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

Session 2 The Disciplined Life

What do you think Christ means when He says that, if you enter [the kingdom], you have to enter it violently? It does not necessarily mean suddenly. Birth is not always sudden in either physical birth or spiritual birth. Even in the example we have just described, the change came over a period of two or three months. There wasn’t a single day when the lawyer was struck. Yes, the change may indeed be gradual, but the point is that it has to be a radical change in order to be genuine. Our human nature is such that nothing less will suffice. It has to be a change so great that, whether it occurs in a moment or a month or a year, we come out at an utterly different place. . . . There may be a much bigger life coming to us than we know; there may be greater steps ahead of us than we have ever dreamed. The life of full commitment is a life of such wonder that we ought to pray that God may bring us into it. But we cannot end with ourselves. Insofar as new life has come to us, we must try to bring new life to others. God, we are assured, desires new life for all, but it comes through human effort. Most people are reached one by one, as each is made to see both the inadequacy of his own life and the glory that might come in his life if he were really to give himself fully to the cause of Jesus Christ. But we must never suggest that such discipleship is easy or mild. Everyone who enters, says Jesus, enters violently or not at all. There is no easy Christianity; there is no mild Christianity. It is violent or it is nothing.

~ Elton Trueblood. The Yoke of Christ . Waco, TX: Word Books, 1958. pp. 84, 89.

1 Tim. 4.7-10 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; [8] for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. [9] The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. [10] For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the

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I. Living in a Self-Indulgent Society: The Challenge of Discipleship Today

Can what these authors say about American children be said of many professing Christians today?

Today we find that far too many American children at the onset of puberty face an incredible “smorgasbord” of opportunities with a deficiency in capabilities. Self-confidence, self-validation, self discipline, good judgment, and a sense of responsibility are all lacking, and our children find themselves incapable of carving out assets for themselves and ill equipped to take advantage of the opportunities.”

~ H. Stephen Glenn and Jane Nelsen. Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World . Roseville, CA: Prima Publishing, 2000. p. 4.

Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

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