Book Review: Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

I just completed a 13-week small group study of Richard J. Foster's book: Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth. Foster's premise in Celebration is that we live in a culture that is marked by superficiality and materialism and which teaches a doctrine of instant satisfaction. These influences impede our ability to experience a life of relationship and intimacy with God. Therefore, in order to experience a life of relationship and intimacy with God, we need liberation from these cultural influences and our ingrained habits.

Celebration teaches 12 spiritual disciplines that we can exercise to help us draw nearer to God. These include:

The inward disciplines: meditation; prayer; fasting; study;

The outward disciplines: simplicity; solitude; submission; service; and
The corporate disciplines: confession; worship; guidance; celebration.

Celebration was originally published in 1978 and is now in its third edition. It is one of those rare works that has maintained its freshness and relevance for decade after decade. Beyond being a well written book, the longevity of Celebration may be credited to three primary factors: (1) Foster has recovered practices for growing closer to God that have been proven to be effective for centuries, but which to one degree or another have been lost in contemporary Christianity, and has communicated these practices through a practical guide; (2) many Christians continue to desire a closer relationship with God; and (3) Celebration is accessible to ordinary Christians: people who have jobs, raise children, etc.; for incorporation into ordinary life.

I highly recommend this book. I foresee personally rereading Celebration annually. Although an easy read, Celebration is packed full of relevant biblical references, insightful quotations, and great advice. Celebration is based on sound biblical teaching.

Celebration is a great book for use with a small group. If you are interested in using Celebration for a small group study, available are a very well done DVD and study guide based on the book. However, the study guide does not overlap substantially with the book, so I recommend purchasing the book and the study guide.

Jesus Came to Save Sinners

God's love of mankind is so profound and undeserved, that for some of us we have trouble accepting His grace and mercy because of personal shame or guilt that clogs us up deep inside. Consciously or unconsciously, our self-esteem may be so low because of our past or present situation that we simply cannot process how a good and all knowing God would want anything to do with us. Sure Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (John 5:32), but does that really include even me?

Before we answer that question, let's take a look at the case of the apostle Paul (f/k/a Saul of Tarsus). Paul was born a Jew in Tarsus, the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia (modern day Turkey). However, Paul was educated in Jerusalem into the Jewish sect of the Pharisees by a leading member of the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:34; 22:3), the same body of religious leaders that handed Jesus over to the Romans for execution.

As a Pharisee, Paul personally was a leading persecutor of the early Christian Church. (Acts 26:9) Paul admitted that he locked up many of the early Christians in prison and personally voted for their execution. (Acts 26:10). Paul was present and approved of the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. (Acts 8:1) Luke reports that Paul was “ravaging the church, and entering house to house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” (Acts 8:3) Paul was so notorious as a persecutor of the Church that initially after his conversion to Christ, the disciples in Jerusalem were afraid to meet with him, not believing that Paul had truly converted. (Acts 9:26).

In the scheme of things, if anyone was unfit for God's compassion and mercy, who would argue that Paul fit that bill. After all, he was directly attacking God's church and His people and was an accessory to murder. Although any one of us from time to time may suffer from regrets or guilt for past acts, I cannot fathom the guilt that Paul must have felt when Jesus revealed himself to Paul on the road to Damascus and asked “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4)

Yet, God forgave and healed Paul and used him to carry the Gospel of Christ to Roman pagans throughout the Mediterranean area. So inspired was Paul that his letters to the early Christian churches have been included in New Testament. Paul came to recognize that God could use him, perhaps like no other, as an example of the depths of the patience and mercy that Christ Jesus shows for those who turn to Him. (1 Tim 1:16).

So, we can confidently answer the above question “yes”; God can forgive any sinner, no matter what his or her situation. And if God can forgive us, then we, having confessed our sins to God and given our lives to Christ, should forgive ourselves.

God does not cause us to commit sin or do evil, but if we turn to him, he can heal us and use us for His good works. Whether it is the man with a history of failed marriages who becomes a mentor to other men facing marital issues, or the recovering alcoholic who leads an AA group, or the persecutor of the church who goes on to be arguably its greatest evangelist, God has good plans for every one of us.

God is sovereign and there certainly are limits on our finite abilities to understand all of God's plans for us. Paul understood this when he wrote: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Rom 11:33) However, despite the mysteries of God's ways, Christians can trust in God with assurance that He will protect and keep us. As Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28)

We Matter to God

“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out....” (Is 42:3; Mt 12:20) In the ancient Middle East, a reed was used for measuring and for support; once its straightness was lost by bending or cracking, it was of no further use. Likewise, a strip of linen cloth used as a lamp wick, if it smokes, is of no use for giving light and is simply a source of noxious smoke. In either case, common sense would demand that both be replaced, the reed being snapped and discarded and the wick extinguished.

The bruised reed and smoldering wick are metaphors for the weak, damaged and vulnerable people in society. This imagery teaches us that Jesus does not condemn, discard or give up on the weak, damaged or vulnerable, even though common wisdom in our results oriented society might give up on them or deny them further opportunities to succeed. To the contrary, Jesus loves and sees the potential in every human being, even those who are lost, sunk deep in ignorance or immorality. I like how one woman described it: “He recognized 'flower beds' in lives deemed ugly.” Jesus, himself, said emphatically: “I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)

It is comforting to know that we all matter to God and, even when we stumble or encounter a personal setback, we have a Lord who loves each of us, does not give up on us, and can rescue us. Therefore, we must never give up on ourselves or on God.

The imagery of Mt 12:20 also provides a strong lesson to Christians who are not, at the moment, weak, damaged or vulnerable: We must learn to perceive the worth of every human being, even where it might be hidden beneath the ugliness of sin. It was Christ who said: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Mt 25:40)

Whether today you are one of the weak, damaged or vulnerable in this world, or are a servant of Christ praying for his grace to see every child of Adam through His eyes, words cannot adequately describe how fortunate all of us are to have a God who loves every one of us.

Philanthropy

I just returned from Maundy Thursday worship.  The theme tonight was Jesus’ example to the disciples of how they should keep His commandments to love God and neighbor – through service.  Jesus’ entire earthly ministry was characterized by service.  In a real sense, He was the world’s greatest ever philanthropist.  The word “philanthropy” is derived from the Greek word philanthropia, which means “love of mankind”.   In Paul’s letter to Titus, Paul used the word philanthropia to describe Christ. (Titus 3:4) Thus, it is clear that as Christ’s disciples, Christians are called to be philanthropists. 
 
I invite you to join me in this prayer:  Holy Father, please move each of us through your grace and the Holy Spirit to be philanthropists with the gifts You have given each of us, that we may be your hands on earth to relieve suffering in this world.