Slave or Disqualified?

Last Friday Bear and I were discussing several Bible verses when 1 Corinthians 9:27 was referenced. Paul stated, “… but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

A few of our thoughts emerged, such as

1. Whenever we fast or pray on our knees instead of in a comfortable chair, or wake at dawn to pray instead of during a first cup of coffee, or give up certain foods for season, or even refrain from physical intimacy from our spouse for a short time, at least three things will happen. You will glorify God, you will train your body to respond to your will, and you will sin. Sin? I realize this is a bitter pill to swallow, but if the great theologians of past and present are correct, and if decades of life experience in my own self can be trusted, I will sin. I will sin by making my discipline the end, not God. I will sin by telling others of my successes. I will sin by being proud of my accomplishments. Even if I don’t dwell on these things; even if I repeatedly return thanks and glory to God, I will wrestle with these and other manifestation of my sinful flesh even as I conduct godly disciplines in an effort to grow in maturity.
2. It was interesting to note Paul’s hierarchy of our experience. By coupling this verse with other verses we found a progression.
1. At a base level Paul disciplines his body; his fleshly lusts and ‘darling sins’ (1 Cor 9:27). The word ‘discipline’ in the Greek means to beat black and blue; and this for the sole purpose of learning strength, patience, endurance over his physical being. Daniel did much the same thing when he resolved not to eat the ‘king’s choice food or wine’ (Dan 1:8).
2. The next level was Paul’s discipling of his mind. He took ‘every thought captive to the obedience of Christ’ (2 Cor 10:5). I believe the best definition of ‘being a disciple’ is not in a listing godly disciplines but rather in the daily, moment by moment practice of ‘taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ’. Further, he strove to be ‘transformed by the renewing of his mind’ (Rom 12:2). An on-going renewing by the washing of the word over every impulse, thought, and desire.
3. This striving in the outer and inner man led to the culmination of Paul’s life goal; to be Christ’s slave (Rom 1:1)
4. So the progression is this; the outer man is a slave to the inner man and the whole man is a slave to Christ.

The secular world looks through the window of Christian churches and sneers, “They’re a bunch of hypocrites”; using this as a reason to reject what we believe instead of what we’ve become. But a hypocrite is far more polite than what Paul warns for himself. To not be disciplined in body and mind does not leave him a mere hypocrite but ‘disqualified’. The words and contexts used in the New Testament for this Greek word ‘adokimos’ are; depraved, unapproved, rejected, worthless, and to ‘fail the test’.

God has granted me a life to sanctify.

The deeper I study, the more I learn and experience, the more I must fear God, reject my daily personal sin and take every thought captive so I will not be disqualified.

Over the course of my life I have been a participating student of pain and suffering. You have, too.

Some of us simply participate and grow weary. Some participate and grow bitter.

Yet there are some of us who become a student of it. Oh, it takes a long time. Time and a willingness to listen beyond logic.

So many times in modern Christianity we've been told and taught to question God; much as Job and David did, they say.

'Shake your fist heavenward and cry out, "Why, God?"'

Lately I've been apprehended by CS Lewis' idea that somewhere along the way we've changed places with God. Before the modern era of Christianity we thought of ourselves as humbled beggars standing before a righteous Judge, ready and willing to submit to His wisdom. His wisdom and power are so far beyond ours, orchestrating the vast waves of life that ripple out from each person and intersect millions of times over.

But now we've changes places with Him. He is the one who must defend Himself because of our pain. He must give an account and become subservient to our questions; our intellect.

Job never got his answer. As Philip Yancey restates it, God said, 'if you can't understand the physical world ("Where were you ...?") then how ever could you begin to understand the moral one?'

Ravi Zacharias says that to all major world religions Suffering is central and Joy, peripheral; but to the Christian, Joy is central and Suffering lies at the edges.

I hope I never tell anyone to shake their fist at God and demand an answer for Suffering. I hope that I've learned to stand on the shoulders of Job and David, learning from them and not repeating their ways; always remaining humble before Christ, no matter what is given or taken away.

Again, borrowing from Yancey, I pray that my only disappointment in Suffering comes because my faith falters in myself, not in my beautiful Lord.

Watch this video on full screen mode. I pray that God sparks in you a Joy that transcends any sorrow or compassion that you may experience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZv1WWrBiMI

Lately I've been running around a crowd of friends who are talking about disciplines, being disciples, liturgies, and asking questions like, "What are we really supposed to do in church?" ... which is one of the more loaded questions of our day.

Being a conflict avoider and a pastoral counselor I try desperately to hear each voice without bias. After wrestling through the thoughts of my friends who have differing, non-compatible answers I read a book by Philip Yancey entitled, "The Bible Jesus Read". In it he spells out how differently the lives of Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, David, Jeremiah, Hosea, et.al., looked in their individual relationships with God; different eras, cultures, oppressors, benefits, personalities, on and on.

Then it dawned on me. There is but one Way to God, but many ways with God. There are some who swear by serving the poor or spending hours per week on their knees in prayer. Or those who say we must be 'in the Word' everyday to maintain a vibrant life with Jesus. The list is long and meaningful. But to say, "This is the way" is tantamount to telling Isaiah he must follow exactly the spiritual disciplines and habits of Moses or it simply won't work out.

To me the question becomes, 'Tell me how you remain deeply intimate with God?' If you can't answer that question, learn from others, try for a good long time classic Spiritual Disciplines, read, experiment. Put yourself under the submission of someone who is older in the faith; but who is intimate with Christ. And do what they tell you. In time you will make your own path. Christ's voice will become clearer and louder ... and so will your song to Him.

Intimacy with God is your supreme concern. From it is the wellspring of life. Only then will you be confident the fruit you bear has any meaning and effectiveness.

There is but one Way to God, Jesus Christ; and that is sure. But there are many ways with Him.

Go therefore and be intimate with Him. And I pray that if you are not there yet, that one day you will call Him, "My Intimate".