Spiritual growth through Christian Discipleship. Learning to live like Christ through the Early Church Fathers.
I’ve always said Spiritual Teamwork Exists for two reasons; Discipleship and spiritual growth That is the original tagline for this blog in 2007 The podcast episodes are going to be fairly short, between 8 to 15 minutes. Which is about the length of most podcasts I listen to. I like to relisten as I drive to find anything I may have missed the first time around. This length also allows you to process each episode and not get bogged down in information overload. If you’re like me you listen to dozens of books and podcasts each week and they can start running together.
What is discipleship? My definition is being a disciple of Christ. Living like Martha in luke 10, And sitting at the feet of Christ and learning from Him Jesus says in John 14 that if we love him we will keep his commandments. So what are his commandments? Mathew 22:37-40, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. And I struggle with it just like everyone else does. That’s why I say I’m always growing because if I’m not then why do I call myself a Christan.
Spiritual Growth is what comes from discipleship. As we put ourselves in front of God, His grace draws us deeper. In the Orthodox Church, we call this Theosis. God dwells in us and we participate in our relationship with Him. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 ‘… Train yourself in godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ‘
And In
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ‘Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air, but I punish my body and enslave it so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.’
Paul trains through prayer and spending time with God. Many people believe they can’t be disciples because they aren’t Paul or Timothy or any bible person. That’s one of the treasures of the Orthodox Church we have a 2000 year history of regular men and women who devoted their lives to Christ and are examples for us.
I’m just a guy. I’m not a pastor or a priest. I’m a layman. I know what it’s like to struggle with your calling. I know what spiritual dryness is. I know what it’s like to pray to God and feel like your praying in a vault closed off from God and the world. The good news is, We’re all in this together. And if I can encourage you just a little, to reach out toward God just a little more then this will be a very successful podcast.
Simplicity is always the key
God does not see success as the world sees it. With fifteen years of experience in ministry, leadership, and coaching positions I have learned that God has a different view on life than we do. We are the clay, nothing more. God wants all of us and as we let God mold us into the people He wants us to be we can begin to follow His will for our lives