- CONFESSION
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Pro.28:13).
- Confession is an admission of sin followed by repentance.
- Confession can be either private (between you and God), personal (between you and a trusted believer), or public (between you and everyone).
But while we are more open to private confession, many are terrified at the thought of personal or public confession.
Of all the spiritual disciplines, confession is the only one that Jesus did not practice. Since Jesus never sinned, he had no need to confess (Heb.4:15). However, Jesus is a critical part of confession, because without His atoning death and resurrection on the cross, we would not be able to receive God’s forgiveness.
Because of Jesus, the Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
- Today, private confession is taught in most churches, but we rarely hear personal and public confession instructed.
- While confessing our sins to God is of utmost importance, we may want to find a trusted believer to confess to for both support and accountability.
- WORSHIP
“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendour of holiness” (1 Chro.16:29).
In many churches, we have made the word worship synonymous with singing, but it is much more than that.
The English word worship comes from the Saxon word that evolved into worthship. So, when we speak of worshipping God, we mean responding according to his worthiness.
- The discipline of worship is a focused response to God’s infinite worth.
- Jesus is both the Lord and the example of our worship. When Satan tempted Jesus to worship him, Christ replied, “Away you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve’” (Matt. 4:10).
- But we are also right to follow the example of the disciples who, upon seeing the resurrected Jesus, “worshipped him” (Matt 28:17).
- In his humanity, Jesus is our example of how to worship. In his divinity, he is the Lord of our worship (Phil 2:6).
- Whether gathered together at church or alone in our rooms, when we think about the greatness of God, we cannot help but worship him.
- FELLOWSHIP
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42).
We tend to think of fellowship as a social activity, but it’s more than just small talk.
- Fellowship is about being united as a body of believers, encouraging one another to follow Jesus.
- Jesus lived in constant fellowship with the Father, and also with his disciples. But Jesus knew that fellowship would be challenging.
- Before he was arrested and crucified, Jesus prayed for all believers “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).
- But fellowship doesn’t happen by accident.
So, the writer of Hebrews says, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another” (10:24-25). Regular gatherings for fellowship require discipline.
Together the embers of a fire glow red-hot. But scattered, they soon grow cold. That is why the discipline of fellowship is so important.
We all need brothers and sisters united in Christ to strengthen our faith.
REST
Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28).
- Today, the spiritual discipline of rest requires more discipline than ever.
- Modern technology has made us always accessible. We are rarely disconnected from the internet and can binge on endless entertainment options.
- We suffer from busyness, yet most spiritual discipline books do not include rest.
God instituted the discipline of rest in the creation of the world. He created everything in six days, and rested on the seventh (Gen 2:3). So God instituted the Sabbath, a weekly day of rest (Lev 23:3).
The Bible warns against overworking and not sleeping because sleep is a gift from God (Ps.127:2). He created us to need rest. The act of sleeping requires trust that God will protect us while we are unconscious (Ps.4:8).
But rest is not God’s desire for us in every moment. We must maintain a balance of when to work and when to rest (Prov.10:5). God only commanded us to rest one day a week. The other six days, we were made for hard work. So, Proverbs warns against laziness (6:9-11).
Jesus continued to observe the Sabbath, although he challenged cultural legalism. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath to worship and teach (Mark 6:2, Luke 4:6).
When he was accused of working on the Sabbath when he healed people, Jesus responded, “is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” (Luke 6:9). Healing and helping people is not breaking the Sabbath.
Rest is a spiritual discipline that we ought to practice at least one day a week. We were designed to work hard and rest well. Therefore, Christians should work harder on all six days a week and rest in God on the 7th day. We must discipline ourselves to get a healthy amount of sleep and to set a weekly day to rest.