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Life Together
Conversations about
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book by that name
Session 3
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The Day Alone
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In the following we shall consider a
number of directions and precepts that the Scriptures provide
us
for our life together under the Word." From "Life Together"
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Important things to remember:
- It is misusing community/fellowship to merely avoid
being alone. Community is not a cure for loneliness. It
is not a spiritual sanatorium where people can hide from
themselves. It is not a diversion to avoid self. Where there
are communications problems, shallow living, helplessness,
and spiritual death the person has not only avoided God
but self.
- A person who does not know how to be alone not only
harms self, but also harms the community. No matter where
you go, there you are! We cannot escape ourselves.
- The paradox is that one must be able to be alone to
be in community; and one must be able to be in community
to be alone. "One who wants fellowship without solitude
plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who
seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss
of vanity, self-infatuation, and despair.
- Not talking doesn't create solitude. Chatter doesn't
create fellowship.
- Silence is listening to "The Word". We are to be into
The Word, under The Word, and The Word moves through us.
- "Silence is nothing else but waiting for God's Word
and coming from God's Word with a blessing."
- Silence is the sober consequence of spiritual stillness.
Silence is listening, is humble stillness, and can be interrupted
at anytime for the sake of humility.
- Silence is about purification, clarification, concentration
on what is essential. Silence results in right hearing and
right speaking.
- The purposes of being alone are: 1) Scripture meditation,
2) prayer, and, 3) intercession
- Scripture meditation is about: depth vs. breadth. It
is about a word or a sentence. It is about God's Word for
me for today. It is letting God's Word sweep all else aside
until we "get it." It is about getting to "The Word" the
is beyond words. It is about not being completion oriented.
It is allowing The Word to penetrate and dwell in us. In
meditation we seek God, not happiness.
- Prayer is about accepting "The Word" into one's particular
situation. It is about clarification, preservation, sanctification,
faithfulness, courage, and strength. It is about letting
Scripture take root.
- Intercession means bringing others into the presence
of God. It means bringing them to the Cross and the empty
tomb.
- The process of silence is not about legalism. It is
about orderliness and faithfulness. We have a right to this
undisturbed quiet time, prior to the claims of other people.
- Does time in fellowship and/or time alone lodge the
Word of God so securely and so deeply in the heart that
it holds and fortifies, impels to active love, to obedience,
and good works?
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