Transformed by the Renewing of the Mind
Part 1
Romans 12: I urge you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies, a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
there's nothing wrong with the church that a clear-minded application of discipleship to Jesus Christ would not cure.
the old mind holds a view of reality and its workings tied to how it thinks the world works
the new mind is transformed into conformity with God's world through occupying and using the mind into a conformity with God's world and the Kingdom of God
we are talking about an alternative reality, the world and the Kingdom of God
they have different views of the things that matter most
the Scripture comes to help us master life in the Kingdom of God
the KoG is the range of God's effective will, where what God wants done is done
all the problems of humanity come from thinking wrongly about God
that's why His name is not held to be beautiful, wonderful, sacred
that's why it's the first request in the Lord's Prayer: hallowed be thy name
get that right and everything else will follow
the world is organized around human desire
lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life
epithumia [Keller says 'over-desire']
desire contemplates an object and says 'i want that'
it is obsessive, blind, deceitful
it promises satisfaction and fulfillment if it can get its way
Part 2
love looks for what is good, which is often not what is desired
it is the human catastrophe that we often desire what is not good
in the world, the mind is set on the flesh, so we go back to Romans 8
those living in terms of the flesh (the natural powers of human beings) mind the things of the flesh
the world is the flesh organized historically and socially
the mind of the Spirit, on the other hand, is what characterizes those who live in terms of the Spirit
spiritual transformation, then, is the process of moving conformity to the world to conformity to the KoG
should always be called transformation b/c formation is not enough. everyone is formed in some way, Spirit or not.
the one constant idea (through history) is spiritual growth
2 Pet 3.18: grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ
procession of taking on the character of X
a lot of people hungered for spirituality and weren't getting it where they were [including in the church] so they turned to other sources
a version of spiritual formation: Rom 5
therefore, having been justified by faith, we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Chris through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into the grace in which we stand and we exalt in the hope of the glory of God. and not only this, but we also exalt in tribulation, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, perseverance proven character, proven character hope, and hope does not disappoint b/c love has been poured out within our hearts through the HS who has been given to us
[Hypothesis: i can't get much more out of studying the Bible at this point in my spiritual state. I know where Paul's coming from in something like this, but it's alien to my experience. i need to grow spiritually.]
description of process people go through as they live as disciples
in Xian spiritual formation, we take on the character of Jesus himself
love God with all heart soul mind strength and neighbor as self
present theological background: impossible. brokenness is top rung of spiritual growth ladder
pass through brokenness, carry no confidence in flesh
[If only i could pass through it :-(]
place confidence in Spirit, God, Word
transformation goes forward by working with each dimension of personality: heart, soul, mind strength
love is first commandment
we don't understand the importance of looking to love as the landmark of the disciple
commands: love one another as i have loved you. 1 mark of my disciples: how they love one another
[so that's the goal of our spiritual transformation]
He said disciple, and we don't even think of all Xians as disciples
bumper sticker: Xians aren't perfect, just forgiven
there's a big difference between 'just forgiven' and 'perfect'
process go through in coming to fullness of X
Col 3.8-14: new person. no Greek, Jew, etc. X is all in all. put on mercy, kindness, etc. forgive. above all, put on love, the bond of perfectness
also 2 Pet 1.4-10 (NLT)
(one of clearest statements of process of spiritual formation in the NT. i think b/c it was later and it was probably from process of first cent. Xians learning)
4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
10 So, dear brothers and sisters,[a] work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.
Part 3
some people say: this is works
harmful understanding of grace.
grace is not opposed to effort. it's opposed to earning.
no one puts out effort like someone touched by grace, especially Paul
earning is attitude. effort is action.
if we are going to be formed in X it will be b/c we have done some things
it's not a passive process
Xian spiritual formation is the process that happens to people in the status of disciple
it you enter into the Kingdom (including 'born again' language) you are in the position of being a student of JX
Disciple: I am learning from Jesus how to lead my life in the Kingdom of God as He would if he were I
do we hold doing what Jesus said as an objective?
being transformed by the renewing of our mind is the legitimate objective of Xian living
how?
things that Jesus commanded would be routine
isn't going to happen w/o the grace of God. granted.
but if we do nothing, it will be without Him
how do i submit my body and renew my mind and become transformed?
action comes out of the inner dimensions of human personality
Mk 12: Dr Jesus says love God with all heart, mind, strength and soul and neighbor as self
the heart is your will. it's also the human spirit.
the heart is the executive center of the self, where decisions are made
fundamental role of will in human personality is to rely on God
that's how it comes into contact with a source that enables it to fulfill its vocation given to it from God in creation
mind is capacity for thought and feeling. ability to represent things. response of feelings to what is represented. and the primary source that the will has in view when it acts.
the will must have a feeling about what it's thinking of
so, when the mind goes wrong, the will is enslaved.
(read Rom 1 with all of this in mind)
the will can only act from what is in the mind
ironically, sometimes something isn't in the mind b/c the will has rejected it.
the body is your little power pack. God has given you an energy source for your life that enables you to even act in rejection of Him
your body is extremely important in the spiritual life. you're meant, by and large, to live from what your body already knows to do
Part 4
that's why your body has to be retrained and why Paul says 'submit your body, a living sacrifice'
all spiritual disciplines are bodily
the next element is the social relationship. love your neighbor as yourself
attack and rejection/distancing are two fundamental modalities. has to be redeemed so love takes place.
soul is part that takes all elements and makes one life
often treated in second person. 'why are you so downcast, oh my soul'
not directly accessible to you, like computer that runs operation.
you don't want to hear from it. when it has a problem, you're apt to try to talk to it. (again, like in the Psalms)
remedy comes from changing the direction of your mind and that carries the emotions with it
now, role of Scripture in spiritual formation
once you have made decision to be transformed, then you have to decide where you can take a hold of the process
Jn 3:16, for example
comes to your mind, and you don't have to receive it. many people don't.
if the heart responds by trusting God in X, there is a reconnection with God. now you have resources for spiritual transformation
what are you going to do to carry through with the process of transformation?
reaching out to the Scripture, Scripture reaching out to me begins to transform my mind
those around me can bring the content of the Bible before me
[like Flannelgraph :-) ]
the reality and nature of God and of human beings, both as lost and as saved and in the process of growth
in that way, the grip of a worldly vision which leaves out God is broken
now the will has a way of working, the soul can come back together
Ps 19: the law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul
if you walk in the law your world begins to come together in a coherent whole b/c you're now living from the Kingdom
law is only opposed to grace if you use it for self-justification
as God's expression of what is good and right, it brings us ever more to X
instructs us in terms of what is good and makes us turn to God
anyone can find God just by trying to keep the 10 Commandments. you're going to need God's help to deal with trouble from the world and to obey
the Good Shepherd also 'restores my soul
it is the Scripture that keeps before our mind what must be there if we are to surrender ourselves to God
the Word itself is a power that enters us as we take it in
it doesn't just stand before the mind and give us something to aim it
it becomes a powerful force in us
Jer: Is not his word like fire and a hammer that breaks the rock?
Paul: The Gospel is the power of God to salvation
it spreads throughout our whole personality
Paul to Timothy: the Scriptures are able to make you wise unto salvation
(salvation is deliverance in the Scripture)
Heb 4.12: It is living and powerful
it takes on a life of its own and when you take it in it begins a natural process of transformation
Jn 15: if you abide in me and my word abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you
among other things it means you're going to ask for the things that God wants
because the entry of His word into you changes your wants and will
[O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him and He shall give you your heart's desires]
the power of God within the Word of God as we take it in becomes a primary resource for the renewal of the mind
the world does not want you to say as a minister of the word that you are conveying knowledge
the displacement of the teaching of the Xian church from the area of knowledge into the area of faith has done and is doing indescribable harm
all ministers need to check their attitudes about what they're doing when they stand to present the Scriptures and the content of the Scriptures
'do i regard myself as conveying knowledge of reality v. trying to entice people to make a leap of faith?'
if we're thinking about using the Scriptures as a means of transformation, we may need to rethink our services and what they mean
are the services that we count as having church the ones that effectively convey the content of Scripture into people's hearts, minds, souls, bodies and social relations?
is it possible that widespread lack of transformation is due to a failure to apply the Scriptures effectively to the lives of people?
do we have enough time in our services to do that? do we use the time we have to honor the word?
Part 5
what do we do outside of services? are we identifying those who are ready to do more to take Scripture into their lives? do we do enough with memorization? it is fundamental to spiritual transformation
memorize Col 3.1-17
are there memorization groups? do we teach people to pray Scripture? a relief to many people.
do we teach them to apply the Word to what they are doing in their ordinary life?
we can change the minds of people by bringing the Scripture into their lives and that will transform their minds.
problems like pornography are solved if you train the mind differently
they have their mind in the wrong place and they must put it in the right place, on God, and they must see people differently before they can simply step free of obsessions of all kinds
Q&A
used to really suffer from jetlag
JFK to Jburg, the Lord said to me 'fast, memorize Scripture and pray'
I got off as fresh as a daisy.
Then I began to memorize more and more passages [he's talking about longer passages].
Col 3.1-17. 1 Cor 13 is good to memorize. Jn 14.
renewal of the mind: what's before your mind and how you think about it
if God is before your mind, then everyone else who comes before your mind, including yourself, looks differently
Frank Laubach, The Game with Minutes
disciplines: learning experimentally how to do things.
In difficult circumstances, my mind goes to 'God is in charge and is caring for me.'
Where does your mind stay? How does it work? What inferences do you draw?
Memorization transforms mind. The Word settles in your body and soul.
Flesh is the natural powers of the human being, what you can do without God's direct assistance.
Abraham and Hagar did not require God's assistance
Abraham and Sarah did (though they still had to do something)
Paul's list in Phil 3
Part 6
Desire enables us to live.
It is obsessive. Doesn't consider the big picture.
The will is supposed to act for what is good and not just what is wanted.
Love puts us in the domain of what is good and will is supposed to follow that.
You can't eliminate desire and live. It's not to be eliminated, it is to be subordinated to what is good. And then desire is fine.
If it is not subordinated to what is good, it will tear you apart.
Js 4
Desire is essentially conflictual. We experience that in ourselves. Maserati v. price
congregational memorization
general teaching and people will sort themselves out
teach what it will do for them
groups are best. people learn better. 3 or 4 people is enough.
a parable
Repetition, Concentration, Understanding
Scripture Memory Fellowship
You can't get the benefit just by memorizing verses. It has to be longer passages.
I would not pastor a church that did not have a memorization program.
must be tied to character development
we don't just memorize b/c we have a high view of Scripture
1. I am first a disciple of Jesus
2. As a disciple, my life is organized around character transformation
3. Scripture memorization can be a way of assisting that
people can come to think it's righteousness
[As with any other discipline, ritual, practice, etc.]
Anytime a discipline is tilted in the direction of self-righteousness or superiority, then something has gone wrong and you need to practice some other disciplines.
the flesh becomes inhabited with sin
natural abilities are taken over by sin, and then the flesh is bad
but not b/c flesh is bad
God created the flesh good, but it gets inhabited by sin
the flesh much be brought into conformity with God
[I'm still not sure Dallas is right here v. Paul uses 'sarks' in a technical way, but there's lots to learn and i could be wrong]
the body is not bad
Part 7
we can't grow alone. we are social beings. our social reactions need to be rectified
most people are socially fearful of others
Pr: 'fear of man brings a snare' and lots of religion is practiced out of the fear of man
if you do spiritual transformation in the pattern of X, you will not be able to prevent outreach and mission and care for the poor and all of these things
my neighbor is the person next to me, often the people in church with me
learning to love others in church is a huge project
Xians are supposed to love their enemies and they'll find a few of those in church
we shouldn't leave b/c we're in a tight spot, like being mad at someone
that's an opportunity to work this kind of thing out
the church is a school of love where we go to love our neighbors
our neighbors are first of all our families
and then we go back into the home and bring the healing that has happened to us and community
then we step out into the whole political and social arena and live there as persons of truth and law
and that, my dear friends, is what the world is dying for
the real challenge facing the church and the world today is whether or not Xians will become disciples
and in becoming disciples become Xlike
and in becoming Xlike lead the world by example and power that comes from God and not from human sources
[Need to memorize Scripture. what means? TMS?
I guess I could get one of those booklets from Scripture Memory Fellowship
If i want answers to my prayers later, i have to seek God now. i have to encourage His presence. i have to rely on Him. if i want to see providence and power, this is the path, as Willard teaches]
No comments:
Post a Comment