Week 3: Prayer

This week we are moving on to look at our second Spiritual Discipline of the Summer – the discipline of prayer! This is a big subject to cover in one week, so I’m very grateful to have Lesley and Cynthia join me for a conversation about prayer, what we find helpful about it and the impact it has had on our lives. So a bit of a different style of sermon, but great to start hearing some different voices! Again, you can find some further resources on the newsletter, and we'd encourage you to spend some time this week exploring the practice of prayer in a new way.

Bible Readings: (Click to Read)

• Romans 8:18-30

• Matthew 6:5-15

Week 3 – Prayer

Misconceptions that defeat the work of prayer:

• Prayer mainly involves asking things of God – actually it’s much more about being in his presence, growing a perpetual communion, to discover God in all of the moments of our days

• To view prayer as a struggle – the most frequent experience is one of lightness, joy, comfort, serenity, even laughter at times! Companionship – becoming the friend of God.

• We live in a closed universe; if everything is already fixed then what’s the point of praying? According to Paul “we are God’s fellow worker’s” (1 Cor 3:9). This means we are co-creators with God in advancing His kingdom upon the earth.

• Praying more than once shows a lack of faith – this is not what the Bible teaches! We are to keep at the work of prayer, because we are the channels through which God’s life and light flows into the world.

Daily Scripture Readings:

Monday              Matthew 6:5-15        The prayer of worship
Tuesday             Psalm 51                  The prayer of repentance
Wednesday        Psalm 150                The prayer of thanksgiving
Thursday            Matthew 26:36-46    The prayer of guidance
Friday                 James 5:13-18         The prayer of faith
Saturday             Mark 9:14-29           The prayer of command

Recommended apps to help you pray:

• Lectio 365 - https://www.24-7prayer.com/dailydevotional

• Time to Pray - https://www.chpublishing.co.uk/apps/time-to-pray

• Pray As You Go - https://pray-as-you-go.org/

Andrew Murray The Ministry of Intercession (Audiobook free on Youtube here)

Week 4 - Fasting

This week our Spiritual Discipline is Fasting

Bible Readings: (Click to Read)

• Zechariah 7

• Luke 4:1-13

Week 4 – Fasting

• As with all disciplines, start small and progress with time. Begin with a partial fast of 24 hrs - e.g. lunch to lunch, skipping two meals. Drink fresh fruit juice and plenty of water.

• As well as the physical experience, pay attention to what is going on in your heart. Perform the regular tasks of your day, but offer them as worship, as a sacred ministry to the Lord.

• Try to spend the time you would have been eating in meditation and prayer.

• Break your fast gently, with a light meal of veg and fruit.

• After 2-3 weeks, you could try a normal 24 hr fast, drinking only water.

Try it out for yourself

As well as fasting from food, you could try:

• Try fasting from the news/tv/media for one week and see what you learn about yourself.

• Try fasting from people - take a retreat day and spend time alone with God.

• Try fasting from your phone/emails, or sign out from social media.

• Try fasting from buying anything other than essentials - you could donate the money to charity?

Daily Scripture Readings:

Monday             Isaiah 58:1-7             God's chosen fast
Tuesday            Daniel 10:1-14           A partial fast
Wednesday       Nehemiah 1:4-11      A normal fast
Thursday          Esther 4:12-17         An absolute fast
Friday                Acts 13:1-3               The inauguration of the Gentile mission
Saturday           Acts 14:19-23          The appointment of elders in the Churches

Questions for Reflection

1. What is your first reaction to the thought of fasting?

2. What is the primary purpose of fasting?

3. How can fasting show what controls your life? Why is this useful?

4. What is the most difficult thing about fasting for you?

Further Reading and Resources on Fasting

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1V2th1JYNhzEczC0anSWb5fh7zJDEu3Md?usp=sharing

• True Fasting - a paraphrase of Isaiah 58 (short video)

• Faith Without Works is Dead - reflections on fasting, salvation and good works with Rene Padilla

David R. Smith Fasting (London: Rushworth Literature Enterprise, 1969)

Week 5 - Study

Our Summer series continues with the Discipline of Study... now don't worry, it's not all about how well you did at school! Let's have a look at the power of study to transform us, through the renewing of our minds. As always, there's extra reading and resources available in the newsletter, and do let us know if you have found study has helped you connect with God in a deeper way!

Bible Readings: (Click to Read)

• Proverbs 1:1-9, 23:12, 23

• Luke 10:38-42

Week 5 – Study

Recommended "other books" (Christian Classics) for study alongside the Bible:

• The Cost of Discipleship Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• The Confessions of St Augustine

• The Imitation of Christ Thomas a Kempis

• A Testament of Devotion Thomas Kelly

• The Practice of the Presence of God Brother Lawrence

• Mere Christianity CS Lewis

• The Little Flower of St Francis Brother Ugolino

• The Journal of John Wesley

Don't be overwhelmed by all the books you haven't read! The key to the discipline of study is not reading
many books but experiencing fully those books you do read.

Daily Scripture Readings:

Monday - The source of truth
James 1:5; Hebrews 4:11-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tuesday - What to study
Philippians 4:8-9; Colossians 3:1-17

Wednesday - The value of study
Luke 10:38-42

Thursday - Active study
Ezra 7:10; James 1:19-25

Friday - Study in the evangelistic enterprise
Acts 17:1-3 & 10-12, 19:8-10

Saturday - The study of a non-verbal book
Proverbs 24:30-34

Questions for Reflection

1. Why does study more fully bring about the transformation of the individual, compared to the other disciplines?

2. Which of the 4 steps into study (repetition, concentration, comprehension, reflection) do you feel is the most important in bringing about transformation if the individual?

3. Have you ever had any experience with the study of non-verbal books?

4. Outside of the Bible, which book has had the most profound impact upon your own life? Why is this?

5. Study a plant or tree for 10 minutes and note down what you learn from the experience.

6. Why does study produce joy? (Is this your experience?)

Further Reading and Resources on Study

The following extra resources can be found using this link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rSXRQtHBe8twxyKoM4WKo9Zjf6Gfv4q6?usp=sharing

• A reflection on study by Matthew Myer Boulton (Harvard Divinity School) – being a disciple of

Jesus is a lifelong practice that involves learning and unlearning.

Discovery Bible Study is a great, practical method to study the Bible in small groups.
Check it out here: https://www.dbsguide.org

This week we move into the Outward Disciplines, starting with the Discipline of Simplicity. Simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle. It's not just about what possessions we own, or how much money we earn - it's a practice of openness and trust in God's provision. How can we look to practice simplicity in our everyday lives, and how will this lead to freedom from anxiety?

Bible Readings: (Click to Read)

• Leviticus 25:8-12

• Matthew 6:19-24

Week 6 - Simplicity

10 Controlling Principles for the Outward Expression of Simplicity

When simplicity is our inner reality, it will affect how we live and present in an outward expression too. However, we run the risk of becoming overly legalistic if we get too focused on external presentation! Here are some ways we can try to ‘control’ this tendency when engaging with simplicity as a practice:

• Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status

• Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you

• Develop a habit of giving things away

• Refuse to be propagandised by the custodians of modern gadgetry

• Learn to enjoy things without owning them

• Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation

• Look with a healthy scepticism at all ‘buy now, pay later’ schemes

• Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain, honest speech

• Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others

• Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the kingdom of God.

Daily Scripture Readings:

Monday - Simplicity as trust
Matthew 6:25-34

Tuesday - Simplicity as obedience
Genesis 15

Wednesday - The generosity of simplicity
Leviticus 25:8-12

Thursday - Simplicity in speech
Matthew 5:33-37; James 5:12

Friday - Simplicity and justice
Amos 5:11-15, 24; Luke 4:16-21

Saturday - The freedom from covetousness
Luke 12:13-34

Questions for Reflection

1.     How would you summarise the biblical teaching on possessions?

2.     What would the concept of the year of Jubilee look like in contemporary times (Lev 25:8-12)?

3.     What are the three inward attitudes of simplicity? Which do you find the most challenging?

4.     Which of the 10 controlling principles for outward simplicity do you find the most helpful? Are there any you think are unrealistic?

5.     List a couple of ideas that you could do this week to simplify your life. Commit to doing one.

Week 7 - Solitude

This week we are looking at the Discipline of Solitude. Perhaps you feel you have had a lot of practice at this, with the 18 months of social distancing and isolation?! However, solitude is not the same thing as loneliness, and can actually be a healthy thing which helps us to be present with others in fellowship. How can we follow the model of Jesus, who regularly sought out space from his friends, to pray and to be in the presence of God?

Bible Readings: (Click to Read)

• James 3:1-12

• Matthew 4:1-11

Week 7 - Solitude

Daily Scripture Readings:

Monday      Prayer and solitude  - Matthew 6:5-6; Luke 5:16

Tuesday      The insights of solitude - Psalm 8

Wednesday The dark night of the soul - Jeremiah 20:7-18

Thursday    The solitude of the garden - Matthew 26:36-46

Friday          The solitude of the cross  - Matthew 27:32-50

Saturday      The compassion that comes from solitude  - Matthew 9:35-38, 23:37

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the difference between loneliness and solitude? Which do you experience more?

2. Why do you think that solitude and silences are so closely connected?

3. Have you ever experienced a 'dark night of the soul'?

4. What practical reordering of your life could be done in order to create more space for God?

5. What experience in solitude would you like to have, two years from now, that you do not presently possess? Would you be willing this week to plan it into your schedule for some time in the next twenty-four months?

Further Reading and Resources on Study

John S Dunne,The Reasons of the Heart, (SCM Press 1978) – A journey into solitude and back again, ex-amining the way Christian faith might transform pain and loneliness.

Henri Nouwen,Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers(HarperCollins 1991) – a modern classic that interweaves the solitude, silence, and prayer of the Desert Fathers and Mothers with our contemporary search for an authentic spirituality.

Benignus O'Rourke,Finding Your Hidden Treasure: The Way of Silent Prayer(Darton, Longman and Todd: 2010) An Augustinian friar at Clare Priory in Suffolk shares his wisdom.

Week 8 - Submission

This week we are delighted to welcome Rev'd Hasna Khatun, a Pioneer Minister in Southampton, to our online service to share with us about the Discipline of Submission. What do we understand about submission, and when can it become unhealthy? How can a practice of submission actually lead to freedom in our lives? And how does it help us grow in holiness as part of our discipleship journey?

Bible Readings: (Click to Read)

• John 12:23-33

• Philippians 2:1-11
  

The Seven Acts of Submission

1. Submission to the Triune God

2. Submission to Scripture

3. Submission to our family

4. Submission to our neighbours

5. Submission to the believing community as the body of Christ

6. Submission to the broken and despised "the widows and orphans"

7. Submission to the world – as part of an international community, to each other and to the wider creation.

Daily Scripture Readings:

Monday The example of Christ - Philippians 2:1-11

Tuesday The example of Abraham - Genesis 22:1-19

Wednesday The example of Paul - Galatians 2:19-21

Thursday Submission in the marketplace - Matthew 5:38-48

Friday Submission in the family - Ephesians 5:21-6:9, 1 Peter 3:1-9

Saturday Submission with reference to the state - Romans 13:1-10; Acts 4:13-20, 5:27-29, 16:35-39

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the freedom in submission? Have you entered into any experience of this?

2. How have you seen the Discipline of submission abused?

3. Why was Jesus' teaching on submission so revolutionary?

4. What are the limits of submission ad why is that important?

5. Of the seven acts of submission, which one do you feel you need to work on most?

6. What do you think it would mean to be in submission to the ways of God?

Further Reading and Resources on Study

• Understanding Submission, Richard Foster

• Screwtape on submission (article)

• The Submission of the Believer, Oswald Chambers

• Self-Denial Without Self Hatred, Richard Foster

• Starting with Submission, Nathan Foster (podcast)

Week 9 - Service

This week we welcome Dov Whittle as a guest preacher, sharing with us about the Discipline of Service - the final of our "Outward Disciplines". What does it mean to offer ourselves in service in a way that honours Jesus, and builds up our community? What encouragement can we draw from scripture about how to balance power with service? How can we inhabit a life of Christlike service in a world that doesn't understand it?

Bible Readings: (Click to Read)

• Romans 12:9-13

• Matthew 20:20-28

Daily Scripture Readings:

Monday - The sign of service - John 13:1-17
Tuesday - The commitment of service - Exodus 21:2, 5-6; 1 Cor 9:19
Wednesday - The attitude of service - Col 3:23-25
Thursday - Service in the Christian fellowship - Romans 12:9-13
Friday - The ministry of small things - Matthew 25:31-39
Saturday - Service exemplified - Luke 10:29-37

Questions for Reflection

1. If the towel is the sign of service, how can that sign be manifested in 21st century culture?

2. What is the difference between self-righteous service and true service? How do you think humility is linked?

3. Have you ever allowed yourself to be taken advantage of and had it turn out to be destructive rather than redemptive?

4. When should you say 'No' to the demands people place upon your time and attention?

5. This next week see if you can find one way each day to exercise the service of common courtesy.

6. Try praying this "Lord Jesus, I would so appreciate it if you would bring me someone today whom I can serve."

Further Reading and Resources on Study

Understanding Service Richard Foster

Service: A Practical Guide Adele Calhoun

Self Righteous Service Versus True Service Richard Foster

Recovering the Joy of Service Hannah Whitall Smith

The Vow of Service in the Family Richard Foster

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (London: SCM Press, 1954) Powerful insights into the life of service, solitude and confession.

Siang-Yang Tan, Full Service: Moving from Self-Serve Christianity to Total Servanthood (Baker Publishing, 2006)

We are delighted to welcome back Rev'd Hasna Khatun as our online preacher again. Hasna will be reflecting for us on the Discipline of Confession – our 9th Spiritual Discipline in the series, and the first of the "corporate" disciplines. Confession is often something that we don't like to get too specific about, but why is a Christian discipline of confession important and how does it help us in our discipleship journey? We look forward to being challenged again by Hasna's wisdom!

Bible Readings: (Click to Read)

• Isaiah 59:1-9

• Luke 15:11-24

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday - The promise of forgiveness - Jeremiah 31:34; Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7
Tuesday - The assurance of forgiveness - 1 John 1:5-10
Wednesday - Jesus Christ our Saviour, Mediator and Advocate - 2 Corinthians 6:21; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1
Thursday - A parable of confession- Luke 15:11-24
Friday - Authority and forgiveness - Matthew 16:19, 18:18; John20:23
Saturday - The ministry of the Christian fellowship - James 5:13-16

Questions for Reflection

1. In your own words try to describe the theology which lies behind the Discipline of Confession.

2. What does the idea of living ‘under the cross’ mean in reference to confession?

3. What are three advantages to formalised confession? Are there disadvantages?

4. List two or three dangers that you could imagine would accompany the exercise of the Christian Discipline of confession.

5. How would you distinguish between false guilt and genuine guilt?

6. Sometime this week spend fifteen minutes in silence before God, inviting him to reveal anything within that’s needs to be confessed.

Further Reading and Resources on Confession

• A Clean Heart (video) based on Psalm 51

• Understanding Confession - Richard Foster

• Confession a practical guide - Adele Calhoun

• Breaking through to community - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together)

• The discipline of confession - Dr Christopher A Hall (video)

• Authority to forgive sin - Richard Foster

This week we welcome Daniel Carter as our guest preacher, and he is sharing some reflections on the Spiritual Discipline of worship. Of course, many of us will already worship regularly in different forms, and particularly when we gather together for the Sunday service whether that is online or in the building! But what does it mean to worship "in Spirit and in truth"? How can we make worship an intentional choice, come what may? What is it about worship that draws us closer into the loving gaze of our Father? How can we build a practice of worship that is about discipleship and not personal preference? All crucial questions to ponder this week as we look to the second of the corporate spiritual disciplines.

Bible Readings: (Click to Read)

• Psalm 148

• John 4:19-24

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday - Worship in spirit and truth - John 6:52-58, 63
Tuesday - Communion: the essence of worship - Ephesians 5:18-20, Colossians 3:16-17
Wednesday - The Lord high and lifted up - Isaiah 6:1-8
Thursday - Sing to the Lord - Psalm 96
Friday - Worship of all creation - Psalm 148
Saturday - Worthy is the Lamb - Revelation 5:6-14

Questions for Reflection

1. How can we cultivate ‘holy expectancy’?

2. What forms of worship have you experienced that have been especially meaningful to you? Do you have any sense of why these particular ones have been meaningful as opposed to any other form?

3. What advantages or disadvantages can you see in formalised liturgy as opposed to more informal worship styles?

4. If we truly believe that Christ is alive and present among his people in all his offices, what practical difference would that make in our approach to worship?

5. Do you think experiences of Divine ecstasy are central to worship, peripheral to worship or destructive of worship?

6. Foster writes, ‘Just as worship begins in Holy Expectancy it ends in Holy Obedience.’ What does that mean for you this next week?

Further Reading and Resources on Confession

The following extra resources can be found using this link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jxcNfA6-9zuA0Wzj3Do_InDUZzlwYKC5?usp=sharing

• Responding to the Worth of God, Jonathan Brooks (video)

• Newness in the Sameness, Scott Cairns (video)

• Singing Our Lives to God, Tony Alonso (video)

 Also

• To Worship is to Touch Life Richard Foster

• Worship: A Practical Guide Adele Calhoun

• Cultivating a Life of Worship Dallas Willard

• Renewal Through Worship Richard Foster

• The Heart of Worship Dallas Willard (podcast)

• The History of Worship George Skramstad (podcast)

This week we continue with the penultimate in our summer series working our way through the classic book "A Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster. We are looking at the discipline of guidance -how do we hear from God not just individually but together, as a church family? What does it mean to value unity above all things? An interesting and challenging discipline to get us thinking about the ways in which we discern the will of God for our church.

Bible Readings: (Click to Read)

• Acts 15:22-29

• John 10:22-30

Week 12 - Guidance

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday - The guidance of Divine Providence - Genesis 24:1-21
Tuesday - The guidance of justice & obedience - Isaiah 1:17-20
Wednesday - Led into all truth - Proverbs 3:5-6; John 14:6, 16:13; Acts 10:1-35
Thursday - Closed doors, open doors - Acts 16:6-10; 2 Corinthians 2:12
Friday - Listening or resisting? - Acts 21:8-14
Saturday - The family likeness - Romans 8:14, 28-30

Questions for Reflection

1. Is the idea of guidance as a corporate discipline new or strange to you?

2. What do you understand the idea of a ‘spiritual director’ to mean? Are there dangers to the idea? Are there advantages?

3. How should the idea of guidance influence the ways we carry on business in our churches? If we believed in guidance, would it change our present church polity in any way?

4. Have you ever seen the idea of corporate guidance used in destructive ways? What lessons were you able to learn from that experience?

5. If living in guidance comes about mainly through entering into friendship with God so that we know and desire his ways, what should you drop from your life and what should you add to your life in order to deepen your intimacy with Christ?

Further Reading and Resources on Confession

The following extra resources can be found using this link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1--Apz90lLI-RdLNin9wtKKtrVG30Hdux?usp=sharing

• Discerning God’s Call with Jennifer Haworth (video)

 Also

• Understanding Guidance by Richard Foster

• The Secret of Guidance by FB Meyer

• Transformational Living by Dallas Willard

• The Sound of God's Voice Podcast with Fil Anderson

• Kenneth Leech Soul Friend (London: Sheldon Press, 1977) – on Spiritual Direction

• St John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul ed. Halcyon Backhouse (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1988)

• FB Meyer The Secret of Guidance (Moody, 2010)

This week we conclude our summer series with the Discipline of Celebration. Celebration gives us the strength to live in all the other disciplines, because it produces joy in our lives. Why do we find it so difficult as a practice? What would life look like if we committed to a regular spiritual practice of celebration? How can it help us in our journey to grow closer to God?

Bible Readings: (Click to Read)

• Exodus 15:1-2, 15:20-21

• Luke 19:35-40

Daily Scripture Readings:

Monday - The joy of the Lord - 2 Samuel 6:12-19
Tuesday - Bless the Lord - Psalm 103
Wednesday - Praise the Lord - Psalm 150
Thursday - Hosanna! - Luke 19:35-40; John 12:12-19
Friday - Walking and leaping and praising God - Acts 3:1-10
Saturday - Hallelujah! - Revelation 19:1-8

Questions for Reflection

1. Do you enjoy God?

2. Why do you think a wholesome evening of side-splitting laughter with friends does you so much good?

3. Why do you think human beings often find celebration so difficult?

4. There is a body of teaching which instructs us to praise God for all things, there is another which urges us to praise God in all things. Do you feel that the difference is significant and if so why?

5. Do you find it easy to laugh at yourself?

6. How about planning put a family non-holiday celebration this year?

Further Reading and Resources on Study

The following extra resources can be found using this link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qwOpyQHeCJ-TEBF_S5Jzgu0HronNVuk_?usp=sharing

• Learn to Party Better with Tom Sine (video)

Also

• Understanding Celebration Richard Foster

• Celebration: A Practical Guide Adele Calhoun

• Thou Shalt Celebrate Dallas Willard

• Safe to Celebrate Lacy Finn Borgo