Dallas Willard: Knowing Christ–Understanding the Person (Part 3)

In late February, I had the treat of sitting under the teaching of Dallas Willard and John Ortberg at the Knowing Christ Conference sponsored by the Martin Institute/Dallas Willard Center at Westmont College. I took dozens of pages of notes, which I’m editing and sharing over a number of posts. Below are the part of my notes from his second presentation, “Understanding the Person: Including the Hidden Parts”

My standard disclaimer is that these are insights that I gained from listening to Dallas. They are sometimes his exact words. They are sometimes my own words or reflections. So, don’t assume that every word here is straight from him. And these are lightly edited, so bear with possible typos or grammatical goofs. With that in mind, I pray these notes will help you in your own journey with Christ.

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Change the message and reality of redemptive life in community. Realize that we are individuals gifted by God help one another to discern and speak to one another and change things in one another that we cannot change on our own.

Sometimes disciplines of solitude, silence, service, scripture memorization can do wonders. Worship is the single most complete discipline available to us. .

We need the ministry of gifted members of the body.

The righteousness of the scribe and Pharisees is running “successful” services. Each of us needs to think about what we take as a mark of success for our lives and ministries. This always involves the transformation of character. At the close of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks about people who did many great and amazing things for him, But, he said that he did not know them because they were not allied with Him in all their works for Him.

Disciples go through the process of transformation and come out loving God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, as well as their neighbor as themselves. Easy, routine obedience is the good fruit that comes from a good tree. Make the tree good. Don’t keep trying to improve the fruit directly.

We teach people so that they routinely do what Jesus taught. Not that they ought to do these things. It isn’t so much a “should” but a capability and a confidence.

Conversation:

John: What would you say to the person, hungry for change, and who has been in the church a long time, and who feels change is so hard? I talk too much. I’m fearful. Why is change so hard? How do you encourage the frustrated?

Dallas: The person who talks too much does so for a reason. Why do they talk so much? Don’t just try to stop talking too much. Change the why and the problem takes care of itself. We want to encourage people to not think what they now think, not want what they now want, not feel what they now feel. Vital!

Where does an engagement with pornography come from? Will alone will not help. Why do people want to view images like this? What is the reason? Deal with the reason, and the issue dissipates.

Credit cards are one of the great threats to practical wisdom. They enable you to do things you can’t otherwise do, but in a way that traps us rather than empowering us.

If you are willing to not want what you now want, there is a way forward for you. This is the sort of work we could be doing in our fellowships. Do a six-week seminar on anger. Invite those who want to overcome anger habits to work on this. Find the source of their anger.

We need to be careful about announcing revolutions. Seek God first. Work on what needs to change. Revolution will be a fruit of that.

John: How much change are we capable of?

Dallas: You are capable, by God’s grace, to do whatever Jesus teaches. You must change the roots of behavior, and behavior will change. Everything Jesus taught we can learn if we will go to the roots of behavior. What parts need to change and are currently the source of our behaviors?

Psalm 119 talks about the power of God’s word as a protection against waywardness. Psalm 1 one is another illustration.

We learn to listen to another voice.

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