The Five Disciplines For Christians

Drawn from a rich heritage, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will guide you through a carefully selected array of disciplines. By illustrating why the disciplines are important, showing how each one will help you grow in godliness, and offering practical suggestions for cultivating them, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will provide you with a refreshing opportunity to become more like Christ and grow in character and maturity. Now updated and revised to equip a new generation of readers, this anniversary edition features in-depth discussions on each of the key disciplines.

The Five Disciplines for Christians are imperative for spiritual growth. These five disciplines are: fellowship, Bible study, prayer, ministry, and witnessing. The Christian will not grow to maturity in Christ without all five, but most Christians don’t know what they are. This book will help the reader to rediscover these ancient biblical practices which will bring them closer to God, transform the world around them, and provide personal fulfillment. The book is broken down into five sections, one for each discipline. Each section provides the biblical mandate, describes the nuances of the discipline, identifies challenges to its practice, and gives tools to enhance one’s routine.

This updated companion guide to Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (see description below) takes you through a carefully selected array of disciplines that will help you grow in godliness. Ideal for personal or small-group use. Drawn from a rich heritage, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will guide you through a carefully selected array of disciplines. By illustrating why the disciplines are important, showing how each one will help you grow in godliness, and offering practical suggestions for cultivating them, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will provide you with a refreshing opportunity to become more like Christ and grow in character and maturity. Now updated and revised to equip a new generation of readers, this anniversary edition features in-depth discussions on each of the key disciplines.

When we mistake spiritual disciplines for to-dos, time slots on our schedule, or Instagram-able moments, we miss the benefits of Christ's continual and constant work for us. In Ragged, Gretchen Ronnevik aims to reclaim spiritual disciplines as good gifts given by our good Father instead of heavy burdens of performance carried by the Christian. Only when we recognize our failures to maintain God's commands do we also realize the benefit of our dependence on his promises. Gretchen uses this distinction on law and gospel, presented throughout Scripture, to guide readers through spiritual disciplines including prayer, meditation, Scripture reading, and discipleship among others. Despite our best efforts, the good news is that spiritual disciplines have less to do with what we bring before God and more about who Christ is for us, not only as the author but also as the perfector of our faith.

Eric Henry Liddell was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international player, and missionary. He is perhaps most well known as the subject of the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire, which depicted his experiences training and racing in the Olympics and the religious convictions that influenced him. In his book about spiritual disciplines, he outlines his own pattern for living which has as its foundation a daily Bible reading plan.

Drawn from a rich heritage, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will guide you through a carefully selected array of disciplines. By illustrating why the disciplines are important, showing how each one will help you grow in godliness, and offering practical suggestions for cultivating them, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will provide you with a refreshing opportunity to become more like Christ and grow in character and maturity. Now updated and revised to equip a new generation of readers, this anniversary edition features in-depth discussions on each of the key disciplines.

The Spiritual Disciplines Pamphlet explains the classic spiritual disciplines that help us follow Jesus: Scripture reading, prayer, fasting, worship, solitude, and evangelism. The Spiritual Disciplines Pamphlet makes an excellent handout or Bible study on Christian maturity for a small group or Sunday school class. It addresses questions such as: What does it mean to be Jesus' disciples in the twenty-first century? Do spiritual disciplines look different in an electronic age? How can spiritual disciplines be a joy, not a legalistic burden? Includes an explaination and advice on these Spiritual Disciplines: • Bible Reading/Study • Prayer • Fasting • Worship • Service • Solitutude • Discernment • Evangelism Each Spiritual Discipline includes: • Examples from people in the Bible • Tips for getting started • How each discipline helps us to have a Christ-focused life Discussion Questions • Scripture Reading: Read two of the Bible passages from the list on page 5. In your opinion, what is the message of these passages? Read the section on “The Disciplines Today.” Some people love to read the Bible; others see it as a challenge. What ideas might work for those who struggle? • Prayer: Read one of the Psalms listed at the top of page 6 and pick one other Bible passage in that section. What is the writer of the Psalms expressing in his prayer? Is he being honest with God about his emotions and problems? In what way does this change your view of prayer? What attitude should we have? What kinds of prayers should we avoid? Pick one of the ideas in “The Disciplines Today” and share how you might apply it. • Fasting: Choose two of the passages at the top of page 8 to read. Why did these people choose to fast? Now look at the quote. How can we keep our focus on the right thing? Fasting is one of the most neglected of the Spiritual Disciplines, but it is excellent for teaching us self-control. Look at the tips. How might you practice the discipline of fasting? • Worship: People worship in many ways as we can see from the biblical examples at the top of page 9. Which of these suit your personality and circumstances the most? Look at the first point under “The Disciplines Today.” In practical ways, how can we develop the right attitudes? When we worship in a group, the experience is often different from our private times of worship. What are the benefits of each? • Service: Jesus could have forced and bullied everyone into obeying him. Yet he did not. He chose to be a servant. Pick one of the passages from the Biblical Basis section at the top of page 10, and explain how Jesus' leadership is different from the kind of leadership found in the world today. Read the tips on page 10. How will you serve others in a way that imitates Jesus? • Solitude: Many biblical leaders sought to be alone with God. Pick one of the examples on page 11 and note anything of interest to you. If you are the type of person who likes having a lot of noise in your life, how do you practice solitude? What are the benefits of going off by yourself and praying and resting? • Discernment: Look at the examples of biblical discernment at the top of page 12. Read both of the last two bullet points in the Biblical Basis section. What does discernment mean and how does it look today? Some people seem to have the spiritual gift of discernment, but all believers can be more discerning in general. Why is it important to discuss issues with other believers? • Evangelism: Read all of the points at the top of page 13. What did Jesus teach? Look at the tips. What do you see as the most important? It is often easiest and most natural to share your own story with close friends. Do you ever sense an opportunity to discuss spiritual matters? Perfect for discipleship or small groups.

What is a Love Feast? How did the early church celebrate the Love Feast? How might Christians today celebrate the Love Feast? In Recovering the Love Feast, Paul Stutzman addresses these questions, offering a unique blend of liturgical history and practical theology. Part I outlines the history of the Love Feast, noting its prevalence in early church worship, its gradual decline, and its reemergence in the practices of several Pietist groups (e.g., the Moravians, Methodists, and Brethren). Particular focus is given to five elements of the celebration, that is: eucharistic preparation, feetwashing, the fellowship meal, the holy kiss, and the Eucharist proper. In Part II, Stutzman argues that the Love Feast is a valuable Christian practice and a celebration worth recovering in those traditions that may have forgotten the feast. Rather than prescribing a specific method for celebrating the Love Feast, Stutzman proposes that there are five key disciplines that today's Love Feasts should embody: submission, love, confession, reconciliation, and thanksgiving. This book encourages Christians from a range of traditions to experiment with reclaiming the Love Feast, with the hope that each celebration serves as an act of worship to God and an authentic expression of Christian discipleship.