"The real joy ride"

The Disciplines of Christ - Part 2

The art of Celebration

 

Intro: The joyful Christian life seems to be oxymoron to many in our culture. Besides the label of hypocrite, this lack of joy in the lives of many Christians contributes to the aversion people have for the church and Christianity. This should not be, St. Augustine of Hippo said, “The Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot.”

 

Therefore, this discipline of Celebration becomes a vital Spiritual Discipline. Without it, the spiritual disciplines become a doleful grind. The 90 days will drag on and on… if you make it that long. Richard Foster says it well in his book the Celebration of Discipline, “Joy is a part of the fruit of the spirit (Gal.5:22)…, joy is the motor, the thing that keeps everything else going. Without joyous celebration to infuse the other disciplines, we will sooner or later abandon them. Joy produces energy. Joy makes us stronger.” That’s why I have included this discipline early in our 90 day challenge; this discipline will give you energy and strength to persevere.

 

Let’s begin…

 

The Discipline – Celebration for the purpose of Godliness.

 

The Art of the Celebration

The prophet Nehemiah said, “the Joy of our Lord is our strength” (Neh. 8:10).  The Apostle Paul said  “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4) . The psalmist reminds us God is author of every day, “this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24).  With scriptures like these in mind, we understand that celebration at its core is worship. Therefore, celebration can happen when Christians come together for almost any reason. From a fellowship dinner to a funeral dinner, we can find reason to celebrate. You can celebrate while you fellowship and serve with others or you can celebrate alone while you rest and listen to music. However you celebrate, you'll discover it's as much an attitude as it is an action.

But where does this pursuit begin?

One way we lay the foundation for the art of celebration is through obedience.  It’s difficult to practice joyful celebration when you’re suffering the consequences of sin. As a result, through obedience to Christ we find Joy. Then there is the practice of sacrifice and giving. Remember the words of Jesus; it’s more blessed to give than receive. We all know that feeling we get when we are able to give of ourselves and help someone out. That feeling leads to celebration. In this week’s story we see Jesus embrace this discipline of celebration through obedience and giving. However, we’ll discover an unlikely element at the heart of Jesus’ practice of celebration. That element is but one word—HONOR!  Look for it in this lesson’s scripture story.

 The Story    – Jesus turns the water to wine (Jn. 2:1-17)

 

  On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” ⁴ “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” ⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” ⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. ⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. ⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” ¹¹ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. ¹² After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

Questions to consider: How does Jesus honor his mother? In what ways were you taught that Celebrating and/or “partying” was dishonorable behavior as a Christian? Where is Joy lacking in your life? Why do you find it difficult to celebrate sometimes?

 

Helpful Commentary:

NT Professor, Mark Moore, explains this celebration story well.

Jewish weddings typically lasted for a full week. They were filled with banquets, dancing, laughter, and song. (In this instance) The groom’s family miscalculates the amount of wine needed for the celebration. This is more than embarrassing,…such neglect could cause serious offense to the bride’s family, resulting in significant (political and social) ramifications.

 

Mary is asked to help. Apparently someone thought she had access to some resources that could provide more wine. She, of course, goes straight to her oldest son, the leader of their clan. When she informs Jesus of the predicament, she doesn’t actually ask for him to help, but the implication is clear. She is asking Jesus to intervene on behalf of the groom’s family. Here we need to observe two things. First, Mary is not necessarily asking Jesus to perform a miracle… this is the first miracle recorded in the John’s gospel, you wouldn’t expect Mary to anticipate such divine intervention for such a mundane affair. Second, if he does help, that will greatly increase the clout of Jesus’ family. In social terms, Mary’s family would become patrons and this wedding party their clients. This would no doubt delight Mary.

 

It’s time for Jesus to get on with his ministry. He has a new family now, and to become a patron of the wedding would be a step backward, not forward, in his messianic career. At the same time he does need to HONOR his mother. His dilemma is more serious then it appears on the surface. The scriptures compel him to honor his earthly mother. His calling compels him to honor his heavenly Father. Solution: turn the water to wine. In one fell swoop Jesus honors his mother and opens a new chapter in his Messianic career.

 

The servants fill six water jugs to the brim… (so this equals) upwards of 180 gallons of wine. No wonder Jesus was called a “wine-bibber”. In anyone’s book this would be excessive. Why so much wine? We must remember that John records a mere seven miracles. In other words, he is not trying to overwhelm his readers with a bulk of Jesus’ wondrous deeds. He selects them carefully and describes them specifically so that they preach the kingdom of God. Wine and weddings represent joyful celebration. (Therefore, John’s point is) our initial encounter with Jesus is an invitation to a wedding where the wine flows freely. He wants to transform your life into an extraordinary event filled with joy, wine, and a glut of celebration.

                                                                ^{Mark Moore, Encounters with Christ, p. 23-24}

                                                          Further Reading: Revelation 19:6-9

 

A Story of Dishonor – Jesus Clears the Temple Courts   (Jn. 2:13-17)

¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Helpful Commentary: The Passover was one of the three major Jewish celebrations observed every year by the people. They were celebrated to honor God. In the highest sense, these were holy celebrations. In this passage above, Jesus is ticked because the Jewish people have not just “desecrated” the temple they have dishonored God in how they were celebrating the Passover. Many took advantage of it as a money making opportunity instead of honoring the true meaning of Passover (Exodus 12). This would be the equivalent of making Christmas about consumerism instead of the free gift of Christ, God’s son, to save the world.

Thus, we look at these two contrasting stories of Jesus back to back in the Gospel of John. One is an example of proper celebration and the other, less than honorable. Jesus example is clear, life with me is truly a JOY RIDE. Therefore, any follower should be easy to spot. The only thing more dishonoring to God than improper celebration is a life with no celebration and joy at all.

 

The Application Questions:  

1)    When was the last time you laughed?

2)   Do you enjoy God?  In what ways do you celebrate your life as a Christian? In what ways do you dishonor Christ in your attempts to celebrate him? (i.e. only showing up for church every Easter or significant Christian holiday).

3)    GROUP DISCUSSION: Discuss how you can practice the discipline of celebration. SHARE WITH EACH OTHER WHAT YOU ENJOY ABOUT GOD THE MOST AND HOW YOU CELEBRATE THAT IN YOUR LIFE. Make plans as a group to celebrate together on a regular basis.

4)    What do you think would be the result of the discipline of celebration being practiced more intentionally and consistently in your life? What could it change?

 

Strengthening your discipline of Celebration:

 Personally, this is a discipline I have had to really work on. I let too many disappointments and unmet expectations steal my joy. When I feel my joy depleting, Phil 4:4-8 is my go to verse -

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

 
If this discipline is something you need to work on take verse 8 above and make it your memory verse for the week or even a month. Then journal about how memorizing and reflecting on this verse changes your attitude.

Thanks for checking out this week’s lesson. Don’t forget to check out our D90x facebook page for encouragement.

Blessings,

Jason

Praying through today’s discipline: Before you finish and log off, spend some time in prayer meditating on Phil. 4:4-8.  Thank God for Jesus’ example. Consider what ways you are dishonoring God with your life, and change it. (Remember, honor is the foundation of the celebrated life of a Christian—without honor your joy ride with God, may not end so joyful!)

 

For further instruction in the Art of Celebration:

1)    You’re going to get tired of this suggestion, but join a small group at Adventure, it’s a lot easier to celebrate with others than it is by yourself.

2)    Do some research/study on some of the OT holidays (i.e. Passover) and specifically why they celebrated what they celebrated. 
 

3)    Treat Communion/The Lord’s Supper as a celebration and take note of how it affects your experience during that time. (i.e. Communion isn’t a time to just remember Jesus death and our crummy sins that put him there. It’s a time to celebrate the Resurrection and the New Life given to you by Christ. You now live in grace, you’ve been forgiven. Every week at Adventure is an opportunity to celebrate that!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

“There are no short cuts on the road to Godliness”

The Discipline's of Christ - Part 1

Bible Study and the art of the Sword

Intro: Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 4:7 “to discipline ourselves for the purpose of Godliness.” Thus, the goal of D90X (discipline for 90 days with Christ) is to become more Godly. But what does Godliness look like? Of course, it looks like Jesus. Therefore, as a supplement to the D90X booklet, this online study will take you through 13 weeks of study on the disciplines of Christ. Sometimes we assume that Jesus was perfect because he was God. So of course he could lead a perfect life, right? Not so fast…it wasn’t that easy. Jesus is all God, but he also was all man while on this earth. This means he dealt with the same earthy temptations that we do. Yet, he was able to overcome them because of the spiritually disciplined life he lived. So in the next 90 days, you’re invited to take a deeper look at the spiritual disciplines that Jesus practiced.

 

Now before you write off this study, think about this: if Jesus needed these disciplines in his life to stay spiritually strong—why do you think you don’t? Maybe you clicked on this site because this is the study your group decided to do. However, you have no intention on actually putting these disciplines to practice. If that’s the case you may gain a little Bible knowledge, but spiritual growth only happens when you put these disciplines into practice. This particular study is meant to enhance the actual 90 days of discipline that the D90X booklet walks you through. So if you haven’t already picked up your D90X booklet, I’d encourage you to do so and make the commitment that several in the church already have.

 

ok, we good? lets begin then....

 

The Discipline – Studying the Bible for the purpose of Godliness.

 

The Art of the SWORD

The Bible is often referred to as a sword (Heb. 4:12 & Eph. 6:17).  Even though anyone can pick up a sword and swing it around, only a skilled swordsman can be very effective. Biblical swordsmanship is the discipline of knowing how to use the Bible. To become effective, it takes Bible study skills which include but are not limited to reading, memorization, meditation, and application proficiency. In this week’s story, Jesus shows how the art of the sword can help us fight temptation.

 

The Story - The Temptation of Jesus

 

 

Matthew 4:1-11 (NLT) - 4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. ² For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. ³ During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, ⁶ and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.” ⁷ Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ” ⁸ Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” ¹⁰ “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” ¹¹ Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

 

 

Questions to consider: Describe Jesus’ art of the sword. How did he use scripture? How was his knowledge of scripture helpful? How would a better knowledge of scripture help you fight against temptation?

 

Helpful Commentary:

NT Professor, Mark Moore, explains Jesus use of the sword well.

 

Here we find Jesus as earthly as he gets. He wrestles with the pangs of hunger as well as the schemes of the Devil. In this sense, Jesus understands our plight perfectly.  However, the text is deeper than our own experiences.

If read in the shadow of the cross, these three temptations come into crystal clear focus. Satan is not tempting Jesus to lower himself by some moral degradation. He tempts Jesus to short-circuit the cross. For instance, Satan offers to give up the kingdom of this world without a fight if Jesus will but bow. If Jesus will dazzle the crowds with divine displays of power by jumping off the temple, he can avoid the arduous task of slow self-disclosure. These are shortcuts to the kingdom. The problem is obvious: Jesus could have the title of king without purity of purpose and perspective.

Even something as simple as turning the stones to bread could subvert God’s plan. Notice carefully Matthew’s last sentence, “angels came and attended him.” This happened one other time. It was not in a desert, but in a garden, yet there to he wrestled alone. Jesus will struggle with God’s plan as he prays three times, “let this cup pass from me.” Had he waffled in the wilderness he would have crumbled in the garden. In both instances Jesus declined his divine prerogative so as to fully embrace the human predicament.”

Jesus’ encounter with the devil is telling. It provides us a model for our own spiritual warfare through the WORD. Jesus didn’t resist the devil with stellar self-control or clever argumentation. He relied on the power of God’s word. We appreciate Jesus’ showing us the way out of temptation. More important still, this text reminds us that gravest danger is not the moral failure. Jesus can deal with that. Our greatest danger is being derailed from the kingdom of the cross. When we pretend that there is an easier way, a way to avoid self-abnegation (self-denial) and suffering, we turn stones to bread. Even if it is adorned with success, any path that averts the cross is ultimately perilous.  

                                                                             ^{Mark Moore, Encounters with Christ, p. 19-20}

Further Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Corinthians 10:13

 

The Application Questions:

1) In what ways are you tempted to take shortcuts in your faith?

2) How do you think a more spiritually disciplined life will help prepare you for suffering (taking up your cross)? GROUP DISCUSSION: List some disciplines you need to work on. Share with one another how certain disciplines have helped your walk of faith.

3) How do you think a spiritually disciplined life in the Art of the sWord, will help you face temptations/your weaknesses?

 

Strengthening your discipline in the WORD:

First let me say, many books have been written on spiritual disciplines. And while they do not all agree on how to categorize the disciplines nor do they all have the same descriptive list, one thing they do all have in common is they all agree that the Intake of Bible is the most important discipline of all. There is no substitute for a steady diet of God’s word in our life. That’s why it’s such a big part of the D90X regiment. D90X gives some general instruction in the Bible Disciplines (Bible Reading, Memorization, Meditation, a Bible study, and Discipleship Partner).  However, if you’d like to take your experience deeper in this discipline, the following are a couple books I recommend on the all the disciplines: SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR THE CHRISTINA LIFE, Donald S. Whitney; THE SPIRIT OF THE DISCIPLINES, Dallas Willard; and CELEBRATION OF THE DISCIPLINE, Richard J. Foster

 

At the very least, I hope the above Bible Disciplines become a part of your spiritual walk.  You can’t shortcut your faith. Maybe you’re skirting by right now, but the longer you swim in the shallows, the less prepared you are going to be to face the trials of life. God’s word gives us wisdom and strength to live in this fallen world. It gave Jesus wisdom and strength to overcome temptation and ultimately endure the cross. So ask yourself, what temptation in your life are you struggling with? What struggle might be ahead that you need to endure? If you think a sermon once a week is food enough for your soul, you’d be mistaken. Don’t rely on others to feed you. God gave you His word so you can feed yourself. Remember the words of Jesus,  “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

 
 

Praying through today’s discipline: Before you finish and log off, spend some time in prayer. Pray over the text you read today. Thank God for Jesus’ example. Consider your short comings in the discipline of His Word.  Ask God to give you the courage and discipline not to take shortcuts in your spiritual walk. 

 

For further instruction in the Art of the ^sWord:

1)      Join an Adventure Life group or a Bible Study Group, several are currently meeting at both campuses. Information is available on these groups and times in the weekly Worship Folder or contact Jason for questions.

2)      For those of you D90X participants who want to increase your discipline in the Bible, Adventure offers a class on basic bible study skills. This class would be good if you’re interested in teaching or become a better biblical student.

3)      For those of you who like to just broaden you Biblical understanding, Pastor Jason offers a class called the Bible Basics. This class will increase your general biblical knowledge. It will also enhance your understanding of how the Bible is written and how to read the Bible in a practical way. You can contact Pastor Jason for information about when these classes can be attended at Jason@adventurecommunity.org.

4)      Become a teacher for the children’s ministry (aka Adventureland). You would be amazed at what you’ll learn yourself when you teach our little ones. There is training provided for this so talk to Steph Liston (DAV) or Sherry Hight (MUS) if you’re interested.

 

 

Welcome to D90X

Welcome to D90X small group study online. This site is a supplementary study to the D90X spiritual discipline guide. D90X stands for Discipline for 90 days with Christ. This study is based on the scripture 1 Timothy 4:7 "discipline yourself for the purpose of Godliness". The D90X booklet guide can be ordered by contacting Jason at Jason@adventurecommunity.org. However, you don't need to participate in the D90X program to participate in this D90X online small group study. Neither do you need to belong to a small group. You can do this on your own or with a partner. You decide, but either way D90X welcomes your participation and your comments.

What is the D90X online study?

The D90X online study will be a series of 13 lessons that take a deeper biblical and historical look at Christian Spiritual Disciplines. Specifically, each lesson will cover 13 different disciplines of Christ. Additional study guide questions and materials are also available for group leaders. If you're a group leader and would like to receive leadership material, contact Jason directly and he'll send it to you.

What is a Spiritual Discipline?

Many Christian authors and scholars have their own definition, but to put it simply S.D. are any activity done for the purpose of bringing about spiritual transformation in the life of a Christ follower. In D90X terms they are spiritual exercises that help the Christian become and stay spiritually fit.

When will the D90X online study begin?

The first of 13 lessons will be posted by March 1st and then once a week after the 1st until all 13 lessons have been posted.