ESSAY SPIRITUAL FORMATION AND DISCIPLESHIP (1)

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Essay: Spiritual Formation and Discipleship Christopher Hamilton DSMN-500 Dr. James Sulfridge Liberty University September 3, 2023

1 Contents Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1 3 Areas of Spiritual Formation .................................................................................................................... 1 The Whole Person ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Walking Under Control of the Holy Spirit ................................................................................................... 4 Making Disciples ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 6

2 Introduction Spiritual formation is an essential aspect of discipleship. To understand the importance of spiritual formation we must understand the definition of it first. It can be easy to get lost in the everyday mundane stuff. A lot of us have heard the expression going through the motions, but how do we realize when we become victims of this reality? So, exactly what is this spiritual formation? In the book Spiritual Formation Is, we can see this definition , “ spiritual formation is an ongoing process of moving from one degree of glory to another. It is growing in the ever- increasing splendor of the image of Jesus.” 1 In the words of Paul, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” 2 3 Areas of Spiritual Formation This process can become painful. Moving from the flesh into the Spirit means denying your natural instincts and acting in faith. There are signs that may occur when we start falling behind in spiritual formation. One may be that we find ourselves lacking a desire for knowledge. Earley states, "My spiritual attention span was getting shorter and shorter.” 3 When we lose focus on biblical truth, we start to lose that spiritual fitness. Think of it as exercise; when we do it daily, we find it becomes easier and easier. If we neglect that exercise, we get out of shape and 1 Dave Earley, “The Process of Being Changed to Be like Jesus,” in Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 8. 2 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 3:30. 3 Dave Earley, “The Process of Being Changed to Be like Jesus,” in Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 3.

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3 lose endurance. If we choose not to exercise, the natural inclination is to show little desire to build that habit later. Another struggle in sanctification is finding the time to dedicate to the process. When we get focused on our own self-growth, we can lose focus on what really matters. The transformation from flesh to Spirit starts with a mindset shift. In Lead Like Jesus Revisited , “this transformational journey begins with the willingness to do whatever Jesus commands, with a heart surrendered to doing His will, and with the commitment to lead the way He leads.” 4 If focus on God’s glory gets lost, it must be refocused to full surrender in all aspects of our lives. Most of the time our exhaustion comes because we are trying to work out spiritual formation in our own flesh. It becomes tiresome when it becomes our own efforts instead of letting the Holy Spirit be the vine. The flesh can easily get discouraged. We often think of the Christian life as awarding and fulfilling. However, how easy is it for us to feel like giving up? When times get hard and trials start to come, our prayers sound more like this – “God, will you please end this situation?” We want God to speed up the process when the process is there to help build our faith. Matthew 17:20 states, “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” 5 We read this verse poorly so often. We want God to move a mountain, but we do not practice the endurance of faith. Little faith is not about the size of the faith as much as it is about 4 Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges, Lead like Jesus Revisited: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2016), 23–24. 5 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 17:20.

4 the endurance of it. God moves mountains, but often He does it stone by stone. We are just inclined to walk away before we see the job get finished. Now that we see the obstacles of our own flesh, how do we turn the script and focus on the right process? Earley says it well, “when we gaze into the face of Jesus and see the glory of the Lord, a process of transformation takes place.” 6 He then explains this transformation as of a caterpillar. We take our ugly flesh, and He transforms it into something beautiful. Just like the caterpillar morphing into a butterfly. This process allows us to conform into the image of God and is called Spiritual Formation or Sanctification. How can we measure this formation? We can measure it with our fruits. John 15:5 tells us how we can produce these fruits, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” 7 Fruit comes from the Spirit. When we self-produce righteousness, we really produce nothing. This process can feel unnerving at times. The book Discipleshift explains this well, “In times of pruning, we are tempted to leave Jesus. We think he is failing to affirm us as we are, and we’re right—he’s actually shaping us into something else, something better.” 8 We find this pain because we still have our fleshly desires. We have no righteousness in ourselves, but as it’s produced it can feel unnatural. As we form into the image of God, we start to see a different worldview and our impact starts pointing to Jesus rather than ourselves. 6 Dave Earley, “The Process of Being Changed to Be like Jesus,” in Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 7. 7 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 15:5. 8 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 49.

5 The Whole Person The shift from flesh to Spirit causes an affect on the whole person. We can no longer live fully to the temptations of this world. Dempsey states that the application is this, “we are to love God totally with all of our mind, soul, body, spirit, and to the full capacity of our strength.” 9 As Christians, our thoughts belong to Jesus. Our body becomes a living temple. The Holy Spirit lives inside of us directing our moves. Our soul has been bought with a price and now belongs to Christ. This all means that we need to have a full mindset of surrender and denial of our flesh. We exist fully to bring glory to God. Our priority is no longer on ourselves and our desires, but instead His will and His desires. Walking Under Control of the Holy Spirit Now that we walk under the control of the Spirit, we must drink from the living water of which it flows. John 4:14 tells us, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” 10 We only thirst because of the source of the water. Our thirst is quenched when we encounter the right source. A Spirit led Christian will show the right vital signs. Using spiritual gifts, participation in fellowship, and biblical disciplines all point towards being led by the Spirit. Earley says, “In the power of the Spirit, we can habitually choose to declare the power of the flesh to be dead. It is gone.” 11 It is hard to accept this truth as we still live with our human 9 Rod Dempsey, “Spiritual Formation Affects the Whole Person,” in Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 51. 10 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 4:14. 11 Dave Earley, “Walking in the Spirit,” in Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 77.

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6 flesh on a day-to-day basis. However, we do indeed have a transforming Spirit living inside of us that leads and directs every aspect our own worldview. Earley also lays down a path of how to live in the Spirit. Say no to the flesh, bury the flesh, follow the Spirit, live like a child of God, replace the old lifestyle with the new one, and live under the influence of the same Spirit. As we put all this together, we can see the impact of salvation. Not only does salvation justify us, but it also allows a process of sanctification. Once we become free from the condemnation of sin, we no longer live in it. We must choose to concentrate on our own spiritual formation. Doing so is not a one-time agenda. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 12 We have an enemy ready to swallow us whole at any moment. This is why our character and motives should be aligned with the Holy Spirit. Making Disciples A huge part of spiritual formation is evangelism and making disciples. We must have a desire to share what God has done for us as Christians. How can we truly call ourselves Christ- like if we have no desire to live out His great commission. In the book Disciple Making Is , Dempsey says, “Jesus warned us about the perils of building a house on the sand. He explained that if you build a house on sand, when the rain falls and the rivers rise and the wind blows and pound the house, the house will collapse. The reason for the collapse is because the house was not built upon the rock.” 13 If our foundation is Jesus and our motives match His truth, we will love God, love others, and show that love through spiritual fruit. 12 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Pe 5:8. 13 Rod Dempsey, “Beginning on a Sure Foundation,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 21.

7 Conclusion Our relationship with Jesus shows our dedication to walking in the Spirit. When we find time to study His word, to pray for His will, and allow our time to be used for His glory we are truly walking wholly in the Spirit. God never intended for us to be justified without becoming also sanctified. The live a Spirit led life means to die to the flesh and deny your instincts. If we walk in discipline, we live in Christ. Bibliography Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges, Lead like Jesus Revisited: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2016)

8 Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013) The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016) Dave Earley, Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018) Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013)

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ESSAY SPIRITUAL FORMATION AND DISCIPLESHIP (1)

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