Engaging the Mind: A Journey of Faith and Learning

 

Summary

In today's reflection, we explored the profound commandment to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. This commandment, as Jesus emphasized, is not just about emotional or spiritual devotion but also about engaging our intellect in our faith journey. Jesus himself exemplified this by growing in wisdom, as noted in Luke 2:52. This intellectual engagement is not a new concept; it has deep roots in Christian history. The early church fathers, for instance, integrated the wisdom of Greek and Latin thinkers into their theological frameworks, a practice they likened to "spoiling the Egyptians" by taking valuable insights from other cultures and incorporating them into their faith.

The tradition of valuing education continued through history, notably during the reign of Charlemagne, who established the liberal arts as a central curriculum for education. These arts were seen as a means to free the mind from ignorance and superstition, allowing believers to love God with all their minds. This historical perspective challenges us to consider what we are learning in our own stories today.

We also delved into the life of E. Stanley Jones, a Methodist missionary whose life was a testament to continuous learning and growth. His friendship with Gandhi and his influence on Martin Luther King Jr. highlight the power of learning from others and integrating diverse perspectives into our faith. Jones's approach to life was one of constant renewal and transformation, urging us to cultivate new life through daily disciplines, confession, and prayer.

In our journey, we are encouraged to keep our minds open, ready to learn from every moment and every person. This openness is not just about personal growth but about expanding the reach of our conversion to include all aspects of life, breaking down barriers of class, race, and social status. Today, let us embrace a conversion that is unlimited, eager to learn and love God with all our minds.

Key Takeaways:

1. Engaging the Mind in Faith: Loving God with all our mind involves a commitment to intellectual growth and learning. This is not just about acquiring knowledge but about freeing our minds from ignorance and superstition, allowing us to engage more deeply with our faith. [01:53]

2. Historical Roots of Christian Learning: The early church fathers and figures like Charlemagne valued education as a means to deepen faith. By integrating wisdom from various cultures, they demonstrated that all truth is God's truth, encouraging us to learn from diverse sources. [03:02]

3. E. Stanley Jones's Legacy: Jones's life exemplifies the power of continuous learning and openness to other cultures. His influence on figures like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. shows the transformative potential of integrating diverse perspectives into our faith journey. [06:03]

4. Daily Disciplines for Spiritual Growth: Cultivating new life involves daily practices such as keeping our minds open, confessing sins, and praying for those who wrong us. These disciplines help us maintain a vibrant and growing relationship with God. [07:35]

5. Unlimited Conversion: Our conversion should extend beyond personal piety to include social and economic dimensions, breaking down barriers of class and race. By embracing a conversion that is unlimited, we can learn from every person and situation, enriching our faith and understanding. [10:25]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [01:39] - The Greatest Commandment
- [02:12] - Jesus and Wisdom
- [02:31] - Wisdom in Ancient Times
- [03:17] - Spoiling the Egyptians
- [03:29] - Charlemagne and the Liberal Arts
- [04:01] - Education and Freedom
- [04:20] - The Seven Liberal Arts
- [05:09] - The Love of Learning
- [05:21] - E. Stanley Jones's Story
- [06:03] - Influence of Gandhi and MLK
- [07:03] - Daily Disciplines
- [08:08] - Confession and Forgiveness
- [09:24] - Expanding Conversion
- [10:43] - Learning from All Sources

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 - "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
2. Luke 2:52 - "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."
3. Acts 7:22 - "Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action."

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Observation Questions:

1. What additional category does Jesus include when citing the greatest commandment, and why is it significant? [01:53]
2. How did Jesus exemplify the commandment to love God with all our mind according to Luke 2:52? [02:12]
3. What historical practices did the early church fathers adopt to integrate wisdom from other cultures into their faith? [03:02]
4. How did Charlemagne contribute to the tradition of Christian learning, and what was the purpose of the liberal arts during his reign? [03:29]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the inclusion of "mind" in the greatest commandment expand our understanding of loving God? [01:53]
2. In what ways does the life of E. Stanley Jones illustrate the importance of continuous learning and openness to other cultures? [06:03]
3. How can the historical integration of diverse wisdom into Christian thought challenge our current approach to learning and faith? [03:02]
4. What does it mean to have an "unlimited conversion," and how does this concept challenge traditional views of personal faith? [10:25]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your current learning practices. How can you intentionally engage your mind in your faith journey this week? [01:53]
2. Consider a time when you learned something valuable from a culture or perspective different from your own. How did it impact your faith? [06:03]
3. What daily disciplines can you incorporate into your life to cultivate a vibrant relationship with God? [07:35]
4. Identify a barrier in your life—be it social, economic, or racial—that limits your conversion. How can you work towards breaking it down? [10:25]
5. Think of a person or situation from which you can learn something new this week. How will you approach it with an open mind? [10:43]
6. How can you apply the concept of "spoiling the Egyptians" by integrating valuable insights from non-Christian sources into your faith? [03:02]
7. What specific steps can you take to ensure your mind is free from ignorance and superstition, as emphasized in the sermon? [04:01]

Devotional

Day 1: Engaging the Mind in Faith
Loving God with all our mind involves a commitment to intellectual growth and learning. This is not just about acquiring knowledge but about freeing our minds from ignorance and superstition, allowing us to engage more deeply with our faith. Engaging the mind in faith means actively seeking wisdom and understanding, much like Jesus did during his time on earth. He grew in wisdom and stature, setting an example for us to follow. This intellectual engagement is not a new concept; it has deep roots in Christian history. The early church fathers integrated the wisdom of Greek and Latin thinkers into their theological frameworks, demonstrating that all truth is God's truth. By doing so, they encouraged believers to learn from diverse sources and to love God with all their minds. [01:53]

"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning." (Proverbs 9:9, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your faith where you feel intellectually challenged? How can you seek wisdom and understanding in this area today?


Day 2: Historical Roots of Christian Learning
The early church fathers and figures like Charlemagne valued education as a means to deepen faith. By integrating wisdom from various cultures, they demonstrated that all truth is God's truth, encouraging us to learn from diverse sources. This tradition of valuing education continued through history, notably during the reign of Charlemagne, who established the liberal arts as a central curriculum for education. These arts were seen as a means to free the mind from ignorance and superstition, allowing believers to love God with all their minds. This historical perspective challenges us to consider what we are learning in our own stories today and how we can incorporate diverse wisdom into our faith journey. [03:02]

"Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance." (Proverbs 1:5, ESV)

Reflection: What is one new source of wisdom or knowledge you can explore this week to deepen your faith?


Day 3: E. Stanley Jones's Legacy
E. Stanley Jones's life exemplifies the power of continuous learning and openness to other cultures. His influence on figures like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. shows the transformative potential of integrating diverse perspectives into our faith journey. Jones's approach to life was one of constant renewal and transformation, urging us to cultivate new life through daily disciplines, confession, and prayer. His friendship with Gandhi and his influence on Martin Luther King Jr. highlight the power of learning from others and integrating diverse perspectives into our faith. This openness is not just about personal growth but about expanding the reach of our conversion to include all aspects of life. [06:03]

"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." (Proverbs 13:20, ESV)

Reflection: Who is someone from a different background or culture that you can learn from this week? How can their perspective enrich your faith journey?


Day 4: Daily Disciplines for Spiritual Growth
Cultivating new life involves daily practices such as keeping our minds open, confessing sins, and praying for those who wrong us. These disciplines help us maintain a vibrant and growing relationship with God. By engaging in these daily practices, we open ourselves to continuous learning and transformation, much like E. Stanley Jones did throughout his life. These disciplines are not just about personal piety but about expanding our understanding and love for God. They help us break down barriers and engage more deeply with our faith, allowing us to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. [07:35]

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." (Proverbs 4:23, ESV)

Reflection: What daily discipline can you commit to this week to deepen your relationship with God and others?


Day 5: Unlimited Conversion
Our conversion should extend beyond personal piety to include social and economic dimensions, breaking down barriers of class and race. By embracing a conversion that is unlimited, we can learn from every person and situation, enriching our faith and understanding. This openness to learning and growth is not just about personal transformation but about expanding the reach of our conversion to include all aspects of life. It challenges us to break down barriers and engage with others in meaningful ways, allowing us to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. [10:25]

"For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13, ESV)

Reflection: What is one barrier in your life that prevents you from fully embracing an unlimited conversion? How can you begin to break down this barrier today?

Quotes


Jesus cites that but he adds one more category and that is you shall love him with all your mind neoplus says this is the Magna Carta for Christian uh learning and scholarship and intellectual exercise we're told of Jesus in Luke 2:52 that he actually did this and Jesus increased in wisdom imagine God limiting himself so much that he's got to learn a Hebrew alphabet and vocabulary Aramaic and and so it says of acts of Moses I think it's in Acts 7:22 um that Moses was educated in all of the wisdom of Egypt. [00:01:56]

There was a great admiration in ancient times in the biblical world uh not just for the wisdom and education of Israel my old teacher Jerry Haw used to point out but a a great respect for wisdom from other sources wisdom of Egypt in fact the early church fathers in the early centuries of the church actually studied deeply in the texts of the classic Greek and Latin thinkers and they sometimes spoke about this as spoiling the Egyptians. [00:02:38]

Charlamagne appoints uh alquin who is quite a brilliant thinker in that day kind of like Secretary of Education and thus are born what we know as the liberal arts they were the Seven Liberal Arts and the reign of Charlamagne began to uh be the central curriculum for an educated person they were called liberal arts liberal not in the sense of progressive Red State Blue State but Liberty Freedom that by being educated by loving God with all of our minds our minds might be free from ignorance and Superstition and pettiness. [00:03:33]

The study of grammar and then rhetoric making language a beautiful thing and then logic to be able to think clearly and then astronomy that was very useful navigation and so on mathematics GE ometry we can now measure the Earth um music the study of Music uh which contains so much beauty that was to be an educated person that came from followers of Jesus they loved education so much in charlamagne's day that they began to to uh copy ancient text now we have publishing and printing presses in our day. [00:04:11]

E Stanley Jones was a Methodist missionary he went to India in 1907 and he had a remarkable capacity for Learning and growth a very infectious Spirit uh he studied the people who were there he became a very good friend of Gandhi in fact he wrote a biography of Gandhi he won the Gandhi Peace Prize in 1963 Martin Luther King Jr told East anley Jones's daughter that uh it was Jones's biography of Gandhi that's part of what inspired Martin Luther King to nonviolence. [00:05:21]

They began what was called the Christian ashram Movement where he had a great respect for honoring of all people's faiths the faiths of India helped missionaries over there to gain uh greater appreciation for the strengths and the mindset of the Indian character uh and was able to do that in a way that also pointed to Jesus in a very Central means and he never stopped learning when he was 88 years old he suffered a severe stroke. [00:06:05]

Jones writes cultivate the New Life by daily disciplines commissioner bringle of the Salvation Army a center of great spiritual power suggest three things to keep the fire burning keep the drought open that's my mind always watching always ready to learn clean the ashes out keep putting in fuel how am I fueling my mind then keep confessing your sins after conversion don't be afraid to say I am sorry I was wrong. [00:07:38]

The rule about confessing your sins should be the circle of confession should be the circle affected by the sin if the sin has been against an individual confess it to that individual if against a family to a family if against a group to a group if against a church to a church what a difference it would make what a difference it would make two day if Christians followers of Jesus church leaders would just simply confess next pray for those who've wronged you this will be an antidote for resentment and bitterness. [00:08:11]

Constantly enlarge the area of your conversion make your conversion Tak in more and more areas of your life in the asham in India we gave the servants including the sweeper a holiday one day a week and volunteered to do their jobs for them the sweeper work included the cleaning out of latrines before the days of Flesh toilets no one would touch that job but an outcast but we volunteered. [00:09:18]

Some of our conversions are conversions limited and some are conversions unlimited some take in the individual life but not the social and economic some let their conversions function within their class or within their race but not among all classes and not among all Races so today it's conversion Unlimited today it's God what can I learn how can I love you with all my mind how can I be white awake what thought might come there is nobody from whom I you cannot learn something. [00:10:04]

There is no Source there is no moment in time with a mind that is awake and alive to God that the liberal arts that is the liberating Arts all truth is God's truth God loves a mind that is eager and hungry and wide awake and ready to learn from anywhere from anybody do it today why would you not learn something today this is my story. [00:10:46]

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Transcript
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