Dallas Notes: Taking Theology and Spiritual Disciplines into the Marketplace (Talbot School of Theology, September 16, 2011)

Taking Theology and Spiritual Disciplines into the Marketplace

Col 3.17: whatsoever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks to the Father through Him
in the name means on His behalf and from his resources
Col 3: whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing from the Lord you shall receive the inheritance. it is the Lord Christ whom we serve
Rom 5.17: for if by the transgression of the one death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ
grace is God acting in your life to accomplish what you can't accomplish on your own
if all you know about grace is forgiveness, you don't know much about grace
the greatest barrier to whole life discipleship in our world is a theory of salvation that does not include it

• theology
• anthropology
• we are limited will, intellect and energy. we have just enough to relate to God, who is limitless in those respects. we are made to be subject to Him
• soteriology
• are we preaching a Gospel that has a natural tendency to produce disciples?
• as Jesus' disciple, I'm learning from Him how to lead my life in the Kingdom of God as He would lead my life if He were I
• spiritual formation is the process that happens to those who are disciples
• as a disciple, i am being transformed in all dimensions of my personality toward loving God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind and my neighbor as myself
• faithful dependence on X in whole life
• the Ten Commandments are really good. if you try to do them, you'll end up trusting God for sure
• we're not trying to become the kind of people who only obey the 10Cs, we're trying to become the kind of people who would routinely do them, that naturally think 'Who would want to do anything else?'

we can determine the person we become. God has put discipline in ordinary human life to allow people to achieve things which would otherwise simply go by them
we can improve our condition, in nature alone, like weightlifting
musician, speak another language
discipline is part of our equipment under grace. grace won't impose itself, but it's available
human beings are given disciplines by God, they are part of the Good News. and if we don't teach them, we are depriving people of what they can be in the Kingdom of God
disciplines are activities in my power than allow me to do what i cannot do by direct effort
there's not a single thing Jesus tells us to do that we cannot do if we will discipline ourselves under grace
Power doesn't corrupt. Power makes corruption apparent. And absolute power makes corruption absolutely apparent.