The Christian life is meant to be lived out in community. Rather than doing our best to “work out our salvation” in isolation from other believers, intentionally spending time with and learning from our brothers and sisters in Christ is richly rewarding… actually I’d say it’s required. On this shared journey towards Christlikeness, we work together to deepen our understanding of God through the means of grace (scripture and prayer) and the church community is the crucible in which we learn how to better apply the teachings of Jesus to the way we live our lives.
In addition to regular church attendance (also required for Christians), I’m part of a group that meets together regularly to read, discuss, and learn from the writings of great men and women of faith throughout history. These spiritual forebears of ours have much to speak into our lives today from the timeless words of scripture, and we do ourselves a disservice if we don’t take time to listen to what they have to say. Most recently, the group has spent time studying the works of Christians such as Karl Barth, J. I. Packer, and Martin Luther. We’ve loved learning more about spiritual disciplines, evangelism, personal piety, loving one another, understanding the person and work of Jesus, and living the Christian life.
Who is the next author, and what does he have to say?
The next round of Christian Classics is about to begin, and members of the group are placing orders for the next book with anticipation. We’re taking a look at Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s influential work: Discipleship. We’ll be using the more accessible Reader’s Edition from Fortress Press, as it divides his content nicely for our fortnightly meetings, and the modern translation and supplemental material help to make clear Bonhoeffer’s theology amidst his unique social context. Bonhoeffer has much to say about Christ’s call to discipleship and what that looks like for us as disciples, and he takes the time to discuss the more practical aspects of the church of Jesus Christ and discipleship (doing life together as members of the body of Christ). The largest section of this famous work is his discourse of the Sermon on the Mount which can be said (without exaggeration, I think) to have influenced almost every evangelical theologian since it was written.
We truly stand on the shoulders of giants. We have so much to learn from the great men and women of the Christian faith who have forged a path for us; why don’t you join us as we read through some of their most classic works and discover more of the glory of Christ together.
Contact me via social media (buttons can be found here on the site) if you’d like to be involved, either in person or online. Why not get a head start, and order the book from Book Depository.
