Two Myths of Spiritual Formation

two myths that I just want to take a moment to call out the first myth is this that all you really need to do is know the Bible all everything to do is just like know the Bible and so we read the Bible and we studied the Bible and memorize the Bible and write books about the Bible and we talk about the Bible and you all know me so please don't miss Rumi I'm a huge fan of all of that but here's the problem we have been so deeply shaped by Western European history so you have the Protestant Reformation if you know about that a few hundred years ago you have Martin Luther who's a great example great leader in that movement his theory of what he called sanctification at the time which was kind of an old-school way of saying spiritual formation of how we change to become like Jesus was twofold he said we change through what he called the preaching of the gospel and for Luther that was a sermon so kind of evangelism and Bible teaching in his mind and through the sacraments he was still essentially Catholic in his view of the bread and the cup and so for Luther and a whole he's just a great archetype a whole bunch of other people from that era the way that we change is you come to church on Sunday you hear the preaching you hear the sermon or whatever you take the bread you take the cup you do that over time and you're changed now fast-forward a few hundred years you get to America evangelicalism comes along that we're kind of the grandchild of and essentially says goodbye to the sacraments so right or wrong this is a whole other teaching most followers of Jesus in America has a very low view of the body and the blood and the plastic cup really does not help on that front and so you're essentially left with the sermon it's why you have so many church models that are essentially built around that 40-minute block at the right at the middle of everything that's kind of what the whole church is about but it's not just that really more more than the Reformation more than all of that the greatest effect was really enlightenment which most of you now has had just a massive effect on Western European consciousness and you know of course you have the French philosopher rené des cartes famous line I think therefore I what am i think therefore I am he called human beings rescue curtains in Latin or thinking things in English his view of what it means to human has shaped our Western world and the way we approached church and discipleship in the West the problem is basically everybody now says the dude was smart but he was wrong if he was right this view of what it means to be human was true then we could just think something know it in our head and then go do it easy as that how's that working for you we could just read a book on health food and never eat sugar or dairy or meat again be really easy we could just read a little teaching from Jesus about loving our enemy and be like cool got it great thank you we could just read a little thing on you know anxiety and don't worry don't worry what a great idea okay let's not worry this week the problem is that knowing something is not the same as doing it which is still not the same as wanting to do it am i right it's a lot of stuff that you know a lot of stuff that I know that I don't do and frankly I don't even want to do even though I know it's right so there's a way deeper problem here than the brain what this means for our apprenticeship to Jesus and this is a key idea for us tonight is that we can't think our way to Christ likeness and the mind is essential but we'll get into that but just bear with you can't think your way to Christ like this because the way of Jesus is a way it's not just a set of ideas it is a way of life our problem is that as a general rule even in the most anti-intellectual churches in the u.s. there's not a slam but it's just how it is our approach to discipleship is usually a solely intellectual endeavor now by intellectual I don't mean it's heady and only for the educated people in the church I mean that it's solely through the mind and the imagination it's all about information transfer so it's hey you want to grow and mature and Jesus come to Bible study on Wednesday and I or get with your small group read this book and have discussion questions or meet with your mentor for coffee every Thursday morning work through this curriculum from the Navigator is on basic doctrine of Christianity or whatever that's all great stuff don't miss read me I'm not down on any of it but hopefully you all know this information transfer alone does not yield transformation it is a false assumption to think as your knowledge of the Bible goes up your Christ's likeness will go up with it that might happen that's the goal but not necessarily there's way more going on so that's the first myth all you need to do is know the Bible second myth and that first one is more if you come from a I don't know reform background or Bible Church background or just you have no church background but you're wired more intellectual or education or whatever this one is a little bit more if you come out of a Pentecostal background or charismatic background or artistic background and it's this you don't need to do anything it's all God so the famous cliche that gave rise to this is let go and what let God that is such bad theology I don't even know where to start there's actually a tagline from the Kazakh convention as a whole history there let go and let God I call it like the matrix theory of spiritual formation Andrew matrix come on it's no Star Wars obviously but it's really good remember like that like the download thing Trinity here I need what was it like I need a pilot program for a b12 helicopter it's like mmm got it and now she's a pilot yeah that's so cool in a movie that's not how apprenticeship to Jesus works I wish it was like hey Jesus I need to download for peace got it hey Jesus download patience my seven-year-old holy got it high like Jesus I just need a download for freedom from the addiction - yeah I don't even want that anymore no I'm good like oh that would be so cool unfortunately it is absolute fantasy I love that sane is one of the few clichés that I really like without him we can't but without us he won't without him we can't without us he won't change transformation is a joint effort between you and God God has a part and you have a part God has a responsibility and a role to play and so do you and I and if that makes you nervous I love Dallas Willard's line about how grace is an opposed to effort it's opposed to earning so often we confuse the two a ten-year-old son I love who everyday I make him practice the piano in the afternoon whether he wants to or not and he's kind of into music so it's usually okay but I don't make him practice the piano to earn my love he has my love like I love that kid too much if anything make him practice the piano because my love will not make him into a really good rock star I mean musician I mean piano player whatever like for that like he has a responsibility he has a part to play to become the man that I think God created him to be all that to say we have to partner with God he has a part and so do we

Channel: Bridgetown Church

Views: 6,516

Rating: 4.695652 out of 5

Keywords: bridgetown, church, john mark comer, portland, oregon, become, jesus, two, myths, practicing the way

Id: mlOJZ827dA0

Length: 7min 26sec (446 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 23 2016