Preface
When our spiritual eyes are opened, our faith becomes a source of happiness, which leads us to be joyful always and give thanks in all circumstances. However, a spiritual blind person, though they may seem to be learning, cannot truly see, and when things don’t go as they hope, they find it hard to be happy. But once our spiritual eyes are opened, we live in the light, walking with the Lord, and our faith journey brings constant happiness. Just as a parent desires their child to always be happy, our Lord Jesus desires us to be happy. This happiness matures in stages and remains unshaken no matter the situation. This true happiness is described in Matthew 5:3-12, where we learn that our greatest joy is found in the salvation of a single soul, which is more precious than the whole world.
A spiritually blind person lives according to the desires of the flesh, and Jesus, in Matthew 23, pointed this out to the scribes and Pharisees. However, the person who needs to hear the warning of Matthew 23 is the one still living according to their fleshly nature—myself included. The desires of the flesh show no concern for the salvation of souls but instead seek happiness in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
The Bible tells us that all people are spiritually blind. The One who opens the eyes of the blind is Jesus. The key to this can be found in 2 Peter 1:5-9: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind…” Therefore, to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, one must practice applying these steps to their faith: add goodness to faith, knowledge to goodness, self-control to knowledge, perseverance to self-control, godliness to perseverance, mutual affection to godliness, and love to mutual affection. This requires discipline, or spiritual training.
While physical training can be done through our own effort, spiritual training requires the Holy Spirit to work within us. The prayer that aligns with this kind of training is the one Jesus taught us, found in Matthew 6:9-13. By modeling our prayers after the Lord’s Prayer, incorporating repentance and hope at each stage, we will engage in prayer discipline. Then, as the Holy Spirit works within you, you will bear the fruit of the Spirit and become someone who leads others to salvation, receiving the praise of the Lord and finding eternal happiness.
First Stage of the Spiritual Exercise
We will engage in spiritual training to cultivate the spirituality of the poor in spirit, which is the first stage of spiritual growth. However, Satan tries to stir up our fleshly nature, leading us to a life of faith that is far from being poor in spirit. Therefore, we must clearly establish our faith right from this first step. After that, we will complete this stage of training by writing a prayer that is pleasing to God.
1. Scripture Meditation for Spiritual Training
Reflect on why Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” to me. Who are the poor in spirit, and what does the kingdom of heaven mean for me as someone poor in spirit? As you meditate on these questions, write down the thoughts that come to your mind.
Reflect on why the Lord said to me, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” What does it mean to shut the door to the kingdom of heaven? Write down the thoughts that come to mind as you meditate on this. It’s easy to think, “That’s not me,” but we must remember that this applies to us as well. Everyone has fleshly traits similar to those of the Pharisees and scribes that Jesus addressed.
In order for our spirituality to mature, we must be able to express our faith to others in a clear and concise way. As you meditate on this passage, write down your reflections.
Reflect on why the Lord taught me to begin my prayer with, “Our Father in heaven.” Write down the thoughts that come to mind as you meditate on this.
2. Spiritual Training Lecture
In the phrase “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” the word “poor” comes from the Greek word πτωχός(ptochos), the same word used to describe the beggar Lazarus. In all instances where πτωχός(ptochos) refers to material poverty in Scripture, it describes someone who cannot survive without the help of others. Therefore, spiritual poverty refers to a state in which one cannot live without God’s help. God said the good news would be preached to the poor (Luke 7:22), and He has chosen the poor to be rich in faith (James 2:5).
The Lord did not say we are blessed if we choose to live a life of voluntary poverty. Instead, being poor in spirit is a type of poverty that comes to anyone who has faith. Poverty of spirit is understanding oneself and recognizing one’s sin. In other words, it is feeling that we are spiritually wretched, pitiful, blind, and naked, that there is nothing good within us, and that we are full of evil and despicable things (Revelation 3:17). It is realizing that within us are vanity, hatred, envy, revenge, anger, malice, attachment to the world, desire, and unkind language that does not build others up, nor impart grace to those who hear, thus grieving the Holy Spirit. This is our nature.
Feeling this guilt, we do not doubt that we are utterly corrupt and deserving of hell’s curse, unable to escape God’s wrath. In such a state, we recognize that there is nothing we can do but accept the gospel. No one can be justified before God by obeying the law (Romans 3:20). Because everything we have is evil, the poor in spirit are those who cry out to Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness, saying, “Lord, save me, for I am perishing.”
When we cry out in this way, God, in His mercy, grants us the kingdom of heaven by His grace. This kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Righteousness, peace, and joy mean that we have been reconciled to God through His righteousness, and therefore we experience peace. Our fear of God’s wrath turns into joy and song. In order to continue enjoying the grace of this kingdom, we must continually acknowledge our total depravity. We must recognize that without God’s grace, we cannot have a single good thought, word, or action, and that we must rely completely on Him. We must also reject human praise, as all praise belongs to God alone.
There are religious people who claim Christian beliefs but are not poor in spirit. As mentioned in Matthew 23:13, they shut the door of heaven in people’s faces, not entering themselves and preventing others from entering as well. These individuals commit lawlessness, yet believe they know and follow Jesus, making them unaware of their need for repentance. But the Lord will say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
In Ephesus, there was a man named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis. Upon hearing Paul’s preaching, he realized that his business was in danger and feared financial losses. He gathered other craftsmen and said, “You know that we derive our wealth from this business. But this Paul… says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. Not only is there a danger that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and her majesty will be diminished.” This led to an uproar. Demetrius could not accept the gospel because he valued his “wealthy lifestyle.” The term “wealthy lifestyle” is the Greek word euporia (εὐπορία). In Greek, each letter has a numerical value: Alpha is 1, Beta is 2, Gamma is 3, and Omega is 800. Interestingly, when you add the numerical value of the word euporia, it totals 666. What this reveals is that Satan uses wealth to blind people, preventing them from accepting the gospel.
Our Lord Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). So, how can we solve this problem? How can we avoid serving Mammon and serve our Lord Jesus alone? The Lord said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:44-46).
According to this passage, the kingdom of heaven is something that requires selling all you have in order to obtain it. The Lord also said, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29). To sell or leave behind these things means declaring that they are not ours. Therefore, in the church, which is the body of Christ, we must declare to the Lord, “The house, brothers, sisters, parents, children, and fields I have managed are all yours, Lord. I now give them back to you and leave them behind for your sake.” It’s not enough to just think this; we must confess it aloud. We must make a covenant with God with our words for it to take effect. It is written that one believes in the heart and is justified, and confesses with the mouth and is saved (Romans 10:10). It is also written that once a covenant has been ratified, no one can set it aside or add to it (Galatians 3:15). This is true repentance. When we no longer claim anything as our own, we become poor in spirit. Only then do we begin to live as stewards who manage the resources God has entrusted to us according to His will. At this point, we bear the fruit of faithfulness, which is the fruit of the Spirit.
By doing this, we become partakers of the divine nature, escaping the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. We are called to be God’s children, pure and holy, and to partake in His divine nature, avoiding the decay of the world. To achieve this, we will follow the steps of adding virtue to faith, knowledge to virtue, self-control to knowledge, perseverance to self-control, godliness to perseverance, brotherly affection to godliness, and love to brotherly affection.
Now, we want to strengthen the precious faith that we have received through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, just as the saints before us had. God is love (John 3:16). From the beginning, God had a plan to save us from death. Jesus, who is eternal, was born as a human, took on the same flesh as us, and endured every temptation. He shed His blood on the cross to pay the price for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:15). However, because Jesus was without sin, He could not be bound by death or decay. As the Scriptures foretold, He rose from the dead on the third day and became our Lord, Christ, and High Priest (Acts 2:36). Jesus purchased those who come to Him in faith with His blood, offering them to God and making them His possession. He then poured out the Holy Spirit as a guarantee that we are God’s children, heirs of His kingdom. God planned from the beginning that we would receive salvation through faith in Jesus (Romans 10:9).
With this faith, it is promised that “to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). The Lord also says to these people, “I will receive you, and I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:18). In other words, I must receive the Lord, and at the same time, the Lord must receive me. When I know the Lord and the Lord knows me, I become a child of God, and we are given the privilege to call God our Father, and God calls us His children.
The Lord has brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light, which is salvation. This means our eyes are opened to see the light and live in the light. When we walk in the light, just as God is in the light, we have fellowship with the Lord. The Lord cleanses us from all sin by His blood and declares, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters.” From that moment on, our relationship with God truly becomes that of a Father and His children. That is why Jesus teaches us to pray, “Our Father in heaven.” The greatest blessing in this first stage is the privilege of calling God our Father. Now, you must create a personal prayer that aligns with this understanding. Practice this prayer daily until it becomes your own.
3. Quiz
Quiz 1: Post the four reflections you have written after reading and meditating on the Bible here, as part of Step 1 in Spiritual Training.
Quiz 2: Write and post your first prayer, asking for today’s spiritual training to be realized in your life.
Second Stage of the Spiritual Exercise
We will engage in spiritual training to cultivate the spirituality of those who mourn, which is the second stage of spiritual growth. When the spirituality of those who are poor in spirit is developed, they gain assurance of the Kingdom of Heaven. This enables them to discern the spiritual state of others—whether someone is saved or not. However, the nature of the flesh is indifferent to this kind of discernment and prevents us from living a life focused on saving souls. Therefore, we need to train ourselves by building virtue upon our faith. Through this training, we will develop the spirituality of those who mourn. Afterward, we will complete the second stage of training by writing a prayer appropriate for this level.
1. Scripture Meditation for Spiritual Training
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Why did Jesus tell me that those who mourn are blessed? What exactly should I be mourning over? Am I currently praying with a heart of mourning? Meditate on this and write down the thoughts that come to mind as you apply it to yourself. Also, meditate on Luke 23:28:
“But Jesus, turning to them, said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.’”
Record your reflections on this verse as well.
This verse is not found in versions like the NIV or ESV because it is not present in the manuscripts those translations are based on. However, in versions such as the KJV, WEB, NLT, and NASB, this verse is included:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers; therefore, you will receive greater condemnation.” (Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47)
Reflect on why the Lord is telling you this, and write down the thoughts and messages He places on your heart.
“By which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge.”
“That you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Meditate on what virtue we should add to our faith, especially in the context of saving souls, and record the thoughts that come to mind.
Reflect on why the Lord has given me the prayer related to the salvation of souls, saying, “Hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come.” Write down the thoughts that arise as you meditate on this prayer.
2. Spiritual Training Lecture
Most Christians remain at the first stage of being poor in spirit and fail to move on to the next stage, leading them to live a life of faith that is far from loving and saving souls. However, in order to reach our goal, we must advance to the second stage—mourning. We need to have a clear understanding of what we should mourn over. The Apostle Paul said, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). Therefore, we must believe that the Holy Spirit is groaning within us, and through faith, we can hear that groaning and be moved to mourn by the Spirit’s prompting.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4), but what exactly should I be mourning over? First, this mourning involves turning to God in earnest prayer when sins we thought were gone resurface, or when trials and suffering come our way. At that time, if we reject human comfort and confess the faith we solidified in the first stage—trusting and depending on the Lord alone—we will be confident that nothing, no trial or suffering, can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Even in such difficult situations, we will be able to sing praises with tears of gratitude, knowing that God works all things together for good (Romans 8:26-39). Second, mourning involves interceding with tears for a brother who is facing God’s impending wrath. Our groaning prayers for another person’s conversion can be one of the reasons they turn to God. The Bible says, “Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed” (Psalm 119:136), and Jeremiah wept, saying, “My soul will weep in secret because of your pride” (Jeremiah 13:15-17). We are called to mourn and pray, knowing that if these people are left to themselves, they will face God’s wrath and destruction. God said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, groan with a broken heart and bitter grief. And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ say, ‘Because of the news that is coming… It will surely take place,’ declares the Sovereign Lord” (Ezekiel 21:6-7). And as Jesus carried the cross, He told the women weeping for Him, “Do not weep for Me; weep for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23:28). These verses show why believers should mourn.
A person who is poor in spirit lives in the light of the gospel and can discern those who are still in darkness. They know by faith whether these people will enter the Kingdom of Heaven if they die today. Therefore, it is only natural to warn those living in darkness that hellfire awaits them and to try to stop them from going down that path. However, unbelievers typically respond by saying, “Leave me alone, let me live my life how I want,” or they mock, saying, “You just worry about your own faith.” Some people, driven by their flesh, will argue that God is love and accuse you of being judgmental, or they’ll get angry, claiming that you are disrespecting their faith and trying to teach them. Because of this, for them to accept the gospel, it requires not our strength but the Holy Spirit’s work in their hearts. At this point, all we can do is pray for them with mourning. Without such prayers, if we try to approach them, Satan will naturally work even harder to oppose the gospel in order to protect his territory.
My fleshly nature, too, is incapable of offering this kind of mournful prayer. Instead, I tend to pray long prayers to appear spiritually devout in the eyes of others. However, the Lord, who sees my heart, rebukes this by saying, “They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely” (Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47). In this context, a widow symbolizes someone who, like orphans, lacks economic means and requires protection. Spiritually speaking, a widow represents a person who is wicked, defiled, and utterly corrupt—someone who cannot survive without God’s help and, most importantly, lacks Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom. Therefore, to “devour the widow’s house” means to engage with someone who desperately needs salvation without leading them to Jesus Christ, but instead, interacting with them solely for one’s worldly purposes.
Furthermore, Satan causes me to fall into a deep slumber of indifference and insensitivity toward saving and caring for souls. He tempts me to befriend the world and love the things of the world, making me an enemy of God (James 4:4, 1 John 2:15). Living this way is not walking in the light, and it separates me from the redeeming grace of the Lord (1 John 1:7). This is why the Lord warns that the judgment awaiting us will be severe.
We were justified by faith in the first stage. However, we are instructed to add virtue to this faith. Adding virtue marks the beginning of sanctification. Just as we received faith by grace, we also receive virtue by grace. Therefore, every step of the sanctification process, leading to Christian perfection, is accomplished by God’s grace. According to 1 Peter 2:9, virtue is the work of God who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Moreover, we have been entrusted with the mission to proclaim this virtue. God had mercy on us, who once dwelled in darkness, and shone the light of the gospel upon us so that we might live in the light. However, while some hearts receive this light, others do not. As 2 Corinthians 4:4 explains, the god of this world, Satan, blinds the minds of unbelievers. As a result, even though the light is shining, it cannot penetrate hearts that are veiled.
For the light to shine into these hearts, they must first be opened. 2 Corinthians 4:5 says, “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” Proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus means we must live out the message, “we are your servants for Jesus’ sake.” Paul could say this because Christ Himself became a servant to save His people. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). For this reason, Paul became a servant to many in order to testify to Jesus’ Lordship (1 Corinthians 9:19), and he said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). This is why we must also proclaim that we have become servants for the sake of others’ salvation.
When I approach a person with a closed heart as a servant for Jesus’ sake, God, through the Holy Spirit, grants them the grace to open their heart. As it is written, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). In this way, the Lord commands light to shine into the darkened hearts of others, and as their hearts open, He shines His light within them. At the same time, the Holy Spirit descends, driving out the spirit of darkness from within them. Therefore, the virtue I must add to my faith is to follow the example of Christ by approaching those in darkness as a servant, so that they may enter into the light of the gospel. If we fail to share the gospel with them and they do not repent of their sins, they will die for their own sins, but the Lord will hold me accountable for their blood (Ezekiel 3:18). Because this message is related to God holding me responsible for their blood, I must approach both unbelievers and worldly people as a servant and pray for their salvation with mourning, just as the Holy Spirit mourns.
For this kind of mournful prayer, the Lord instructed us to pray, “Hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come.” The name refers to God Himself, the Creator and Sovereign over all things, who is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the One who is, who was, and who is to come,” and “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). This refers to the triune God. “Holy” means to be set apart from the world. When God’s name is hallowed, it means that we live lives that are set apart from the world. God’s name is not hallowed when we fail to live distinct, holy lives. Holiness involves not conforming to the pattern of this world, but being transformed by discerning God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will through His grace, and living a sanctified life (Romans 12:2). God, who judges each person according to their deeds, has redeemed us from judgment through the precious blood of Christ, the spotless and unblemished Lamb. This same God has called us to be holy, saying, “Be holy, because I am holy,” and has made us able to call Him Father (1 Peter 1:15-19). Through this wondrous virtue, we have been made holy. Therefore, when God says, “Be holy, because I am holy,” He is commanding us to extend the same virtue to others. When we do so, they too will live lives set apart from the world, and God’s name will be hallowed.
The prayer, “Your kingdom come,” is a request, in a broad sense, for every thought to be taken captive to the obedience of Christ, and ultimately, for the kingdom where Jesus Christ will rule all humanity with authority to come. This is the kingdom of Christ, the King of kings, and because He has said, “the kingdom of God is within you,” the kingdom of God has already come to those who are poor in spirit. Therefore, the prayer “Your kingdom come” is a plea for the Holy Spirit to come upon our brothers and sisters, and for the spirit of darkness to be driven away from them, as Jesus said, “If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28). For us to pray this prayer effectively, we must have the courage to approach others as servants, just as Christ came to us as a servant. This is why the Greek word for virtue, ἀρέτη (arete), can also be translated as courage, because it takes great boldness to defeat the enemy.
To summarize today’s teaching: mournful prayer is a spiritual prayer, offered with a heart of compassion, to save our brothers and sisters from hell. It is our task to drive out the spirit of this world that prevents the light of Christ’s gospel from shining into their hearts. The opening of their hearts happens when we approach them with the heart of the Lord, as servants. However, approaching others as servants requires us to lay down our pride, which takes great courage. This courage is the virtue we must add to our faith. When the Holy Spirit comes upon them, they will see the light, become holy, and the kingdom of God will come to them. We must diligently train ourselves in this practice of mournful prayer, listening to the Spirit’s groaning for the salvation of souls, and joining in that groaning. This practice is not a one-time effort but a lifelong, daily discipline. Through such prayers, we will bear the fruit of joy, which is the result of the Holy Spirit’s work.
3. Quiz
Quiz 1: Post the four reflections you have written after reading and meditating on the Bible here, as part of Step 2 in Spiritual Training.
Quiz 2: Write and post your second prayer, asking for today’s spiritual training to be realized in your life.
Third Stage of the Spiritual Exercise
We will engage in a spiritual discipline that forms the spirituality of the meek, which is the third stage of spiritual growth. The meditation will be focused on four parts: the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12), the Woes (Matthew 23:13-36), the eight qualities of God’s character (2 Peter 1:5-7), and the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). These four sections are interconnected and complementary, so meditating on them together will be more effective in forming the spirituality of the meek.
1. Scripture Meditation for Spiritual Training
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Since Jesus is the source of blessings, the Beatitudes reflect His heart and character. Why did He say, “Blessed are the meek” to me? What is the earth that He will give me as an inheritance? Meditate on these questions and write down the thoughts that come to your mind.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.”
Meditate on why Jesus is speaking this word to you, and write down the words and thoughts the Lord brings to your heart.
“Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.”
Philippians 3:5-11: “Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
What kind of knowledge is He referring to here? Meditate on Philippians 3:5-11 and reflect on what kind of knowledge you need to add to your life. Write down the thoughts that come to mind.
“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Meditate on why the Lord is asking you to pray this, and write down the thoughts that come to your heart.
2. Spiritual Training Lecture
The spiritual stage we are focusing on in this session is “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The stage of meekness is one that can only be reached after surpassing the stage of mourning. This is because God grants a meek heart to those who weep and pray for the souls heading toward the fires of hell, allowing them to draw near to these souls with compassion.
Jesus, in His meekness, continuously intercedes for our salvation with loud cries and tears to the Father, even though we remain stiff-necked and constantly rebel against Him (Hebrews 5:7; Romans 8:34). Moses, too, was described as the meekest man on earth, yet he fervently prayed for his people’s forgiveness when they rebelled against God and himself. He even went so far as to ask God to blot his name out of the book of life if their sins could not be forgiven. Similarly, the apostle Paul earnestly prayed for the salvation of his brothers and sisters, saying, “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race” (Romans 9:3). In the same way, when we, like Jesus, Moses, and Paul, approach our spiritual journey with meekness, we too can be vessels of salvation for others.
Meekness is the state of maintaining balance in the heart by avoiding extremes. It means that, no matter the irrational situations we face in life, we do not lose our inner equilibrium by becoming angry, anxious, or fearful. A meek person does not sway to the left or right but keeps their heart centered and steady. In every situation, meekness is marked by patience and the prayer, “Father, Your will be done.” Toward oneself, meekness is characterized by contentment and endurance. Since meekness is the very heart of Jesus, it is a spiritual virtue formed in those who take on His yoke and learn from Him.
The words of the Lord are always related to the salvation of souls, so the earth we inherit is not a reference to physical land but rather to the people who need to be saved. As evidence, good soil is described as a good heart that hears and keeps the word, and with patience, produces a harvest of thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold (Matthew 13:23; Luke 8:15). The phrase “that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth” (Romans 9:17) also shows that the earth represents the people who need to hear the gospel. A good heart is made possible by God receiving our prayers and pouring out the Holy Spirit. The Spirit softens hardened hearts and makes them receptive to the gospel (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
This is how we can understand meekness and its connection to the inheritance of the earth, which, in this context, is the souls that will come to salvation.
Jesus spoke to the fleshly nature within me when He said, “You travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” My fleshly nature, when gaining a follower, seeks to present my faith as a model for others to emulate, striving to appear wise, strong, and honorable in Christ (1 Corinthians 4:10). However, according to the apostle Paul, this is walking as an enemy of the cross, turning others into children of hell. The example I set is one of division, contention, and striving for higher positions and honor in Christ’s name, creating factions and conflicts (Jude 1:19). In this process, I judge and destroy my brothers and sisters. This is because I believe that if I am meek, I will only be taken advantage of by others. Such thinking would be true if God did not exist or if He had no interest in His children.
However, through this discipline, we cultivate a spirituality that loves and seeks the salvation of souls. To form such a spirituality, we must mourn and pray for the salvation of our brothers and sisters, and approach them as servants, just as Jesus came to us as our servant to testify that He is our Lord. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, if we try to serve others merely with theoretical knowledge, people will mock and belittle us, which can lead to anger rising within us. This anger often shows on our faces, which in turn closes the hearts of our brothers and sisters, preventing them from being open to the gospel. As a result, we fail to inherit the “land” God has promised, and we lose the souls we are called to save.
So we are called to “add knowledge to goodness.” We have knowledge of Jesus Christ through hearing sermons, reading the Bible, and learning. However, 2 Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” There is a knowledge we gain through hearing and learning, but there is also a deeper knowledge that comes from personal relationship and fellowship. To truly grow in the knowledge of Jesus, He must also know us. Jesus warns in Matthew 7:22-23, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.'” This means that we may think we know Jesus, but He might not truly know us.
Therefore, we must confirm our relationship with Jesus, ensuring that not only do we know Him, but that He knows us as well. To have fellowship with Jesus, who dwells in the light, we too must walk in the light (1 John 1:6-7). If we claim to have fellowship with Christ while walking in darkness, we are lying. It’s possible to attend church, listen to sermons, learn doctrine, and study Scripture, all while still living in darkness. In this state, we can even preach powerful sermons and lead compelling Bible studies, but the manifestation of the Holy Spirit and God’s transformative power will be absent (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
To grow in the knowledge that comes through fellowship with Jesus, we must lay aside anything that hinders our communion with the Light of Christ. The apostle Paul says, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him… I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:7-11). The things that are “gains” to us are often the things we treasure and love most. These things can prevent us from experiencing the cross and resurrection of Jesus in a deep and personal way.
Paul also says, “We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment” (1 Corinthians 4:10-13). This is the image of a servant, a faith rooted in the cross, and the power that comes from fellowship with Christ.
Thus, to truly have deep fellowship with Jesus Christ—to follow Him in His suffering and death—we must let go of the desire to be wise, strong, and honored in Christ. Many people in the church pursue zealously to become more wise, powerful, and respected than they are now. However, this kind of zeal for God is not based on true knowledge. Instead, they are ignorant of God’s righteousness and are seeking to establish their own righteousness, refusing to submit to God’s righteousness (Romans 10:2-3). When this mindset takes hold, it inevitably leads to conflict and division with others who hold opposing views. Yet James 1:20-21 warns, “Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” Fighting and anger stem from trying to establish our own righteousness, not God’s, and are far removed from the meekness that leads to inheriting the earth.
To reach the stage of meekness, the Lord instructs us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This prayer is not one of passive resignation but of active obedience. The angels in heaven joyfully carry out God’s will, delighting in His commands, and eagerly listening to His word. They do nothing outside of God’s will, and so when we pray “on earth as it is in heaven,” we are asking that we too may do the will of our Father in heaven. It is a prayer of surrender, desiring to do nothing apart from what pleases God. We are praying that our thoughts, words, and actions align completely with God’s will. Jesus Himself said, “For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). People often become frustrated and angry when their own will is not fulfilled. However, when we stop living for our own will, there is no cause for frustration. When we seek to fulfill the Lord’s will instead of our own, God will produce the fruit of meekness in us through His Spirit.
Jesus also said, “For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:40). God’s will for us can be expressed in many ways, but it ultimately centers on saving people from darkness and bringing them into the light. In order to accomplish this, we must pray that we are able to deal with our brothers and sisters in all situations with meekness so that we can help save them and thus inherit the earth. Inheriting the earth in this sense means cultivating their hearts, turning them into good soil. From now on, we must no longer live for human desires, but for the will of God, spending the rest of our lives in pursuit of His purpose (1 Peter 4:2). This is what it means to take up our cross and to approach others as servants. Therefore, even if we mourn, pray for the salvation of our brothers and sisters, and approach them with the heart of a servant, we might still encounter hostility. In the past, without praying “Your will be done,” this would have caused frustration and anger. But now, because we are praying according to God’s will, even if we are insulted, treated with contempt, or seen as the scum of the earth, we will continue to pray that the Holy Spirit touches their souls, enabling us to maintain our meekness. In time, their hearts will open, and their soil will be cultivated.
To achieve this, we must continually train ourselves in prayer through the Holy Spirit, walking in the light, and having fellowship with the meek and gentle Jesus. At this stage, we will bear the fruit of meekness through the Spirit.
3. Quiz
Quiz 1: Post the four reflections you have written after reading and meditating on the Bible here, as part of Step 3 in Spiritual Training.
Quiz 2: Write and post your third prayer, asking for today’s spiritual training to be realized in your life.
Fourth Stage of the Spiritual Exercise
We will engage in spiritual training focused on developing a hunger and thirst for righteousness, which represents the fourth stage of spiritual growth. However, our carnal nature often yearns not for God’s righteousness that saves souls, but for our own self-righteousness. Therefore, through the discipline of adding self-control to our knowledge, we aim to fulfill our mission of saving souls without fail each day. We will also incorporate exercises that guide us in composing prayers that are pleasing to God as part of this stage.
1. Scripture Meditation for Spiritual Training
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Reflect on why the Lord has spoken these words to you, and write down the thoughts that come to your mind during meditation.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, they are bound by the oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, they are bound by the oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.”
Reflect on why the Lord has given you these words, and write down the thoughts that come to your mind during meditation.
“Add self-control to knowledge…”
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
Meditate on what kind of self-control you need to add to your knowledge, and write down the thoughts that come to your mind during meditation.
“Give us today our daily bread.”
Reflect on what this prayer means and why the Lord has called you to pray in this way, and write down the thoughts that come to your mind during meditation.
2. Spiritual Training Lecture
Our Lord said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Religion can be broken down into three elements: (1) doing no harm to others, (2) helping those who are suffering, and (3) observing the means of grace. However, these are merely the shell of religion and do not satisfy the hunger for righteousness. As Christians, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness grow in the knowledge of God found in Jesus Christ, enjoy the life hidden in Christ, become united with Him as one body, have fellowship with the Father and the Son, become holy and pure, and walk in the light. These are the contents of righteousness for those who long for it. Just as a person who feels hunger must satisfy that need, everything else becomes secondary to the person who desires to fulfill this spiritual hunger. Particularly, unhealthy desires, like germs of the soul, can be overcome by hungering and thirsting for righteousness.
In relation to soul-saving, for those called to the mission, to hunger and thirst for righteousness means living a life driven by the desire to establish God’s righteousness. It is a deep longing and yearning for God’s righteousness to come upon those whose hearts are open to the gospel. God’s righteousness is the grace given to us when Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose again to justify us and bring us from darkness into light. This is the free grace given to those who believe in Him. Therefore, the desire to save others is part of establishing God’s righteousness. We are stewards entrusted by the Lord to use our resources—our material possessions, time, and health—to the fullest extent for the purpose of establishing God’s righteousness.
However, my carnal nature is not interested in God’s righteousness, which saves souls, but is only hungry and thirsty for establishing my own righteousness in the world. As a result, my fleshly nature seeks to assert legitimacy and gain power by using tradition and law to place people under legalism. This is true not only in society but also in the church. In Matthew 23:16, Jesus says, “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, they are bound by the oath.’” An oath is made in reference to someone greater than oneself, but such teachings place money above humanity, the temple, and even God. This is nothing more than human doctrine. When I was spiritually blind, I had no interest in God’s righteousness, and instead focused on human teachings in an attempt to establish my own righteousness and taught others the same.
Furthermore, the Pharisees, following their fleshly nature, criticized Jesus by saying, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Jesus responded, “Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?… You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’” (Matthew 15:2-9). Through this passage, Jesus revealed that people nullify God’s word with their traditions.
The word “tradition” in Greek is παράδοσις (paradosis), and when you add up the numerical value of its letters, it equals 666 (80+1+100+1+4+70+200+10+200=666). (α=1, β=2, γ=3, δ=4, ε=5, ζ=7, η=8, θ=9, ι=10, κ=20, λ=30, μ=40, ν=50, ξ=60, ο=70, π=80, ρ=100, σ(s)=200, τ=300, υ=400, φ=500, χ=600, ψ=700, ω=800). Jesus said you cannot serve both God and money, and He also said that people nullify God’s word with their traditions. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the words εὐπορία (euporia), which means “prosperity,” and παράδοσις (paradosis), which means “tradition,” both contain the number of the beast. Tradition becomes tainted by human error, and the Bible serves as the standard by which tradition must be judged. Thus, a critical acceptance of tradition allows Christians to pursue a balanced understanding between the unchanging truth of the Christian faith and its relevance to society and the times.
The Bible instructs us to “add self-control to knowledge,” and in the fourth stage of spiritual growth, the essential element to develop is self-control (ἐγκράτεια, self-control)—the ability to govern one’s desires. To establish God’s righteousness, we must first engage in the discipline of prayer to control our words, refraining from asserting our own righteousness. Words that establish God’s righteousness lead people into the light and give life. However, words that assert our own righteousness only obscure God’s righteousness and lead people into darkness (Proverbs 10:11). The Bible teaches that our words can either produce poison or living water. When Christians argue or get angry in their homes, churches, or with neighbors, they may believe they are defending God’s righteousness, but it often stems from a desire to prove that they or their group are right. Scripture clearly states that “human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:20). Therefore, we must carefully discern whether our words are aimed at establishing God’s righteousness or our own, and we must practice self-control by following the biblical command to “be quick to listen, slow to speak” (James 1:19). This consistent discipline of self-control is how we take up our cross daily.
Next, we must control our desires in order to establish God’s righteousness. The first man brought death upon humanity because he failed to control his desire and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden. Esau, too, failed to control his hunger and sold his birthright, a gift from God, for a single meal. To someone driven by fleshly desires, the unseen value of a birthright seems insignificant compared to the visible bowl of stew. As a result, Esau was labeled a “godless” person. Additionally, the Ten Commandments were given to help us fulfill God’s righteousness. Therefore, when we control our desires, we uphold the commandments, and through them, God’s righteousness is established. We must now pray for self-control, so that we do not become like those who foolishly exchange God’s righteousness for their own. This is because true self-control is only possible through the Holy Spirit, which we receive through prayer.
Our Lord taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” so that we might establish God’s righteousness. Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Therefore, the daily bread we should ask for is also to do the will of Him who sent us and to accomplish His work. The purpose for which the Lord has sent us into the world is to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. To accomplish this fully is the work we are to pray for each day. The daily bread we are to ask for is the work of giving life to others and shining light into their lives. Jesus did not instruct us to pray for food to maintain our physical health. He said that God already knows all that we need for our bodies, and such things are what the pagans seek (Matthew 6:31-32). Therefore, as children of God, we must seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness as our daily bread. The problem is that we have become accustomed to living for our own righteousness, and this must be restrained, but we cannot do this on our own. Thus, we must pray daily for our daily bread, because it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can practice self-control. This shows that the instruction to add self-control and the prayer for daily bread are connected.
Daily bread also includes the spiritual food that comes from the mouth of God, which pertains to life and godliness, as well as the sacrament of communion. To those who pray for daily bread, God gives it as a gift, which means there is no need to worry about tomorrow. We are to see each day as a gift from God, offering Him thanks and praise, and we are to live each evening as if it were our last. When we wake up, we are to look forward to eternity, where we will be clothed in a resurrection body and meet the Lord face to face. In this stage, God brings forth the fruit of self-control through the Holy Spirit.
3. Quiz
Quiz 1: Post the four reflections you have written after reading and meditating on the Bible here, as part of Step 4 in Spiritual Training.
Quiz 2: Write and post your fourth prayer, asking for today’s spiritual training to be realized in your life.
Fifth Stage of the Spiritual Exercise
We will undertake the spiritual discipline of cultivating the fifth stage of spirituality: being merciful. However, we will also examine the fleshly nature that consistently hinders spiritual growth. Additionally, we will explore why we must add perseverance to self-control for the sake of soul salvation. Finally, we will conclude the fifth step of our spiritual training by composing a prayer that pleases the Lord.
1. Scripture Meditation for Spiritual Training
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Reflect on how merciful our Lord has been toward me, and also consider how merciful I am toward others. As I meditate on these thoughts, I will write down the reflections that come to my heart.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”
Reflect on why the Lord has given me this passage, and as I meditate on it, I will write down the thoughts that resonate in my heart.
“Add self-control to knowledge…”
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
Meditate on what kind of self-control you need to add to your knowledge, and write down the thoughts that come to your mind during meditation.
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Reflect on why the Lord taught me this prayer, and as I meditate on it, I will write down the thoughts that come to my heart.
2. Spiritual Training Lecture
Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). If we do not show mercy, we will face judgment (James 2:13). He also said, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13). The Lord has shown us mercy and forgiven a debt we could never repay. This is to teach us to do the same for our brothers. The conclusion of the parable of the unforgiving servant is: “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:35). In other words, the teaching of the ten thousand talents applies when we have merciful hearts and forgive our brothers. If a person does not walk the path of life shown by the Lord, that path has no effect on them.
The more a Christian is filled with the life of God, the more they will care for those dead in sin and transgressions, and they will approach them with a heart of mercy. A merciful heart that seeks to love and save souls is well-expressed in 1 Corinthians 13. “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
My fleshly nature has no interest in cultivating a merciful heart for the sake of saving souls. Instead, it is preoccupied with outward religious practices, like tithing even the smallest things—mint, cumin, and dill—just to be seen by others. While such actions might appear as obedience and faith, at the same time, they are driven by a desire for human recognition. The evidence of this is how I use these outward expressions of faith to judge and condemn others. Yet, I also emphasize the importance of justice, mercy, and faithfulness to others. Throughout history, no government or religion has failed to promote justice. In reality, the flesh hides behind noble words while its true nature remains concealed. Blind followers and church members may trust me because they see me straining out gnats, focusing on minor issues. But the Lord sees through my hypocrisy, calling me one who swallows camels. He also says that I have neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23-24).
In light of this, we cannot deny that in churches and homes bearing the name of Christ, the Prince of Peace, there is still conflict, fighting, and discord. Modern churches often focus on non-essential matters of Christianity, leading to anger, division, hostility, and harsh speech. Instead of leading sinners to salvation, Christians are dragging each other toward destruction. The church is becoming no different from the harlot Babylon, drunk on the blood of the saints. Satan stirs up resentment and a desire for revenge, while the world teaches that only the strong survive, making it difficult to forgive those who oppose us. Forgiveness is seen as weakness, and instead of showing mercy, hearts are filled with hatred. But all of this is not from God; it comes from the world.
We install water filters to purify what we drink, and the most essential component is the filter. Similarly, what comes from our corrupt hearts is impure, and we need a filter of genuine mercy. When we pray for a truly merciful heart, we receive this filter of mercy from the Lord. Without this filter, even if we have faith, we cannot save souls. What is in our hearts will eventually come out through our mouths, often in anger. The filter helps us to hold back harmful words, allowing only pure, life-giving words to pass through, fulfilling the command to “be holy as I am holy.” However, many church members and pastors are painfully aware that their filters have been torn by the wounds of the heart, leaving them unable to be generous or merciful.
The Apostle Paul said, “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16). He also wrote, “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all” (Romans 11:32). According to these scriptures, God is patient with us for the sake of our salvation, showing mercy and desiring that all people be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). For example, before Paul met Jesus, he persecuted the church. Since the church is the body of Christ, persecuting the church was equivalent to persecuting Jesus Himself. Yet, God, in His mercy and long-suffering, shone His light on Paul, using the martyrdom of Stephen as the turning point to bring him into the light. Paul was then made an example for those who would believe in the Lord and receive eternal life.
In the same way, we must also be merciful and patient, like God, as we work to bring our brothers and sisters from darkness to light, from the path of death to the path of life. Before being born again, everyone is blinded by the spirit of confusion, living in rebellion against a spiritual life and leaning towards worldliness. Yet, our Lord patiently endured with us and brought us to salvation through His love. Love is patient. Since we have been given the mission to lead those around us to life through this same love of Christ, we must continue to shine the light of the gospel, even when people treat us with hostility. This requires that we practice perseverance and add patience to self-control. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4). From this, we understand that all of our trials and challenges are part of God’s providence, meant to perfect us in His love. At this stage, the Lord enables us to bear the fruit of patience through the Holy Spirit.
The Lord taught us the prayer, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” so that we may live as merciful people. When we look at the mercy the Lord has shown us, we see that He had compassion on us and bore the cross, dying to forgive our sins. This is the love of God expressed in the parable of the unforgiving servant, where He forgave the debt of ten thousand talents. To make His immense love resonate in our hearts, God places people who hurt us in our lives. These people, even if they attend church, are still in need of salvation because they are living according to the flesh.
When we try to forgive those who have wronged us, as the Lord commanded, it is often difficult, especially when the person has inflicted deep wounds and continues to do so. However, in comparison to the debt of ten thousand talents, these wounds are like the mere hundred denarii. Therefore, when we pray for the Holy Spirit to control our hearts and confess the word of forgiveness written in our hearts, the greater the hurt inflicted by others, the more deeply we will experience the grace of the cross. The more painful the wounds, the more we will realize the immeasurable worth of the Lord’s atonement and forgiveness. As a result, we come to understand that our entire life is 100% a result of God’s grace, and we learn to give thanks in all circumstances.
Sin is like a debt. The Greek word for “forgive” (ἀφίημι, aphie-mi) means to release, to cancel a debt, and to treat it as if it never existed. Just as God has done this for us, He commands us to do the same for others. But if we do not forgive our brothers, the ten thousand talents we owe to God will remain, and He will require us to repay it. Therefore, if we do not need God’s mercy, we can choose not to forgive others. But if we wish to receive God’s grace and forgiveness, the only way is to forgive others. Jesus demonstrated this mercy on the cross when He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” even as He was crucified by His enemies. By forgiving His enemies, He defeated the powers of darkness and brought us into the light. To remember this continually, praying until it is written on our hearts, is the patience we must add to self-control.
However, when we face this challenge in real life, we realize how difficult it is to put into practice what we know in our minds. That is why, as we seek to become merciful, we must engage in prayerful discipline. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we develop patience, and in time, the fruits of justice, mercy, and faithfulness will manifest in our lives. In the end, we will be able to confess that we have reached the stage of becoming truly merciful.
3. Quiz
Quiz 1: Post the four reflections you have written after reading and meditating on the Bible here, as part of Step 5 in Spiritual Training.
Quiz 2: Write and post your fifth prayer, asking for today’s spiritual training to be realized in your life.
Sixth Stage of the Spiritual Exercise
We will undertake the spiritual discipline of cultivating the sixth stage of spirituality: the purity of heart. Our fleshly nature always tends to clean the outside and pretend to be holy. However, for those of us with the clear purpose of saving souls, we must demonstrate the value of our existence by being an example of godliness to others. To complete this sixth step, we will write a prayer to remove the greed within us, so that our hearts may be pure.
1. Scripture Meditation for Spiritual Training
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Reflect on the condition of your own heart as you apply this verse. What does the promise of seeing God mean to you personally? As you meditate on these thoughts, write down any reflections that come to your heart.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”
Reflect on why the Lord has given me this passage, and as I meditate on it, write down the thoughts that resonate in my heart.
“Add godliness to perseverance,” “if He did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes He condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly,” “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Reflect on why I have been told to add godliness to perseverance, and what kind of godliness I need to develop. As I meditate on this, I will write down the thoughts that come to my heart.
Reflect on why the Lord taught me the prayer, “Forgive us our debts.” How sincerely and specifically do I pray this? As I meditate on these questions, I will write down the thoughts that come to my heart.
2. Spiritual Training Lecture
The spiritual discipline we are currently engaged in on our journey toward Christian perfection is based on the Beatitude, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Our spiritual formation is built on the teachings of the Beatitudes and the woes, as well as the admonition to “add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love,” along with the Lord’s Prayer. We pursue spiritual discipline because, without these qualities, we are spiritually blind, as stated in 2 Peter 1:5-8. If a spiritual leader is blind, then all who follow him will fall into a pit (Matthew 15:14). Jesus also said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind… If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains” (John 9:39-41). In the phrase “so that the blind will see,” God gives those of us sealed with the Holy Spirit the eyes of wisdom and revelation to know Him, opening the eyes of our hearts to understand the spiritual realm (Ephesians 1:17-18). In the phrase “they shall see God,” the Greek word horao (ὁράω) means not only seeing with the eyes, but also understanding, experiencing, and perceiving.
However, the heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9), and with such a heart, one cannot see God. For our hearts to be purified, we must be cleansed of all filthiness of the flesh and spirit through faith in the blood of Jesus. We must then train ourselves in the spirituality that transforms the Word into flesh through the Word of God and prayer. When our hearts are cleansed, greed, anger, and lust cannot find a place within. With a pure heart, there is no internal corruption related to the words, “anyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). We will honor marriage, take divorce seriously, and not swear by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or even our own heads. Since everything belongs to God and He controls all things, our word will simply be “yes” or “no.”
Those who are pure in heart see God’s goodness in all things through faith. They see God governing all creation by His wisdom and sustaining everything by the power of His Word. They also see God working in their hearts and speak with Him as a friend. They see God’s hand guiding them to do good, providing for their needs, and caring for them down to the very hairs of their heads. They perceive the wisdom and mercy of the Lord at work in every aspect of their lives. In worship, in secret prayer, while studying the Word, while listening to the Word, and while receiving communion, they experience the holy presence of God.
However, my fleshly nature has no interest in having a pure heart. This is why Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean” (Matthew 23:25-26). In a parallel verse, He also said, “You fools! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you” (Luke 11:40-41). Thus, regarding the secret of a pure heart, Jesus pointed to giving to the needy. Additionally, in 1 John 3:17-18, it says, “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
Therefore, almsgiving has been a vital ministry of the church from its earliest days until now. John Wesley emphasized three principles regarding the use of money: First, earn as much as you can. Second, save as much as you can. Third, give as much as you can. He warned that if the third principle is neglected, one will become twice as much a child of hell as before. In a sermon given a year before his death, Wesley declared that since God has entrusted us with money to relieve the needs of humanity, those who do not give at least one-tenth of their income to the poor are leading their followers into heathenism.
In the first step of our spiritual training, we publicly pledged in the presence of two or three gathered in the Lord’s name to live as stewards by dedicating everything to God. Although we have become poor in spirit, we find that Mammon has not left but still occupies a place in our hearts. Therefore, almsgiving is God’s prescription for cleansing the Mammon that resides in our selfish hearts.
To become pure in heart, we must add godliness to perseverance. Regarding godliness, the Scripture says, “If He did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes He condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5-6). And Jude 1:15 says, “To execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” Therefore, “What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:11-13). Furthermore, James 1:26-27 states, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Therefore, two key attributes of godliness are good speech and charity.
The command to add godliness to perseverance is essential because only by attaining godliness can we escape the corruption of the world and partake in the divine nature. To achieve godliness, we must work to remove whatever hinders it. For example, if someone is quick to anger, they should not excuse it as their natural temperament but must instead pray and train themselves to be transformed by the Holy Spirit according to the Word of God. Our natural temperament belongs to the old self, the fleshly nature. We are called to “put off the old self” and “put on the new self” (Ephesians 4:22-24). Spiritual discipline involves practicing the abandonment of our own nature in order to partake in God’s nature. Even if we don’t want to change, we must, because it is the will of the Lord. We should pray with faith that, through Christ who strengthens us, we can be transformed. Those who crucify their old nature on the cross experience the Holy Spirit working powerfully within them to change their character. Unbelievers neither desire nor are able to change their nature, as it is fleshly. However, Christians crucify their fleshly nature daily, allowing the mind of Christ to shine through. If we are not being transformed into the mind of Christ, it is evidence that we are not trusting in the work of the Holy Spirit or practicing spiritual discipline through prayer and reliance on the Spirit.
Additionally, to remain unstained by the world, we must escape from places like Sodom. If we stay in such environments, we will inevitably be influenced by the world. Even if someone is as precious to us as our right eye but causes impure desires, we must cut them off. Likewise, if someone is as necessary as our right hand but leads us to unclean thoughts, we must sever that relationship. Whether it is a pleasure, possession, or even a friend, we cannot exchange our soul for such things. These decisions must be made through prayer and fasting, or in consultation with a spiritual leader.
To become pure in heart, we must not only think about it but also engage our will. This is why Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts.” Sin is not believing in Jesus (John 16:9). Not believing means relying on, serving, and loving something more than Jesus. Therefore, to believe in Jesus means to serve and love only Him. Nothing can be loved more than Jesus, which is a common confession of all Christians. In the parables of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:25) and the foolish rich man (Luke 12:20), the rich men were outwardly religious or appeared to serve God, but in their hearts, they relied on and loved Mammon more than the Lord. The evidence is that their peace was determined by whether or not they had money. Therefore, being freed from Mammon and producing true fruits of repentance for the sin of attachment to wealth means practicing charity as the Lord commands. If we still struggle to consistently and earnestly practice charity, it’s a sign that the desires of the flesh—lust of the eyes, the desires of the flesh, and the pride of life—still remain in our hearts. Thus, when we pray, “Forgive us our debts,” we must do so with a clear understanding of our sins and depend on the Holy Spirit’s help. This is how we can be freed from the temptation of Mammon and become pure in heart.
Jesus’ teaching that charity purifies the heart does not contradict the concept of atonement. Atoning grace cleanses us from original sin, allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts. Charity, on the other hand, cleanses us from the love of the world that clings to our hearts, enabling us to live as people who love God fully. We are servants of the Lord, striving toward perfection as Jesus commanded: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We must always remember Jesus’ words, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21).
Repentance, when practiced with this understanding, works in harmony with our faith. Repentance is the recognition of the sins still present in our words and actions, while faith is receiving God’s power to cleanse our hearts. Repentance is the realization that our character, words, and actions are deserving of punishment, while faith acknowledges that we have an advocate who cares for us and diverts our punishment elsewhere. Repentance makes us aware of our powerlessness, and faith enables us to receive the grace of Christ. Repentance is the confession that without the Lord, we can do nothing, and faith is the declaration that we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. Through this faith and repentance, we become pure in heart and are able to stand before the Lord and see Him.
God uses our circumstances to purify our hearts. He may send enemies who harm us financially, or He may allow us to face many trials related to money. If we do not understand God’s providence, we may treat those who harm us as enemies. But for those who believe in God’s plan to work all things together for good, trials reveal the greed and corruption still present within us. At the same time, we come to understand the truth that only treasures stored in heaven are safe from theft or loss. This realization leads us to praise God for the atoning grace that purifies our hearts and see trials as an opportunity to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit, who crucifies our lusts and desires. Through such discipline, the Lord leads us to surpass the stage of becoming pure in heart and advances us to the next level, where He helps us bear the fruit of the Spirit known as goodness.
3. Quiz
Quiz 1: Post the four reflections you have written after reading and meditating on the Bible here, as part of Step 6 in Spiritual Training.
Quiz 2: Write and post your sixth prayer, asking for today’s spiritual training to be realized in your life.
Seventh Stage of the Spiritual Exercise
We will engage in the spiritual discipline of cultivating the seventh stage of spirituality: being peacemakers. Our fleshly nature tends to create discord and break unity. Therefore, we will focus on adding brotherly love to godliness. To do this, we will pray for the work of the Holy Spirit to manifest and for strength to avoid falling into temptation. Afterward, we will compose a prayer that is pleasing to God.
1. Scripture Meditation for Spiritual Training
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Reflect on why the Lord has given me this message, and write down the thoughts that come to my heart as I meditate on it.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside, you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Reflect on why the Lord has spoken this to me, and write down any thoughts that resonate with me as I meditate on it.
“Add brotherly affection to godliness,” “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,” and “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’”
Reflect on who my brothers are and what it means to add brotherly affection to godliness. Write down any thoughts that stand out as I meditate on this.
“And lead us not into temptation.”
Reflect on why the Lord has taught me to pray this. When do we fall into temptation, and when are we most vulnerable to it? Write down any thoughts that come to my heart as I meditate on this.
2. Spiritual Training Lecture
The blessing (μακάριος) we are pursuing in our spiritual discipline means “happiness.” Therefore, each step of our spiritual practice is designed to lead us to true happiness. Today’s focus is on the step found in the Beatitude, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” The word “peacemaker” (εἰρηνοποιός, eirenopoios) is used only once in Scripture and is a compound word from “peace” (εἰρήνη, eirene) and “to make” (ποιέω, poieo). It means someone who, like the firstborn Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29, Hebrews 2:11, 17), creates peace among brothers and sisters, wherever they go.
In order to create peace (εἰρήνη), there is something that must come first: reconciliation (καταλλάγη, katallage). For reconciliation to happen, there must be forgiveness. Jesus, according to the will of the Father, did not count our sins against us but bore the cross in our place, reconciling us to God. By doing this, He tore down the wall of hostility between us and God, bringing reconciliation, and through this, established His body—the Church (Ephesians 2:13-14). He then entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).
Thus, if we are to carry out the ministry of reconciliation with our brothers, we must tear down the dividing wall by the cross, as the Lord did. This means that instead of holding others’ sins against them, we take up our cross, and through this, the Holy Spirit will bring reconciliation. When we live this way, making peace with others and creating harmony, the Holy Spirit bears witness that we are truly children of God (Romans 8:14, 16). A peacemaker is someone who goes to great lengths to avoid disputes and conflicts, doing everything possible to prevent the fires of hell from being kindled. And if a fire has already been lit, they work diligently to extinguish it before it spreads. Peacemakers do not engage in arguments or fights, even with those who hold different beliefs and opinions, because they respect others.
In this world, we often have two kinds of relationships: personal, as in an “I and You” relationship, or impersonal, as in an “I and It” relationship, where people are treated like objects. The latter is like the transactional relationship between a buyer and a seller. However, the Lord treats us not as objects, but as equals, in a personal “I and You” relationship. This is based on His words: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends” (John 15:15), and “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). A true peacemaker sees others as “You,” not “It.” In a marriage, for instance, divorce often occurs when the equal, personal relationship breaks down. If a relationship is based on meeting one’s own needs, it becomes impersonal, and once the need is gone, the relationship often ends.
The Church is a place where those who live in impersonal “I and It” relationships are transformed in Christ into “I and You” relationships. These relationships are ones of peace and reconciliation, and as we grow in them, we gain the assurance of salvation, being called children of God. In “I and You” relationships, there is no distinction of age, gender, wealth, or social status.
In an “I and You” personal relationship, there is no room for deception. However, in an “I and It” relationship, where people are treated as objects to fulfill my needs, hypocrisy and lies naturally take root in the heart. The Church, as the body of Christ, is made up of members who are meant to be in an “I and You” relationship. But my fleshly nature, which enjoys forming cliques, often turns the Church into an “I and It” relationship. This kind of relationship is disguised with piety and holiness, making it difficult for the spiritually blind to discern the truth. Yet, within my fleshly nature lies hypocrisy and lawlessness. Therefore, the Lord said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside, you appear to people as righteous but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (Matthew 23:27-28).
The Church, as the body of Christ, must gather together. However, Satan tries to prevent this by causing division and scattering believers with excuses and distractions. Scripture tells us, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Satan uses my fleshly nature to sow discord and cause wounds among fellow workers and church members, leading them into temptation. My flesh, bound to the law, exposes my brother’s sins, causing conflict and breaking peace.
To become peacemakers, we must add brotherly affection to godliness. The word translated as “brotherly affection” is φιλαδελφία (philadelphia). In 2 Peter 1:7, we are instructed to “add love (agape) to brotherly affection (philadelphia).” Therefore, philadelphia is a step toward agape, the highest form of love. While philadelphia can refer to the natural affection between siblings, the apostle Paul used this word to describe the love among believers who have become a new family in Christ. Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50). Thus, brotherly affection in the church is about honoring one another and holding each other in high regard. Whether pastor or layperson, one must first cultivate the spiritual qualities of faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, and godliness to reach brotherly affection. This is because true brotherly affection does not allow for criticism or contempt toward a brother. Scripture says, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Romans 14:10). It also commands, “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother” (Romans 14:13).
The call to add brotherly affection to godliness is meant to make the church the body of Christ. We are not isolated individuals but are united in Him. The parts of the body cannot exist independently. They are connected and support one another. We cannot be separated from one another. When we acknowledge that we are all members of one body in Christ, there is no higher or lower, no one more important or less important. Every part is precious and valuable. Those who have this understanding naturally live as peacemakers.
A person who is still worldly or someone who is new to the church can easily be hurt by a single word and fall into temptation. Knowing this well, the devil, like a roaring lion, seeks to destroy the peaceful “I and You” relationships by causing the weaker in faith to stumble. A common sign of someone falling into temptation is skipping Sunday worship. This is why Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” The word “us” refers to the “I and You” relationship. Since we are one body in Christ, when one member faces temptation and trials, it affects the other members as well. Therefore, praying for one another, visiting, and offering counsel to a brother or sister so they do not fall into temptation is an expression of brotherly affection. When we mature as peacemakers through brotherly affection, we are recognized as children of God. This growth from spiritual infancy to maturity is evidence of a faith that has matured. And when the time comes for us to leave this world, we will hear the testimony, “He truly was a child of God.”
As we strive to become peacemakers, which is the seventh stage of our spiritual growth, we must first acknowledge that without the help of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for us to achieve this on our own—our natural inclination leads to division. Only then can we humbly pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” Through the work of the Holy Spirit, peace will be established among brothers, and we will add brotherly affection to godliness, becoming examples of peace and unity to others. At this stage, by the grace of the Lord, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit—peace.
3. Quiz
Quiz 1: Post the four reflections you have written after reading and meditating on the Bible here, as part of Step 7 in Spiritual Training.
Quiz 2: Write and post your seventh prayer, asking for today’s spiritual training to be realized in your life.
Eighth Stage of the Spiritual Exercise
We will engage in the spiritual discipline of cultivating the eighth stage of spirituality: the spirit of those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. However, our fleshly nature resists persecution and instead seeks to elevate itself in front of others. To overcome evil and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will practice adding love to brotherly affection as we strive to help others write prayers that follow this direction.
1. Scripture Meditation for Spiritual Training
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Reflect on what it means to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and why the Lord has given me these words. Write down any thoughts that arise during this meditation.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”
Reflect on how this passage applies to me personally. Compare the blessing of “theirs is the kingdom of heaven” from Matthew 5:10 with the “sentence of hell” from Matthew 23:33. Why did Jesus give me these words? Write down any thoughts that resonate during meditation.
“Add love to brotherly affection.”
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
Reflect on the love that must be added to brotherly affection, and write down any thoughts that come to mind.
“But deliver us from evil.”
Reflect on why our Lord taught me to pray this, and write down the thoughts that come to my heart as I meditate on it.
2. Spiritual Training Lecture
The spiritual discipline we are called to practice now is the stage of “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus said He was persecuted because He declared the deeds of the world as evil (John 7:7). Therefore, as His followers, we too must call out the world’s ways as evil, showing that we do not love the world. This will inevitably lead to persecution, even from those close to us. Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20) and advised, “When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next” (Matthew 10:23). Thus, being persecuted for righteousness’ sake is the inevitable persecution that those who spread God’s kingdom will face from the world.
According to Scripture, those who belong to the flesh persecute those who belong to the Spirit. “Just as at that time the one born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so it is now” (Galatians 4:29). It also says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Therefore, “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:13-14). The righteous are those born of the Spirit, those who live godly lives in Christ Jesus, those who have passed from death to life, and those who no longer belong to this world. Therefore, those who do not belong to this world are naturally persecuted by those who do.
The reason for persecution often stems from the fact that those who belong to the flesh feel offended, their enjoyment is disrupted, and they feel condemned in their own faith. As James 4:4 says, “Don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” Those who are not friends with the world—the poor in spirit, those who mourn for the salvation of others, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers—are often labeled fanatics and judged by the world. The spirit of the world holds values completely opposite to the Spirit of God. In particular, the spirit of the world fiercely rejects God’s love for saving the world, which is why Jesus, who came to proclaim this love, was persecuted in every possible way. The world celebrates those who step on others to win and succeed, but the kingdom of God stands in stark contrast to this.
My fleshly nature is a spiritual blind man who does not participate in the divine nature of God, which is love. And my fleshly nature will never inherit the kingdom of heaven. That is why the Lord spoke to my fleshly nature, saying, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” (Matthew 23:29-33).
What this means is that my fleshly nature is only enthusiastic about decorating the tombs of the prophets and the righteous. The intention behind this is supposedly to carry on the faith of the prophets and the righteous, but in reality, it is more about gaining vicarious satisfaction through them and hypocritically trying to appear as righteous as they were. This is why the Lord asks how I will escape the sentence of hell. I must carefully reflect on whether I, too, am merely decorating the monuments of the righteous—such as John Wesley, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Smyth—without truly living out their faith.
In order to attain the divine nature of God, which is love, we have committed to practicing the steps of adding virtue to faith, knowledge to virtue, self-control to knowledge, perseverance to self-control, godliness to perseverance, and brotherly affection to godliness, each accompanied by prayers fitting for each step. The command to “add love” is given so that we may come to know, through experience, the redemptive love of the cross. When we testify about the love we have experienced, it carries power. Scripture says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20), and “We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death” (1 John 3:14). In other words, the evidence that we are born again and have become children of God is that we, like God who loved us, are willing to give our lives for our brothers, praying for them and loving them to the very end, even through persecution.
If this love of God is absent in me, all my religious work and good deeds are of no benefit to me. The Bible makes it clear: “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give my body to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2-3). Therefore, what we must desire and strive for is to add love to brotherly affection.
People of the world love the world, and their lives are marked by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. However, a mature Christian who has reached the fullness of Christ does not love these things but lives a life of loving God and saving souls. For example, most of the products in this world cater to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. When a Christian purchases and boasts about these things, they are instilling a desire for worldly things in others, rather than instilling a love for God. This leads to spiritual harm. On the other hand, using the resources God has entrusted to us for the salvation of souls—through charitable giving and supporting God’s kingdom—is an act of loving God. Those who witness this will receive the light of life. However, even in doing this, we will inevitably face persecution from fellow believers. This is why we must add love to brotherly affection.
Our goal is to pursue Christian perfection for the salvation of souls, which is why we must add agape love to philadelphia (brotherly affection). Both philadelphia and agape are translated as “love,” but philadelphia refers to brotherly affection between believers, treating one another as equals in an “I and You” relationship. Even in such relationships, there can be moments where our pride is wounded, and it is in those moments that we are called to add agape love. Agape is the divine love of God, and its characteristics are described in Scripture: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
To help us reach the perfection of Christian love, the Lord taught us to pray, “Deliver us from evil.” This plea asks God to keep us from committing evil, in other words, to prevent us from falling into evil. We must always be a witness of God’s love, and if we present ourselves as someone who loves the world to those whom God has placed in our lives, rather than showing them the love of God, then we are failing to lead their souls to salvation. This, therefore, is a prayer for Christian perfection.
Since we are under God’s love and providence, we should always rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances. If we fail to do so, we fall into evil. The signs of falling into evil are complaints, resentment, hatred, and quarreling. That is why it says, “Make the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). The phrase “make the best use of time” in some translations like KJV, WEB, and ASV is translated as “redeeming the time.” The original word for “time” is καιρός (kairos), and the word for “redeeming” is ἐξαγοράζω (exagorazo), meaning to buy back or rescue by paying a price. Kairos refers to each moment, and exagorazo is used in the New Testament four times. For example, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13) and “to redeem those under the law” (Galatians 4:5). We must ask ourselves why and how we can redeem the time. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law and made us new creations with the right to be called children of God. If we do not redeem the time, we will continue to live as our old selves, making Christ’s justification seem like cheap grace. Christ redeemed us so that we might walk in the light and be zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). Redeeming the time means living every moment in the light, and if we fail to do this, we dwell in darkness and fall into evil.
“Redeeming the time” means buying back every moment from the grip of sin and Satan. In other words, since we believe that Christ has paid the price for our redemption with His blood, we must now guard our remaining time in the flesh (χρόνος, chronos – meaning a fixed period of time) from falling back into evil. How do we redeem kairos? Since we have no good in ourselves, we must acknowledge our helplessness and pray for Christ to reign in our hearts. At the same time, we must sincerely pray to be crucified with Christ, for this is the way to redeem kairos. By faith, we are united with Christ in His death, and it is then that the risen Christ becomes the Lord of our lives. Like Paul, we can then say, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). This allows us to overcome the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life that belongs to the world. John Wesley referred to this as Christian perfection. This prayer to redeem kairos is not a one-time event but an ongoing, moment-by-moment prayer, as natural as breathing. This is why Paul said to pray without ceasing.
We know that we are called to love even our enemies. Yet, before knowing Christ, if someone insulted or wounded our pride, we naturally fell into evil. Even after believing in Christ, though we should no longer fall into evil, we can quickly stray from the Word and lose our souls to evil in a fleeting moment. This is why the Lord commands us to pray not to fall into evil, so that we do not lose our souls. We must always pray that the Lord holds our hand and keeps us from falling into evil. We are also called not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). For this to happen, Christ must live in us. We must remember that as long as we are living for ourselves, Christ cannot reign as King and Lord in our hearts.
James 2:4 mentions one way we can fall into evil: by judging others based on appearances. Those who pursue only faith without seeking Christian perfection will expose and judge the sins of others, leading to the destruction of souls. Living under the law, they cannot apply agape love to their lives. It is only after building upon faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and brotherly affection that one can finally live under grace and reach agape love. This agape love, modeled after Christ, is the willingness to bear the sins and failings of our brothers by taking up the cross. This agape is shown by covering all sins and wrongs (1 Peter 4:8). It is the very nature of God and the heart of Christ. To pursue this heart of Christ, we must always pray to be delivered from evil, continually striving toward Christian perfection. This kind of biblical Christianity leads to the salvation of many, and in this process, the Lord bears the fruit of the Spirit—love—within us.
3. Quiz
Quiz 1: Post the four reflections you have written after reading and meditating on the Bible here, as part of Step 8 in Spiritual Training.
Quiz 2: Write and post your eighth prayer, asking for today’s spiritual training to be realized in your life.
Ninth Stage of the Spiritual Exercise
We are now entering the ninth stage of spiritual formation, aimed at cultivating the spirituality that leads to Christian perfection. This is the final stage of our spiritual discipline, dedicated to the salvation of souls. As followers of Christ, we will inevitably face insults and all kinds of humiliation. In these moments, it becomes an opportunity to demonstrate that we are indeed called by the Lord, bearing fruit and having the long-term vision that confirms our mission in the world. Since our flesh resists such a life, we will compose a prayer, asking God to help us continuously reveal faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. By offering this prayer to God, we will complete this spiritual discipline.
1. Scripture Meditation for Spiritual Training
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Reflect on why the Lord has given you this message and write down the thoughts that come to mind.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Reflect on why the Lord has spoken this word to you and record the thoughts that come to your heart.
“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Reflect on why God is giving you this message and note the thoughts that resonate in your heart.
“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Reflect on why the Lord has taught you this prayer, and write down the thoughts that come to mind.
2. Spiritual Training Lecture
We have now reached the final stage of our spiritual formation toward Christian perfection: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12). God allows those who testify to the gospel to experience this stage. As Jesus said, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you… If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:19-20). Jesus, who testified to the kingdom of God, was crucified, appearing foolish, weak, and lowly to the world, and Paul, following in Christ’s footsteps, was treated like “the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world” (1 Corinthians 4:13). Therefore, this stage confirms that we do not belong to the world, but rather to the kingdom of God, and affirms that we are chosen by the Lord, standing in the line of the prophets.
Jesus told us that when we are persecuted in one town, we should flee to the next (Matthew 10:23). However, we are also called to rejoice and be glad because “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18), and our reward in heaven will be great. This is an opportunity to enter into the ranks of the prophets and complete the final course of God’s training toward Christian perfection, receiving the certificate and reward (Hebrews 2:10, 1 Peter 5:10). Though from a worldly perspective, those who persecute us may appear to be our enemies, Jesus teaches us, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). He also said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay” (Romans 12:19), and Paul echoes, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:14). Therefore, this is God’s grace leading us to love our enemies and bless those who persecute us without holding grudges. Furthermore, we are called to feed our enemies if they are hungry and give them something to drink if they are thirsty, showing them gentleness and kindness (Romans 12:20). This is the evidence that we have reached Christian perfection, just as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).
The Apostle Paul said, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:35). He also said, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Therefore, when we are persecuted for the sake of the Lord, we have every reason to rejoice and be glad, because it is in those moments that God’s power rests upon us, making us strong. At times, He also provides a way out, and there is always a great reward in heaven. This is the pinnacle of our faith. For those who strive toward this goal, the Holy Spirit will surely help them to participate in the divine nature of God.
The persecutors are not far away; they are often very close. As it is written, “a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household” (Matthew 10:36), so whether it’s family members, fellow churchgoers, or even pastors, those who pursue Christian perfection are often persecuted by those close to them. Among them, my own fleshly nature is the one that desires Christian perfection the least. This is why the Lord says to my flesh, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'” (Matthew 23:37-39). This reveals that God has continually sent spiritual people who bear the gospel in order to save me.
Therefore, the ninth stage is about bearing the cross and shining the light of good works to those who persecute the gospel bearers. Eventually, even those who hold a negative view of Christian perfection—like my own fleshly self—will see this light and come to realize that their righteousness is like filthy rags. The Holy Spirit works in such a way that I am led to cast off this false righteousness. When I acknowledge the ugliness and wickedness of my nature and welcome the merciful Lord, I will sing “Hosanna!” and the Lord will enter my heart. He will then transform my self-serving heart into a house of prayer. My prayers, which were previously no different from the prayers of worldly people, will now—by the help of the Holy Spirit—seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, praying for the salvation of souls and longing for the spirituality that leads to Christian perfection.
The secret to reaching Christian perfection is to add virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love to our faith. When these qualities are abundant in our lives, our fellowship with Jesus Christ deepens, and we become branches on the vine, bearing the fruit of soul-winning. Therefore, the eight spiritual virtues, together with the eight Beatitudes, ultimately lead to a life lived in the light. The Lord calls us to show these nine stages of good works to others, so that they may see them and give glory to our Heavenly Father. However, if someone claims to have faith but lacks these qualities, they are spiritually blind. And when the blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit. A tree is recognized by its fruit, and the Lord calls us the branches of the vine. The value of the vine lies solely in its fruit. If it bears no fruit, it is only good for firewood. Just as an apple tree bears apples, a person filled with life bears the fruit of life—namely, the salvation of souls. This is the work the Lord has done, and the mission He has given us. If we live in this way, we will surely hear from the Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” in His eternal kingdom. Therefore, this spiritual discipline is not optional—it is an essential part of the Christian life.
To help us reach the perfection of Christian love, the Lord taught us to pray, “Deliver us from evil.” This plea asks God to keep us from committing evil, in other words, to prevent us from falling into evil. We must always be a witness of God’s love, and if we present ourselves as someone who loves the world to those whom God has placed in our lives, rather than showing them the love of God, then we are failing to lead their souls to salvation. This, therefore, is a prayer for Christian perfection.
Since we are under God’s love and providence, we should always rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances. If we fail to do so, we fall into evil. The signs of falling into evil are complaints, resentment, hatred, and quarreling. That is why it says, “Make the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). The phrase “make the best use of time” in some translations like KJV, WEB, and ASV is translated as “redeeming the time.” The original word for “time” is καιρός (kairos), and the word for “redeeming” is ἐξαγοράζω (exagorazo), meaning to buy back or rescue by paying a price. Kairos refers to each moment, and exagorazo is used in the New Testament four times. For example, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13) and “to redeem those under the law” (Galatians 4:5). We must ask ourselves why and how we can redeem the time. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law and made us new creations with the right to be called children of God. If we do not redeem the time, we will continue to live as our old selves, making Christ’s justification seem like cheap grace. Christ redeemed us so that we might walk in the light and be zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). Redeeming the time means living every moment in the light, and if we fail to do this, we dwell in darkness and fall into evil.
“Redeeming the time” means buying back every moment from the grip of sin and Satan. In other words, since we believe that Christ has paid the price for our redemption with His blood, we must now guard our remaining time in the flesh (χρόνος, chronos – meaning a fixed period of time) from falling back into evil. How do we redeem kairos? Since we have no good in ourselves, we must acknowledge our helplessness and pray for Christ to reign in our hearts. At the same time, we must sincerely pray to be crucified with Christ, for this is the way to redeem kairos. By faith, we are united with Christ in His death, and it is then that the risen Christ becomes the Lord of our lives. Like Paul, we can then say, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). This allows us to overcome the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life that belongs to the world. John Wesley referred to this as Christian perfection. This prayer to redeem kairos is not a one-time event but an ongoing, moment-by-moment prayer, as natural as breathing. This is why Paul said to pray without ceasing.
We know that we are called to love even our enemies. Yet, before knowing Christ, if someone insulted or wounded our pride, we naturally fell into evil. Even after believing in Christ, though we should no longer fall into evil, we can quickly stray from the Word and lose our souls to evil in a fleeting moment. This is why the Lord commands us to pray not to fall into evil, so that we do not lose our souls. We must always pray that the Lord holds our hand and keeps us from falling into evil. We are also called not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). For this to happen, Christ must live in us. We must remember that as long as we are living for ourselves, Christ cannot reign as King and Lord in our hearts.
James 2:4 mentions one way we can fall into evil: by judging others based on appearances. Those who pursue only faith without seeking Christian perfection will expose and judge the sins of others, leading to the destruction of souls. Living under the law, they cannot apply agape love to their lives. It is only after building upon faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and brotherly affection that one can finally live under grace and reach agape love. This agape love, modeled after Christ, is the willingness to bear the sins and failings of our brothers by taking up the cross. This agape is shown by covering all sins and wrongs (1 Peter 4:8). It is the very nature of God and the heart of Christ. To pursue this heart of Christ, we must always pray to be delivered from evil, continually striving toward Christian perfection. This kind of biblical Christianity leads to the salvation of many, and in this process, the Lord bears the fruit of the Spirit—love—within us.
The Lord has taught us to end our prayers with, “For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen,” in order to fulfill the Father’s will by saving souls. The devil, however, seeks in every possible way to steal the kingdom, power, and glory for himself instead of letting it be given to God’s children. Therefore, the ultimate goal of the prayer the Lord taught us is to give the kingdom, power, and glory to the Father by rescuing our brothers and sisters from sin and death. But we must recognize that Satan attempts to make us cling to our fleshly nature, causing us to fail in saving souls and ultimately seeking the kingdom, power, and glory for himself.
That is why, when we pray, “For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever,” with sincere faith, Satan loses his ability to control our hearts. The prayer begins with “Our Father in heaven,” and it ends with “forever Yours is the kingdom, power, and glory,” directing all our requests and praise to the Father. This is the prayer that God receives and delights in. By leading us to pray this way in the final stage, God brings forth the fruit of joy in our lives through the Holy Spirit.
3. Quiz
Quiz 1: Post the four reflections you have written after reading and meditating on the Bible here, as part of Step 9 in Spiritual Training.
Quiz 2: Write and post your ninth prayer, asking for today’s spiritual training to be realized in your life.
Summary of the 9 Stages of Spiritual Exercise
I seek to connect the nine Beatitudes in Matthew 5, the nine Woes in Matthew 23, the Lord’s Prayer, the eight qualities of divine nature in 2 Peter 1, and the nine fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, as I aim to open my spiritual eyes and daily walk in fellowship with the Lord.
First, God gives us “faith” and makes us “poor in spirit.” To help us, He teaches us to pray, “Our Father in heaven,” and produces the fruit of the Spirit, “faithfulness,” within us. This leads us to understand the kingdom of heaven. Without spiritual sight, however, we end up shutting the door of heaven in people’s faces, for which we receive the Lord’s rebuke. Thus, at this stage, we have composed the following prayer.
Our Father in heaven,
God who gives grace to the humble, we thank You and lift up our praise for allowing us to hear the gospel and understand the spiritual truth that blessed are the poor in spirit. We confess that we have harbored pride, becoming angry when our egos were hurt, and in doing so, we have caused others pain. We have closed the gates of heaven, neither entering ourselves nor allowing others to enter. While professing to rely on You, we have trusted in the power of Mammon. Lord, have mercy on us and save us. Increase our faith, we pray.
Because You bore the cross and paid the price with Your precious blood to redeem us from sin and death and present us to the Father, we acknowledge that our bodies, minds, talents, resources, time—everything we have—belong to You. We surrender all authority we have wrongly claimed over these things and return them to You, Lord. Pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us so that we may faithfully fulfill the calling of stewards who manage Your possessions according to Your will.
Guide our thoughts, words, and actions, Lord. Fill our hearts with righteousness, peace, and joy, and let us always walk in the light. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Second, God grants us “virtue” and allows us to “mourn.” He instructs us to pray, “Hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come,” and enables us to bear the fruit of “kindness.” Through this, we find comfort in witnessing the salvation of the souls for whom we’ve prayed with tears. Without spiritual insight, though, there is no mourning for lost souls, and instead, we make long prayers for show, which brings the Lord’s rebuke. Thus, at this stage, we have composed the following prayer.
Holy Father,
Hallowed be Your name, and may Your kingdom come. We thank and praise You for helping us understand the spiritual truth that blessed are those who mourn. Lord, we thank You for awakening us from the deep slumber of indifference toward saving souls who are heading to hell. Forgive us for our complacency, for living with dry eyes while souls perished. From now on, grant us the discernment to recognize those who are lost and give us the heart to become servants of tears, praying fervently and mourning deeply for their salvation.
Pour out Your grace so that the groaning of the Holy Spirit on our behalf may pierce our hearts. Enable us to declare that we have become servants to others because of Jesus, leading people from darkness into light. Like the Apostle Paul, may we become servants to many, testifying to the Lordship of Christ and reflecting His light through lives filled with virtue.
Help us to live holy lives, set apart from the world in all our conduct. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Third, God gives us “knowledge” and teaches us to be “meek.” He calls us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” and brings forth the fruit of “gentleness.” As a result, we inherit the earth and lead others to become citizens of heaven. But without spiritual sight, we end up making others twice as much children of hell, for which the Lord rebukes us. Thus, at this stage, we have composed the following prayer.
Almighty Father,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We thank and praise You for helping us understand the spiritual truth that blessed are the meek. Lord, grant us the grace to remain steadfast and content in any circumstance, maintaining balance and patience.
We confess that in our pursuit of higher positions and recognition in Christ, we have formed factions, fought, caused divisions, and judged our brothers and sisters, making others twice as much children of hell. Forgive us for our sins. Help us to grow in the knowledge of You by having true fellowship with You.
Teach us to consider everything we once loved or thought beneficial as loss and rubbish for the sake of knowing Christ. Help us not to be ashamed of becoming foolish, weak, or lowly in the eyes of the world for the sake of Christ and the mission of saving souls. Grant us the grace to remain calm and patient in every situation, never giving in to anger for the sake of saving even one soul.
May every thought, word, and deed of ours be guided by Your will as we live as Your faithful servants. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Fourth, God gives us “self-control” and makes us “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” He tells us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” and grows the fruit of “self-control” in us. By restraining our own false righteousness and lies, we are filled with God’s righteousness. Yet without spiritual eyes, we constantly hunger and thirst for money, which brings the Lord’s rebuke. Thus, at this stage, we have composed the following prayer.
Father who provides for all our needs, feeding and clothing us,
Give us this day our daily bread. We thank and praise You for leading us to understand the spiritual truth that blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. May the resources, time, and health You have entrusted to us be used for the work of saving souls.
We confess that we have prioritized establishing our own righteousness over seeking Yours, placing others under the burden of the law. In doing so, we have taught human traditions as doctrines and worshiped You in vain. Forgive our sins, Lord, and cleanse us with Your precious blood.
Fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we may restrain words and actions that glorify our own righteousness. The bread You provide is to fully accomplish the Father’s will, bringing us under the grace of the cross’s redemptive power. May those who were once under the law encounter us and experience the joy of coming under grace, offering gratitude and praise to You, Father.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who satisfies our souls. Amen.
Fifth, God gives us “patience” and allows us to become “merciful.” He teaches us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” and bears the fruit of “long-suffering” within us. In doing so, we too receive mercy from the Lord. But without spiritual insight, we abandon justice, mercy, and faithfulness before God, leading to the Lord’s rebuke. Thus, at this stage, we have composed the following prayer.
Merciful Father,
In obedience to Your Word, we forgive those who have sinned against us. We thank and praise You for teaching us the spiritual truth that blessed are the merciful. Lord, You have forgiven us a debt of ten thousand talents—a debt we could never repay. We lift up our gratitude, praise, and glory to You for canceling what we could not pay.
Just as You were patient and merciful toward us to bring about our salvation, help us also to approach those indebted to us with patience and compassion, so that they too might be saved. We confess that we have judged others by their outward appearance and acted as hypocrites, straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel. Have mercy on us, Lord, and cleanse us with Your precious blood.
You endured with great patience and mercy, bringing us from darkness into light and from death to the path of life. As You have entrusted us with the mission of leading others to life, help us to shine the light of the gospel continuously, even when others treat us with hostility. Fill our hearts with compassion and enable us to wait patiently for their salvation.
We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sixth, God grants us “godliness” and makes us “pure in heart.” He instructs us to pray, “Forgive us our sins,” and produces the fruit of “goodness.” This enables us to see God in Christ. But without spiritual sight, we only clean the outside, while the inside remains full of greed and self-indulgence, for which we are rebuked by the Lord. Thus, at this stage, we have composed the following prayer.
Father, who did not withhold even Your only begotten Son but gave Him for us,
Forgive us our sins. We thank and praise You for leading us to understand the spiritual truth that blessed are the pure in heart. We confess that while we appear clean on the outside, our hearts are filled with greed. You have entrusted us with resources to alleviate the suffering of humanity, yet we remain captive to Mammon, using these blessings selfishly for our own convenience and benefit. Open our eyes, Lord, to see the needs of the poor.
You have said that pure and undefiled religion before You, our God and Father, is to care for orphans and widows in their distress. Help us to live out such godly lives as examples to others. Guard our hearts, Holy Spirit, so that we may not approach or entertain anything that stirs lust or unclean thoughts.
Since You have made our bodies temples of the Holy Spirit, keep us pure in both body and mind, untainted by the world. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Seventh, God gives us “brotherly affection” and helps us become “peacemakers.” He tells us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” and brings forth the fruit of “peace” within us. As a result, we are called children of God. Without spiritual insight, however, we appear peaceful on the outside like a whitewashed tomb, but inside we are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness, and we receive the Lord’s rebuke. Thus, at this stage, we have composed the following prayer.
Almighty Father,
Lead us not into temptation. We thank and praise You for helping us understand the spiritual truth that blessed are the peacemakers. We confess that we have often related to others as “I and it,” using people for our own benefit, causing them hurt and leading them into temptation. In doing so, we have driven some away from the body of Christ. Lord, forgive us.
You have always related to us as “I and you,” treating us with dignity and love. Since every member of the body of Christ shares this same personal relationship, help us to support one another and live in unity. When we see the faults of others, enable us not to make them a topic of discussion but to cover them in love.
Keep us watchful so that we may follow the Spirit, not our sinful nature. From now on, may we see all people as the objects of Your love and salvation, treating them with the personal care and respect of “I and you.” Grant us brotherly affection, teaching us to honor one another and value each other as precious in Your sight.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Eighth, God bestows upon us “love” and allows us to be “persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” He teaches us to pray, “Deliver us from the evil one,” and helps us bear the fruit of “love.” Although we are persecuted, we are reminded of the kingdom of heaven, for we have loved like Christ till the end. But without spiritual eyes, the Lord warns us, saying, “How will you escape being condemned to hell?” Thus, at this stage, we have composed the following prayer.
Father who hates evil,
Deliver us from evil. We thank and praise You for teaching us the spiritual truth that blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Lord, You were persecuted because You declared the world to be evil. May we also be willing to face persecution from the world.
Yet we confess that we have avoided persecution, contenting ourselves with decorating the graves and monuments of prophets like Wesley, rather than boldly living out a life that demonstrates Your kingdom and Your righteousness to the world. Forgive us for compromising, Lord.
Though we know we are called to love even our enemies, we admit our weakness: when others disrespect or wound our pride, we are quick to fall into evil. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that we may overcome evil with good. Since Christ redeemed us from being slaves to sin with His precious blood, help us never to become enslaved to sin again. Let us use the time we have left in the flesh to live fully for You, willingly paying the price to honor Your sacrifice.
Grant us the grace to always rejoice, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Finally, God fully opens our spiritual eyes to know Jesus Christ. He makes us “blessed when others revile us, persecute us, and falsely say all kinds of evil against us because of Jesus.” He teaches us to pray, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever,” and produces the fruit of “joy” in us. As a result, we receive great reward in heaven. Yet without spiritual sight, no matter how many prophets the Lord sends, we do not believe. So the Lord laments, “How often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” Thus, at this stage, we have composed the following prayer.
Father, Creator of all things visible and invisible,
Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. We thank and praise You for revealing the spiritual truth that blessed are we when people insult, persecute, and falsely say all kinds of evil against us because of You. We offer gratitude, praise, and glory to You.
Help us to rejoice and be glad when we are falsely accused or slandered for Your sake. Like the Apostle Paul, teach us to delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for the sake of Christ. Though we have failed to recognize and honor the prophets and servants You sent, open our spiritual eyes from now on, so we may befriend them, draw near to them, and grow deeper in knowing You, bearing the fruit You desire in abundance.
We confess that our prayers have often been no different from the world’s, seeking only material needs. But now, by the help of the Holy Spirit, guide us to seek first Your kingdom and righteousness, pursuing the salvation of souls and growing toward the spiritual maturity of Christlikeness.
Unite us with You, Lord. Let the world see that You are in us, and we are in You. We thank You, Father, for the grace that has brought us to this stage of spiritual growth. To You be all thanksgiving, praise, and glory.
We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now, having prayed through these nine stages of faith, we can all confess:
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Amen!
Until the day the Lord calls us home, I urge you in the name of the Lord to meditate continually on these nine stages of prayer without ceasing. Then, one day, as you wake from sleep on an ordinary day, you will find yourself clothed in a glorious body, standing before the Lord, receiving His praise. Amen!
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