Pursuing Our Destiny, Part 14–The Disciplines of Engagement

And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people (Acts 2:44-47a, ESV).

 It’s time to deal with the “both/and” nature of Scripture.  We so often get one part of living for Jesus down, only to realize we’re completely missing the mark when looking at another teaching.  As I mentioned earlier in this series, Dallas Willard, in his book The Spirit of the Disciplines, divides the spiritual disciplines/practices into two categories.  He speaks of the “disciplines of abstinence” and the “disciplines of engagement.”  They aren’t meant to be “either/or” categories; they are always taken as “both/and” categories.

 The passage I used in the heading of this piece reflects the latter disciplines—disciplines of engagement.  The new Christians in Jerusalem no longer hid for fear of the religious leaders or the Roman government; they engaged in practices visible to all.  They were practices that helped them grow in their walk with Jesus and in their likeness to Jesus.

For the next several weeks, we’re going to take Wednesdays to look at the disciplines of engagement while, I hope, we practice at least some of the disciplines of abstinence.  We’re not intended to practice one kind of discipline or the other; we’re to see both kinds of practices at work in our lives at the same time.

Here is a list of the engagement practices: study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession, and submission.  I’ll define them week-by-week, inviting all of us who read Freedom Fighter to think about the place each of them should have in our lives as we serve Jesus and strive to become like him.

You may already incorporate some of them into your lives, but I suggest that all of us may think about them differently when we see them as tools that help us become more like Jesus.  With that goal of becoming a living icon of Jesus, these disciplines should become more intentional and significant in our lives.

Taking time to learn the life of Jesus by spending time in the gospels will prove him to be a both/and person.  He discovered the balance between abstinence and engagement, and it served him well.  As we examine the life of Jesus with the desire to become like him, we’ll find that balance necessary in our lives, too.

Study.  Worship.  Celebration.  Service.  Prayer.  Fellowship.  Confession.  Submission.  Engagement practices needed in your life and mine.  Practices needed if we’re going to allow our world to see Jesus in us.  And allowing people to see Jesus in us is exactly why God saved us and left us here!  Don’t forget Romans 8:29!

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 123-125; 2 Corinthians 7

Quote of the day: Any concern too small to be a prayer is too small to be a burden. Corrie Ten Boom

Verse to Memorize: “Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes. Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord; revive me according to Your judgments. Psalm 119:155-156