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Page Scriptural Base for Christian Discipline John Baugh Why do
we seek discipline as Christians? Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission said, "One may be consecrated, dedicated, and
devoted, There are many forms of discipline. Some are desirable in the
Christian life, while others seem to be better suited to growth in areas
related to social, business and carnal concerns. As disciples, our desire is
to build up ourselves in those disciplines that help us to grow closer to
Christ and “to be like him”. The intent of this study is to discuss Christian
Discipline and the scriptural base for dedication to Christian Discipline
concerns. Christian Disciplines are the areas of the believer’s life that speak
to their commitment to Christianity and their goal to be a disciple of Christ.
As Christians we all have a desire (at varying levels) to conform ourselves
to the image of Christ. We accomplish
this by practicing (at varying levels) the daily "disciplines"
which are necessary to fulfill that purpose. By practicing Christian Disciplines we develop self-control and work
toward perfection of character (or growth in character) that is Christ-like.
This is a lofty goal for any Christian and very much desirable in the life of
the committed disciple. It is also a goal that requires a lifelong commitment
to improvement, as we stretch ourselves toward the highest mark of
achievement. A person with only a fractional commitment to the Christian
Disciplines will never grow to the potential Christ desires for all of us.
The desire of Jesus is that we live the abundant life, full of the blessings
that only come from a close relationship with him. Development of strong
discipline is the way we achieve success in that relationship. Our Goal is
“to be like him”. Commitment to Christian Disciplines helps get us closer to
this goal. There are many categories of desirable Christian Discipline.
Considering four broad categories of discipline will allow us to
self-evaluate our areas of commitment and to determine where growth in our individual
level of Christian Discipline is needed. It is reasonable and desirable for
the disciple to constantly evaluate our level of commitment to Christian
Discipline. As we evaluate our commitment demonstrated by our level of
discipline, we test ourselves to see if we “are in the faith”. Paul addressed this concern in his second letter to the Corinthians: Examine yourselves to see whether you are in
the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in
you--unless, of course, you fail the test? In this study, we will consider the four following categories of
Christian Discipline: ·
Personal Disciplines ·
Relational Disciplines with God ·
Relational Disciplines with Others ·
Disciplines of Works Disciplines which are desirable in the life of the disciple are
presented under the four categories as noted above. You may review the
groupings of disciplines under these four categories, and place them
differently. If you do, your thoughts may be more close to the mark than mine.
These disciplines are listed in no certain order of importance and are
not intended to be all-inclusive. Some of these (marriage, parenting) may not
apply to everyone. Personal
Disciplines: Quiet time Obedience Humility The Word Tongue Accountability Perseverance Integrity Righteousness Truth Mind Purity Emotions Meditation Self Control Relational
Disciplines with God: Prayer Worship Praise Giving Faithfulness Lordship Relational
Disciplines with Others: Love Compassion Marriage Forgiveness Edification Parenting (Mothering and
Fathering) Disciplines
of Works: Witness Discipling Evangelism Shepherding Action
Teaching Service Works As followers of Christ, we seek verification of all things through the
word. It seems reasonable that we would be able to verify the desirability of
any Christian Discipline through God’s word. The following scriptural
references apply to the disciplines listed. Christian
Disciplines: Accountability If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we
die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord My conscience is clear, but that does not
make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being
disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. Action When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up
and said, "The Lord's will be done." Dear children, let us not love with words or
tongue but with actions and in truth. Compassion When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to
her and he said, "Don't cry." Let your gentleness be evident to all. The
Lord is near. Discipling Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age." "Go
into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes
and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not will be condemned." Mark 16:15-16 NIV "And
repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all
nations, beginning at Luke 24: 47 NIV Again Jesus said, “Peace
be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” "But you will receive power,
when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in And the things you have heard me say in the
presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified
to teach others. Edification Let us therefore make every effort to do
what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Then make my joy complete by being
like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do
nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider
others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own
interests, but also to the interests of others. Evangelism My message and my preaching were not with
wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, Pray also for me, that whenever I open my
mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery
of the gospel, Preach the Word; be prepared in season and
out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful
instruction. Faithfulness neither height nor depth, nor anything else
in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in
Christ Jesus our Lord. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your
spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction,
faithful in prayer. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Forgiveness Then Peter came to Jesus and asked,
"Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against
me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I
tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Then he (Stephen) fell on his knees and
cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had
said this, he fell asleep Bear with each other and forgive whatever
grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Giving In everything I did, I showed you that by
this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord
Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than
to receive.' Humility Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and
dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience. Remind the people to be subject to rulers
and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to
slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility
toward all men. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he
will lift you up. Integrity
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord
Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful
nature. For we are taking pains to do what is right,
not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men. Lordship Jesus said to him, "Away
from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him
only.' And everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved.' "I will be a Father to you, and you
will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." This is the covenant I will make with the
house of Love “Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
There is no commandment greater than these." May the Lord make your love increase and
overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. Marriage In the Lord, however, woman is not
independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. Meditation Do not let this Book of the Law depart from
your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do
everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord ,
and on his law he meditates day and night. Mind Jesus replied: "
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind.'” (Peter said) You have no part or share in
this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this
wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such
a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and
captive to sin." Obedience "Not everyone who says to me,
'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will
of my Father who is in heaven.” Do not merely listen to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is
the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." Parenting
(Fathering and Mothering) Fathers, do not exasperate your children;
instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or
they will become discouraged. He must manage his own family well and see
that his children obey him with proper respect. Praise Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving
thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it
again: Rejoice! Is any one of you in trouble? He should
pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Prayer "Be joyful in hope, patient in
affliction, faithful in prayer." "Do not be anxious about anything, but
in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God." "Devote yourselves to prayer, being
watchful and thankful." During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he
offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who
could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent
submission. Perseverance Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his
mighty power. Put on
the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's
schemes. Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's
coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and
how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and
stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Purity Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of
God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to
God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue
righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord
out of a pure heart. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and
the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you,
which can save you. Quiet
Time Very early in the morning, while it was
still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place,
where he prayed. At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary
place... She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the
Lord's feet listening to what he said. Righteousness He will keep you strong to the end, so that
you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Make every effort to live in peace with all
men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord For the eyes of the Lord are on the
righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, Self
Control "You, however, are controlled not by
the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And
if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to
Christ." "Don't you know that you yourselves are
God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" Do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are
not your own. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to
you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Shepherding Therefore confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man
is powerful and effective. For now we really live, since you are
standing firm in the Lord. Tongue “But I tell you that men will have
to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have
spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will
be condemned." Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of
your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to
their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. But no man can tame the tongue. It is a
restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and
Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out
of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Truth Therefore each of you must put off falsehood
and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body Witness Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him
and to all the others in his house. However, I consider my life worth nothing to
me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has
given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the
reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, The Word Jesus answered, "It
is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.” “Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will never pass away.” He replied,
"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and the only begotten,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to
whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. but the word of the Lord stands
forever." And this is the word that was preached to you. Works "As long as it is day, we
must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can
work." "I tell you the truth, anyone
who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater
things than these, because I am going to the Father." "The Spirit of the Lord is on
me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to
proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to
release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." There are different kinds of gifts, but the
same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There
are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all
men. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let
nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, Worship Do not worship any other god, for the Lord ,
whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us
kneel before the Lord our Maker; Worship the Lord with gladness; come before
him with joyful songs. Let us go to his dwelling place; let us
worship at his footstool- Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom
that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with
reverence and awe, Copyright © 2005 - ToBeLikeHim Ministries |