Practicing the Way

Losing sight of that risks discouragement or settling for mediocrity.

Maxim from Pete scazzero: best decade 70s, second 80s, third 60s. Best is greatest help to others.

Our job is mostly to make ourselves available [to God]

The focus of becoming a people of love is other people, otherwise just 'a Christianised version of radical individualism'.

The doctrine of incorporation.

--- the wall ---

The problem is not knowing how to change.

Insufficient for any hints of heavy lifting. Starting the day with a psalm might be within scope of willpower.

Essential but not transformative. The problem is not needing more information.

Hurt people hurt people. true, but inevitably over compensation for previous neglect

Secondary effects of living in a broken world. Hard to do good

all three are important, Protestant emphasis on sin by us: guilt//innocence theory of atonement. theories of atonement, footnote 37 sin is more than breaking judicial laws, a disease of the soul, salvation the healing of whole person.

Repentance not just pleading in court of law but opening your wound to a doctor. Jesus is doctor of the soul. Greek sōzō usually translated saved actually means healed.

Healing requires facing the issue. But: "the human capacity for self deception is staggering" p96

a popular example: suppose I believe the more money I have the happier I’ll be. It makes me: "driven, greedy, envious, discontent, distracted from God, never satisfied, and maybe even dishonest and cruel".

Jesus said all good things are gifts from God and money makes it harder not easier to enter the kingdom.

Synopsis of Charles duhigg: "we are little more than the cumulative effects of our habits." This is morally neutral. But undeniable.

"Jesus may be in your heart, but grandpa is in your bones" therefore all Christian formation is counter formation.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2 NIVUK

We can—​and must—​push back. But how?

Jesus came as teacher of truth. Imagination is the greatest strength—​and weakness—​of people. Devil approached Eve not with stick but idea.

Tozer: first idea that comes into our head when we think of God it’s the most important than about us. We become our idea of God.

We must counter that with truth.

Sermon on the Mount: theologians long sought to explain it away. Actually although a high standard, Jesus realistic about it sins and that The Way takes practice.

Bookended (almost)

> [24] ‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. — Matthew 7:24 NIVUK

Comparison to marathon training: add a mile to your 'long run' each week.

Not just Pelagian self-effort but learning how to rely on God and draw on his energy [still sound like us doing the doing though that is not his point].

Emulating Jesus' spiritual disciplines.

Yet living without worry is like running a marathon is impossible.

Without practice.

it’s not easy but it’s worth it—​a glimpse of eternity.

we must play our part but not a 50:50 partnership-- He does all the heavy lifting.

A long time (duration) but also a lot of time (commitment).

'A black belt is just a white belt who never quit'.

None of us wants to hear it but the hardest times are our crucibles where change happens (cf James 1:2-4).

not 'closing the desk' just tell own story. Done will be attracted whilst others repulsed --at the same time.

John Wimbers phrase for the prophetic.

Greek kalos beautiful, lovely, shapely.

Dallas Willard: fullness of life

these are attractive qualities, but also suffer something of social death (comer says shame).

finally, if you want more of God, give him away [a tactic for keeping him in the forefront of our minds].

The hardest thing for Western secular society to accept. Weirdly, he attributes to Luke:

a 1 John 3:8 NIVUK

Interesting aside that Globalisation is increasing the influence of more spiritual South and decreasing secularism.

But in any case, Comer is due demonic forces are real and cites deliverance of God wife from four generation curse.

Again here the same humanly impossible insights Jesus had (John 4:18, John 9:3) are expected to be manifested in early church by Paul (1 Corinthians 12-14).

Comer cautions the need for practice but "once prophecy becomes a part of your life, there’s no going back." p147.

A word sadly caught up in culture wars. No less central to the heart of God for that.

If this sounds impossible, remember the only way to do anything is "in the power of the holy spirit". Every day is full of potential miracles. As you go about ordinary life seek to emulate Jesus' "I only do what I see the father doing." (Comer’s paraphrase of John 5:19).

Most of us desire for but fail because we avoid, procrastinate, make excuses. John Ortega’s comparison of golf to following Jesus. The idea is easy, the practice is hard.

"Because our schedules are so often not aligned…​ [we] live with this electric current of anxiety pulsing through our nervous systems all the time." — p170

Warnings about addictive nature of digital and that resistance forces us to confront what we actually desire. A tip to look at what makes us jealous of other people.

Too much saps our souls. Too little makes us self centered and atrophying.

Each of us tends to one of these poles.

Rule Vs Law: Law is externally handed down and inflexible, guilty if broken, innocent if kept. Rule is self-generated, flexibility, consequences for breaking it but not so serious. Comer gives his daily, weekly, monthly rule for communication with his wife as an example.

Disciplines are a path not a destination.

Love is the metric to pay attention to.

Sleep, feasting, gratitude, celebration, worship.

Richard Foster: joy is the keynote of the disciplines.

Not a step back towards legalism but a message of growing into grace.

"truly they have received their reward in full" said Jesus of those giving, praying, fasting publicly and ostentatiously, Matthew 6.

"We can easily be delivered into thinking of the practices as something we do to get the results in it emotional and spiritual lives" (p177) And thus avoid pain. There is no avoiding pain.

"A discipline is a way to access power. "A spiritual discipline is a way to not just access your own power…​ but also God’s power." (p178).

A cooperative working with God.

"Acts of loving obedience by which we offer or brokeness and bondage to good for healing and liberation" — Dr Robert Mulholland.

Transformation is possible, if we’re willing to arrange ourselves around the rhythms and truths Jesus did.

Sleep, margin, time off, rest. Over-tired, overworked people are not loving.

Tiredness is unavoidable in this life but ment of us push it to dangerous levels when we can’t hear God’s voice.

1/7th of the week. Rest but also joy in and worship of God who made us for companionship.

Once we are rested, the quiet is where we go to find God.

Comer identifies 4 kinds:

The non-negotiable bit of prayer: show up and show up regularly.

Offering all your body to God in worship.

Amplifying ability to hear and be heard.

'Hangry' feelings expose areas we need grace, especially to start with.

Teaches us to see the world as God sees it.

Many ways to read, but no particular tips.

Church is reparenting ourselves into god’s family. Scary as it often goes wrong, but nonetheless true.

Do you have your travelling companions?

Living under your means opens possibilities.

Participating in the divine outflow of love. Sociologists now agree: "it’s happier to give than receive." — Acts 20:34b

How can we ever fix society’s ills?

We serve. pp

It not only mends our fractured world, it mends us.

Dignity is restored by both serving, both receiving.

Matt 28…​ go into all the earth…​

Called not to convert but to preach…​ if necessary with words.

Leads to discouragement and disillusionment.

Requires honesty. Then let that be enough.

Dare to ask, "How do I enjoy God".

Build in a margin.

Some separate into practices of engagement and abstinence. Engagement mat be necessary to break lethargy or laziness. But, Comer implies, that’s probably not the prevailing problem in our times.

Diagram: Jesus' practices on 2 axes Alone—​Community and Engagement—​Abstinence.

Clockwise from bottom left:

Each of us likely favours one quadrant, but strive for balance.

Gary Thomas' book Sacred Pathways identified nine spiritual temperaments:

No hierarchy!

Don’t fight your season, work with it.

As in upstream disciplines feel like swimming upstream, not our natural preference.

In general, sins of commission require practices of abstinence. And vice versa.

But as in many places, balance of both—​and is required.

Learning theories suggest we often get worse before getting better.

For example, practicing Sabbath may have some attractions but also be associated with restlessness. Distractions like 'Am I doing it wrong?' or 'Do I enjoy it?' may interrupt.

Individual is fine but traditionally these were shared rules to hold community together.

Probably both harder and slower, but ultimately stronger.

Start with a small group. Shared practices but room to develop individual ones too.

GK Chesterton quote about "Do it again", a thrill to a child but a bore to an adult. "Perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony…​ [perhaps] our father is younger than we."

Following costs a lot. Not following costs more.

Life is hard with or without God. But trying to save yourself of living in a meaningless universe is hardest.

Apprenticeship to Jesus: giving up all you are too receive all God is.

The parables of treasure and pearl (Mat 13:44ff) are not virtue but basic arithmetic. To not die and grow is to remain a seed.