Bible study

EBF Council Prague 2005
Devotions 24-9-05

Text: Luke 4:16-22

1. Good Practice

There is a good practice for every believer. For the Jews, it was the good practice of going to the Temple, attending worship, studying God's word, praying - a blessed routine of faith practice.

The boy Jesus grew up in a family of such good practice. In Luke chapter 2 we read of the trip they take to the Temple to present the baby to the Lord and bring the required offering. This happened after he had been circumcised and named as the law required - a good practice of faith. In the same chapter, a few verses later, it is reported that the family once again went to the Temple to celebrate the Passover festival. In the course of time, the boy Jesus is missing on the trek home. When they find him, he responds to their scolding: "Did you not know that I have to be in my Father's house?"

Christians know this Good Practice too: attractive programs at church, an authentic Christian lifestyle that draws people to attend our meetings, to study and to pray. In recent months Rick Warren's book Purpose-driven Life has been studied widely and many churches engaged in "40 Days of Purpose" to rediscover the basic truth and practice of a believer's life. By Good Practice, the church becomes a home, a place of belonging, of identity - My Father's House. The church becomes a home for all: a place for children, for women, for outcasts of our society.

In one church in Germany called Aue/Lauter which over the years had grown old and small and tired, several substance addicts came in contact with the church. They felt the love of Christ among the church members, found Christ as their Saviour and brought more people into the church through their testimony. The small and dying church gained hope again, became stronger and more prayerful, and is now a growing, thriving church. Good Practice had sustained them.

2. Best Practice

The term Best Practice is taken from the vocabulary of North American business management. North Americans are very pragmatic; they observe what works well and duplicate this experience wherever possible. This they call "best practice".

There is more than Good Practice. God's word comes alive for me, it speaks to me, it "happens" to me. A routine relationship with "church" turns into a personal relationship with God. Jesus proclaims: "He sent me" (Luke 4:18-19) The "kairos" of God, the moment God speaks into my situation, has its deep roots in the Good Practice, but it comes alive in the personal encounter with God.

From now on Jesus knows: It is me! He understands his personal calling. When my Good Practice turns into Best Practice, I learn to focus on the one thing I am called to be and to do. (John the Baptist for example was called to announce Christ, nothing else. He was not to be the Christ himself, but to point to him - that was his calling.)

3. God's Practice

Now God's power comes into action in my life. He unfolds his strength in my weakness. Now I become an instrument to fulfil His mission:

• Preach good news to the poor
• Proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind
• Release the oppressed
  
• Proclaim the year of the Lord's favour

We become a carrier of hope to a lost world through the power of God. ("Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" - 1Peter 3:15)

Often it is easier for us to see problems all around us, than to see the vision and discover the opportunities God provides. We are not called to be prophets of doom, but accountants of the Living Hope - "Christ in us, the hope of Glory" (Col 1:27) - the hope of salvation.

God can change the world.
God will change the world and we are his change agents as followers of Christ.

This means, our mission is to live among the people, not to sit in a separate corner and wait for Christ's return! God's Practice is sharing his life with us. In turn, we are sharing our life with the people around us - near and far. When God is sharing his life, he is sharing life in its fullness.

Practice, practice, practice...

Good Practice, Best Practice and God's Practice all include the word practice. This can mean "to do something", and it could mean "to learn to do something", training. The Christian life is about practice: how we do things according to God's will, and how we improve doing what God wants us to do. This is called growth. We continue to practice so that God can continue to work through us.

Examples of my personal practice:

• Being a missionary in South Africa, a "Christ-follower with a mission"
  
• Strategically making contact with my difficult neighbours - patiently!
  
• Taking time to speak with my frustrated doctor about her fight against social injustice in the health systems reform, encouraging her
  
• Getting to know the Mayor of my town
  
• Planning a retreat for tired mothers, facilitated by my church
  
• Praying for and with a friend dying from cancer
  
• Offering financial assistance to our Texan partners involved in disaster relief after the hurricanes in the USA
  
• Attending the EBF Conference on Trafficking and seeking ways to join in the fight against the exploitation of women and children in prostitution.

What is your personal example of practising Good Practice, Best Practice, and God's Practice?

Regina Claas

Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keep You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going!

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