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Disciplined Lives

It comes down to what we do with our bodies in the time of our lives.

Healthy, Growing Churches (3)

But I discipline my body and bring
it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9.27

Homilies on Genesis 22.22
John Chrysostom (344-407)
“If Paul—a man of such caliber and stature, who traversed the whole world like a winged creation, who proved superior to bodily necessities and was privileged to hear those secret words that no one else to this day has heard—if he wrote these words, ‘I punish my body and bring it into subjection lest while preaching to others I myself become disqualified,’ if then that man, the object of so great favor, despite such conspicuous prowess felt the need to pommel his body, bring it into subjection, submit it to the authority of the soul and place its impulses under the virtue of the soul … what then would we say, deprived as we are of these virtues and with nothing to show in addition to this beyond deep indifference?”

Discipleship requires discipline. If Paul needed it, we all need it. In healthy, growing churches, shepherds equip the saints for disciplined living, so that they can make good use of the time God provides for seeking and advancing the Kingdom of God. The body occupies the space and time God graciously provides us, moment by moment, day by day. Only in the body may we fulfill our calling to God’s Kingdom and glory (1 Thess. 2.12). We subdue and discipline our bodies by nurturing the image of Christ in our souls (2 Cor. 3.12-18), and by “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 4.17-24), embracing, learning, mastering, and continually engaging those practices and ways which demonstrate love for God and neighbor. Healthy, growing churches are comprised of members who take seriously their calling to rule their bodies and time from within, where the Spirit of God makes us willing and able to do what is pleasing to God.

What disciplines do you consider to be most important for the life of faith?

T. M. Moore

Healthy, Growing Churches
Our assessment tool, Twelve Questions that Could Change Your Church, can help you discover the extent to which you are building the Lord’s church as He intends. Use this tool with your church leaders to discern the health of your church, then to plan the next phase of your growth as the Body of Christ. You can download Twelve Questionsfor free by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Quotations from Church Fathers are from the Ancient Christian Commentary Series, published by InterVarsity Press.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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