I am a member of a church that believes it has community developed. But I am one of those who has GREATLY benefitted from a small group emphasizing SF and personal reading of THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY by Willard. I don not think we are called to have our only relationship with the Father through the church. That is old-school catholic (not very old-school Catholic, however).

Our particular church congregation is WAY too big for me to even experience much of the Father in context with. There is so much "business" and structure of our own involved with the corporate body, that the God I meet there (in the corporate context) gets boring really quickly.

However, in the last year I have experienced a new level of awareness of and relationship with Jesus by myself in my home clothes closet. I have listened to thousands upon thousands of sermons, participated in wonderful works of service to others, given up annual bonuses and weekly income to various needy causes, but coming to know God (in my closet) is more valuable to my spirit, my walk, and my purpose than any of those things. I can't imagine what the fruit of these coveted times in my closet with my heavenly father will be (and I am counting this as a particular discipline of which I am reaping a harvest from the Lord).

I whole-heartedly believe that knowing Him at each level (each more intimate than the previous) is as important as knowing and obeying his will at each level. I think this is what SF is. It is the laying down of the fleshly confidence in ME, to give over to Him in silence, in fasting, in prayer, in meditation, … so that He, and not his will, his word, his magnificence, his holiness, his righteousness, or any other characteristic or offering of his, but He is leading, feeding, influencing, directing, … me.

Now, relative to the community. The church has almost lost community, I believe. (You could contrast acts 2 with present day sharing, fellowshipping, meeting needs. Or you could look at how few of us meet our neighbors with a pie or cut their grass without a specific request. We seek houses that meet our high-class specs, rather than choosing a house simply because we could serve in that neighborhood with our spiritual family.)

But all of that is precisely because we don't abserve and practice whatever discipline the Lord is trying to teach us with, not because individual disciplines preclude community development. When we are in community with the triune God, we observe how community is lived out, and then the triune God models to us HOW to live in community – - – perfectly.

It's not – the not eating – but the admitting that "Lord you are the one who nourishes me" that is the value in fasting.

It's not – the not being around others – but the admitting that "Lord YOU are my company and my primary friendship" that is the value in solitude.

It's not – the reading of words – but the admitting that "Lord YOUR historical faithfulness to your people through the ages is evident to me, is sweet to me, is cherished by me as I realize you are just as faithful to me" that is the power in feeding upon His word.

It's the heart's posture toward God, ultimately, that is the benefit of any given discipline, not the discipline of itself. And yet, without a discipline to allow the heart to address God (or to respond to God) in relationship, how is the relationship maintained? It just isn't, at least I don't see how.

I feel our leaders need to disciple us in various disciplines, regardless of what they are. Not force us into a list of behaviors, but reveal their own hearts as they engage in disciplines that draw them nearer to the heart of God.

I have been in classes where the most well formed and conceived disciplines were discussed and found them to be extremely dry. I have been in my closet exerting a sloppy and ill-formed discipline in honest contrition before my God, and met him.

I think the reason that SF appears to preclude community, is that we aren't extremely aware of what community is in this John Wayne individualist Western society. In other words, the Trinity is not evolved from American thought of success, but out of His own power exudes selfless powerful humility that respects and embraces "other" as "self".

SF is the process of recognizing perfect community, and how I am part of it and how I am part of others and how others are a part of me. This may seem new age-y, but I assure you that is not my slant on this. In fact, maybe the reason that new-age theology is so attractive to some, is that we have done such a poor job of recognizing true community.

Thanks for the reminder and the link!

in HIS love,
nick

Now I understand why it SEEMED like we were disagreeing! This is exactly how I think of the disciplines! As exercises unto GODLINESS (not quietist personal piety), and as tools that equip us as individuals and groups for the really hard work of ministry.

And imposition rather than recommendation is just foolish among brothers. Not that it doesn't happen, but it is foolish.

Nick's blog is at http://fumblingtowardseternity.wordpress.com/. I'll be interested to read his posts on spiritual formation.

Consider this model. The church is the body of Christ. Church leaders are called to equip the members for good works. Good works not only are acts of love, they attract people to Jesus.

Good works fit into at least two categories. First, there are the good works that we do as individuals quite apart from congregational life — but equipped by congregational life.

Second, there are works done as part of the congregation — church plants, free health clinics, food distribution, etc.

Both types are essential. We do the first because it's in our nature. We do the second because some works can't be done alone — we need lots of people and resources to pull off a clinic. And these also help draw people to the body of Christ.

Sadly, many of our congregations do little of the second type. They don't feed the poor or clean up creeks or serve the needy other in a token way. As a result, the members often feel unfulfilled, ill-equipped, and frustrated.

For them, church is the assembly — communion, some songs, and sermon — which is not enough. It can lead to a low view of church life.

The fault, however, is squarely in the congregational leadership.

Do I think a believer has to provide service through his ekklesia? Well, I don't think in those terms, really. Rather, I think a congregation needs to participate in God's mission and needs to equip and lead its members to do the same. They are on the same mission and should work hand in hand.

It certainly doesn't mean members must do their good works through the church. But neither should members abandon the church to do good works — if the church is providing effective leadership and opportunities.

God may well call individual members to different works. A church has to allow for that.

Among my concerns re the disciplines is they don't address this aspect of Christian living — which I see as extremely important. Church life — living as a body — is perhaps the most important praxis. But it needs to be living with a purpose — living in mission.

But the underlying problem is not the disciplines. It's leadership.

Now, if the disciplines were to be taught as equipping for service (not just for service) — real, honest-to-God service of both types — and not imposed but laid out as tools to be used as needed — I'd be a big fan.

P.S. The quote “I’m not saying that a failure to do these things will send you to hell, but I can’t see how you’ll make it to heaven without them!” is one of many classic examples of lines used to control people. I thank God that He has allowed me to leave and become an authentic Christian!

First, I agree that a personally disciplined spiritual life is a good thing — but ultimately it falls short of what God seeks from us.

But I don't fully agree that a believer's life can only be fully in service related to the ekklesia (forgive my personal distain for the word, "church")

I agree that the fellowship of believers is very important to us — we are social beings and are helped by the encouragement of others. Personally, I contribute to my local fellowship in numerous ways, but I see those contributions of money or service, as only a small part of demonstration of what I believe and my commitment to Jesus.

But I also believe that congregational fellowship is really an unavoidable results of believers following Jesus model of loving one another the way he loved us.

Regretably, I think we've institutionalized the fellowship. In the American culture, this may have been unavoidable, but I don't think it's necessary to the manifestation of the fellowship of believers, as described or presented by the New Testament Text.

My commitment is to love others the way Jesus loved me — which is a limitless commitment — and applies to those both inside and outside of the fellowship.

It is in striving to explore the limitlessness of that commitment to love the way Jesus loved, that I find the best in spiritual formation.

Nick here: The disciplines don't make you good people. The disciplines are means of grace that help "equip us for the work of ministry" (Eph 4:12). They are practices that allow us to "train ourselves unto godliness" (1 Tim 4:7-8). Godliness is not primarily morality, but active ministry to the world.

Overall, I do not believe Foster and Willard are prescribing the disciplines for people who neither have nor want involvement with the local church. I believe they are prescribing them for those people for whom the local church is as much a source of frustration and exhaustion as it is love and spiritual growth.

You want brothers and sisters to come to the assembly equipped to build up one another, but where will they get such resources? From our own pitiful soulish powerpacks or from the Spirit of God?

The disciplines make sense to me for three reasons:
1) because in order to be an effective member of a team, you've got to practice. When I was in the Army, if my unit had an assignment, I would design training exercises to hone my unit's skills and strengths, their reflexes and instincts, until they knew in their sleep exactly what their role was. The old saying goes, "The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war." God gives everyone potential or raw abilities; only exercise and practice will hone them into effective skills. The mission of God is new creation: living that mission is incredibly complex and requires more than a desire to do good.

2) because the transformation in 1 Cor 15 is from a person whose life depends on their own energy (psuchikos) to one whose life depends on the power of God (pneumatikos). The disciplines are ways of depending on God for strength.

3) because I am getting increasingly tired of being told that the cure for Christian Fatigue Syndrome is to DO MORE GOOD WORKS; that no matter how much I'm involved with my local church, the solution to all my spiritual struggles is to get involved MORE. We preach baptism and involvement and hope that somewhere in there, godliness occurs.

I believe what we are doing must be secondary to who we are becoming. Anyone can do some good works. You don't even have to get wet to do that. Only a fully equipped godly believer can know exactly the good work that needs to be done, and actually do it when it needs to be done.

I am going to begin working through the Renovare Spiritual Formation Guide entitled, "Living The Mission." I will blog about it over at Fumbling. Perhaps it will help change your mind about Spiritual Formation.

in HIS love,
nick

PS – Foster and Willard, et al, also prescribe the disciplines of Koinonia (Fellowship), Guidance, Confession, Celebration, Service, Submission, Worship which I believe are community-specific. They cannot be done alone. Also, I believe such disciplines as Fasting, Prayer, Study, and Silence ought to be done communally. In fact, the only Discipline that requires solitude is, well, solitude (perhaps Examen as well). The others are to be practiced in the context of the Christian community, as part of the with-God life.

The six streams of spirituality aren't so much recommendations as recognition of 2000 years of Christian history. The Incarnational Life encompasses your ideas of mission, and the Compassionate Life encompasses your ideas of Agape. The questions are I-centered because it is not our business to examine the lives of others.

The whole point of the with-God life is so that WE can be in every place the dwelling place of God.