The Pilgrims Progress

            The story of The Pilgrim’s Progress is one that demonstrates the journey that Christians take.  As Christian’s are going through their journey, they are going to face challenges, “in the form of other people who jeer and try to steer us through a false path; rough terrain, doubt, confusion, and even physical ailments.”[1]  Despite these challenges that Christians will face, there are tools that exist that can help Christians out.  These tools include the inward spiritual disciplines, outward spiritual disciplines, and the corporate spiritual disciplines.

• Inward Spiritual Disciplines
  • Meditation:  First what is meant by meditation here is not what most think of, it is not an Asian styled meditation.  Meditation for Christians is, “having the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word.”[2]  When a Christian is practicing this discipline properly they are reading, reflecting, and then living out God’s Word.
  • Prayer:  This is the method that God uses to have a relationship with the believer.  This is also, “the central avenue that God uses to transform the believer.”[3]  Without a solid prayer life, the believer will not be able to be transformed to be more like God.
  • Fasting:  When it comes to fasting this is not simply going without food.  Fasting is when one goes without a particular need or desire for a specific period of time, for a specific reason in their walk with God.  Fasting tends to have a bad reputation today because, “of the result of excessive ascetic practice of the Middle ages.”[4]
  • Study:  The last of the inward spiritual disciplines is that of study.  When it comes to this discipline, “study is a specific kind of experience in which through careful attention to reality the mind is enabled to move in a central direction.”[5]
• The Outward Spiritual Disciplines
  • Simplicity:  A major area of the outward spiritual disciplines is that of simplicity.  When it comes to this discipline, “simplicity is freedom, duplicity is bondage, simplicity brings joy and balance, while duplicity brings anxiety and fear.”[6]  This means that Christians should practice a life a simplicity and this will also allow a Christian to not constantly chase after the next expensive thing.
  • Solitude:  The discipline of solitude allows one to use the time that one is alone to focus on being in relationship with the heavenly father.  When if comes to this discipline, “if we possess inward solitude, we do not fear being alone, for we know that we are not alone.”[7]
  • Submission:  The discipline of submission is one that many often forget about.  This discipline, “is the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get one’s own way.”[8]
  • Service:  When one thinks of service one thinks that this is only in small acts.  However, Jesus set the ultimate example of submission ultimately can mean, “as the cross is the sign of submission, so the towel is the sign of service.”[9]  Serving one another is done just as one is serving the Lord.
• The Corporate Spiritual Disciplines
  • Confession:  Confession is something that often protestant Christians tend to avoid, because it is viewed as just a thing that Catholics do.  However, “the followers of Jesus Christ have been given the authority to receive the confession of sin and to forgive it by his name.”[10]  This can also be seen in (John 20:23).
  • Worship:  Worship is more than just singing.  Worship is how one lives out on a daily basis. Gatherin[11]g together to worship allows the ability to renew and strengthen one another.  Also, “one reason worship should be considered a spiritual disciple is because it is an ordered way of acting and living that sets us before God so that he can transform us.”
  • Guidance:  Guidance is done through churches in ways such as with councils and committees, containing elders, deacons, and those appointed into the positions.
  • Celebration:  The final discipline is that of celebration.  This discipline of, “celebration is at the heart of the way of Christ.”[12]  We are to celebrate and enjoy time with one another, and celebrate when good things happen.

Once one combines all of these spiritual disciplines and practices them on a regular basis, they will find that these tools will greatly assist in their life and walk with Christ.

---

[1] Julia L. Roller, 2011. 25 Books Every Christian Should Read: a Guide to the Essential Spiritual Classics. (New York, NY: HarperOne), 193.

[2] Richard J. Foster, Richard J. 2018. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.), 17.

[3] Richard J. Foster, Richard J. 2018. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.), 33.

[4] Richard J. Foster, Richard J. 2018. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.), 47.

[5] Richard J. Foster, Richard J. 2018. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.), 63.

[6] Richard J. Foster, Richard J. 2018. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.), 79.

[7] Richard J. Foster, Richard J. 2018. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.), 98.       

[8] Richard J. Foster, Richard J. 2018. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.), 111.

[9] Richard J. Foster, Richard J. 2018. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.), 126.

[10] Richard J. Foster, Richard J. 2018. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.), 147.

[11] Richard J. Foster, Richard J. 2018. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.), 166.

[12] Richard J. Foster, Richard J. 2018. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne.), 190.

What happens when our core values and the core values of the church do not match?

When our core values and the core values of the ministry or church that one is a part of do not match, this can lead to constant stress, ministry burn out, severe division within the church, church splits, and more.  There are solutions that exist to help prevent this.  Before diving into some of the various problems, lets take a simple look at an example of how this could play out.

• One way this could happen is that a church does not have a clear set of core values, or the person going into ministry does not have a good idea of what their own core values are.
• One could have a strong sense of their own core values and see a church that says they have one set of core values that do match the minister, however in practice the church has a different set of values.
• A minister could say they have a certain set of core values, but in reality, have a different set that does not align with the core values of the church that they are ministering to.

These same conditions can apply to staff members that go to work for a ministry or a church.  This can also apply in settings outside of church and ministry settings.  There are certain things that one can chose to do if there values do not match up to the values of the ministry they are in.  One thing that one can do, “is to change ones core values to that of the ministry, if the ministry has stronger core values than they do, or if the core values of the leader are stronger than they can change the core values to that of the leader,” (Malphurs, pg. 68).

            An example of a major core values difference that one could have is that a ministry leader can place a high value on Biblical accuracy and holding to Biblical values, if the ministry that they are a part of does not hold to those same core values, then it will not be a good mix for that ministry leader to be a part of that ministry.

            Even during times in which there is the most amount of agreement between a ministry and a ministry leader there will still be things that must be done in order to help avoid burn out, church splits, and division within the church.  One of the things that a leader must do is to work on their foundational stones, these include, “the who you are section of intimacy and calling, the what you value section of stress management, boundaries, and recreation, and the finally the how you relate section of leadership and people skills,” (Wilson, pg. 26).  When it comes to intimacy this major focus is on the intimacy that one has with God, their spouse, and their close friends.  One needs to have good strong healthy intimate relationships.  With this also comes having a calling, and just because one has been called to ministry does not mean they were called to that specific ministry, or that they were called to ministry in specific way.  For some the calling is to minister through writing, for others it is to minister through coffee shops, and for some ministry comes in serving in formal ministry roles.  If one has a lack of passion for something, that can be a clear sign that they do not have a passion for what they are doing.  Stress management is also incredibly important, one should not be constantly running at 100% or they will burn themselves out, once a leader is off the clock, they should be off the clock and allow others to serve during that time.  Having solid boundaries set up helps to ensure that one does not stray and damage both their ministry or themselves.  One must have solid healthy recreational activities to do physically, spiritually, and mentally to keep themselves healthy.  One final thing is to ensure that one builds up both leadership and people skills, it is important to remember that if one does not love people, they are really not loving Christ.  Finally, having proper core value identification and matching and ensuring one has their foundational stones well established and constantly being worked on, will help prevent failure within ministry.

References:
Malphurs, Aubrey. 2004. Values-Driven Leadership: Discovering and Developing Your Core Values for Ministry. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

Wilson, Michael Todd., Brad Hoffmann, and CareGivers Forum. 2013. Preventing Ministry Failure: A ShepherdCare Guide for Pastors, Ministers and Other Caregivers. Downers Groove, IL: IVP Books.

McNeal addresses four main habits that leaders must adopt in order to be successful.  The first of these includes looking for God, “leaders hearts are shaped through the commonplace have trained themselves to look for God…everywhere,” (McNeal, pg. 179).  In this area we are called as leaders to look for God in all areas of our lives, especially what could seem to others to be coincidences. God uses every situation that happens in each of our lives to help shape us into the people and leaders that we are to become.  This can be anything from arranging where we live to a small thing that happens in our day. For example, one could easily view me being stationed at Luke AFB in AZ several years ago as just a mundane thing that happened. Yet, God arranged it to be place that I would meet my wife, that I would face and push through many struggles, that I would grow in my relationship with the Lord, and that I would make deep meaningful friendships that I still have.  An example of a small minor thing could be what happened just now as I was writing this blog, in which my son had a really bad diaper and I had to stop my train of thought, go and deal with the diaper, and come back. This small task results in patience, as well as teaches us how to handle working through an assignment, as situations arise. When we are in a ministry setting, a workplace setting, or most other settings, we hardly ever get to just do one task that needs to be done before the next, yet leaders have to learn to handle all of the many tasks that happen throughout a day.

The second habit that McNeal addresses is to keep learning because, “learning expands the capacity for God to affect the leader’s heart,” (McNeal, pg. 182).  Continued learning is crucial for each leader, to allow room for God to affect their heart. This learning can come in many different forms. It could be going for formal education, such as a Doctor of Ministry degree, or it could be through one on one experience with another individual.  One of the best ways for a leader to grow is to learn through constructive criticism. An example from my own life of this is, a few years ago I was part of a college age ministry called Kairos. One thing that was very common in that ministry was to hug one another. One day when I went up to the main ministry leader, he went and pulled and climbed onto a giant step ladder and bent down to hug me from it.  This revealed to me that being 6’5”, when ever I bent forward to hug people it was coming off as almost an aggressive stance. I had to learn to bend down in a different manner that put people more at ease and made people more comfortable, until that moment I had no idea that I was making people feel uncomfortable simply by doing what I thought the rest of the group was doing.

The third habit that McNeal addresses is to say yes to God because, “a habit of obedience will shape the leaders heart to God,” (McNeal, pg. 183).  Saying yes to God, is not just the process of answering the call into ministry when He calls a leader into it. It is the process of saying yes to God in all the small ways throughout a normal day to day life.  This can include something such as saying yes when God calls us to move to a new location or something as simple as saying yes when God tells us to talk to someone we do not know. Sometimes that simple saying yes can make all of the difference in the world.  One student that I had previously was going through a really bad situation and God prompted me to send him a simple email of encouragement. That student had not heard kind words from anyone since that situation had started and it brought him to tears, from simply saying yes to God.

Finally, the fourth habit that McNeal address is to stay grateful because, “it undergirds all of the other heart habits that have been discussed,” (McNeal, pg. 185).  Losing sight of gratitude is one of the easiest things that one can do as a leader. When this happens it can result in those that would be looking up to the leader to stop listening to the leader.  One thing that I am so grateful for, which may be confusing for some to understand, is the bullying that I faced growing up and in the military for my faith. This bullying has allowed me to have a much stronger reliance on God and relationship with Him.  At first I was not grateful for this, and it was seen in the attitude that I had, but I allowed God to transform my heart in the situation. 

By applying all of these habits of the heart it can allow us to grow in the Lord and be transformed as leaders.
McNeal, Reggie. A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2011.

At first a reader may easily overlook the Rule of St. Benedict, however there is a key reason for why this particular reading is important.  The Rule of St. Benedict is one that focuses on Christian obedience. This aspect to the Rule of St. Benedict should be seen as something that all Christian readers can learn from, “with frequent references to the Bible, the Rule is an instruction book for loving God and others, honoring others, and living an ascetic, hopeful, and devout lifestyle,” (Roller, pg. 46).  Even though this book was written as instructions for monks entering monasteries, it is still relevant to Christians.

One of the first rules mentioned is, “do not repay one bad turn with another (1 Tess 5:15, 1 Peter 3:9),” (Roller, pg. 50).  With this rule one living according to this is not simply following a rule but following scripture. By not repaying evil to others, and going beyond that to show others kindness, this could eventually lead that other person to faith simply from the good that one Christian chooses to do to them.

Another rule is, “you must not be proud, nor be given to wine (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3),” (Roller, pg. 50).  One reason why it is important not to be pride, is because when one is prideful they are focusing only on themselves, and it prevents them from loving others, recognizing what God and others have done, and prevents others from even wanting to around them.  By not giving in to wine this could for some mean not drinking at all, and for others could mean not becoming drunk. Getting drunk and the actions that come from that is sinful. Some may wonder why avoid drinking altogether, and this is to help others from slipping into sin.  The brother or sister around you may have a temptation into drinking and getting drunk that you may not even know about, and by avoiding drinking, it helps prevent them from falling into that temptation.

Some additional rules include, “place your hope in God alone….and live in fear of judgement day, (Roller, pg. 50).  This rule is a reminder that we are saved by faith alone, it is by God’s grace and mercy that we are given salvation through our faith in Him, and not through any works of our own.  If we were able to earn our way into salvation, then there would be no need for faith. Living in fear of judgement day helps to remind us that we should live each day as if it was our last day.  One should not go living a sinful lifestyle thinking that it is not a problem because they could be saved at the last minute, for we never know when the end will be here. That is not to say that we should focus on doom and gloom, but live for Christ.

Ultimately all of this comes down to obedience out of the love that we have for Christ, and this can be applied in how we live out our daily lives, and demonstrate it as an example for others around us to follow.

Roller, Julia L. 25 Books Every Christian Should Read: a Guide to the Essential Spiritual Classics. New York, NY: HarperOne, 2011.