Spiritual Disciplines within the Church: Participating Fully in the Body of Christ

'You're worth it.' 'You deserve a break today.' 'Do something nice for yourself.' Commonly heard phrases in this society are committed to self-gratification and individual rights. Doing things for other people is a waste of precious time, and asking for help is weak. So how do we build the church described in the Scriptures? In this day and age, how can we be a genuine community based on self-sacrifice and mutual commitment?

In Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, seminary professor, author, and former pastor Don Whitney shows us how to build a sense of community and be active participants instead of passive attendees. Whitney looks at such frequently asked questions as: Why can't I get by on my own? Why should I go to church? Why should I give of myself to the church? Why do I need to worship in church? Couldn't I just worship in nature? Why does it matter whether I become a member of the church?

Committed love must mark the local expression of the body of Christ. By putting spiritual disciplines into practice in the church, congregations can return to the depth of community present in the New Testament church, where they 'devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.'

DON WHITNEY (Arkansas State University; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the founder and president of The Center for Biblical Spirituality and is Associate Professor and Dean of Biblical Spirituality at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Don is the author of Spiritual Disciplines within the Church, How Can I Be Sure I'm A Christian, and Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Don and his wife, Caffy, have one daughter and live near Louisville, Kentucky.

JAMES MONTGOMERY BOICE (1938-2000) (A.B., Harvard University; B.D., Princeton Theological Seminary; D.Th., University of Basel, Switzerland; D.D., Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church) was speaker on the worldwide radio ministry of the Bible Study Hour and pastor of historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. His titles include Jesus on Trial and The Doctrines of Grace. He was married to Linda Ann Boice, who continues to teach at the high school they co-founded.