Three Quick Takeaways from John Mark Comer’s Practicing the Way
Recently, a group of us finished reading John Mark Comer’s Practicing the Way. Comer was a pastor in Portland and now lives in California. He’s a prolific author and this book is his latest. It reminds me of the writings of Dallas Willard and Richard Foster with its emphasis on spiritual disciplines.
To be sure, Comer is spot on that Christians (he likes the words “followers”, “disciple” and “apprentice”) should become more like Christ (cf. 1 Cor.11:1, Gal.4:19). He believes this is a deliberate, intentional process as outlined in Scripture and church history. The book divides into three sections: Be with Jesus, Become like him, and Do as he did. Comer draws from Scripture and other resources to prove his point.
Here are three quick takeaways from my reading of the book:
#1 There’s not many Christ followers compared to the multitude
Comer rightly distinguishes between the crowds that followed Jesus around and those who were Jesus’s followers. As a former church pastor, I observed people in the churches I served who attended for what they could get. They stayed on the fringes. They were reluctant to commit. They were religious consumers. Still others, the minority, were serious about their walk with Jesus and committed to our church.
Nothing has changed since Jesus’s day. That’s why using church attendance numbers as a measure of success can be deceiving. Any number of factors can gather a crowd; but not many in the crowd follow Jesus.
The former will always outnumber the latter.
#2 Christ followers need to practice/incorporate spiritual disciplines to become more like Jesus
The words “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (NASB) or in the NIV “train yourself to be godly” in 1 Tim.4:7 still apply today for everyone who professes Jesus. But not everyone obeys it. The verb “train” in the NIV has an athletic connotation. It’s a source word for our word “gymnasium”. Athletes engage in repetitive disciplines in order to compete successfully. Christians engage in spiritual disciplines (reading Scripture, prayer, fasting, giving, witnessing, to name a few) to become like Jesus. Comer has his own list of nine starting on p.198 of my Kindle version of the book.
I once read that spiritual disciplines are like forms used for concrete. We’re responsible for making the forms (disciplines); the Holy Spirit fills them in with Christlike character. Sadly not all of us are willing to do this.
But becoming like him isn’t the final goal. It’s to Do as he did. It’s to obey Jesus. Luke 6:46 is telling: “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?”
#3 Is this the only way of doing church?
In the final section of the book, Comer calls on Christians to develop a rule or standard for their spiritual life. He contends, rightly, that we already have a rule for life even if it does not conform to biblical norms. Comer takes his cue from Benedict of Nursia (480-547 AD), an Italian monk who formed a monastic community around Benedict’s Rule which organizes the day around various shared activities. Comer’s personal rule includes limiting time on social media, spending morning time in prayer, and devoting time to writing.
Though I didn’t have a name for it back then, I remember as a young Christian (saved through a campus ministry) committing to a similar type of rule. A group of us held ourselves accountable in Bible reading and memorization, prayer, and evangelism. Nothing new here.
As I understand it, he’s part of an organized community who have committed to a rule of life. So far so good.
But is this the only way of doing church?
What about Foundry Church which has a typical evangelical worship style and elder led church government? Should the elders demand that everyone conform to a “rule” or be left out? Is Comer’s monastic model a one size fits all?
I think not.
That’s not to say a leader or member/attender can’t form a small group with its own “rule” or set of biblical standards with which they hold each other accountable. Should every professing Christian have a personal “rule”? Of course. But sadly, not everyone will.
John Marks Comer’s Practicing the Way is a substantive and thoughtful book that needs to be read with discernment. I can understand its appeal to younger Christ followers who’ve become disillusioned with the status quo of many churches. He provides a fresh voice to an ancient model of spiritual formation.
Comer relies heavily on Jewish practice of a rabbi (in his book it’s Jesus) and followers or apprentices. But what about largely Gentile church plants as recorded in Acts? Did they adopt this Jewish model? (cf. Acts 14:21)
Comer should be commended for challenging the church to abide in Christ, be like Jesus, and do what he says. How that works itself out in a local church may look different than his.