Spiritual Formation (Spiritual Reading part 2)

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[preface: Spiritual reading is not confined to authors from a specific denominational background.  Last week we looked at the works of Gregoryof Nyssa, an ancient Christian writer of the Catholic Church.  In the future, we’ll examine Bernard of Clairvaux, Brother Lawrence, Thomas Merton, and Henri Nouwen, all of who were also Catholics.  This week we are looking at some writings of Martin Luther, writings that are of Spiritual Formation in nature.  In this case, Luther’s works can aid a person’s Spiritual Formation.  Luther also wrote things of an anti-Semitic nature, writings that will not assist Spiritual Formation.  The point is, finding spiritual benefit from Christian literature, not agreement with everything an author ever wrote.]

But [Jesus] answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on Bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Matthew 4:4)

            This coming Wednesday is October 31^st, and it will be 501 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95-theses to the church door in Wittenberg, an act that many call the spark of the Protestant Reformation.  However, the act was not rebellion, it was an invitation to debate [that’s how you did it back then, long before Twitter].  And the theses were not a breakup letter with 95 points. Take, for example, the 25^th theses, “The power which the pope has, in a general way, over purgatory, is just like that power which any bishop or curate has, in a special way within his own diocese or parish” (Luther, kindle location 657).  It was a 1519 debate and the publishing of his 1520 tracts that led to his excommunication in 1521.

            However, today we’ll focus on one of Luther’s thoughts related to repentance and how that affects our formation.  Luther brought up the subject with a former teacher that he refers to as a dear Father in the Augustinian Order (Ibid. 775).  He wrote that love of God is the start of repentance, and this may be different from a modern view.  Do we begin our repentance with the knowledge that God loves us, or do we want to repent of our sins because of our love for God?  This is an essential thought because it brings up our relationship with sin and with God.  The goal of our formation is to be conformed to the image of the Son.  When Jesus was tempted by the devil, one of His clear motivating factors was His love for the Father.  It is this love that Luther is talking about when we consider our sins, and are moved to repentance.  Moreover, that repentance is directly tied to the change of our hearts and mind when we come to our senses in realizing our errors (Ibid. 782-3).

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Works Cited 

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Luther, Martin. 2018. The Collected Works of Martin Luther. Prague: e-artnow.

Spiritual Formation (Prayer Life Part 2 Unanswered)

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It's been forty days and forty nights

Down the road of many trials

And I pray it's only for a season

'Cause in the wilderness and in the flood

You're the one I'm thinking of

And I know You've brought me for a reason (Third Day 2003)

[Jesus] fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Matthew 26:39)

            The film The Passion of the Christ starts with Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, his face drenched with sweat as He prays.  Depending on how the synoptic gospels (Matt, Mark & Luke) are harmonized, Jesus has predicted His death and resurrection at least three times before the Gethsemane episode [First M16:21-26, M8:31-37, L9:22-25; second M17:22-23, M9:30-32, L9:43b-45, third M20:17-19, M10:32-34, L18:31-34].  Despite this, we are confronted with an emotional and vulnerable Jesus praying in the garden.  One could get lost in the mystery of the incarnation; but one thing is clear, God the Son is pouring out His heart before God the Father.  Theologians have debated what the cup is; is it the cross and its pain, the separation and isolation, both of these things and more? Whatever it is, one thing is absolutely clear: Jesus wants this “cup” to pass from Him without drinking it.  Yet, His prayer does not end with His want, but with His submission.  “… not as I will, but as You [Father] will.”

            Stop.  Wait.  Don’t go past this event too quickly.  Jesus, the Jesus that healed the blind, the sick, and the lame.  Jesus, the Jesus that turned water into wine, walked on the sea and drove out demons by His words.  Jesus, the Jesus that withstood all the tests and tempting of Satan himself in the wilderness and won.  This Jesus, who knows the Father and has seen the Father and could at once call 60,000 angelic beings to His will (Matt. 26:53), ends His prayer by submitting to the Father’s will.

            This cannot be missed; the Son knew His mission.  He said, “… I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 5:30 NASB).  Therefore, His prayer in Gethsemane follows this pattern.  However, remember what was pointed out above.  Despite having predicted His resurrection, He is praying that the “cup” could pass Him by.  The Gethsemane episode is filled with conflict and we see Jesus in turmoil.  We know how the story goes; but it does not lessen the tension that happened in the garden.  The Son is pleading with the Father, He is praying, “Is it possible that there could be a plan B?”  However, the Son accepts the will of the Father and submits.

            Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of purpose.  The purpose of Spiritual Formation is to allow Christ to be formed within us (Galatians 4:19).  Concerning this Gethsemane episode see what Paul writes:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 NASB).

This then is our example for our prayers.

Prayers hindered by sins

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

2003."40 Days." Come Together.

Spiritual Formation (Prayer Life Introduction)

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“When you pray…”  Matthew 6:9 [emphases added]

… devoted to prayer…” (Rom. 12:12)

Stop and think about prayer.  How would you define prayer or how would you explain praying?  In the above passage from Matthew, Jesus said, “When you pray,” which seems to imply that prayer is a part of the Christian walk.  Moreover, Paul instructed Roman Christians to be devoted to prayer.  It bears repeating that this blog is not intended to be a guilt trip; however, like going to the doctor, it is best, to be honest about your diet, exercise level, and other activities that may affect your health.  Therefore, ask yourself and answer only yourself, how is your prayer life?  Does “devoted to prayer” describe you?

Years ago, there was a movie, a line of Union troops and Confederate troops were in a stalemate.  Near the battlefield was a hill and on top were commanders of the Union army.  From their position, they could view the entire battlefield, something that was impossible from behind each sides line.  Imagine if one side had today’s technology, such as cell phones and Bluetooth earpieces.  The commanders could speak directly to the troops and tell them what they see, and the soldiers could reply.  It’s important to remember that we are in a battle here on earth, though it is not against other people (Eph. 6:12).  However, we genuinely have an enemy (John 10:10), and he does seek to make you ineffective or attack you (1 Pet. 5:8).  Therefore, using the battlefield and communication, as an illustration, is an appropriate way to think about prayer.

Going back to your answer above, how is your prayer life?  If you can honestly say, it’s great, nothing could be better; then perhaps this series is not for you.  However, if your prayer life is not in the shape you’d like it to be in, then this could be a very fitting series.  What is one of the greatest hindrances to a vibrant and active prayer life?  Could it be, prayers that go unanswered?

Before going further, let us be honest.  To say that, “All prayers are answered, but perhaps God said no or wait,” is at best a pious attempt to explain unanswered prayers and at worst is skirting the issue.  Reality is, sometimes we’ve prayed for people to get better and they’ve died.  We’ve prayed for one thing, and the opposite has happened.  Perhaps the helpless optimist tells us, we pray for God to heal them and now they are at peace and healed; however, you must admit, sounds more like sleight of hand, than actually answered prayers.

Therefore, we are now going to press on and look for a sufficient answer to why our prayers go unanswered.  Join us.

Is God obligated to answer prayers?

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Spiritual Formation (Intro)

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“Be imitators of me [Paul], just as I also am of [Jesus] Christ.” 1 Cor. 11:1 NASB

It is likely that almost every modern American has heard the slogan, “What Would Jesus Do?”  Perhaps with good intentions, this is a reminder of how a person should behave. But is imitating Christ only about how a person should act in a given circumstance?  One may ask a serious question, how does a person living in Montrose Colorado in the 21st century imitate a 1st century Jewish Messiah?

Every year movie studios spend billions of dollars to create movies where audiences buy into an illusion.  We accept that Chris Hemsworth is not a mortal man, but is a superhero based on a Norse god.  We escape into fantasy from a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away to learn how a scruffy-looking nerf-herder ended up in a Cantina on Tatooine.  Finally, we believe that Jim from The Office now lives in a Post-Apocalyptic world with monsters.  Could this be what Paul means by imitating?  To act?

It is unlikely that Paul intended his readers to perceive himself as merely playing a role, but wanted them to understand how he lived his life for God and to imitate him.  Paul wrote, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people” (1 Thess. 5:15 NASB).  This is more than a course of action within circumstances and instead is a lifestyle principle.  Moreover, you can tell Jesus’ influence on Paul.  Jesus taught his followers, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...” (Matt. 5:43-44 NASB).

Perhaps, you have read these words of Jesus before and wondered if He is setting too high a standard.  Maybe He is setting forth an ideal concept, or these actions are only for uber-spiritual people.  After all, all of us have encountered people who, to be polite, are challenging to deal with.  Jesus could not have intended a rude neighbor, an ill-tempered co-worker or a hostile in-law, could He?  By way of analogy, have you ever met or seen a person incredibly gifted in a specific talent?

 If you witnessed a group of four people juggling bowling pins to each other, would you believe that they only started juggling an hour before, or do you think that each one spent hours learning the skill and then worked together to develop rhythm and pattern?  Again, if you saw a man about to balance on a tightrope when doing a handstand, would you think that you’re seeing his first attempt?  It is far more likely that he has practiced for years.

Therefore, if your immediate reaction is not to love your enemies, do you think that will simply change or will it take work and effort?  Exercises that are intended to produce Spiritual Formation will be the focus of several blogs.  Many Christians from the time of Paul through the 21st-century have shared their experience in Spiritual Formation and here will be an exploration of that process.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

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