A Compelling Testimony: Maintaining a Disciplined Walk, Christlike Character, and Godly Relationships as God's Servant

Ses s i on 4: Cu l t i vat i ng Our Commun i on: The I nward Di sc i p l i nes 129

7. Join or form a Bible study or Scripture memorization group devoted to master a section of Scripture together.

8. Keep good notes for your Bible study, and review your insights periodically.

9. Above all else, focus on Christ in your ingestion of Scripture; he is our rock and our strength, cf. 1 Cor. 1.28-31 – God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, [29] so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. [30] He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. [31] Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

II. The Discipline of Prayer

To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God the more we see our need and the more we desire to be conformed to Christ. ~ Foster. Celebration of Discipline . p. 33.

A. The biblical witness

1. Definition of prayer: our personal and corporate conversation, petition, and direct address to God

a. To God the Father, Ps. 5.2; Matt. 4.1ff.

b. To the Lord Jesus Christ, Luke 23.42; Acts 7.59