L esson 6 *July 30–August 5

(page 46 of Standard Edition)

Struggling With All Energy

Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: John 16:5–15; Col. 1:28,
29; 1 Pet. 1:13; Matt. 5:29; Genesis 32.

Memory Text: “To this end I strenuously contend, struggling with

all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:29,
NIV).

A
man and woman sat together on a talk show. Both had expe-
rienced the murder of a child. The woman’s son had been
murdered 20 years before, and her anger and bitterness were
as great as ever. The man was totally different. His daughter had been
murdered by terrorists a few years earlier. He spoke about forgive-
ness toward the killers and about how God had transformed his hurt.
However terrible the pain, this man had become an illustration of how
God can bring healing to the darkest moments of our lives.
How can two people respond so differently? How does spiritual
change occur in the life of a Christian, enabling that individual to
mature through life’s crucibles rather than being completely over-
whelmed by them?

The Week at a Glance: What is the role of our wills, and

willpower, in the battle with self and sin? How can we avoid the
mistake of letting our feelings rule the decisions we make? Why
must we persevere and not give up when in the crucible?

* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 6.

72
 S unday July 31
(page 47 of Standard Edition)

The Spirit of Truth

Have you ever prayed “Please, God, make me good!” but little seems
to change? How is it possible that we can pray for God’s great trans-
forming power to work within us, but our lives seem to remain the
same? We know that God has unlimited supernatural resources that He
so eagerly and freely offers us. We really want to take advantage of it
all, and yet, our lives don’t seem to change in a way that matches what
God is offering.
Why? One reason is disturbingly simple: while the Spirit has unlim-
ited power to transform us, it is possible by our own choices to restrict
what God can do.

Read John 16:5–15. In this passage, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the
“Spirit of truth” (John 16:13, NIV). What does this imply that the
Holy Spirit does for us?

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While the Holy Spirit can bring us the truth about our sinfulness,
He cannot make us repent. He also can show us the greatest truth
about God, but He cannot force us to believe or obey it. If God did
compel us in even the slightest way, we would lose our free will, and
Satan would accuse God of manipulating our minds and hearts and
would thus be able to accuse God of cheating in the great controversy.
When the great controversy broke out in heaven, our Father did not
compel Satan or any of the angels to believe that He was good and
just or compel them to repent. And in the Garden of Eden, when so
much was at stake again, God made the truth about the tree in the
middle of the garden very clear but did not prevent Eve and Adam
from exercising their free will to disobey. God will not act any dif-
ferently with us today. So, the Spirit presents the truth about God and
sin and then says, “In view of what I have shown you, what will you
do now?”
It is the same when we are in the crucible. Sometimes the crucible is
there precisely because we have not obeyed or repented of our sins. For
our Father to work in such cases, we must consciously choose to open
the doors of repentance and obedience in order for God’s power to enter
in and transform us.

What convictions has the “Spirit of truth” brought to you

recently? How well are you listening to His voice? And, most
important, what choices are you making with your free will?
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 M onday August 1
(page 48 of Standard Edition)

The Divine-Human Combination

What is your greatest accomplishment ever? Chances are, whatever
you achieved did not happen simply by rolling out of bed in the morn-
ing. If we want to achieve something worthwhile in this life, it takes
time and effort. Our discipleship to Christ is no different.

Read Colossians 1:28, 29. Though Paul talks about God working in
him, in what ways does he show the human effort also involved?
(See also Deut. 4:4, Luke 13:24, 1 Cor. 9:25, and Heb. 12:4.)

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In Colossians 1:29, there is a very interesting insight into the way
Paul sees his relationship with God in this work. He says that he is
struggling—but with the power of God.
The Greek word translated “labor” means to “grow weary,” to “work
to the point of exhaustion.” This word was used particularly of athletes
as they trained. The word for “struggle,” which comes next, can mean
in some languages “to agonize.” So, we have the word picture of an
athlete straining with everything to win. But then Paul adds a twist to
the idea, because Paul is straining, not with everything he has, but with
everything that God gives him. So, we are left with a simple conclusion
about Paul’s ministry—it was a ministry done with great personal effort
and discipline but done with God’s power. This relationship works in
exactly the same way as we pursue the development of Christ’s char-
acter in us.
This is important to remember, because we live in a world in which
we want more and more with less and less effort. That idea has crept
into Christianity, too. Some Christian evangelists promise that if you
just believe, the Holy Spirit will fall upon you with amazing super-
natural power and perform great miracles. But this can be a dangerous
half-truth, because it can lead people to the conclusion that we just
need to wait for God’s power to come while sitting comfortably in
our seats!

What is your own experience with the kind of striving Paul talked
about? What things has God laid upon your heart that you are
struggling with? How can you learn to surrender to God’s will?
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74
 T uesday August 2
(page 49 of Standard Edition)

The Disciplined Will

One of the greatest enemies of our wills is our own feelings. We are
increasingly living in a culture bombarded with pictures and music that
can appeal directly to our senses, triggering our emotions—anger, fear,
or lust—without our realizing it. How often do we think such things as
What do I feel like eating for supper? What do I feel like doing today?
Do I feel good about buying this? Feelings have thus become intimately
involved in our decision-making. Feelings are not necessarily bad, but
how I feel about something may have little to do with what is right or
best. Indeed, our feelings can lie to us (“The heart is deceitful above all
things” [Jer. 17:9]) and can create a false picture of reality, causing us
to make bad choices, setting us up for a crucible of our own making.

What examples can you find from the Bible where people made choices
based on feelings rather than on God’s Word? What were the conse-
quences? (See, for example, Gen. 3:6; 2 Sam. 11:2–4; and Gal. 2:11, 12.)

_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Read 1 Peter 1:13. What is Peter concerned about, and what does he
want his readers actually to do?

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Peter understood that the mind is the rudder for the body that we
control. Take away the control of the mind, and we will be controlled
by whatever feelings blow our way.
Imagine walking along a narrow path to the Shepherd’s home. Along
the way there are many paths leading in different directions. Some of
these paths go to places that we would not want to visit. Others look
tempting; they appeal to our feelings, our emotions, our desires. If,
though, we take any one of them, we get off the right path and go in a
way that might be exceedingly difficult to get off.

What important decisions are you facing? Ask yourself honestly,

How can I know if I am basing my choices on feeling, emotion, or
desire, as opposed to the Word of God?
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75
 W ednesday August 3
(page 50 of Standard Edition)

Radical Commitment
“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it
away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your
whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matt. 5:29, NIV).

Dwell on the words of Jesus in the above text. Would you call them
radical? If so, why?

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_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________
Radical action is necessary not because God has made the Christian
life difficult, but because we and our culture have drifted so far away
from God’s plans for us. People often wake up and wonder to them-
selves, How could I have gone so far away from God? The answer is
always the same: just one step at a time.
Read Matthew 5:29, 30. Jesus is speaking in the context of sexual
sin. However, the underlying principles apply to dealing with other
sin, as well. Indeed, the principles can apply to our growth in Christ
in general.

What crucial point is Jesus making with those words? Are we really
called literally to maim ourselves?

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_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________
Jesus isn’t calling us to harm our bodies physically—not at all!
Rather, He is calling us to control our minds and therefore our bodies,
no matter the cost. Notice that the text does not say that we should
pray and that God will instantly remove the sinful tendencies from our
lives. Sometimes God may graciously do this for us, but often He calls
us to make a radical commitment to give up something, or start doing
something, that we may not feel like doing at all. What a crucible that
can be! The more often we make the right choices, the stronger we will
become, and the weaker the power of temptation in our lives.
God sometimes uses crucibles to catch our attention when there are
so many noisy distractions around us. It is in the crucible that we real-
ize how far we have drifted from God. The crucible may be God’s call
for us to make a radical decision to return to our Father’s plan for us.
76
 T hursday August 4
(page 51 of Standard Edition)

The Need to Persevere

Read the story of Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32). What does
this story say to us about perseverance, even amid great discourage-
ment? (Keep the whole context of Jacob’s situation in mind before
you answer.)

_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________
We can know what is right and exercise our wills to do the right
thing; but when we are under pressure, it can be very difficult to keep
holding on to God and His promises. That’s because we are weak and
fearful. Therefore, one of the important strengths of the Christian is
perseverance, the ability to keep going despite wanting to give up.
One of the greatest examples of perseverance in the Bible is Jacob.
Many years before, Jacob had tricked his brother, Esau, and his father
into giving him the birthright (Genesis 27), and ever since, he had been
running in fear of Esau’s desire to kill him. Even though he had been
given wonderful promises of God’s guidance and blessing in his dream
of a ladder reaching to heaven (Genesis 28), he was still scared. Jacob
was desperate for God’s assurance that he was accepted and that the
promises made to him many years before were still true. As he fought
someone who was actually Jesus, Jacob had his hip dislocated. From
that point on, it could not have been possible to fight, as the pain would
have been too excruciating. There must have been a subtle shift from
fighting to hanging on. Jacob is hanging on to Jesus through unbearable
pain until he receives an assurance of His blessing. So, Jesus says to
him, “ ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak’ ” (Gen. 32:26, NIV).
Jacob’s blessing came because he held on through the pain. So it
is with us. God also may dislocate our “hip” and then call us to hang
on to Him through our pain. Indeed, God allowed the painful scars to
continue—Jacob was still limping when he met his brother. To outside
appearances it was a weakness, but for Jacob it was an indication of
his strength.

What are some practical choices you can make (associations,

lifestyle, reading material, health habits, spiritual life) that will
help you better persevere with the Lord amid discouragement
and temptation?
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77
 F riday August 5
(page 52 of Standard Edition)
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Night of Wrestling,”
pp. 195–203, in Patriarchs and Prophets; “Consecration,” pp. 43–48, in
Steps to Christ.

“This will, that forms so important a factor in the character of man,

was at the Fall given into the control of Satan; and he has ever since
been working in man to will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the
utter ruin and misery of man.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the
Church, vol. 5, p. 515.
“In order to receive God’s help, man must realize his weakness and
deficiency; he must apply his own mind to the great change to be
wrought in himself; he must be aroused to earnest and persevering
prayer and effort. Wrong habits and customs must be shaken off; and it
is only by determined endeavor to correct these errors and to conform
to right principles that the victory can be gained. Many never attain to
the position that they might occupy, because they wait for God to do
for them that which He has given them power to do for themselves. All
who are fitted for usefulness must be trained by the severest mental
and moral discipline, and God will assist them by uniting divine power
with human effort.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 248.

Discussion Questions:
Ê To what extent do you think that we actually recognize that our
wills were “at the Fall given into the control of Satan”? How, by
focusing on the character of Jesus, can we better understand just
how fallen we are and how great God’s grace is toward us?

Ë Read the story of Jesus in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36–42). What

were Jesus’ own feelings and desires, as opposed to God’s will?
What can we learn from this example?

Ì As a class, talk about the distinct things in your own culture

that can work to break down our defenses and leave us more vul-
nerable to Satan’s attacks. What can we do to help other church
members be aware of these dangers, as well as help those who feel
the need for help?

Í Do you know someone in your church who hasn’t been there

for quite a long time, who might be getting ready to give up or
already has given up? What can you do as a group to encourage
this person, to help him or her not turn away from Jesus? What
practical things can you do to help?

78
 i n s i d e
Story
Part 6: Temple Plot Foiled
By Andrew McChesney
Months passed before Junior and Mother found out why Father had changed
his mind and went to Junior’s baptism. Evil spirits had forbidden Father from
going to the Sabbath afternoon baptism, so he had turned down his son’s
invitation to attend. On the day of the baptism, Father felt restless and asked
Mother to drive him to the Candomblé temple in Manaus, Brazil. Around 5:00
p.m., spirits at the temple told Father to dress in his high-priestly robes and go
to Alpha Seventh-day Adventist Community Church. They promised to pos-
sess people in the church to prevent Junior from being baptized.
Father donned his robes and hailed a taxi. He could hear an invisible
legion of evil spirits swirling around him. At the church’s entrance, the spir-
its suddenly declared that they could not go in.
Father remembered the most important lesson that the spirits had taught
him years earlier: Never leave a job undone. If he started a task, he had to
finish it. Father boldly entered the church. As he walked into the crowded
main hall, a sweet, sanctified energy flowed over him. It was unlike anything
he had ever experienced, and it felt good. Later he realized that it must have
been the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Father’s anger about the baptism vanished. A deacon, Roberto Fernandez,
met him at the back, gave him a hug, and led him to the baptismal pool.
Father turned around and looked at the congregation, where he saw people
with bowed heads. He thought they were frightened but later understood
that they were praying. When he saw Junior in the baptismal pool, he real-
ized that the spirits had lied to him. Junior wasn’t being forced to join the
Adventist Church. It was his own decision.
After a song, Pastor Ricardo raised his arm and said, “As a minister of the
gospel, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.” Then he immersed Junior under the water.
After the baptism, Junior took the microphone and looked at Father.
“Daddy, despite your religion, I love you very much,” he said.
He hugged Father and started crying. His words broke Father’s heart.
When the ceremony ended, church members showered Father with hugs.
He was shocked. He never expected to be treated with such love. “This is
such a nice place, and the people are so nice,” he said as he got into the car.
Back home, Father called everyone he knew to announce proudly that his
son had been baptized. He described the experience as incredible.
Mother realized that the Holy Spirit had started to work in his heart. An
unbelievable peace filled their home for four days. Then the evil spirits
ordered Father to kill Mother and Junior.
Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open eight churches in the South American Divi-
sion, including four in Brazil, where Father (Eduardo Ferreira dos Santos) and his family live.

Provided by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission, which uses Sabbath School
mission offerings to spread the gospel worldwide. Read new stories daily at AdventistMission.org. 79
 teachers comments

Key Text: Colossians 1:29

Study Focus: Genesis 32; Matt. 5:29; John 16:5–15; Col. 1:28, 29;
1 Pet. 1:13.

Part I: Overview
This lesson focuses on several essential elements that help us build a
threefold strategy for overcoming crucibles. First, under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit, we must cultivate understanding of the truth about God,
evil, and ourselves in the immediate context of our life and in the larger
context of the great controversy. While it is true that merely understanding
our situation is not enough, this understanding is the crucial, foundational
stepping-stone upon which the other elements are placed to construct the
right response to the crucible. We need to know why things happen and
answer these questions: Whose side do we choose to stand on, and why?
Second, we must understand the nature of our God-given free will. Yes,
it is true that God is sovereign and gives us salvation and all the good
things for living and prospering. However, He created us with true free-
dom, without which we would not be the same. That is why God empow-
ers and calls us to exercise our free will and collaborate with Him in the
great work of salvation and the development of His kingdom.
Third, this collaboration requires of us radical commitment and persever-
ance. We cannot collaborate with two different kings that are at war with
each other. We must know the truth, choose the just and loving King of
heaven, align our lives with His principles, and fully commit to the cause of
His kingdom, no matter what. These principles will give us the full, ever-
renewable energy to fight and overcome in the crucible of this life.
Lesson Themes: This week’s lesson highlights three major themes.
1. The role of truth in overcoming crucibles
2. The role of our free will in overcoming crucibles
3. The role of commitment and perseverance in overcoming crucibles

Part II: Commentary

Augustine and Pelagius on the Freedom and the Power of the Will
Many Christians find it difficult to understand how our free will relates to the
origin of evil and suffering, as well as to salvation. Some fall into one of two
extremes as illustrated by the fifth-century fierce debate between British ascetic

80
 teachers comments

Pelagius, who settled in Rome (c. 355–420), and Augustine (354–430), the
bishop of Hippo in North Africa. Their debate was over the issue of free will and
salvation. Having arrived in Rome and seen the spiritual and moral laxity of the
Christians in the capital of the Western Roman Empire, Pelagius concluded that
the problem was rooted in the teachings of Augustine on original sin and grace.
Thus, Pelagius decided to confront the bishop of Hippo (present-day
northeastern Algeria). Augustine taught that God is love, and the essence of
love is freedom (there is no love without freedom). Further, Augustine posited
that God created a perfect and good universe. He also created humans in His
image, which means that humans were created perfect, good, loving, and free.
Thus, according to Augustine, when Adam and Eve abused their freedom and
sinned, they generated the original sin. As a consequence, they were covered
in guilt, their nature changed from perfect to sinful, and they lost their free-
dom. They could still perceive the good or the perfect but could not live it out.
What Augustine proposed was that sin is more than an individual act or
error; rather, it is a condition of human existence separate and against God.
Original sin comprised guilt and proclivity to evil. After the Fall, all humans
are sinful, Augustine opined, because we are born with Adam’s guilt and with
a sinful nature that enslaves our wills and lives. Thus, Augustine believed that
we cannot be saved simply by choosing to do good, because we are sinful; we
cannot be saved simply by receiving an instruction or encouragement or by
following an example, because we cannot do away with Adam’s guilt. Nor do
we have the power to overcome our sinful condition and do good, Augustine
further asserted. In his opinion, the only way to be saved is if we could die to
the sinful nature and resurrect to another nature. But according to Augustine,
we cannot do even this by ourselves. The only way we are saved is by God’s
grace. In His grace, Augustine explained, God exercises His sovereign will
and decides to save us by Himself: He removes Adam’s and our guilt from
us through His grace and the sacrament of baptism and subdues our sinful
nature through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who regenerates in us a
new spiritual nature and gives us the power to live a righteous life. For this
reason, Augustine introduced the concept of divine predestination: because
we are enslaved by sin after the Fall, we cannot repent on our own; thus, God
predestines some of us to salvation and the rest to perdition.
Pelagius thought that Augustine’s position led to spiritual laxity, as Christians
would now blame their moral decadence on the original sin and would shun
personal responsibility for sin and evil. For this reason, Pelagius proposed
another perspective. Like Augustine, Pelagius believed that God created a per-
fect universe and humans as free beings. Evil originated in Adam’s free choice
to sin. However, Pelagius rejected Augustine’s idea that humans inherit a sinful
nature and guilt from Adam. According to Pelagius, Adam’s sin affected only
him and not his children. Thus, Pelagius reasoned, the innocence and free will
of Adam’s posterity were fully preserved, and therefore, each child that is born
into the world is born with a perfect nature and a perfectly operational free will.
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 teachers comments

Further, Pelagius asserted that all humans sin, not because they are born with
Adam’s guilt and sinful nature, but all sin because all of us are born and live in
a corrupt social environment and exercise our will and choose to sin. According
to Pelagius, a person is guilty, not because of the guilt inherited from Adam but
because of his or her own choice to sin. Therefore, Pelagius maintained, God
holds us accountable for our sins because we are truly free. God calls us to con-
duct a righteous life because He knows we can do so. Jesus lived a perfect life
and showed us that this is possible. Yes, we live by God’s grace, but in Pelagius’s
view, the divine grace consisted in the fact that God created us with free will,
gave us His law and instructions for living out good and perfect lives, and gave
us the example of Jesus. Furthermore, God gives us forgiveness in Jesus in case
we fall by choosing to sin and gives us the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our
spiritual journey. For additional reading on the Augustine-Pelagian debate, see,
for example, Alister E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction, 5th ed.
(Oxford, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011), pp. 18–20.
Each of the two contenders were, no doubt, sincere and highlighted
good points. However, each of them fell into extremes. Augustine fell into
predestination and sacramentalism (God’s grace comes to us through the
sacraments). Pelagius fell into a superficial treatment of sin and salvation
by works. The truth lies in the Bible! The Bible presents God as love (John
3:16; 1  John 4:8, 16). He created Adam and Eve innocent (Gen. 1:31,
Gen. 2:25, Eccles. 7:29) and with freedom of choice (Gen. 2:15–17).
However, our parents chose to sin (Gen. 3:6).
The Bible is clear that sin is not a simple past act of Adam and Eve.
Rather, the Genesis account of the Fall describes immediate and profound
changes appearing in their nature, relationships, environment, lifestyle, and
descendants (Gen. 3:7–24, Gen. 4:1–16). The apostle Paul stipulates that
with Adam sin and death “entered” (invaded) and pervaded the world in
space and time (Rom. 5:12–14, NKJV). Sin brought upon humanity suffer-
ing, death, and condemnation for all men (Rom. 5:16–18). Because of the
transgression of Adam, all people “were made sinners” (Rom. 5:19, NKJV).
For this reason, all humans are born in sin, and none is born righteous
(Rom. 3:9–18, 23; Ps. 14:1–3; Ps. 51:5). Thus, the Bible rejects Pelagianism
and presents sin as more than an individual human act. Rather, sin is
described as both an external and internal force that enslaves and destroys
all humanit­y in all its aspects. Facing this grim outlook, Paul exclaimed des-
perately: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of
death?” (Rom. 7:24, NKJV). By itself, humanity cannot solve the problem
of sin and evil. The only hope for sinful humanity is in the sacrificial and
transformative ministry of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24, 25; Rom. 5:6–19; Rom.
7:25) and in the regenerative and mediating ministry of the Holy Spirit,
who gives us a new heart (Ezek. 36:26, 27; John 3:5–8; Rom. 8:3–6, 9–17).
Furthermore, the Bible does not teach the Augustinian concept of predes-
tination and sacramentalism. Yes, at the foundation of the biblical teaching
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 teachers comments

of salvation is always God’s initiative, intervention, solution (the sacrifice of

Christ), and power for redemption (Gen. 3:8, 15; Exod. 20:2; Rom. 5:6–8).
However, God did not predestine some humans for salvation and some for
perdition. Rather, God always gave humans the individual freedom to choose
(Josh. 24:15) and holds the individuals and nations accountable for their
acceptance or rejection of His salvation (see, for example, Gen 4:4–12, Gen.
15:16). The golden text of the gospel declares that “God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, NKJV). The Bible insists that God
wants, and invites, all to be saved (Ezekiel 33; John 1:12, 13; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet.
3:9; 1 John 2:2; Rev. 22:17). And once the people respond to God’s invitation,
they collaborate with God in His salvation (2 Pet. 1:10, James 4:8, Rev. 3:20).
Scripture also rejects any sacramental view of the divine grace; on the contrary,
the New Testament emphasizes that God gives all of us His grace, only—and
directly—through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; Heb. 5:9; Heb. 7:24, 25; Hebrews
9; Hebrews 10).
Historically, most Christians rejected Pelagius and embraced Augustine’s
understanding that all humans are born with a sinful nature and that sin is an
invincible force for humans. Roman Catholics integrated into their theology
Augustine’s idea that all humans inherit Adam’s guilt and the need for sacra-
ments but rejected his views on predestination. In contradistinction, Protestantism
rightly rejected Augustine’s idea that we inherit Adam’s guilt and that God’s
grace comes through the sacraments, but large parts of Protestantism errone-
ously accepted his concept of predestination. In the wake of the Enlightenment,
modern and postmodern societies tend to reject the Augustinian ideas and think
more in line with Pelagius. To reach people in these societies, we not only need to
emphasize the biblical teachings on the free will and our profound responsibility
for our individual and communal history but also share the biblical teaching about
the seriousness of the power of sin and our only hope of salvation in Jesus Christ.
This illustration helps us understand that knowing the truth is essential for our
understanding of suffering and trials in our lives. But it also helps us understand
our own nature and the power of free will. Such understanding helps us always
seek and accept God’s help, guidance, and power to overcome our crucibles.

Part III: Life Application

1. Spiritual discipline and cheap grace. Of course, Augustine and Luther

taught salvation by divine predestination as a celebration of God’s
tremendous grace. However, this concept has led some Christians to
think that if we are irreversibly elected and saved by God, we do not,

83 83
 teachers comments

and cannot, participate at all in the process of salvation. This con-

cept, also called “cheap grace,” leads to a lack of spiritual discipline
in many Christians. If God irreversibly elected us, why pray? Why
read the Bible? Why be vigilant? Why participate in the life of the
community of faith? Why evangelize? Great historical movements
of revival in Protestantism, such as late seventeenth-century Philipp
Spener’s pietism in the German Lutheran context and several Great
Awakening movements in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
in North America, responded to this peril by proposing deliberate
spiritual discipline programs for both families and communities.
Examine your individual spiritual life, the spiritual life of your
family, and the spiritual life of your community. What is the state
of spiritual discipline in these circles? What can you do to make
meaningful and profound changes so as to bring about a spiritual
discipline in accordance with the biblical exhortations (see Col. 1:28,
29; 1 Cor. 9:23–27)? Design a project to promote a lifestyle of spir-
i­tual discipline for your personal life, and, if necessary and possible,
for your family and community.

2. Radical Commitment. Some Christians think Christianity is synony­

mous with the absence of suffering and troubles. Other Christians
do allow for some amount of inconvenience. But how many
Christians are radically committed to God, to His call to follow
Christ, to His kingdom, and to His mission in the great conflict
between God and Satan, good and evil? In the context of increas-
ing persecution of contemporary Christians in various parts of
the world, numerous Christians feel the need for a better—indeed,
radical—preparedness to go through crucibles. Examine your level
of commitment to God and His kingdom. Design a scale of personal
commitment. Based on your scale, what is radical commitment for
you? To what extent are you ready in your Christian commitment
to serve God in whatever way He may ask of you?

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