Maturing in Your Faith

“Discipline yourself for the purpose of Godliness” 1 Timothy 4:7

Discipline is a word that holds a lot of connotations— maybe when you hear it, you think of “obligation,” “punishment,” or “that thing I know I should do but don’t feel like doing.” But in Scripture, we see a different vision cast for spiritual disciplines, one that is reflective of God’s heart for us and our identity as His children.

In their simplest form, spiritual disciplines are ways we relate to God and others in the Christian life. If the term “spiritual disciplines” throws you off, another way of considering them is as “habits of grace.” These are habits we see practiced in the Bible, specifically by Jesus Himself, as ways to enjoy God more individually and corporately.

Spiritual Disciplines Help Us Grow in Godliness

It’s not strange to see a seven-year-old act like a child, but as they get older, there’s an expectation that they’ll grow in maturity and act their age. In the Bible, we see a lot of parallels drawn between our physical and mental maturity and our spiritual formation. For example, we see this in Hebrews 5:12-14, which reads,

“12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness since he is a child.14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Like muscles must be trained to grow stronger, disciplines must be practiced to increase our spiritual maturity and so they may become natural rhythms in our lives. Spiritual disciplines are not attitudes we adopt, but rather activities we commit to in pursuit of being more like Christ.

Be careful not to mistake this for a works-based, legalistic view of the faith — instead, it’s an opportunity for us to seek to know the richness of God more deeply, rooted in the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as we grow in maturity in life, we should also seek to grow in spiritual maturity for the benefit of our own walk with Christ and the benefit of the body of Christ.

What Are the Spiritual Disciplines?

In the New Testament, the epistles are written in such a way that our identity comes before instructions. For example, Ephesians 1-3 talks about the riches we have in Christ, and then Ephesians 4-6 talks about how we walk in Christ. The order is important — we must rest in who we are in Christ before we seek to do anything for Christ.

From this security of identity and assurance of salvation, we have the opportunity to grow more in Christ’s likeness and practice the same habits He displayed for us while walking the earth. So, what are they?

This list isn't exhaustive, but it represents some of the most common disciplines we see in Scripture:

Reading the Bible - Even non-believers read self-help books. You might even read those books to get information out of them, but those words aren't living, breathing, infallible, and absolute. God's Word is. As relevant today as the moment the scriptures were penned, we read our Bibles for the purpose of connecting with the Author. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Prayer - The Bible has a lot to say about prayer. We see Jesus, who was Himself 100% God and 100% man, continually draw away in prayer. We are similarly instructed to pray without ceasing. (1 Thes 5:17) Our prayers are not simply conversations — they are encounters with the living God. We have unmitigated access to speak to our Creator, so why wouldn’t we want to talk to Him?

Worship – This isn’t limited to the first 30 and last 10 minutes of a church service. It’s a recognition of who God is and our response to His glory. Sometimes this looks like raising our hands and singing praises, and other times it looks like honoring God with our words and actions. Ultimately, it’s about valuing God above all else. (Matthew 5:15-16)

Fasting – Fasting is a discipline that may seem reserved for “elite” Christians, however Scripture makes it clear that it’s not only a privilege but an expectation for all Christians. (Matthew 6:16-18) If you want to learn more about what fasting looks like and how you can participate in it, check out “A Guide to Fasting,” an article by our Lead Pastor and Elder, Timothy “TA” Ateek.

Silence & Solitude – Jesus inarguably had the most important mission in life, yet He consistently made time to draw away for silence and solitude. (Mark 6:30-32, Luke 5:15-16) And we know what you’re going to say, but if our Savior wasn’t too busy for this discipline, neither are we. In a world that provides 24/7 distractions, we have to fight for time to retreat and spend uninterrupted time with the Lord. (Psalm 46:10)

Service – We know that Jesus Christ Himself came to serve and not to be served (Matthew 20:28), and it’s right for the same to be true of us. We’re told to love our neighbors as ourselves, which may look like sacrificing our time and talents for the good of those around us and pointing others back to Christ. Additionally, when our attention is only on ourselves, it’s easy to dwell on all the things we don’t have or wish were different in our lives. The saying is true — It’s better to give than to receive!

Fellowship - Christ has given us one another to point each other to Christ. Martin Luther once said, “God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.” So many verses point to the truth that we’re supposed to encourage one another, sharpen one another, hold each other accountable, help bear the weight of each other’s burdens, and complement one another with our unique giftings — we were designed for fellowship. (Hebrews 10:24-25, Proverbs 27:17, Galatians 6:2, 1 Corinthians 11:1)

Confession – This word may bring images to mind of a Law & Order episode with a cold room and bright spotlight, but that couldn’t be further from the role confession plays in the Christian life. Confession is a gift that allows us to both recognize the destructive power of our sin while celebrating our Savior’s unmatched defeat over it. Shame causes us to run from God while conviction and confession lead us to the tender heart of the Lord, who is kind to forgive. It also allows us to be held accountable and encouraged by a trusted community of believers — remember when we talked about fellowship?

We Should Discipline Ourselves in A Way That Requires Faith

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” Hebrews 12:11

If you read the list above and thought, “I’m never going to be able to do all of that on my own,” we have good news — you aren’t meant to. We aren’t told to shoulder extra burdens in hopes of earning our Father’s affection; rather, we’re assured that we already have that in abundance. No, our adherence to spiritual disciplines is a form of worship in and of itself, and in His kindness, He wants to be our strength through all of it.

God loves you just as much on the days you stumble and fall, say the wrong thing, and run late to work as He does on the days when you start a gospel conversation, serve your neighbor, and knock your meeting out of the park. Spiritual disciplines aren’t meant to help you achieve a relationship with our Lord, but to help you experience and grow in the grace that’s already yours.

We don’t want to sugarcoat it — it might cost you something. But the joy and freedom of following Christ far surpasses whatever it is we give up. The Westminster Catechism says “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” So, let’s do that together, and let’s start now.