The Centre Community Church

Tag: Spiritual Discipline

  • Spiritual Disciplines: Prayer

    Spiritual Disciplines: Prayer

    When I first planned out this sermon series on Spiritual Disciplines I knew that prayer would either be the first or the last topic that we looked at. This is because prayer is central, or should be central, to everything that we do as followers of Christ. If Jesus is Lord of everything and nothing is outside of His dominion (see Colossians 1:15-20), if God is aware of all things (see Psalm 139 and Matthew 10:28-31), then it makes perfect sense for us to go to Him about anything and everything. In fact, that is exactly what we are called to do (Philippians 4:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:17) and expected to do (Matthew 6:5-15, Luke 18:1-8).

    So why do we sometimes (much of the time!) struggle with prayer? How come it often feels like when we pray our words/thoughts stop at the ceiling? In order to pray well we need to know who we are praying to. If we don’t have a good understanding of who God is and what He is like, then our prayers will be focused more on ourselves rather than on God. I believe that if we have a clearer picture of who God is then our prayer life will become more vibrant.

    Like each of the other topics we’ve looked at, prayer is a discipline, something that we need to train ourselves in and work at in order to improve. Even for those for whom prayer comes more easily it is still a discipline and needs to be cultivated. Jesus taught His disciples and others how to pray, and modeled what a prayer filled life looked like by often going off on His own to speak with God. If Jesus needed to pray in order to stay connected with God, how much more do we need to pray?

  • Spiritual Disciplines: Evangelism

    Spiritual Disciplines: Evangelism

    If you read through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) you’ll quickly see that Jesus expects quite a bit from those who follow Him. There are many expectations that we won’t just learn about what is good and right, but that we’ll actually do what is good and right and helpful for us to become more like Him. Repeatedly through this section Jesus uses the phrase, “So when you . . . [give, pray, fast],” to let us know that these actions aren’t options for followers of Christ. He didn’t say, “If you . . .” but rather, “When you . . .”  If we are calling ourselves Christians, then we’d better be doing what Christians are called to do.

    The final instruction that Jesus gave His disciples also still applies to us today. The Great Commission, found in Matthew 28, instructs us to go and make disciples, baptizing and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has taught us. There is no “if” included in the command. We are called to go! But we don’t go alone. I actually believe the Great Commission starts the verse before where Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to me. Therefore go!” We go in God’s strength and power, in the authority that has been given to Jesus, and therefore God’s will will ultimately be accomplished. That means that it’s not up to us to save or convert anyone, that’s God’s role and responsibility. The only thing we have to worry about is to actually go and tell others about the Good News of Jesus! God will do the rest.

    This coming Sunday we’ll be continuing our series on Spiritual Disciplines as we look at evangelism. John L’Allier will be sharing about going and telling, and how we can grow in this area in our Christian lives. Our gathering starts at 4pm with a time of prayer before the service.

    Pastor Mike

  • Spiritual Disciplines: Fasting

    Spiritual Disciplines: Fasting

    This Sunday we will be continuing our series in Spiritual Disciplines looking at fasting. Fasting tends to be one of the most misunderstood of the Spiritual Disciplines, and like most things we can’t make sense of or understand we don’t pay much attention to it. We might agree that it’s a good thing to do (Jesus said it was in Matthew 6:16-18, and demonstrated it Himself in Matthew 4:1-11), but we still have a hard time following through and actually doing it.

    I believe the main reason we struggle with fasting is because of all the Spiritual Disciplines it is the most invasive in our lives. It changes our daily rhythms and schedules. It affects us physically. It is hard to hide that we’re fasting if we’re in a public place, and then there comes the issue of explaining what we’re doing without sounding “holier than thou”! In short, fasting disrupts our lives.

    Fasting is good for us for that reason alone, because out of all the Spiritual Disciplines, fasting demonstrates most clearly what it means to be a follower of Christ. When we accept Jesus as our Saviour and say that we will follow Him, He enters into our daily rhythms and schedules and rearranges them so that they are in line with His. This change in our lives should be hard to hide from others, especially family members and co-workers. Following Jesus affects all areas of our lives, and fasting is a simple reminder of this.

    Pastor Mike

  • Spiritual Disciplines: Worship

    Spiritual Disciplines: Worship

    One spiritual discipline that we’re called to do as Christians that is often confused or unclear is worship. Often when we hear that word our first thought is music, the singing part of our Sunday gathering. While that is an aspect of it, worship is actually a far greater discipline that should engage multiple areas of our lives.

    To give an analogy, there are many ways in which I let my wife know that I love her. Quite often it is spoken, but it is also demonstrated in different actions throughout the day such as a hug or holding hands while walking, or simply spending time with her. Then there are the special times and dates in our lives that we set aside to especially remember and honour each other through gifts, cards, meals and times away. And there are also other, more mundane ways in which I show her love each day through doing things around the house. As her husband, my posture and attitude towards her should always be motivated by love and putting her before myself (look at Ephesians 5:25-33).

    On a much greater scale, this is how each follower of Jesus is to live for God. Our whole lives are to be an ongoing act of worship of God (Romans 12:1-2), and involve every area of our lives. There will be special times and gatherings, but worship doesn’t start and stop when we enter or exit the church building — it should be everyday in every action, even in the mundane and boring. It is a continual remembrance of who God is, and who we are in Him. It is both communal and individual, audible and silent. Eventually, when we are in the new heaven and earth, it will be ongoing, never ceasing, but until that time it will have to be a conscious choice on our part, and a choice that we are expected to make.

  • Spiritual Disciplines: Service

    Spiritual Disciplines: Service

    Not all Spiritual Disciplines need to be done on your own in solitude and silence. As we discussed this past Sunday, reading Scripture and Bible study are good to do both on your own and in a small group setting, as well as individually. Another Spiritual Discipline that works best when done with others is serving. For Christians, we are called to serve one another, put the needs of others before our own, and care for those who are weak. James says that true religion is “to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). Jesus told His disciples after He had washed their feet that they should wash each other’s feet, that is to serve each other (John 13:1-17). He also said that for those who truly follow Him that they are to care for the hungry and thirsty, show hospitality to the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit those in prison (Matthew 25:31-46). He even said of Himself that the “Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

    There are many areas and ways in which we can serve others — there is no shortage of need in our culture! But as Christians we’re actually called to care for the needs of fellow believers first, and then move outward from there. In more than one location in Scripture we’re called to serve one another (Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 4:10). This is a reminder that as we’re part of the same body we need to care for the body first before we can effectively care for others. As we care for, serve and love each other we will honour God. And the wonderful by-product of that is that those on the outside looking in will see how we care for one another and they will be drawn to us by God’s Spirit.

    On Sunday we gather to learn and grow and receive from God, but we also gather to serve — the two go hand in hand. This Sunday I encourage you to come with the mindset and purpose of serving others, of looking to the needs of others before your own. Our gathering will start at 4pm, but you are welcome to come earlier (3:15pm) for prayer. Hope to see you there.

    Blessings, Pastor Mike

  • Spiritual Disciplines: Scripture Intake

    Spiritual Disciplines: Scripture Intake

    “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3b).

    In our culture, if you want to learn about somebody the easiest thing to do is look at their Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram feeds, or Google search their name (you’d be surprised what you’ll find!). We can get a snapshot of who the person is, what they’ve done, their likes and dislikes, and what others say about them. It’s gotten to the point that managers looking to hire people will look at the person’s online presence to see what type of person they are.

    On a much grander scale, God has given us the Bible, His Word, so that we can know Him and learn all about Him. In the Bible we also learn about the plan of redemption and how He has orchestrated a rescue plan for us, to save us from sin and death. The Bible is one of the primary ways that God has given us so that by it we can have a relationship with Him. This begs the question, if people want to understand who God is then why don’t they read the Bible more often? Research in Canada shows that only 1 in 5 Christians read the Bible more than once a week to understand how it applies to their lives (results from the 2014 Canadian Bible Engagement Study). That means 80% of Christians go through their day to day lives, saying they are a follower of Jesus, but not really knowing what that means or fully knowing how. There’s lots of room for improvement here!

    This Sunday we will continue our series in Spiritual Disciplines, focusing on studying the Bible. I’d encourage you to take some time this week and do just that by reading Psalm 119. And this would be a good time for you to practice what we looked at this past Sunday, Silence and Solitude. Before you begin, take 2-3 minutes to sit quietly and ask God for guidance and direction as you study the Bible. Don’t think of this as wasted time, but as preparation for your study, like stretching before working out — it’s all part of the same activity.