Foundations of Discipline (7)

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

  - 2 Timothy 2.3-7

Monastic life: ruled for revival
Christianity in Ireland during the 6^th-9^th centuries was organized primarily around a monastic model. Each monastery was like a small community, with the religious living within the compound and a community of lay people of various trades living in the outlying areas. Monasteries were referred to as “foundations” because, in many important ways, they provided the base on which revival, renewal, and awakening were brought to lost and straying people and their cultures.

Medieval monks served the people – teaching, shepherding, helping with a wide range of tasks – and the people helped with the support of the monks, just as Paul outlined in our text for today, as well as in 1 Corinthians 9 and Galatians 6. The monks embraced a raft of disciplines designed to serve the community at large, and the community took up disciplines that allowed the whole “foundation” to grow and to reach out to new places and peoples.

This symbiosis of monastic community life generated and sustained a movement of revival that lasted for nearly four centuries and brought renewal and awakening throughout Ireland, Scotland, and much of Europe.

Rules of discipline
Monasticism was a demanding way of life, particularly for the religious, who were often subject to persecution, deprivation, and intense spiritual warfare. Monks, pastors, missionaries, and other religious leaders found strength and consistency in living according to “rules” that outlined the life of faith they pursued.

A rule of disciplines was rather like a constitution or covenant that defined the terms whereby leaders would live and work together in a monastic community. The great benefit of having such a rule was that it ensured that all who chose to live under it – and lay people frequently took up modified versions of the rule of their community – would have a basis to encourage and assist one another in the work of the Kingdom.

These written monastic rules provided focus, consistency, and standards to guide the lives and work of all who accepted the challenge of living under them. They included disciplines to guide believers in their spiritual lives, relationships, and work. These rules helped monks organize their time, assess their daily lives, and encourage one another in their common mission.

I think it’s safe to say the Celtic Revival, that great movement of God’s Spirit that lasted for nearly four centuries between 430 and 800 AD, would not have had near the power and effects it did without those monastic rules.

A rule of disciplines?
A rule of disciplines can play an important role in promoting growth in the Lord and greater effectiveness in serving Him. Just as soldiers and athletes must abide by certain rules, and farmers must practice all the disciplines necessary for ensuring a good crop, so those who serve Christ can strengthen themselves in love for Him and for their neighbors by entering into a covenant with the Lord and a few soul friends to pursue a certain path of discipline.

We all live by rules anyway; each of us has his own disciplines, routines, and ways of doing things that define the way we use our time each day. Most of these “rules” are unwritten, and that means they may be neither as complete nor as helpful as we need. It can be difficult to make needed adjustments when we can’t identify the specific area or practice that needs adjusting.

The better we understand and practice the disciplines that help us to make the most of the time God gives us, the more we can expect to know full and abundant life in the Lord. This is what Paul means by instructing us to live by proper rules and make the most of the time (Eph. 5.15-17).  

Is your life, disciplined as it is, disciplined as properly and as beneficially as it might be? Why not make some more specific commitments and take up a more clearly focused and carefully organized path for following the Lord and serving Him? Write out your personal rule of disciplines; then find a soul friend to help you stay the course in your rule, so that you can know more of the full and abundant life Christ has in store for you.

Solomon reminds us, “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit/Is like a city broken down, without walls” (Prov. 25.28). If we rule our souls well, our souls will rule our bodies and lives for the glory of Him Who rules all things.

Next steps: If you were to write out a “rule of disciple” that described your disciplined life at this time, what would it include? Where might you make improvements? Share your thoughts about this with a Christian friend.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Foundations of Discipline, is part 2 of a 7-part series on The Disciplined Life, and is available as a free download by clicking here. We have prepared a special worksheet to help you begin getting your disciplines in proper shape for seeking the Kingdom. Write to T. M. at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for you free PDF of the “Disciplined Life Worksheet.”

A rightly-disciplined life requires a Kingdom vision, and that vision is centered on Jesus Christ exalted. T. M. has prepared a series of meditations on the glorious vision of Christ, based on Scripture and insights from the Celtic Christian tradition. Order your copy of Be Thou My Vision by clicking here.

Sign up for ViewPoint Leaders Training, free and online, and start your own ViewPoint discussion group.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.