I urge you all to read--carefully, repeatedly, thoughtfully--the Dallas Willard article, How Does the Disciple Live?
If you find his thinking and writing helpful--and I dearly hope you will--you might print the article and keep it in your Bible for easy reference. This is what I'm doing as part of my spiritual exercises, because this article can help us as we employ good Bible study method: context, observation, meaning, application. And it can help in this way.
The first step in Bible study, context, most specifically refers to what part of the Bible we're reading, (1) what kind of writing it is (law, letter, gospel, poetry, prophecy) and (2) what section of the writing it is (Exodus 12, or John 3, or Colossians 5). But there's another, and perhaps more fundamental way to think of context, namely, our personal context.
Our personal context involves especially the question of how we are coming to the text. I would suggest that there are two basic approaches, (1) at a distance and (2) as a disciple.
On the first approach, we might ask ourselves, Am I an observer from a distance? In other words, do I simply want to be aware of what the Bible contains so that I can then form my own opinions about it? This strikes me as the approach of much Bible scholarship. This approach has some value, yet it can become quite dangerous to us spiritually as it tends to put us in judgment over the text.
For the second (and recommend approach) we can ask ourselves, Am I coming to the text--a text unique in all human writing as God's inspired revelation--in order to learn from Him how things really are so that I can live with Him in His goodness? This assumes many things. For instance, it assumes that we trust a good and loving God who can and does communicate with His people in writing. It also assumes that His people can, with His help, understand and practice the things He communicates with us in His inspired and fully reliable text.
Willard's short article on discipleship (along with his many books and lectures) will help form us in this second and life-giving approach. And this approach, this context, which is the context of discipleship, can also become the context from which pray, worship, read Scripture, relate to each other, and do everything else that we do.
I'm deriving much benefit from these articles, and they are benefits that continue to accrue after over 10 years of reading and reflection. I hope I'm not over-selling one particular writer. Please know that these recommendations come from my experience and excitement that this is some of the best guidance on Christian discipleship that I've found. And much of this guidance is easily available, short, clear, and of astounding depth.
Of course, the best guidance is in the Scriptures. And here are our readings for the next two weeks.
Readings for Sunday, August 8, 2010
Genesis 15:1-6
Psalm 33
Hebrews 11:1-16
Luke 12:32-40
Readings for Sunday, August 15, 2010
Jeremiah 23:23-29
Psalm 82
Hebrews 12:1-14
Luke 12:49-56
Announcements
Our Wednesday evening Bible study will resume after Labor Day, and we will study the book of Colossians. Please make the time, in preparation for our study, to read through the book 3 to 5 times. This will greatly help our conversation, and will help you grow in the practice of reading and re-reading (i.e. meditating on) larger sections of Scripture.
Wednesday Evening 6pm at St. David's will be Evening Prayer on Wednesday, August 11th.
Blessings to you all,
Fr. Greg+
If you find his thinking and writing helpful--and I dearly hope you will--you might print the article and keep it in your Bible for easy reference. This is what I'm doing as part of my spiritual exercises, because this article can help us as we employ good Bible study method: context, observation, meaning, application. And it can help in this way.
The first step in Bible study, context, most specifically refers to what part of the Bible we're reading, (1) what kind of writing it is (law, letter, gospel, poetry, prophecy) and (2) what section of the writing it is (Exodus 12, or John 3, or Colossians 5). But there's another, and perhaps more fundamental way to think of context, namely, our personal context.
Our personal context involves especially the question of how we are coming to the text. I would suggest that there are two basic approaches, (1) at a distance and (2) as a disciple.
On the first approach, we might ask ourselves, Am I an observer from a distance? In other words, do I simply want to be aware of what the Bible contains so that I can then form my own opinions about it? This strikes me as the approach of much Bible scholarship. This approach has some value, yet it can become quite dangerous to us spiritually as it tends to put us in judgment over the text.
For the second (and recommend approach) we can ask ourselves, Am I coming to the text--a text unique in all human writing as God's inspired revelation--in order to learn from Him how things really are so that I can live with Him in His goodness? This assumes many things. For instance, it assumes that we trust a good and loving God who can and does communicate with His people in writing. It also assumes that His people can, with His help, understand and practice the things He communicates with us in His inspired and fully reliable text.
Willard's short article on discipleship (along with his many books and lectures) will help form us in this second and life-giving approach. And this approach, this context, which is the context of discipleship, can also become the context from which pray, worship, read Scripture, relate to each other, and do everything else that we do.
I'm deriving much benefit from these articles, and they are benefits that continue to accrue after over 10 years of reading and reflection. I hope I'm not over-selling one particular writer. Please know that these recommendations come from my experience and excitement that this is some of the best guidance on Christian discipleship that I've found. And much of this guidance is easily available, short, clear, and of astounding depth.
Of course, the best guidance is in the Scriptures. And here are our readings for the next two weeks.
Readings for Sunday, August 8, 2010
Genesis 15:1-6
Psalm 33
Hebrews 11:1-16
Luke 12:32-40
Readings for Sunday, August 15, 2010
Jeremiah 23:23-29
Psalm 82
Hebrews 12:1-14
Luke 12:49-56
Announcements
Our Wednesday evening Bible study will resume after Labor Day, and we will study the book of Colossians. Please make the time, in preparation for our study, to read through the book 3 to 5 times. This will greatly help our conversation, and will help you grow in the practice of reading and re-reading (i.e. meditating on) larger sections of Scripture.
Wednesday Evening 6pm at St. David's will be Evening Prayer on Wednesday, August 11th.
Blessings to you all,
Fr. Greg+
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