在馬太福音十三章52節，主說：『凡文士受教作天國的門徒，就像一個家主從他庫裡拿出新舊的東西來。』我們的屬靈寶庫就是我們所擁有的真理，它也是使我們靈裡活潑的屬靈食物。我們並不期待每一餐都是完全新的，都是我們以前從來沒有嘗過的食物；反之，我們的飲食可能是我們相當熟悉並且一吃再吃的食物。在屬靈層面也是如此，我們確實偶爾需要有新的啟示與瞭解，但我們也需要擁有已知的事物不斷傳遞給我們，使我們持守在正道上。因此，純全教義的重申對屬靈健康很重要，正如我們為著身體重複吃著天然食物一樣。偶爾的驚喜可以使我們對飲食有興趣，但那是額外的，並不是慣例。倘若我們喜愛看團體運動，我們常會聽到教練談論著他們的練習有多好。倘若他們在比賽前接受訪問，他們常會以練習的好壞來取決獲勝的機會。教練知道練習的品質經常決定團隊在真實比賽中的品質；因此，教練常常辛苦激發團隊將練習當作比賽。
最成功的團隊可能花百分之九十五在基本練習上；在任何運動、商業或專業上最成功的人，幾乎都是那些最知道基本練習的人。為何我喜歡去看美國職業高球錦標賽，因為他們讓你進入練習場與果嶺，使你能看到專業的練習。他們的練習有時很令人震驚，非常有創意。他們有許多使基本練習變得很有趣的方式。我們每一天的生活都是我們的練習，而主幫助我們使之趣味無窮。擁抱生命，並定意絕不浪費考驗，反而是從中成長。
儘管錦標賽的選手為了使練習有趣而創意十足，但他們練習時再認真不過了。我曾在幾年前看過二位最有名的選手在果嶺練習，我注意到他們在每一個入洞口都彼此競爭，甚至打賭。我懷疑他們是否只是愛賭而已，後來發現其實與贏錢無關，而是另一個激發自己在每一個洞口有效練習的方式。同樣地，在練習場上經常有一些競爭，看誰可以打低於標準桿，任何諸如此類的小事都可以被用來磨練他們的技巧，使得練習更有效力。
我偶爾會在美式足球聯盟賽前在他們的崇拜堂演說，我總是對他們賽前的預備與專注感到驚訝不已。我觀看著前鋒敲打他們的頭靠在置物櫃上，因為他們迫不及待衝出去打他們的敵人。他們在賽前的專注力非常嚇人；有一次，當我在賽前對丹佛野馬演說，我聽到主對我說，當祂在祂子民身上看見這樣的決心與專注時，神的國就近了。我永遠無法忘記那一幕，我不管在哪裡演說我都看著每一個群眾，好評估他們的專注度。最近，我開始在一些我們的特會中看見這樣的專注、決心與認真態度了。
有一次我去看華盛頓紅人隊與他們的對手達拉斯牛仔隊在星期一晚上的比賽，我待在一個朋友家，他是紅人隊的，但他卻無法在家，因為整個團隊必須在比賽前一天晚上住在旅館，使他們保持專注。我禁不住思想倘若我們為著教會聚會也開始如此慎重的訓練與預備，人們很快就會坐滿教會，就像他們在美式足球賽體育館一下就坐滿了人一樣。我們所得著的獎賞遠比超級盃冠軍更大！一個靈魂遠比任何運動冠軍更值得；當我們甦醒過來朝著獎賞奔跑時，我們的專注將產生一種可以移山的信心。
巴頓將軍是二次世界大戰其中一個最偉大的陸軍指揮官，他的勝利歸功於他的人所受到的高層次訓練，他們是如此充滿預備與紀律，以致其他的指揮官完全沒想到，巴頓將軍卻擊倒他們。巴頓從不將他的勝利歸功給好的策略，而是歸功給好的訓練。偉大的屬靈指揮官也會做同樣的事。
在未來幾週，我們將會討論一些可以實際應用的方式以協助興起最剛強的基督徒 ─ 他們建立功績、拆毀堅固營壘，並且活出耶穌上十架將我們買贖回來的勝利，那勝利是給門徒的，門徒就是『一個受教的人』。
(摘自 喬納 word for the week,2008 #20)
The Army of God Mobilizes, Part 20
We are taught in Romans 1 that we have all been given a conscience, and the ability to follow it or not follow it is in our power. The resolve to follow our conscience, or what we perceive to be right or wrong, is the basis for character. Our character is strengthened by good teaching and training. This is why we have teaching and study as basic Christian disciplines, and the better it is, the more disciplined the people will tend to be.
Of course, there are exceptions to this. There are some amazingly disciplined people who have had little teaching or training, and then there are some undisciplined people who have had the best teaching and training. Generally, the quality of the character of a person or group will be greatly affected by the quality of the teaching and training they have received.
In Matthew 13:52 the Lord said, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old.” Our spiritual treasure is the truth that we have. It is also the spiritual food by which we keep alive spiritually. We do not expect every meal to be completely new and something we have never tasted before; rather, our diets will probably be food that we are very familiar with and eat over and over. The same is true spiritually. We do need occasional new revelation and understanding, but we also need to have what we already know continually passing through us to keep us on track. Therefore, the repetition of sound doctrine is essential for spiritual health just as repeated eating of natural food is for our bodies. Occasional surprises may help keep our diet interesting, but it is the exception, not the rule.
If we enjoy watching team sports, we will often hear coaches talk about how good their practices are. If they are interviewed before a game, they will often equate their chances of winning the game with how good their practices are. Coaches know that the quality of the practices usually determine the quality of their team’s play in the actual game. Therefore, coaches often work as hard at motivating their teams for practice as they do for the game itself. The most successful teams probably spend 95 percent of every practice on the fundamentals of their sport.
The most successful people in any sport, business, or profession will almost always be those who know and practice the fundamentals best. One reason why I like to go to PGA golf tournaments is because they give you access to the practice range and putting greens so you can watch the professionals practice. Their practice is at times astonishing and can be amazingly creative. They have a multitude of ways to make practicing the basics interesting. Every day of our lives is our practice, and the Lord helps to make them infinitely interesting. Embrace life, and resolve to never waste a trial, but grow through it.
Even though PGA golfers seem to be amazingly creative in how they make their practices interesting, it is also amazing how serious they are when they practice. I was watching two of the best-known golfers on the putting green a couple of years ago and noticed that they were competing against each other with every practice putt, and even betting on each putt. I wondered if they were just addicted to gambling, but then found out it was not about winning the money, which was very little to them, but it was another way to motivate themselves to make every practice putt effective. Likewise, at the driving range usually there will be a couple competing on who can hit a certain yardage sign out of a designated number of drives. Any small thing like this can be used to hone their skills and make practices more effective.
I used to occasionally speak to NFL teams in their chapel before games and was always amazed at their focus and pre-game preparation. I watched linemen beating their heads against lockers because they were so intent on getting out on the field to hit their foes. Their focus just before the game was scary. Once, when I was speaking to the Denver Broncos before a game, I heard the Lord say to me that when He saw that kind of resolve and focus on His people, the kingdom would be near. I have never forgotten that, and I look at every crowd where I speak in order to gauge their focus. Lately, I have begun to see this kind of focus, resolve, and seriousness at some of our conferences.
Once I went up to see the Washington Redskins play their rival, the Dallas Cowboys, in a Monday night game. I stayed at the home of a friend who played for the Redskins, but he could not stay with us because the entire team had to stay at a local hotel the night before the game so that they could stay focused. I could not help but consider that if we ever started getting that serious about training and preparation for our church services that people would soon be packing out churches like they do stadiums for football games. We are going for a much greater prize than a Super Bowl trophy! A single soul is worth far more than any sports championship. When we wake up to the prize that we are running for, the focus will result in a faith that will begin to move mountains.
General Patton, one of the greatest field commanders in World War II, attributed his victories to the high level of training his men received. They were so prepared and disciplined that it opened up strategies that other commanders did not even consider possible, but Patton pulled them off. Patton almost never credited his victories with strategy, but with the training of his men. Great spiritual commanders will do the same. Over the next couple of weeks, we will discuss some ways that we can practically apply this to helping raise up the strongest Christians possible—who do exploits, bring down strongholds, and live in the victory that Jesus went to the cross to purchase for us. That victory is for disciples, and a disciple is “a disciplined one.”