Paradigm 22: Discipling for life change (27/3/20)

In this chapter Edmund Chan talks about the components  that create real life change in disciplemaking. There must be truthful content, a community environment that encourages change and a spiritual, God-given consecration.

Chan speaks of a gracious work of God "breaking in" to our lives. When we repent and surrender our wills to Him there is a "breaking with" our old life. When we truly change, that is "breaking through".

In cell we must go to Scripture to know the truth (= content). There must also be an inspiration to hunger for the truth and the skills to learn the truth for themselves. We need ways to grow ourselves in truth.

Cell is a place for a community of like-minded disciples who are serious about their faith who can encourage and be accountable to one another. We all also need to pray for special moments when God is present in a powerful way to deal with our souls (= consecration)

We cannot engineer those special moments. But we can certainly study occasions in Scripture when God in fact moved in life-changing ways. In the book of Acts the following events (not trends or patterns) are recorded:

• at Pentecost when the disciples were gathered in obedience to Jesus' instruction (1:4, 2:1-4)
• when Peter and John were going up to the temple at the usual hour of prayer (3:1)
• when  Peter and John were put on trial for their testimony (4:8)
• when the church responded to Peter and John's story in worship and prayer to continue to speak God's word boldly (4:24-31)
• when God acted in judgement against Ananias and Sapphira (5:11)
• when Stephen was on trial (6:15, 7:55)
• when Phillip acted in obedience to the Spirit's call to get out of Jerusalem (8:26)
• when Paul was on the Damascus road (9:4-8)
• when Ananias obeyed the vision to pray for Saul (9:17-18)
• when Peter was in the course of his usual ministry (9:32-43)
• when Peter saw and obeyed a vision while hungrily (!) praying (10:9-16)
• when Peter preached to Gentiles in Cornelius' house (10:44-48)
• when Peter was saved from jail (12:7)
• when the church in Antioch was worshiping and fasting (13:2)
• when Paul rebuked an enemy of the gospel (13:10-12)
• when Paul had a vision of the Macedonian man in the night (16:9) 
• when Paul and Silas were worshiping in prison (16:25-27)
• when Paul prayed for John the Baptist's disciples in Ephesus (19:5-6)
• when Paul raised Eutychus from the dead (20:10)
• when Paul was on trial in Jerusalem (23:11)
• when Paul was at sea in a storm en route to Rome (27:24)

I think the pattern shows that we experience God in special, intimate, powerful ways when we are engaged in common activities that He commands. Occasionally the commands come in supernatural ways for us to follow. Many times, God's presence is closest to us in times of trial and opposition. There fact that God so often spoke to Paul at 'night' suggests that He uses times of solitude when we are not distracted by mundane affairs (c.f. Ps 16:7). The timestamp also suggests that it is when we are lost and oppressed and blind that God reaches in to speak to us.

Conversely, we do not expect God to speak to us if we are engaged in routine work or leisure activities. It is in common spiritual disciplines when holy moments occur.

Also, in Acts the holy moments do not occur for the sake of the individuals concerned, but in the overarching plan of God for the growth of His church. In the same way, the times that God speaks to us are never for ourselves alone, but so that His plans through us will come to fruition.