Barnabas File

A rule of life provides a framework or pattern for a group of believers to walk alongside and encourage each other to pursue those practices that lead to spiritual health and faithful service.     Here are few things to consider as your faith community works together to articulate a rule of life.   First, the process requires spiritual preparation and discernment.  Believers become more focused and aligned as they spend time in prayer individually and corporately.  One approach would be to ask those who are developing a rule of life to set aside a specific time every day to pray using Romans 12:1-2 as a guide:   I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,   by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual   worship.     Do not be conformed to this world,   but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will o...

A rule of life provides a framework or pattern for a group of believers to walk alongside and encourage each other to pursue those practices that lead to spiritual health and faithful service.    Here are few things to consider as your faith community works together to articulate a rule of life.   First, the process requires spiritual preparation and discernment.  Believers become more focused and aligned as they spend time in prayer individually and corporately.  One approach would be to ask those who are developing a rule of life to set aside a specific time every day to pray using Romans 12:1-2 as a guide:   I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,   by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual   worship.     Do not be conformed to this world,   but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of...

One of the processes we provide through Pinnacle Leadership Associates is called  Making the Shift.   As we talk about the shift from being a church member to being a disciple, we encourage congregations to consider developing a rule of life to challenge participants in their discipleship.   A key theme in Jesus’ teaching was the Kingdom or Reign of God.  His hearers often asked him, “When will this come to be?”  N. T. Wright observes, “The crucial question is not so much that of the kingdom’s  timing  as of its  content .”   One point where Jesus addressed the content of the Kingdom as well as the conduct of the life of the believer is found in that portion of the Sermon on the Mount that we call the Beatitudes.  This might well be seen as a prototypical rule of life for believers.  Speaking of the Beatitudes in his book  Living the Sermon on the Mount , Glen H. Stassen writes, “All of these are reward...

We lead busy lives.  Often the important loses out to the urgent.  Important things are those that reflect our personal, emotional, professional, and spiritual values.  They become our “north star” to guide our lives.  The urgent is often what happens when we don’t attend to the important.  As Christians, we seek clarity about those things that are essential for our growth as disciples.   When someone says to me, “I don’t feel that I am growing as a Christian. My life seems to be going nowhere.”  My response is, “Are you practicing the things that are important to you, the things that give your life meaning and purpose?  How’s your prayer life?  Your devotional reading?  Your fellowship with other believers?”  Often, my friend is neglecting those basic practices of life and the results are clear.   This has been a challenge for believers since the time of Christ.  How ...

A rule of life provides a framework or pattern for a group of believers to walk alongside and encourage each other to pursue those practices that lead to spiritual health and faithful service.    Here are few things to consider as your faith community works together to articulate a rule of life. First, the process requires spiritual preparation and discernment.  Believers become more focused and aligned as they spend time in prayer individually and corporately.  One approach would be to ask those who are developing a rule of life to set aside a specific time every day to pray using Romans 12:1-2 as a guide: I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,   by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual   worship.     Do not be conformed to this world,   but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of Go...

We lead busy lives.  Often the important loses out to the urgent.  Important things are those that reflect our personal, emotional, professional, and spiritual values.  They become our “north star” to guide our lives.  The urgent is often what happens when we don’t attend to the important.  As Christians, we seek clarity about those things that are essential for our growth as disciples. When someone says to me, “I don’t feel that I am growing as a Christian. My life seems to be going nowhere.”  My response is, “Are you practicing the things that are important to you, the things that give your life meaning and purpose?  How’s your prayer life?  Your devotional reading?  Your fellowship with other believers?”  Often, my friend is neglecting those basic practices of life and the results are clear. This has been a challenge for believers since the time of Christ.  How d...