Followers of Jesus have practiced spiritual disciplines for centuries. They are practices many Christians take for granted. Daily Bible reading, prayer, meditation on Scripture, giving, simplicity, solitude, celebration, confession, fasting, and worship are examples of what many have considered “disciplines.
These activities are not a means of salvation for the believer. The good news or gospel message is that humans are sinners, unable to save themselves by their actions or attitudes. God loved us and sent His only Son to become one of us, live a sinless life, die in our place, and rise to eternal life. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (NKJV).
What, then, is the benefit of these spiritual disciplines that have held great meaning to believers throughout church history, and are there ways they change as believers age?
When interviewed, Donald S. Whitney provided this definition of spiritual disciplines:
“Yeah, this term spiritual disciplines, some people, little question about the term. First, Timothy 4:7 in the New American Standard Bible says, ‘Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.’ The King James there says, ‘Exercise thyself.’ So sometimes across spiritual exercises, other translations say, train yourself for godliness. And we know that’s not physical exercise, physical discipline, because obviously then the most fit people would be the most Christ-like people. But furthermore, verse seven ends with a comma. Verse eight begins for bodily discipline is a little profit. It’s of some profit, but godliness is profitable for all things. So it’s obviously talking there about spiritual disciplines, but not just anything that people says— ‘well, gardening helps me spiritually. So that’s one of my spiritual disciplines.’ Well, I think I know what they mean, that they try to do their gardening or whatever it is in the presence of God.
And that’s the way we ought to do that. But I think it’s best to take those disciplines found in the Bible by command example or principle that promote godliness, Christlikeness. And we divide these into two large categories. There are personal spiritual disciplines, those we practice alone, and the interpersonal spiritual disciplines, those we practice with other people, usually the church. So the Bible teaches we’re to pray alone. It’s a personal spiritual discipline. We’re also to pray with the church. It’s an interpersonal, corporate congregational spiritual discipline. We’re to worship God privately. We’re to worship with the church. We’re to get into the word of God alone. We’re also to hear the word of God preached and read at the church. Now, some of the spiritual disciplines are, by nature, personal. Fasting usually it’s done alone. Solitude is, by definition, something you do alone. Some are, by nature, interpersonal, like the Lord’s supper.
We’re not to serve the Lord’s supper to ourselves in private. That’s given to the church. We’re to experience it with the body of Christ. Preaching involves a preacher and people, hearers. A fellowship is not just socializing; that’s talking about news, weather, sports, work, and family. But fellowship, or the Greek word, koinonia, that’s talking about God and the things of God. And I don’t think we do that even as Christians as much as we think. But my point here is that fellowship or koinonia requires people. You can’t do that alone. And we’re to practice both the personal spiritual disciplines and the interpersonal spiritual disciplines because both are taught in Scripture. And Jesus, who is our example of spirituality, and he’s much more than our example, our Lord, our king, our savior. But he is our example. And Jesus practiced both. Jesus got alone to pray. We’re told in the gospel that so should we.
Luke 4 says, as his custom was, he was in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. So when God’s people gathered, Jesus gathered with him. So he’s our example. So we should practice both. Now, the most important personal spiritual disciplines are those that have to do with the intake of the word of God and prayer. And in that order, for it’s more important for us to hear from God through his word than for God to hear from us in prayer. And all the other spiritual disciplines found in Scripture really grow out of those.
So when I teach on this subject, sometimes people want to hear about some of those they’ve heard about less often. ‘Yeah, yeah, we always hear about the Bible and prayer, but tell us about fasting and tell us about solitude.’ If people aren’t into the word and praying, forget fasting, forget any other discipline because these are foundational, and this is quality control for all the others. This gives direction to fasting, to solitude, to anything else. So when I’m teaching on the subject, my first goal is to make sure people are in the word and praying. Because if they’re not doing that, I don’t want to distract them with any other spiritual disciplines.”
(Interview first published on Christianity.com on May 13, 2013)
Spiritual disciplines aren’t a means of salvation nor an end in themselves. Still, their practice helps make us available to God and connected with others (either other believers or those we’re called to serve in the greater community).
Whether you’re a new or experienced follower of Christ, the simplest and most important place to begin is reading and studying the Bible accompanied by prayer. These are foundational disciplines to practice daily (alone) and regularly (with others). There are many guides available for reading and studying the Bible. Listening to mature, sound Bible teaching supplemented by reading books about certain topics can supplement. Still, there’s no substitute for reading God’s Word for ourselves and speaking with Him through prayer.
Meditating on Scripture is also beneficial. We can memorize a specific verse or passage or choose one we’ll think about throughout the week to deepen our understanding of what it says and how it applies to our daily lives.
God loves a cheerful giver. As we mature in Christ, we understand that all we have and need comes from God, but it’s meant to be shared. Many choose a simple lifestyle to free up resources for sharing with others. The church is a family, and just as children mature and are expected to contribute chores or resources to the family, so it is with the church of Jesus Christ.
Meeting regularly for worship with others is vital but also creates space for solitude, as Jesus practiced, pulling away from the noisy world to hear God better. With so many distractions and entertainment options, practicing solitude has never been more important. But, with the increase in division amongst believers, it’s also never been more important to continue to show up for corporate worship.
Richard Foster introduced many American evangelical Christians through his 1978 book Celebration of Discipline. His contemporary Dallas Willard also taught about spiritual disciplines and published various works on the disciplines from 1999 onward. It’s been 45 years since Foster’s seminal work. So what is changing for the original audience, now entering their sixties, seventies, and eighties?
For many, Bible reading may now entail large print Bibles or audio or digital Bibles. Bible memorization becomes a discipline that not only strengthens us spiritually but also keeps us sharp mentally. Prayer continues to take priority for older Christians, but we’ve often widened our circle to intercede regularly for others from our inner circles to the global community.
Fasting may require more medical supervision as we age. Considerable research is happening now on the health benefits and risks of fasting. If it’s been a regular practice, consulting the doctor to ensure that what worked for you in your forties is still safe in your seventies may be helpful. As appetites lessen and body weight decreases, having a medical professional weigh in on possible modifications for fasting is crucial.
As we age, solitude often becomes easier to attain. Still, we will likely need to add the “intentional community” discipline, ensuring we continue to gather with others, even in groups of two or three or via virtual means.
As we grow older, our mental health needs support. It would be wise to practice a spiritual discipline I call “Whatever is True,” based on Philippians 4:6-9. Seniors can become prey to anxious thoughts, depression, bitterness, prolonged periods of grief, or agitation caused by constant change. As Paul describes in this passage, practicing prayer, thanksgiving, and focused thinking can support a more peaceful, healthier mindset as we release more and more control of our lives to God.
Another spiritual discipline important for the third chapter of life is one I call “Bold Wisdom.” This discipline is inspired by Paul’s exhortation to Titus in chapter 2:2-5:
“. . . the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” (NKJV)
There’s a sense from this passage that as we age within the believing community, we’re to be comfortable and responsible for sharing our wisdom and knowledge with the next generation.
Sometimes, older people begin to believe their time is past or they’ve outlived their usefulness in the community, the church, or even their families. Discussing spiritual disciplines and practicing them intergenerationally can benefit the old and the young.
Older Christians must be wary of the temptation to “retire” from the body. It’s one thing to relinquish the heavy lifting of a specific ministry, but it’s vital not to disconnect from the church family altogether. It is important to ask older believers what modifications may be necessary to help them continue in these practices. Perhaps very older believers need rides to and from church or help to connect to a device to help them hear better in the services.
Or, if older Christians are racing off after the service, inviting them to a time of fellowship and asking for stories of their lives can help remind them that the community still values them. Consider creating a storytelling night with specific interview questions for young and old such as:
- “What was (or is) school like for you?”
- “What were holidays like when you were young?”
- “What are holidays like for you now?”
- “How has church life changed since you were a teenager?”
- “What is church life like for you, and why do you value it as a teenager?”
This storytelling event can bring a community closer together and bridge generational misunderstandings.
Spiritual disciplines based on Scripture, making us open to God and others, have value from the beginning of our walk with Christ to the end. Consider what role they can play in your life at any age.
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