Scougal on Religion
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Friday, 08 January 10 - 10:29 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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Henry Scougal (1650-1678) wrote a book entitled, The Life of God in the Soul of Man, and it was reading this book that brought about a deep conversion in George Whitefield. At the beginning, Scougal defines religion and those that practice it as follows:
They know by experience that true religion is a union of the soul with God, a real participation of the divine nature, the very image of God drawn upon the soul, or, in the apostle’s phrase, “It is Christ formed within us.” . . . .
. . . . religion being a resemblance of the divine perfections, the image of the Almighty shining in the soul of man: nay, it is a real participation of his nature, it is a beam of the eternal light, a drop of that infinite ocean of goodness; and they who are endowed with it may be said to have “God dwelling in their souls, and Christ formed within them.” (39, 44)
I found this quote majestic and extremely challenging. What defines religion in your life--in your church? How does it compare to Scougal's conception?
All the best for the Journey, Gavin.
This Year Will Be Different
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Friday, 08 January 10 - 06:16 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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Here's a jolly beginning to the New Year!
All the best for the Journey, Gavin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qON-tfK_X2wz
Quote of the day
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Friday, 04 December 09 - 02:54 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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Holiness is not a condition
into which we drift.
John Stott
"All men watch porn, scientists find"
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Thursday, 03 December 09 - 11:50 AM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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In today's Daily Telegraph, Jonathan Liew reports on some research at the University of Montreal on porn. As I posted about some time ago, I think such findings have serious implications for parents and poses challenges for the discipling of our church members.
By Jonathan Liew
Researchers were conducting a study comparing the views of men in their 20s who had never been exposed to pornography with regular users.
But their project stumbled at the first hurdle when they failed to find a single man who had not been seen it.
“We started our research seeking men in their 20s who had never consumed pornography,” said Professor Simon Louis Lajeunesse. “We couldn't find any.”
Although hampered in its original aim, the study did examined the habits of those young men who used pornography – which would appear to be all of them.
Prof Lajeunesse interviewed 20 heterosexual male university students who consumed pornography, and found on average, they first watched pornography when they were 10 years old.
Around 90 per cent of consumption was on the internet, while 10 per cent of material came from video stores.
Single men watched pornography for an average of 40 minutes, three times a week, while those in relationships watched it 1.7 times a week for around 20 minutes.
The study found that men watched pornography that matched their own image of sexuality, and quickly discarded material they found offensive or distasteful.
Prof Lajeunesse said pornography did not have a negative effect on men's sexuality.
“Not one subject had a pathological sexuality,” he said. “In fact, all of their sexual practices were quite conventional.
“Pornography hasn't changed their perception of women or their relationship, which they all want to be as harmonious and fulfilling as possible,” he added.
Your Lifestyle is Lid
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Thursday, 03 December 09 - 11:42 AM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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I would like to suggest that the primary reason for a healthy lifestyle is so we may be better equipped to deal with sin. Whether we like it or not, our spiritual lives are wrapped inside our lifestyles. That means that our lifestyles become a lid on our spiritual health, and our spiritual strength determines whether we overcome sin--or not.
Think about a sin you are struggling with that just won't go away. There's a good chance that you have been saying to yourself, I need to pray harder and do more Bible reading. While that might be true, there is a tendency in that moment to forget the shape of our lifestyle that is impacting our time with God--the amount of sleep I get, the time I leave for work, the stress I take on, what I watch for entertainment, and so on... all these things as a package are impacting the extent that I am able to operate as "living sacrifice" (Romans 12:1). And only when I come to that point of living in a state of sacrifice and emptiness before God, is Holy Spirit able to find the space in my hearts to baptise us with his power.
So here's a question: in what ways is your present lifestyle acting as a lid on your spiritual growth?
All the best for the Journey, Gavin.
A Prayer Experiment: Week 3 & 4
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Friday, 20 November 09 - 08:16 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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Well, this experiment has not ended how I anticipated. At the beginning of week 3, the whole family went down with swine flu. While it was not very pleasant, it was a disaster for my own prayer life, for when I am feeling sick, praying is not very high on my own agenda. It's only been in the last few days that we have begun to feel better.
As we are at the end of week 4, I need to try and pull together some thoughts on the whole experiment--despite the unexpected last 2 weeks.
Overall, week 1 set out the possibilities of what prayer can accomplish when we become serious with God.
Week 2 illustrated what happens when we allow our diaries to shape our prayer lives, rather than the other way around.
For me, week 3 & 4 is the consequence of when "life happens". I really wanted God to consider my sickness and not allow my spiritual life to be impacted by my lack of prayer--for surely swine flu is a good excuse for easing up on one's prayer life. But that's not how our spiritual lives work. No prayer, no connection, no power--I really do think it is as simple as that.
So what have I learned from the last month? I suppose the same lesson that many others have learned before me--that while prayer can transform everything, we still have to pray. There are no shortcuts, no excuses, for prayer ultimately is not about talking but about communing--and that is something that nothing, not even sickness, should cause us to hide away from. For in reality, prayer is not talking to God, but desiring him supremely.
The true spirit of prayer is no other than God's own Spirit dwelling in the hearts of the saints. And as this spirit comes from God, so doth it naturally tend to God in holy breathings and pantings. It naturally leads to God, to converse with him by prayer. --Jonathan Edwards
All the very best for the Journey, Gavin.
A Prayer Experiment: Day 16
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Friday, 06 November 09 - 08:33 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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Week 1 of this experiment was a wonderful experience. Week 2 has been a disaster. My diary suddenly took hold of my agenda and fixed my whole life--and once the week got going, there seemed nothing I could do about it. The diary had locked out my prayer life.
So what do I do? I think I probably need to rethink my diary. Jesus told those struggling with lust about the need for radical action--to gauge the eye out if necessary. I think our attitude to the lack of prayer needs to be similar--radical action is required--because I am sure that if our lives are patterned as my last week has been, we won't be going very far. The issue is not whether we will turn our back on God because we don't pray enough. For me, this issue is that we will continue being a Christian with little power for transformation from a life of faith--and then we will presume that the power we have, is all there is.
But that is not true. Prayer provides the entrance of the Holy Spirit--there is no other way--and as he continues to fill us, our lives will certainly change in ways we have not yet imagined..
All the best for the Journey, Gavin
A Prayer Experiment: Day 10
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Sunday, 01 November 09 - 11:07 AM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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- Oh brother, pray; in spite of Satan, pray; spend hours in prayer; rather neglect friends than not pray; rather fast, and lose breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper - and sleep too - than not pray. And we must not talk about prayer, we must pray in right earnest. The Lord is near. He comes softly while the virgins slumber. Andrew A. Bonar
- If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer. Martin Luther
All the best for the Journey, Gavin.
A Prayer Experiment: Day 8
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Friday, 30 October 09 - 07:38 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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This morning I woke up early (too early) so decided to catch up on the news on the web. Then I took Kristiana, my daughter, to have breakfast. As she was eating I was surfing the web to check on the possibilities of getting a new blog site, as well as checking on the prices of something for my wife. And then it was time to pray.
Except by that time, my mind was whirling around so full of "stuff" I couldn't concentrate at all. And this led me to think a little more about what prayer really is.
When we encourage people in their devotional lives, we often encourage them to pray as if talking with God was the point. But simply chatting to God does not change lives. It is faith that transforms. And it is dependence that opens the door of the heart for God's entrance. Prayer is a little like a box in which to put a present. The box is not the present, but merely the container for it. We could put a gold ring in the box, or a rock. The box, while carrying these items, does not add to the value of them. It merely holds what's placed there.
And what is placed there, to a large extent, is shaped by what is happening in our lives when we are not praying. Our time around the times we pray determines to a large extent whether we place a rock or some treasure in the box. So prayer is much more than praying. It's a whole lifestyle that suddenly becomes clear (or not) when we get on our knees before God.
So I have a question for you: when you pray each day, what do you really put in the box?
All the best for the Journey, Gavin.
A Prayer Experiment: Day 7 & Week 1 Summary
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Thursday, 29 October 09 - 11:59 AM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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I've found that praying for an hour a day is inconvenient. It has disrupted my schedule and I have to reorder my time to work and be with people. Consequently, if I don't plan to pray, my prayer time will get run over by the many other things I am supposed to do, or people are asking me to do. To pray more requires a different sort of living--intentional living. That's what I discovered today.
I've now come to the end of the first week of the experiment, so let me share my overall impressions.
- Within just a few days, I found myself enjoying prayer. It was no longer an irritation but a time of peace.
- The sense of God's presence that I had as soon as I began to pray more has stayed. It is something tangible. I would know if it went.
- Life has been much smoother. Any tendency to negative thinking or discouragement has not occured. Difficulties resolved themselves quicker than usual. I have sensed a greater level of divine power within--which of course, is merely the evidence of God's presence.
I think we often want to grow in Christ-like maturity without realising that it is intimately connected to the personal presence of Christ that comes as we pray. Jesus comes to us not merely because we ask him, but because we have made space for him. There is a big difference here. I can be begging God to come into my life, but if I have not emptied myself as a sacrifice, he has no-where to be, because I am still full of my own ego, pride, anger etc. The presence of God comes as we empty ourselves, and that happens the most as we are literally on our faces before God.
So ends week 1. Let's see what God will teach in week 2.
All the best for the Journey, Gavin.
A Prayer Experiment: Day 6
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Tuesday, 27 October 09 - 10:38 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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Doing experiments can tend to be a little mechanical, but I can't afford to do that with prayer. I've been thinking recently on the difference between prayer and communion because I know it's possible to pray without communion with God. This is because I can pray as an activity rather than an attitude. Consequently, I have to remind myself that although this is an experiment, it's not about merely time spent on my knees, but time spent with a heart longing to see the beauty of Christ. As David wrote,
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)
All the best for the Journey, Gavin.
A Prayer Experiment: Day 4
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Monday, 26 October 09 - 06:50 AM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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All who are under the training of God need the quiet hour for communion with their own hearts, with nature, and with God. In them is to be revealed a life that is not in harmony with the world, its customs, or its practices; and they need to have a personal experience in obtaining a knowledge of the will of God. We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, "Be still, and know that I am God." This is the effectual preparation for all labor for God. Amidst the hurrying throng, and the strain of life's intense activities, he who is thus refreshed, will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. He will receive a new endowment of both physical and mental strength. His life will breathe out a fragrance, and will reveal a divine power that will reach men's hearts.--The Ministry of Healing, p. 58.All the best for the Journey, Gavin
A Prayer Experiment: Day 2
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Friday, 23 October 09 - 09:47 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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Today was the second day of my experiment to raise the amount of prayer I do each day, and to journal how it impacts my life with God. Yesterday, after a relatively short time in prayer, I began to learn something, or rather re-learn something, that God first taught me many years ago.
Often when we are busy, prayer can become an agitating business. It can even make us angry. We know we should pray, but we are distracted--even during our prayers--by the things on our agenda for the rest of the day. Moreover, such resistence can have a supernatural cause, because prayer is the very last thing that Satan wants us to do. This is something I have been specifically struggling with recently.
When people come and ask for help with this, I have always given them the same advice--kneel down and pray until the feeling (of not wanting to pray) goes away. I re-discovered yesterday about what I call "the wall". In marathon running, there is something called "hitting the wall". It comes around 20 miles, at which point, the runner feels they simply cannot go on and desperately wants to give up. However, there is also something called "breaking through the wall". If the athlete keeps going, they find they have a second burst of energy and can make the finish line--just six miles later.
I've repeatedly found in my own life that it's the same with prayer. When we begin praying, it can feel like the last thing you want to do, but if you keep at it for a while, there is a point where you break through with God and literally don't want to stop praying. One hour praying a day (in total) may seem like a lot, but once you have broken through the wall of agitation and supernatural resistence, it will seem like a very brief time in deep. Then prayer is no longer an activity, but rather real communion.
All the best for the Journey, Gavin
An Experiment: Day 1
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Thursday, 22 October 09 - 10:06 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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I'm speaking for myself first of all. Consequently, I am going to do an experiment and blogging the experiment will help to keep me accountable. For the next month, I want to see what difference an increased level of prayer makes. Of course, prayer is merely an activitiy, while the real power in prayer is the attitude of the heart towards God as we pray--in faith and dependence and so on. But I will keep this simple. I want to see what happens when I pray for one hour a day, totally alone with God on my knees--which is certainly a big improvement on my recent level of praying. What happens when we begin to pray seriously? I hope to begin to find out. You may like to join me in this experiment, and see if you experience similar consequences.
I have a nagging suspicion that while we can get carried away by all sorts of spiritual theories about how God changes our lives, it all starts with lots of time with him in total dependence. It's time in the presence of God--and there are no short cuts to that.
All the best for the journey, Gavin.
Sexual Addiction
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Tuesday, 04 August 09 - 02:38 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Resources |
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Recently at Andrews University, we had a visit from the leading Christian writer and speaker on sexual addiction, Mark Laaser. Before his visit, I had no idea how pervasive sexual addictions are, not only within culture, but within the Christian community.
If sexual addiction is as bad as the statistics below suggest, this raises huge implications for discipleship training, because if we are not addressing sexual addictions and pornography at church, but at the same time trying to teach discipleship, we will probably make little impact.
Here are some of the statistics from the website of http://www.freedombeginshere.org/
• Sex is the #1 thing people search for on the Internet
• There are over 420 million Pornographic Internet pages
• 12 to 17 year olds are the largest consumers of Internet pornography
• 42.7% of Internet users view pornography
• The pornography industry is larger than the revenues of the top technology companies combined: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, Apple, Netflix and EarthLink
• 70% of women keep their cyber activities secret
• Women, more than men, are likely to act out their behaviors in real life, such as having multiple partners, casual sex, or affairs.
• 68 million porn search engine requests daily
• 2006 Worldwide Porn Revenues = $97.06 billion
Source: http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html
• 7 of 10 lay leaders in the church admitted to visiting adult Web sites at least once a week
• 4 out of 10 pastors said they did the same.
Source: http://www.thealabamabaptist.org/print-edition-article-detail.php?id_art=3316
• 50% of all Christian men and 20% of all Christian women are addicted to pornography.
• 60% of the women who answered the survey admitted to having significant struggles with lust;
• 40% admitted to being involved in sexual sin in the past year; and 20% of the church-going female participants struggle with looking at pornography on an ongoing basis.
Source: http://christiannews.christianet.com/1154951956.htm
If you would like to find resources to help with this problem and to raise awareness in your church, you can visit http://www.freedombeginshere.org/ and also Mark Laaser's website, http://www.faithfulandtrueministries.com/
Best wishes for the Journey, Gavin.
Spiritual Lives of Teens and Emerging Adults
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Wednesday, 15 July 09 - 03:08 AM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Resources |
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They also offer a DVD (2007). The trailer is below.
All the best for the Journey, Gavin.
Run!
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Thursday, 02 July 09 - 01:17 AM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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Something a little different.
On the first Sunday following the tragedy of September 11th, 2001, Carter Conlon delivered this soul-stirring message at Times Square Church in Manhattan. The sermon was titled, Run For Your Life. This video clip is just 4 minutes of that sermon, where he urges people to serious living as Christians.
The original website is http://braveheartedgospel.com/Run.html.
Best wishes for the Journey, Gavin.
Discipling Young People
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Friday, 19 June 09 - 06:35 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Resources |
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If you are interested in discipling young people, this video gives an interesting overview of their world-view and provides a link to another website where you can get more resources.
All the best for the Journey, Gavin
New Church Organisation and City Seminary
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Tuesday, 02 June 09 - 10:31 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Discipleship |
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But most importantly, we want to provide the time and the focus to implement what we are calling a City Seminary, a seminary focused on discipleship for lay people, based in the city where they live, to equip our members fulffill our mission together. We are rather excited about the possibilities. It is still early stages, but if you would like to look at the initial presentation we made to our board, you can watch it below.
All the best for the Journey, Gavin.
Free Audio Download: Eugene Peterson
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Tuesday, 02 June 09 - 09:49 PM (GMT) By Gavin Anthony in Resources |
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Since coming to Dublin, things have been rather hectic, hence the lack of posts. Now I am heading off for 2 months of discipleship studies at Andrews University. Will try to post, but will see how busy it gets. Hopefully will do better at posting in the Autumn!
All the best for the journey, Gavin.
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