It is not uncommon these days to meet believers who are
struggling with their faith. I would guess that has never been an uncommon occurrence.
I am certain that Christians throughout the ages have struggled and wrestled
with what it means to be a follower of Christ. However, it seems that in our
day the struggle is somewhat self-induced.
If one where to take a trip down to the local Christian
bookstore they would find the shelves filled with books that are little more
than self-help books. While I will avoid all temptation to name names, I will
say that these are not helpful to our faith journey. The basis of walking with
Christ is the fact we cannot do it on our own. Walking with Christ means that
we have recognized that we are not sufficient in and of ourselves.
As we look at the birth of the early church, we will
discover four disciplines that they exercised that clearly expressed this
dependence on God. Acts 2:42 records, “And they devoted themselves to the
apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the
prayers.” Let’s examine these four disciplines:
The apostles’ teaching. The New Testament as we know it was
still being written. Therefore, the teaching of the apostles, much of which
makes up our New Testament, held the same authority as the scripture. The
application for us today is to be committed to the teaching of the word of God.
That means we need to be in a good Bible preaching/teaching church.
Second, the fellowship. There is great value in journeying
with other believers. We joke about our fellowship meals and parties. However,
the truth is that they have great spiritual value. We are to connect our lives
to other believers. They have things to teach us and we have things to teach
them.
Third, the breaking of bread. This is the act of
participating in communion (the Lord’s Supper if you are a good Baptist). This
is a remembrance of all that Christ has done for us and should be approached
with great care and seriousness. However, beyond the act of observing this
ordinance, there is a communion of the saints that we need to be aware of. This
is closely related to fellowship but maybe deeper. This is a communion where
our lives are melded as we walk in faith together.
Finally, the prayers. Prayer should be central to every
believer’s life. Prayer is the place we pour our hearts out to God. Not only do
we pour our hearts out to God, we also hear from God. Prayer is the place that
our hearts and minds find direction and peace. If we neglect prayer, we are
neglecting the very discipline that serves to empower our faith.
If you find yourself struggling as it relates to faith, let
me encourage you to begin to practice these disciplines. If you have not been
to church for a while, then return. Begin to exercise your faith within the
body of believers. It is in the fellowship of the saints that we will prosper
as we seek to follow the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment