Recovering the Spiritual Discipline of Study

Philippians 4:2–9

2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Water, water everywhere, yet not a drop to drink.

This famous line from a poem called, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, describes sailors stranded at sea…surrounded by undrinkable ocean-water,

But it has also become a metaphor in our culture for being overwhelmed by something abundant yet useless.

This line came to me, perhaps because I spent the better part of the last week on a cruise ship and had my morning devotions looking out over the ocean.

But more likely because it I think truly defines where we are when it comes to the spiritual rhythm of study.

We are drowning in a sea of facts, figures, theories, arguments, and claims…but hardly a soul has wisdom enough to buoy us in the storms of life.

We have greater access to information than at any other time in human history, but nobody knows anything.

Water, water everywhere. But, not a drop to drink.

The consequences of this lack of knowledge is evident in the way anxiety has taken hold as a defining feature of our society.

1 in 5 children and teens (8-18) experience an anxiety disorder

Paul in this text moves—in the text—from exhorting the Christians to deal with relational and social disorder to exhorting them to mental discipline.

The undisciplined mind is unsure about reality…and therefore prone to disorder, conflict, anxiety, and instability.

Not only true for the unbeliever, but for the believer also.

Faith alone will not free us from the chains of fear, doubt, and worry.

It takes a knowledge of the truth.

And you will know the truth, and the truth that you know will make you free.

As God said through the prophet Hosea: MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.

The tragedy of it all is that Christian used to know stuff.

We opened schools…advanced medicine...established systems of commerce

But, somewhere we got off track

We traded the cultivation of knowledge for academic pursuits.

We traded the development of the human mind and transformation of the human soul for the advancements in technological efficiency and economic productivity.

We focused on becoming more advanced in what we can do rather than more grounded in who we are becoming.

We learned with our culture the importance of accelerating our processes…and forgot with the world the importance of abiding with our Father.

We traded the spiritual discipline of study for carnal practice of accumulating information.

Before were called Christians, we were disciples (students)…

Study the discipline of paying attention to reality as it is…that is reality as God has made it.

To be a disciple is be student in the Jesus Christ School of Life

If we want to overcome the spirit of chaos and anxiety in our age, then we must restore the spiritual discipline of study.

Sermon Called: Recovering the Spiritual Discipline of Study

Answer 3 Questions

Why Should We Study?

What Should We Study?

How Should We Study?

Why Should We Study? (Ask and get responses)

Here is the greatest failure of our Western, industrialized education.

We focus study primarily on productivity…you go to school so you can get a good job.

We learn stuff in order to do stuff.

This is not how scripture views study at all.

Romans 12:2 (Be transformed by the renewing of your mind)

The goal of study is not the manipulation of the world, but the formation of the soul.

Its not “learn something you can do something”, its “study so that you can become something.”

(KIESHA MCDADE 4TH GRADE EXAMPLE)

We must be careful how we educate our children.

There is always a strong formative aspect to study.

Your child is not just learning how to make a living, they are learning how to live their life.

Whatever you become determines what you will do…and it doesn’t matter what your job is.

Whatever the academic subject, the formation is primarily greed and self-idolatry

Teachers = greedy, selfish people at a chalk board

Accountants = greedy, selfish people with a calculator

Nurses = greedy, selfish people in scrubs

Study is not primarily about information and skill development, study is about formation and soul development.

What should we study?

Our culture says that the most important information is negative and critical.

Hot takes

Clap backs

Tragedy

Conspiracy

(CORBAN NEWS EXAMPLE)

Paul does not begin with what is wrong with the world, but with what is worthy of sustained attention.

Genesis 1:31 – God calls creation “very good” before sin is named

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – God has “made everything beautiful in its time”

Psalm 27:4 – “to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord”

This does not mean that evil goes unexamined, pain unaddressed, and injustice unopposed.

Quite the opposite.

Evil is most easily recognized by people who are fluent in the good.

Where do we look for things to study…WHATEVER = “as many things”

Study the Word

Scripture first

Other books

Study the World (don’t just be book smart)

The study of real life.

Study

Creation / Natural Order (You did not make the world)

The past (Ignore the past to your own peril)

Repeat folly

Overestimate novelty

Lose humility

The Present (Not just watching the news, but discerning the times)

People and Relationships (People are not distractions from formation; they are instruments of it.)

Yourself (This may be the hardest and most neglected field of study.)

2 Corinthians 13:5 - “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith”

Self-study is neither self-obsession or self-hatred.

It is humble, honest, self-awareness before God.

How Should We Study? (4 Steps)

Step #1: Step Through (process the data)

On computers and AI

Don’t outsource cognitive labor

You can’t train without resistance

Repetition, Recitation, Writing, Retrieval

EXAMPLE OF BOOKS I BROUGHT WITH ME

Step #2: Lock In (Focus on the subject)

The mind has tremendous capacity to focus.

We live in a world with seemingly infinite distractions.

Ask questions.

Challenge assumptions.

Make connections…

Step #3: Notice what you notice. (Make Observations)

What seems to be true?

What opinions arise from your careful, prayerful analysis of the data?

Opinions are important

Interaction between spiritual, experiential, and logical data

Step #4: Zoom out. (Place it in a larger context)

Truth is not situational

Truth is not subjective

Humility is required…The world was here before you…you did not create it.

Know Truth. Know Peace. No Truth. No Peace.

We desire to be a non-anxious presence in our world (classrooms, programs, jobs, families, neighborhoods).

We cannot do this if we will not cultivate moral knowledge.

Let’s Be Students In the School of Jesus.

Set aside a 30 minute windows.

Do MATH homework...spend 30 minutes studying MATH.

Add until you’re spending more time.

Consider a study retreat.

Discuss what you’re studying and what you’re learning.

Become a student of Christ (Call to Discipleship)

Join a community of disciples trying together recover the spiritual discipline of study (Call to Membership)