kingdom travelin'

“For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:18-22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/eph.2.18-22.esv

When I first went to Oxford the typical undergraduate society consisted of a dozen men, who knew one another intimately, hearing a paper by one of their own number in a small sitting-room and hammering out their problem till one or two in the morning. Before the war the typical undergraduate Society had come to be a mixed audience of one or two hundred students assembled in a public hall to hear a lecture from some visiting celebrity. Even on those rare occasions when a modern undergraduate is not attending some such Society he is seldom engaged in those solitary walk, or walks with a single companion, which built the minds of previous generations. He lives in a crowd; caucus that has replaced friendship.

Don’t just sit among others, gather with friends for fellow disciple-making.

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:16-23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

About this ‘body,’ C. S. Lewis: 

Equality is a quantitative term and therefore love often knows nothing of it. Authority exercised with humility and obedience accepted with delight are the very lines along with our spirits live. Even in the life of affections, much more in the Body of Christ, we step outside that world which says “I am as good as you.” It is like turning from a march to a dance. It is like taking off our clothes. We become, as Chesterton said, taller when we bow; we become lowlier when we instruct. It delights me that there should be moments in the services of my own church when the priest stands and I kneel. As democracy becomes more complete in the outer world and opportunities for reverence are successively removed, the refreshment, the cleansing, and invigorating returns to inequality, which the Church offers us, become more and more necessary. 

In this way then, the Christian Life defends the single personality from the collective, not by isolating him but by giving him the status of an organ in the mystical body. P. 38-39.

From “Membership” in The Weight of Glory

( http://bible.com/59/eph.1.16-23.esv )

3/1/48Dear Miss Bodle – 

I v. much doubt if I’m good enough at prayer myself to advise others. First thing in the morning and last thing at night are good times but I don’t find that they are the best times for one’s main prayer. I prefer sometime in the early evening, before one has got sleepy – but of course it depends on how your day is mapped out.

    ‘Grudging’ tho’ a nuisance need not depress us too much. It is the act of will (perhaps strongest where there is some disinclination to contend against) that God values, rather than the state emotions – the act being what we give Him, the emotions what He gives us (usually, I think, indirectly thro’ the state of our body, health etc., tho’ there are direct kindlings from Him too. There are presents, to be given thanks for but never counted on).

Of course it is very difficult to keep God only before one for more than a few seconds. Our minds are in ruins before we bring them to Him & the rebuilding is gradual. It may help to practice concentration on other objects twice a week quite apart from one’s prayer: i.e. sit down looking at some physical object (say, a flower) and try for a few minutes to attend exclusively to it, quietly (never impatiently) rejecting the train of thought & imagination wh. keep starting up. All good wishes.

Yours sincerely

C. S. Lewis

I love this Proverb… 

It speaks to me about the journey…

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬http://bible.com/59/pro.4.18.esv

Personal discipleship in Jesus is to pray every day, no matter what, and pray through the day. And to read the Bible everyday, no matter what. At least the McCheyne method (or equivalent). Sermon prep DOES NOT count.
No excuses. Sit with God. Soak in His goodness and beauty. Daily.

Open my Bible before I open my mouth each day.

No. Matter. What.

Here’s the draft:

If I refuse to do this, I better keep my mouth shut and, for sure, I should not be trying to teach others about the God I refuse to engage with daily.

Am I suggesting too much? 

Think so? Maybe a long look at the cross and contemplation of that price will help.

It’s not about earning or measuring up, it’s about being with the God who loved me enough to die to make me fit to hang out with.

Thank. You. Jesus.

… Friendship arises the same way. For us of course the shared activity and therefore the companionship on which Friendship supervenes will not often be a bodily one like hunting or fighting. It may be a common religion, common studies, eight common profession, even a common recreation. All who share it will be our companions; but one or two or three who share something more will be our Friends. 

“Friendship” in The Four Loves, C. S. Lewis