#2 - When Christian devotional practices follow “Rule of Life structures" spiritual disciplines enable discipleship development . . .

Christians are followers of God through their faith in Jesus Christ. Some describe themselves as evangelicals; so named from their claim, “Christian faith is known, and experienced through a direct personal encounter with Jesus Christ, as an active conversion.” By and large individual evangelicals exist and function in their Christian faith-witness within the range of protestant churches comprising evangelicalism; which as a movement in modern Christianity emphasizes the gospel of forgiveness and regeneration through personal faith in Jesus Christ, affirms orthodox doctrines, social responsibility, personal discipleship, and the importance of structured or regularized personal devotional life practices. The term “Devotional Life” indicates a generalized evangelical discipleship practice.

The term “DEVOTIONAL LIFE” refers to . . .

• The practice of regular Bible reading, prayer, reflection/meditation, and personal worship which may include the spiritual discipline of journaling; the Bible reading element is frequently supported by published Bible reading notes.

Evangelicalism’s common expectation is the timing of a person’s daily devotions are observed in the morning is often before breakfast, employment, or other larger responsibilities. The practice is also known as; “daily devotions” or “quiet time” is a devotional “rule of life.”

One’s “DEVOTIONAL RULE OF LIFE” is the structured routine of  . . .

Self-chosen and intentionally undertaken

• Christian spiritual disciplines

Which one pursues as either personal or communal life-practices in

• maintaining and deepening one’s relationship with God, and
• Effective engagement within broader-life public life.

Note: While Rule of Life structures provide a “centering for devotional practices and the integration of a range of spiritual disciplines” they are not limited to merely enabling devotional spirituality; they hold invaluable relevance in the whole-of-life or holistic formation, and integration of one’s inner, outer and corporate worlds.

CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES are . . .

Devotional spiritual formation practices disciples apply consistently that help maintain and nurture faith, grow spirituality, and build up Christ-conformity.

While there is a significant range of Christian spiritual discipline practices, evangelical spirituality author Richard Foster provides a “helpful threefold starting framework” . . .

• Inward - Disciplines practiced in the privacy of our intimate walk with Jesus
• Meditation, prayer, fasting, and Bible study
• Outward - Disciplines that affect how we interface with the world
• Simplicity, solitude, submission, and service
• Corporate - Disciplines that are practiced with others
• Confession, worship, guidance, and celebration

Practicing Spiritual Disciplines . . .

• Spiritual discipline practices help to put us in a place where we can begin to notice God and respond to His word to us
•  Spiritual disciplines give the Holy Spirit space to brood over our souls
•  Spiritual transformation, “recovering your life,” comes from partnering with the Trinity for change
•  Keeping company with Jesus in the space between wanting to change and not being able to change through effort alone can be a difficult thing to do.
• Disciplines are intentional ways we open space in our lives for the worship of God
• They are not harsh but grace-filled ways of responding to the presence of Christ with our bodies. Worship happens in our bodies, not just our heads. In Romans 12:1 Paul exhorts us to; “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship”

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES OPEN US TO GOD (aka “Worship”)

 Worship is not something we work up or go to on Sunday morning. Worship is every discipline's end game! We miss the point and endanger our souls when we think of spiritual disciplines as ends in themselves.

Spiritual practices exist to open us into God.

They are never the "be all and end all" of discipleship. The "be all and end all" is a loving trust of and obedience to the God who is within us yet beyond us and our very best efforts.

Clickhere for a link to the PowerPoint slides used in Session #2

Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2005, p.17-21.

John C. Douglas, "The Effectiveness of a Rule of Life as Growth Processing Framework in the Development of New Zealand Evangelical Church Leaders’ Spiritual Discipline Behaviors (Project Draft)." doctoral dissertation, Denver Seminary 2013, p.110-112.

Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. 20th anniversary ed. [San Francisco]: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998, p.1-9.

Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God. 1st ed. London: Fount, 1998, p. 386-398.

From SSPP Seminar session #2