Disciples and Disciple-making (10)
As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27.17
Aelred believed that spiritual friendship is the surest path to perfection in the knowledge of God: “…friendship is a path that leads very close to the perfection which consists of the enjoyment and knowledge of God, such that a man who is a friend of man is made into a friend of God, according to what the Savior said in the gospel: ‘Now I will not call you servants, but my friends’” (Spiritual Friendship).
Two important aspects of spiritual friendship are glimpsed here. First, true friendship focuses on God, on knowing Him, dwelling in His Presence, and becoming like Him in all the perfections of virtue and knowledge. True spiritual friends thus sharpen one anotheras image-bearers of God and Christ. Their friendship is always intended as a means of pressing on toward the goal for the upward prize of God in Christ Jesus. And by working on it together, they may be assured of steady progress.
And, second, Aelred understood that such a project is a path, a journey. Spiritual friends are in it for the long haul. True friendships are going somewhere together. They have intermediate goals and objectives, and they take stock of their progress. They carry each other when discouragement or weariness befalls. They are patient with one another, and they enjoy the journey by enjoying together the Presence of the Lord. They are disciples together of Christ.
Spiritual friendship is thus an indispensable aid both to being and making disciples.
The role of baptism in discipleship
Too easily taken for granted, baptism plays an important role in discipleship. Mike McQueen explains in this week’s conversation, which you can listen to by clicking the link at the top of this letter.
Resources for Shepherds
We’re hearing sounds of revival again, this time from Ohio State University. Thousands of students came forward to be baptized at a recent event. But are these “revivals” genuine? Are they true works of the Holy Spirit? And how can we know? Jonathan Edwards can help. My review of his sermon, “Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Holy Spirit”, both summarizes Edwards’ teaching on the subject and offers a free copy of this important sermon.
Our current Read Moore series is taking excerpts from the book, The Church Captive. You can find it on our home page, midway down, Monday through Friday. Plus, visit the home page and order a free copy of The Church Captive together with the next book in our series, Revived!
How did Jonathan Edwards encourage us to think about prayer? Download our free devotional study, based on his writings, Give Him No Rest, by clicking here.
From The Celtic Revival
While we in this country rarely experience it, persecution is not uncommon for Christians in many other parts of this world. They need our prayers and, as we are able, our help, because we are one with them in the Body of Christ.
Believers experienced persecution during the period of The Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800). Colum Cille (d. 596) understood this. His biographer quoted him as saying,
“In our minds, therefore, we must share the sufferings of our brothers, our fellow-members, who are placed in unendurable danger; and we must pray to the Lord for them.”
– Colum Cille in Adomnán, Life of Columba, Irish, 7th century[1]
We have not always been as faithful as we might be in this matter, as I explain in tomorrow’s Crosfigell teaching letter. You can sign up to receive Crosfigell in your email box every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 am (Eastern US). Just use the subscription button to update your subscriptions (scroll to the bottom of the home page).
The Brothers in our Fellowship are finishing up their annual revision of our Personal Rule this week. I’m sure they would appreciate your prayers. Common rules of discipline played an important role in the faith of those who carried on The Celtic Revival for nearly four centuries. Our book, Living to Rule, takes a closer look at monastic rules from this period to discern the disciplines that helped them to “save civilization” (Cahill). You can download a free copy of Living to Rule by clicking here.
And if you’re interested in learning more about Membership in The Fellowship of Ailbe, please do not hesitate to contact me at tmmoore@ailbe.org.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this issue of Pastor to Pastor helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Support for Pastor to Pastor comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] Adomnán, p. 169.
