Today we begin a new topical series called ‘Life Together’, based on a short book of the same title by Dietrich Bonhoeffer on what the Christian life looks like on the ground. The topics we will be discussing are (i) corporate worship, (ii) God’s word, (iii) serving the church, and (iv) loving the community.
For some, these topics may sound a little too familiar. Yet we must understand that these basic Christian disciplines, which I prefer to call ‘the means of grace’, are the ‘scales’ of the Christian life. Just like an accomplished musician understands the importance of doing scales, so too does the mature Christian appreciate the means of grace. Billy Graham once famously said he wished he had spent less time on the road, and more time at home reading the Bible and praying. The other means of grace are corporate worship, evangelism, serving in ministry, fellowship and caring for the poor.
My prayer for this series is that we will be reminded afresh of the enormous advantages of regularly engaging in the means of grace. Just like Jesus wants his disciples to be regularly reminded of the cross in the Lord’s Supper, so too are Christians to be regularly reminded of the importance of the basics of the Christian life.
Yet even more than this, my deepest desire is for the Spirit to awaken our hearts to the enjoyment offered in these practices. They are some of God’s greatest blessings to his people, yet Christians too often look upon them as burdens we have a duty to fulfil. Lord please remove these scales from our eyes. Transform our hearts so that when we awaken each morning, the ‘new mercies’ we look for won’t begin with our morning coffee, reading a good book, or watching Netflix. Let us awaken each day looking forward to the opportunity to delight once again in your means of grace.
