Learn, Practice, Heal
Read this Sermon Recap
In our fall preaching series, we’ve been having an extended conversation about the focus of Refuge Church heading into our next season of life and ministry together. We’ve already discussed our vision statement (“To see the goodness of God’s kingdom fully realized in the Refuge family and in our city”). And over the last 2 weeks, David has led us in conversation about our mission statement, “Being transformed through life with Jesus.”
What we truly believe “life with Jesus” means will shape how we live in response. If we think it is only about going to Heaven when we die, we might wonder why not wait until we are much older to walk into what Jesus himself called the “narrow way”. But what if the life Jesus invites us into is actually a life of flourishing? What if discipleship to Jesus is actually “the good life” we are longing for?
To understand what discipleship to Jesus means, we begin by looking at and listening to Him. As Matthew describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (Matthew 4:12-23), he frames it by referring to an ancient prophecy of Isaiah: the reign of God arriving on earth is like light shattering darkness.
But what does this light arriving look like in Jesus’ ministry? Discipleship. Immediately, Jesus calls disciples to come learn from Him and with Him as He works. Matthew 4:23 summarizes the work of Jesus demonstrating the kingdom in three ways: teaching, proclaiming the good news, and healing.
Jesus comes to us as a king who proclaims the arrival of God’s kingdom and invites us to learn from Him. He comes to us as a rabbi who teaches His disciples through embodied, lived practices. He comes as a healer, who works to heal us not just physically, but holistically – our bodies, our sin, our stories.
Learn, practice, heal. That is an expression of what life with Jesus is.
Learning: Jesus as king comes proclaiming a new kingdom. He brings a new vision of the good life, a new imagination of what is possible under God’s reign. As we learn from him, we find – as Dallas Willard describes – we need to replace the destructive, wrong images and ideas we have of God with the images and ideas that filled the mind of Jesus himself. We do this through activities like reading (broadly, widely), listening to preaching and teaching, worshiping together. And there are other ways, too.
Practicing: Jesus as Rabbi comes to make disciples who will learn from Him and become like Him. Learning from a rabbi wasn’t about knowledge gathering, but about learning to live like your rabbi. Practicing the way of Jesus means taking on habits, patterns, and rhythms that are rooted in the life of Jesus, the teaching of Jesus, and the practices of His followers. Over time, we let those habits be used by the Spirit to reshape our hearts and our character.
The church has been a practicing community since the very beginning. (Consider how the church was described in Acts 2:42-47). For generations, the church has held to the importance of spiritual practices (or disciplines) in shaping disciples of Jesus. “Classical” disciplines like Scripture reading, prayer, worship, Sabbath, community, generosity, and fasting might provide an appropriate place for you to begin. Other things in our daily lives – from cooking to riding a Harley – can also become spiritual disciplines when we do them with an intentional openness to the Spirit.
Good practices follow a pattern: They are not prescribed legalism, but a response to an invitation from the Spirit. They are realistic (possible) but not automatic (they require effort and intention). They are repeated over time, whether days, weeks, or years. Ideally, they should be diverse: alone and in community; restful and requiring effort.
Healing: In the Scriptures, we see Jesus heal in various ways. He heals physical diseases and conditions. He heals spiritually through forgiveness and casting out evil spirits. He heals socially, restoring people to community.
In our own experiences, we have seen people dramatically and fully healed in a moment. And we’ve seen others beg for healing and not receive it. It is a difficult and often painful tension. Healing is often below the surface and always outside our control. It comes as grace, a gift.
So, in faith, we open ourselves to God’s healing and trust ourselves to his care. We pray. We enter into relational spaces like spiritual direction or therapy. We trust ourselves to others in community. We remember that suffering is part of the way of Jesus just as it was part of the life of Jesus, and we know that He will always be with us in it.
Entering Conversation
1. Who do you think has been the most intentionally positively formative person in your life? Can you identify what they did (not just who they were) that shaped you?
2. What stood out to you from this week’s sermon? Was anything new? Did anything seem to especially connect with you?
3. Is there any one particular area (learning, practicing, healing) that you would most like to invite God to meet you in right now? Share as you feel comfortable, being patient with some quiet if people need a little space to consider this.
Close your time by praying together. You could have one person pray on behalf of the group, or if your group prefers, give space for multiple people to pray out loud.
Practice for the Week: Formation Audit
At the end of the sermon, David presented a “Formation Audit.” If you’re able, set aside an hour or so of quiet time to work through these questions. Consider discussing your reflections with a trusted friend or family member.
Learn: What are the messages and stories I’m saturated in? (Entertainment, news, cultural beliefs, family of origin). How are those shaping me toward the likeness of Jesus or away from it?
Practice: What habits make up my days or weeks? (Morning/evening routines, work, school, relationships, phone/online). What are those practices doing to me?
Heal: Where do I long for healing? What have I pushed down or tried to ignore? What wounds or sin patterns are shaping me still? What needs to be named, confessed, lamented?