Oasis 6.25.24

Some re ections on Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer ■ Introduction 1.

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Who are you following?

Who or what are you becoming?

Jesus did not invite people to convert to Christianity. He invited them to follow Him. Thesis: Transformation is possible if we are willing to arrange our lives around the practices, rhythms, and truths that Jesus Himself did.

■ Apprentice to Jesus 1. The word rabbi means ‘master.’ Every rabbi had his own ‘yoke,’ his perspective on what it means to thrive as a human being. Three goals of an apprentice: a. To be with your rabbi. b. To become like your rabbi. c. To do as your rabbi did.

2. Are you a Christian or an apprentice? a. Western thinking: You can be a Christian without being an apprentice. b. Those who take following Jesus seriously are often categorized as a “second level” Christian. c. In the United States, Pew Research shows 63% of Americans self-identify as Christians.

But according to Barna Research, only 4% of people qualify as apprentices.

3. A Way of life a. When Jesus said, “Follow me,” he said, “Adopt my overall way of life to experience the life I have to offer.” b. John 14:6 – I am the WAY, the truth, and the life. c. Matthew 7:13-14 – The Way of Jesus is narrow and a very speci c way to live. d. The Sermon on the Mount is bracketed by the same idea: Whoever hears these words of mine and puts them into practice…(Matthew 5:19; 7:24).

4. Whoever means whoever a. Mark 8:34 – Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. b. Apprenticeship is possible, but it is not inevitable.

■ Goal #1: Be with Jesus.

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1. Following Jesus is NOT a three-step formula. But there is a sequence. It is not a program but a progression.

2. How do I start? a. Abide in Jesus. i. What are you abiding in? ii. Brother Lawrence – “The practice of the presence of God.” b. Turning God into a habit

i. Three key moments of your day 1. When you rst wake up.

2. When you go to sleep.

3. The random moments when your mind can rest/refocus. ii. Neuroplasticity – Your brain can discover a new baseline. iii. Apprenticeship takes years and comes with struggles and challenges. But it does get easier over time. iv. We cannot transform ourselves. But we can be with Jesus if we are willing to practice. c. The reward for following Jesus is Jesus. i. The reward of prayer is not answered prayer. The reward of prayer is being with Jesus. ii. The key to prayer: Keep showing up. d. “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” i. The call to apprentice under Jesus is a call not to do more but to do less. ii. When Jesus said, “Come, follow me,” he was simultaneously saying there are some things we all must leave behind.

■ Goal #2 – Become like Him

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1. David Brooks: Resume virtues are what we talk about in life. Eulogy virtues are what others talk about when we die.

2. For Jesus, the point of apprenticeship was to be with Him for the purpose of being like Him. a. Spiritual formation isn’t a Christian thing. It’s a human thing. b. No accidental saints i. Spiritual formation in the North American church is often a three-part formula.

1. Go to church.

2. Read your Bible and pray.

3. Give. ii. Most people do not have a reliable path of transformation to follow, no theology of spiritual growth. c. Three losing strategies i. Losing strategy #1 – Willpower ii. Losing strategy #2 – More Bible study iii. Losing strategy #3 – The zap from heaven d. Two problems i. Problem #1 – Sin 1. Sin done by us.

2. Sin done to us.

3. Sin done around us.

4. Idea: Sin is a disease of the soul and salvation is the healing of the whole person. ii. Problem #2 – You’ve already been formed.

1. #1 – The stories we believe.

2. #2 – Our habits.

3. #3 – Our relationships. e. A working theory of change: Intentional spiritual formation f. Terrible, wonderful news: You are not in control. There are no shortcuts.

■ Goal #3: Do as He did.

1. Acts – The disciples would do all the things they saw Jesus do and even more.

2. The four-stage training process of an apprentice. a. I do; you watch. b. I do; you help. c. You do; I help. d. You do; I watch.

3. If you are an apprentice of Jesus, your end goal is to grow and mature into the kind of person who can say and do all the things Jesus said and did. Or to be more precise, the kinds of things Jesus would do if he were us.

4. I John 2:5-6: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

5. Jesus the Prototype a. Jesus did miracles by living in reliance on the Holy Spirit. b. The same power that lived in Jesus now lives in us. He is available to us as we surrender to the Father and open ourselves to the Spirit’s prompting.

6. The rhythms of Jesus’ ministry a. Rhythm #1: Making space for the gospel (i.e. hospitality). b. Rhythm #2: Preaching the gospel. c. Rhythm #3: Demonstrating the gospel.

7. The joyous burdens of love: What is Christ trying to express to the watching world through your particular life? What would Jesus do if he were me?

■ Take up your cross 1. Do you want to follow Jesus? Not everyone does. You have an invitation to become an apprentice of Jesus. What will you say?

2. Surrender. a. Discipleship is the lifelong process of deepening surrender to Jesus. This, this alone, is the ground on which apprenticeship to Jesus is built. b. The best synonym for surrender is obey.

3. The cost of (non-)discipleship a. People often complain about how hard the spiritual life is (and it is). But what is often missing from the diagnosis is that the unspiritual life is even harder. b. Rather than question, How much am I willing to surrender to Jesus? Ask yourself honestly, How joyful, peaceful, and free do I want to be?

4. Begin again. We will fail. Not just daily, but hourly. That doesn’t make you a bad apprentice; it just makes you human.

Oasis is on break for July 2 and July 9. We will resume at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday July 16 with a special three-week series from Dr. Fred Johnson from Lincoln Christian Institute!

■ How? A Rule of Life

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1. Before we set out on a journey, we need 1) a compelling vision of our desired destination; and 2) a plan to get there.

2. John Ortberg – “You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and con dence in your everyday life with God.” 3. The trellis and the vine: A Rule of Life is a schedule and set of practices and relational rhythms that create space for us to be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did, as live in alignment with our deepest desires.

4. You already have a Rule of Life. Do you know what it is?

5. Guarding and guiding a. A gardener has two jobs: tend the plants and keep out the weeds. b. What do I want to put into my life, and what do I want to keep out?

6. The practices de ned – What they are NOT. a. #1 – They are not a barometer of spiritual maturity. Love is the metric of spiritual maturity, not discipline. b. #2 – They are not a gloomy bore. Many practices are inherently joyful or will become so as we practice them over time. c. #3 – They are not a form of merit. We are not earning anything by practicing discipline but are only growing toward the life that God graciously offers. d. #4 – They are not the Christian version of virtue signaling. The one time Jesus taught on spiritual disciplines (Matthew 6), his message was a warning about the dangers of practicing to be seen by others. e. #5 – They are not a means of control. There is no escaping pain. The practices are how we meet God in our pain and deepen our surrender to him.

7. The nine practices a. #1 – Sabbath. Rest and delight in God is essential to apprenticeship under Jesus. b. #2 – Solitude. Solitude is the most foundational of all the practices of Jesus. It is where we go to nd God. c. #3 – Prayer. Talking to God, talking with God, listening to God, and being with God. d. #4 – Fasting. This woefully neglected practice is literally praying with your body. e. #5 – Scripture. We think God’s thoughts after him. f. #6 – Community. We are created to travel the Way together with companions. g. #7 – Generosity. Living under your means allows us to give our extra resources to God and to others joyfully. h. #8 – Service. The practice mends the world and us as well. i. #9 – Witness. Our role isn’t to convert anyone, but to preach the good news, providing space for the good news to ourish.

8. A few tips a. #1 – Start where you are, not where you “should” be. God meets us there and leads us toward Him. b. #2 – Think subtraction, not addition. Following Jesus is not about doing more but doing less. c. #3 – Take a balanced approach. There are practices we do in community and others we do alone.

There are practices that involve letting things go, and others that involve picking things up. Your Rule should have balance. d. #4 – Keep a healthy blend of upstream and downstream practices. We need both the practices that bring us joy and also the ones that challenge us. e. #5 – Follow the J curve. You will get worse at a practice before you get better. Don’t quit. f. #6 – Do this in community. Do your Rule with a few friends, a small group, or (yes) your entire congregation. There is something about knowing you are not alone on the journey. g. #7 – There is no formation without repetition. We often miss out on the best bene ts because we give up too soon. We must be patient and learn to be full of delight in the moment.