Obedience, Prayer, and Courage: Lessons from Bonhoeffer

 

Summary

In reflecting on the life and teachings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we are reminded of the profound commitment required to truly hear from God. Bonhoeffer, a theologian who lived during the rise of Nazi Germany, exemplified a life of obedience and courage. Despite the opportunity to escape to America, he chose to return to Germany, believing that God called him to stand against the oppressive regime. His life challenges us to consider whether we are willing to make difficult choices in obedience to God, even when it places us in harm's way.

Bonhoeffer's practice of meditation and listening to God was not just a crisis response but a daily discipline. This highlights the importance of cultivating a consistent spiritual practice that prepares us for life's challenges. Hearing from God is not about receiving constant directives for every decision but involves a deeper relationship where we are transformed ethically and spiritually. It requires discernment to distinguish between genuine divine guidance and our desires masquerading as God's will.

The sermon also warns against the dangers of superstition in our spiritual lives. Superstition attempts to manipulate or control the divine, lacking a natural connection to God's kingdom. True prayer and hearing from God involve a cooperative relationship where we are active participants in His kingdom, not passive recipients of divine commands. This relationship is marked by freedom, initiative, and ethical transformation, contrasting with a robotic conformity that lacks personal engagement.

Furthermore, the concept of God as a cosmic boss who dictates every detail of our lives is challenged. Instead, God invites us into a friendship characterized by cooperative creativity and subordination without losing our initiative. This understanding transforms our approach to prayer, making it a meaningful interaction with God rather than a ritualistic obligation.

Ultimately, the call is to embrace a life of prayer that aligns with Jesus's vision of the church as a house of prayer. This involves integrating prayer into every aspect of church life, moving beyond traditional prayer meetings to a community where prayer is the central activity.

Key Takeaways:

1. Obedience and Courage in Hearing God: Bonhoeffer's life exemplifies the courage required to obey God's call, even when it leads to personal risk. His decision to return to Nazi Germany challenges us to consider our willingness to make difficult choices in obedience to God. True hearing from God involves a commitment to act on His guidance, regardless of the cost. [24:10]

2. The Discipline of Spiritual Practices: Bonhoeffer's daily practice of meditation and listening to God prepared him for life's challenges. This highlights the importance of cultivating consistent spiritual disciplines that deepen our relationship with God. Such practices enable us to discern His voice amidst life's noise and crises. [24:54]

3. Distinguishing Divine Guidance from Superstition: Superstition attempts to manipulate the divine, lacking a natural connection to God's kingdom. True hearing from God involves a cooperative relationship where we are transformed ethically and spiritually. This requires discernment to distinguish between genuine divine guidance and our desires. [28:14]

4. Freedom and Initiative in God's Kingdom: God invites us into a relationship marked by freedom, initiative, and ethical transformation. This contrasts with a robotic conformity that lacks personal engagement. Understanding God as a friend rather than a cosmic boss transforms our approach to prayer and spiritual life. [34:32]

5. Prayer as a Central Activity in Church Life: Embracing Jesus's vision of the church as a house of prayer involves integrating prayer into every aspect of church life. This moves beyond traditional prayer meetings to a community where prayer is the central activity, aligning with God's purposes and transforming our spiritual experience. [38:14]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [22:45] - Introduction to Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- [23:09] - Bonhoeffer's Underground Seminary
- [23:38] - Bonhoeffer's Courageous Choices
- [24:10] - Obedience to God's Call
- [24:54] - Spiritual Practices and Preparation
- [25:07] - Incorrect Approaches to Hearing God
- [26:09] - Freedom in Divine Guidance
- [27:15] - Superstition vs. Supernatural
- [28:14] - Natural Connection in Prayer
- [29:05] - Ethical Transformation in God's Kingdom
- [34:32] - Freedom and Initiative in Relationship with God
- [35:27] - Misconceptions about Prayer
- [37:03] - The Role of Prayer in God's Purposes
- [38:14] - Church as a House of Prayer

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. Matthew 21:13 - "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers.'"
2. Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
3. James 1:22 - "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

#### Observation Questions
1. How did Dietrich Bonhoeffer's decision to return to Germany during the Nazi regime demonstrate his understanding of obedience to God? [23:54]
2. What was Bonhoeffer's daily spiritual practice, and how did it prepare him for the challenges he faced? [24:54]
3. According to the sermon, what is the difference between true divine guidance and superstition? [28:14]
4. How does the sermon describe the relationship between freedom and initiative in God's kingdom? [34:32]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. What does Bonhoeffer's life teach us about the cost of obedience to God's call, and how might this apply to modern-day believers? [24:10]
2. How can consistent spiritual practices, like those of Bonhoeffer, help believers discern God's voice in their lives? [24:54]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that viewing God as a "cosmic boss" can negatively impact our prayer life? [35:27]
4. How does the concept of ethical transformation relate to the idea of hearing from God and participating in His kingdom? [29:32]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt called to make a difficult decision in obedience to God. What was the outcome, and how did it affect your faith journey? [24:10]
2. Consider your current spiritual practices. How might you incorporate meditation or other disciplines to better prepare for life's challenges? [24:54]
3. Have you ever confused your own desires with divine guidance? How can you develop discernment to distinguish between the two? [28:14]
4. In what ways can you foster a relationship with God that emphasizes freedom and initiative rather than robotic conformity? [34:32]
5. How can your church community integrate prayer more deeply into its activities, moving beyond traditional prayer meetings? [38:14]
6. Identify an area in your life where you might be trying to control or manipulate outcomes. How can you shift towards a more cooperative relationship with God? [28:14]
7. What steps can you take this week to transform your approach to prayer from a ritualistic obligation to a meaningful interaction with God? [35:27]

Devotional

Day 1: Courageous Obedience in the Face of Risk
Bonhoeffer's life exemplifies the courage required to obey God's call, even when it leads to personal risk. His decision to return to Nazi Germany challenges us to consider our willingness to make difficult choices in obedience to God. True hearing from God involves a commitment to act on His guidance, regardless of the cost. [24:10]

"But the righteous shall live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:4, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you feel God is calling you to take a bold step of faith, even if it involves personal risk? How can you prepare yourself to respond courageously?


Day 2: The Power of Consistent Spiritual Practices
Bonhoeffer's daily practice of meditation and listening to God prepared him for life's challenges. This highlights the importance of cultivating consistent spiritual disciplines that deepen our relationship with God. Such practices enable us to discern His voice amidst life's noise and crises. [24:54]

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psalm 46:10, ESV)

Reflection: What daily spiritual practice can you commit to this week to help you better discern God's voice in your life? How will you ensure consistency in this practice?


Day 3: Discernment in Divine Guidance
Superstition attempts to manipulate the divine, lacking a natural connection to God's kingdom. True hearing from God involves a cooperative relationship where we are transformed ethically and spiritually. This requires discernment to distinguish between genuine divine guidance and our desires. [28:14]

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent decision you made. How did you discern whether it was guided by God or influenced by your own desires? What steps can you take to improve your discernment?


Day 4: Freedom and Initiative in God's Kingdom
God invites us into a relationship marked by freedom, initiative, and ethical transformation. This contrasts with a robotic conformity that lacks personal engagement. Understanding God as a friend rather than a cosmic boss transforms our approach to prayer and spiritual life. [34:32]

"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you exercise your God-given freedom and initiative to serve others this week? How does viewing God as a friend change your approach to prayer?


Day 5: Integrating Prayer into Church Life
Embracing Jesus's vision of the church as a house of prayer involves integrating prayer into every aspect of church life. This moves beyond traditional prayer meetings to a community where prayer is the central activity, aligning with God's purposes and transforming our spiritual experience. [38:14]

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42, ESV)

Reflection: How can you contribute to making prayer a central activity in your church community? What specific steps can you take to encourage a culture of prayer within your congregation?

Quotes

Bonhoeffer, brilliant man from a brilliant family, his father was the preeminent psychiatrist in Germany in his day, head of Psychiatry at Berlin, and Bonhoeffer ended up going into Theology and then just being pulled more and more into Jesus, so that by the time he started his little underground seminary in Finkenwald, he took a lot of flack not just for the fact that it was underground and the Nazis were opposed to it, but he was accused of being far too Pious because he did not fit the stereotypical academic format. [00:22:46]

Bonhoeffer began to make decisions to protest and to deliberately place himself in harm's way. He could have emigrated to America but believed that he heard God calling him to go back to Germany and eventually to be martyred. And I find myself asking, am I becoming somebody like that? Or how easy would it be for me to think that God is calling me to just get along, to rationalize my need to be successful? [00:23:38]

He was asked one time, don't you think it would be good to just identify with the German church instead of the confessing church and try to work for reform from within? And he had this great response. He said, if you get on the train going the wrong direction, it does no good to run down the aisle in the opposite way. [00:24:54]

He did not have to try to begin a new practice when he was in crisis. It was part of his life already. But so many people did not hear from God well. Dallas, tell us a little bit more about what does it mean to have an incorrect approach to hearing from God. [00:25:07]

Usually, it means that we are being governed by something in our mind as to how we are righteous or good. For example, you have people who think that what I call a message a minute is the way you hear from God, that it's just everything that you're doing. God doesn't intend to do that. He intends for us to have a freedom to develop and grow and choose within which he may speak. [00:26:09]

Hearing from God is not getting a free pass from the anxiety of having to make hard decisions. It is by getting messages every moment about everything absolutely right. And that is really crucial to understand because so often desiring to hear from God really means trying to be not responsible for my choices. [00:27:15]

It's striking how often we all tend to deteriorate into just superstition. I have a friend, really bright guy, who's actually a New Testament professor, but he desperately wanted to marry a woman, and she didn't really want to marry him. And so he found himself doing things like saying, if I punch this button on the car radio and our song is on, it means God wants us to be together. [00:28:14]

In Superstition, there is no natural connection between what you're trying to manipulate and what you hope to come out of it. There's no natural connection. Someday I want to ask you about a word and have you say, I have no idea, never thought about that before. Actually, I have thought about this. [00:29:05]

The amount of superstition that enters into Christian faith, but we don't think of it because it's attached to Jesus and attached to the Bible. So we think somebody with a Ouija board, they're being superstitious, but not me. But now on the positive side, you see prayer, listening, and hearing, and all of that, if you understand it in the framework of the kingdom of God, there is a natural connection. [00:29:05]

Freedom doesn't show up on the horizon. God could have done that, no question about that, if he had wanted a world of robots, not of free people who love him, understand, and are participants in his kingdom and in his work. Now that's possible. There would be no conversations to be. There would simply be direction and conformity. [00:34:32]

Casting God in the character of the Cosmic boss comes in, and it will eventuate in a situation where God is thought of as a great unblinking Cosmic stare that just sees everything and freezes everything as in some way he has decided it should be. One of the greatest effects on this is prayer. [00:35:27]

If you don't believe that prayer makes a difference in what God does and does not do within the Sovereign purposes of his will, you will pray, and because it's meaningless, and that's why one of the hardest things to do in church is get people to pray. You would think they would read Jesus's statement my house is to be a house of prayer and say well, that's what we do at church is we pray. [00:37:03]

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Transcript
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