Practising the Way.
At Central Vineyard, we are passionate and dedicated to follow Jesus. We want to practise the way of Jesus together as a church community.
This basically means to grow in our relationship with Jesus, inviting the Holy Spirit to shape us to get to know our God better. This is known as spiritual formation, discipleship or apprenticeship to Jesus. We believe that spiritual practices are a key part of this and regularly teach on what the Bible tells us about the way of Jesus.
We don’t only want to teach - we want to practise it! The way we do this at Central Vineyard is through our community circles. We encourage you to do this anytime and have provided the materials and resources below. You can read and listen to the resources alone, but we encourage you to do it with at least one other person so you can be accountable and learn from each other.
As in most things, alongside devotion and passion to grow in Jesus, the key is to build habit, so as you learn more, try to take at least a month to work through a practice to build habits that last and continually bring you closer to Jesus.
Sabbath.
An ancient way to find rest for your soul.
The Sabbath is a 24-hour time period set aside to stop, rest, delight, and worship. It is the best day of the week. In our era of chronic exhaustion, emotional unhealth, and spiritual stagnation, few things are more necessary than the recovery of this ancient practice.
Recommended Reading.
Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva J. Dawn
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
Sabbath: The Ancient Practices by Dan Allender
CV Teaching series.
Podcast.
A printed version is available to buy here
Prayer.
Pursue a deeper life of union with God.
Prayer is simply the medium through which we communicate and commune with God. The practice of prayer is learning to set aside dedicated time to intentionally be with God in order to become like him and partner with him in the world.
Recommended Reading.
Beholding by Strahan Coleman
God on Mute by Pete Greig
CV Teaching series.
Podcast.
A printed version is available to buy here
Fasting.
What if we are missing out on one of Jesus’ most essential practices?
Fasting is going without food for a set amount of time to awaken our body and soul to our deep hunger and need for God. It’s one of the most powerful — and neglected — of all of Jesus’ practices.
Recommended Reading.
Fasting by Scot McKnight
God’s Chosen Fast by Arthur Wallis
CV Teaching series.
Podcast.
A printed version is available to buy here
Solitude.
Distraction is one of the greatest threats to spiritual health in the modern world.
We all feel it — we’re bombarded by noise like never before. Jesus has an invitation for us: Step away from it all to be alone with him, for the sake of our souls and the sake of others.
Recommended Reading.
Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence by Ruth Haley Barton
Beholding by Strahan Coleman
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
CV Teaching series.
Podcast.
This is our current series, we’d love for you to join us on Sunday.
A printed version is available to buy here
Other Resources on Spiritual Formation.
There is a library of other tools and guides for spiritual formation here