that day on, no one in the class ever teased Michael again.
I guess in some ways I've spent most of my life up to this point trying to answer that question. What kind of a person will I be known as when I die? A person filled with anger, hatred, and prejudice? Or will I be known as a child of God who loves, cares, and has compassion for others?
Maybe a better question to ask is, "What will people remember about you?"
I've learned something from Christians who practice a passionate spirituality that loving is a one-day-at-a-time venture. Each day, they remind themselves that sometimes God calls them to hold hands with those who sit in darkness. Sometimes they are called to give of themselves. Sometimes to be patient. Sometimes they're called to resist taking offense with people who are spiritually sick.
To love people the way that God loves us is difficult -- but when we strive to do so we meet the risen Christ again and again along the way. It is my prayer that we Christians around the world grow to become more loving in our hearts, more concerned for the needs of others, but most importantly, that we grow to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, all of our mind, and with all our soul and that we love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Because it's in doing these things that our faith becomes our passion.
Time For Reflection
1. What area of your spiritual life needs the most growth? (Examples may include Bible study, learning about church history or doctrinal theology, and getting involved.)
2. Where have you seen the greatest growth within yourself? How were you able to grow?
3. What style of prayer works best for you? At what point during the day do you pray? What do you find yourself praying for the most?
4. How do you share Christ's love in the world? Where would you like to start sharing God's love?
5. Tell of a time you were able to overcome a fear and share how it changed your life.
