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MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION
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My Emerging Model of Spiritual Formation
Mauricio Guerra
School of Divinity, Liberty University
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION
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My Emerging Model of Spiritual Formation
Part One
Introduction
According to Biological, social, and physical scientists, we live “in a universe more akin to a spider’s web or power grid than to telephone lines strung between poles.” (Lowe & Lowe, 2018, p. 11). An ecology in which people live together and “are connected in one form or another
and therefore mutually influence each other to varying degrees.” (Lowe & Lowe, 2018, p. 22). This environment helps the individual to grow together with believers for the benefit of the ecosystem as a whole. God intends to have His children become connected so that there could be "harmony of this divinely created, cosmic ecology…" (Lowe & Lowe, 2018, p. 22).
Overview In this environment of mutual influence, spiritual formation has a better opportunity to grow and expand in the person and throughout the body of Christ. In this ecology of Christian formation, one must understand the importance of adhering to the steps needed to ensure a desirable outcome. Pettit calls these steps “preconditions for doing distinctively evangelical spiritual formation” (Pettit, 2008, p. 33). From these preconditions, a high view of Scripture, through the Holy Spirit and the Christian community
we learn the importance of unity and working for one common outcome: have a strong, clear, and sound spiritual formation to be able to accomplish what God is calling us to accomplish as His church. Share the gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Scripture, being led by God’s Holy Spirit and in unity as one body of Christ.
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High View of Scripture
Pettit begins with the first precondition of having a high view of Scripture so that the believer can understand that in the middle of everything that is being said and done in today’s world, the Word of God has not changed. God has not changed. For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob have not come to an end. Malachi 3:6 (NASB) in Hebrew 13:8 (NASB) says Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday and today, and forever. Indeed, the Absolute truth remains in God’s Word and is the starting point for every believer to embrace to allow real spiritual formation to develop. It is the responsibility of every believer to affirm that objective truth is possible to see, know, and share because it is found in the very Word of God. (Pettit, 2008).
Holy Spirit
Pettit’s second precondition is through the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ said in John 16:33 (NIV) When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. From this Scripture, it is safe to believe that one clear objective of God's Holy Spirit is to lead the believer into a clear understanding of God's very own Word. It is only through God's Holy Spirit that the believer can understand what God is saying through His Word. The revelation of God's message to His people comes through the fellowship the individual has with the Holy Spirit.
Christian Community.
The third precondition has to do with the importance of the Christian Community. As the vertical relationship with God is being built stronger through God’s Word and the individual’s fellowship with God’s Holy Spirit, the horizontal relationship must be nurtured and allowed to
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grow stronger as one whole part made up of multiple individual parts. "The dynamic ecology of the body of Christ creates the perfect environment for spiritual growth.” (Lowe & Lowe, 2008, p.
62). God’s purpose for His ecology was not to have it be split into billions of individuals doing their own thing, but on the contrary, each individual doing its part together with everyone else to make up a whole. Jesus said in John 17:22-23 (NIV) I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one I in them and you in me so that they may be brought to complete unity. The objective of this paper will be to demonstrate that if the believer desires to grow in his spiritual formation, he must be willing to let the Word of God be the road ahead as God’s Holy Spirit gives the clarity and wisdom to be able to grow individually and as a whole body of Christ.
My Emerging Model of Spiritual Formation
Part Two
Biblical Element of Spiritual Formation Through the Word
As stated in part one of this paper, God intends to have His children become connected so
that there could be "harmony of this divinely created, cosmic ecology…" (Lowe & Lowe, 2018, p. 22). The believer can develop a strong leadership foundation if the foundation flows from a high view of Scripture. In this part of the paper, the writer will dive into what is needed to not only remain connected in this divine ecology but also grow in maturity so that true leadership can be attained. Apostle Paul makes his point on the importance of keeping the unity of the believer and Christ. In Scripture, we find multiple verses in which Paul teaches the believer that the harmony and unity that is needed for the believer to live life as God has intended begins by being united
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with Christ. “Paul’s instruction and insight are intriguing in how compatible they are with the ecological model of spiritual formation we have pursued.” (Lowe & Lowe, 2018, p. 22). Spiritual formation will develop as the believer understands how important it is to be connected with Jesus. There are twenty-one syn-compounds that “speak of the believer’s association with Christ.” (Harvey, 1992). One reads in Ephesians 2:5-6 (NIV) " Made us alive with Christ
even when we were dead in transgression-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us with Christ
and seated us with him
in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Here is Scripture teaching the believer how it is that believers are with Christ through the complete work of Christ. “We were first made alive together with Christ and then we were raised with Him from death.” (Lowe
& Lowe, 2018, p. 144). It is also critical to understand that the believer’s need to be united with Christ comes from the very need of the individual to come back to God’s original plan. It was sin that separated God’s created beings and it was only through Jesus that humanity could be made alive once again. Once man allowed sin to enter into the perfect ecology of God’s Garden of Eden a major disruption occurred. The “perfect fellowship with God in the garden, all harmony, peace, and wholeness no longer existed, and in its place, we find spiritual alienation, divine hostility, and social fragmentation.” (Lowe & Lowe, 2018, p. 139). Indeed, the believer needs to have a high view of Scripture so that the believer can allow himself to be united with Christ and remain in the spiritual ecosystem created by God since the beginning. Romans 8:17 (NIV) Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ if indeed we share in his suffering so that we may also share in his glory.
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Biblical Element of Spiritual Formation Through the Holy Spirit
It is the Holy Spirit who gives the wisdom, clear understanding, and knowledge of what Scripture says. No believer can grow spiritually without the presence and work of God's Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 16:13 (NIV) But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.
It is the presence and work of God’s Holy Spirit that will ensure that the believer is growing in wisdom, and knowledge, as Scripture comes alive in the heart, mind, and body of the believer. This requires the believer to come into “obedience of faith” (Lowe & Lowe, 2018, p. 147). The Holy Spirit’s work is to lead the believer to become obedient to God’s Word, and this will always bring growth in every area of life, including growing as a mature leader in the family, home, and church. It is through the Holy Spirit’s teaching of obedience that one can grow, be renewed, put on the new self, be kind, and forgive each other. All this can be a reality only “through the power provided by the work of the Holy Spirit.” (Lowe & Lowe, 2018, p. 148).
Another work of the Holy Spirit is to keep the believer on target. Writing under the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit, Paul said, I run toward the goal, so I can win the prize of being called to heaven. Philippians 3:14 (NIV). In his presentation “The Targeted Outcome of Spiritual Formation” Lowe says “Target acquisition is the number one priority in any shooting competition. It’s also a number one priority in ministry.” As the believer grows in his spiritual formation, the sight of the goal at hand mustn't deviate from its purpose. United with Christ, and led by God’s Holy Spirit the believers move forward building stronger pillars in the spiritual ecosystem that are not only necessary to the individual believer but to the whole community of believers.
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Biblical Elements of Spiritual Formation Through the Body of Believers (Church) As stated before, "The dynamic ecology of the body of Christ creates the perfect environment for spiritual growth.” (Lowe & Lowe, 2008, p. 62). God’s purpose for His ecology was not to have it be split into billions of individuals doing their own thing, but on the contrary, each individual doing its part together with everyone else to make up a whole.
To build a strong spiritual foundation, the believer must become one with the whole community of believers so that the ecology of the body of Christ can expand to the ends of the world and accomplish God's appointed purpose. "Paul thinks of each local church as a Collaboratory of relationships, worship, and ministry where God's people visibly live out their identities as God's spiritually networked ecology." (Lowe & Lowe, 2008, p. 169).
Once the individuals are working together in the ecology of the Body of Christ, the automatic result will be to have a spiritual epidemic spread everywhere the Body of Christ goes and everyone around will be positively affected.
The Reciprocal Contagious Effect of Spiritual Formation
Apostle Paul spent enough ink writing about the importance of the “relationship between individual members and the whole body of Christ must profoundly inform our perceptions.” (Lowe & Lowe, 2008, p. 199). Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:12 (ESV). For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Here we have a clear indication of the importance of the unity of believers for the wellbeing of the spiritual ecology.
In addition, Paul’s usage of the word allēlōn 100 times over in the New Testament teaches the believers to be there for one another. It signifies the reciprocal relationship the
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individual believer must have with one another. By this connection between one another strong spiritual foundations remain strong and expand everywhere it goes. My Emerging Model of Spiritual Formation
Part Three
Ingredients Necessary for Spiritual Growth
In every meal people enjoy it or not, what makes the difference are the ingredients used in the preparation and the cooking. The better quality the ingredients are the less work is needed to serve a truly enjoyable meal. The lesser quality the ingredients are, the more 'stuff' must be added to the meal. Coming from a culinary background, this writer knows the importance of good ingredients. In the same manner, to have the possible atmosphere to allow healthy and strong spiritual formation in the life of the believer, the right ingredients are essential.
According to our video class Reaching the Goal - Process Terms in Spiritual Formation. Proclamation of Jesus’ Gospel, Regeneration, Transformation, and Confirmation are key ingredients for the believer’s ability to grow spiritually. Proclamation of Jesus’ Gospel
In Rom. 10:14 (KJV) How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? The proclamation of the Jesus gospel is the beginning of Spiritual Formation. Some preachers or Christian believers came and shared the good news of Salvation, and it was taken to heart and the life of the individual began to change instantly. A new identity emerged, and a new character began to form. This new identity in Christ gives the believer a new position, "seated with Christ in heaven, which is part of what makes us heavenly citizens." (Pettit, 2008, p. 111). This assures the
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believer that spiritual maturity is happening already as all the elements for success have already been provided by the complete work of Jesus already done for every believer.
The new character in Christ moves the believer away from what is corrupt and evil. New core values and behaviors help the believer to grow in his spiritual formation. Humility, love, justice, and self-control are some of the new characteristics that begin to form the new life in Christ, therefore, it is safe to say that the ingredient of the proclamation of the gospel is moving the individual forward toward the Regeneration ingredient.
Regeneration
After accepting the proclamation of Jesus' gospel, the next step is the Regeneration (renewal) of the individual's mind. Rom. 12:2 (KJV) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. This ingredient is very important to add to the spiritual formation because it is how the soul is cleared out of all the things that once enslaved the individual to the desires of the flesh. 1 Thess. 5:23 (KJV) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly… As believers who long to grow spiritually, we are encouraged to stay away from evil thoughts and desires of the flesh. In God’s ecology, we are encouraged to open ourselves to the “Spirit’s transforming work” (Issler, 2008, p. 138). It is the work of God’s Holy Spirit that brings conviction and discernment to the believer’s mind and heart that the regeneration process begins to lead the believer from victory to victory. However, it is important to recognize that the interconnectedness of the body of Christ has a very important role to play in this spiritual growth. If the believer desires to grow in his spiritual formation, he must be part of the community of believers. There must be an interactive relationship with those people who are committed to each other and share the same faith in Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. (Lowe,
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2008). As the mind, body, and heart of the believer continue to change spiritual formation and growth are happening as the transformation of the believer is more apparent than ever before.
Transformation
Transformation continues as the believer allows the Holy Spirit to lead the way and the believer intends to intertwine with those who have the same faith as he has. As the Holy Spirit gives the believer clarity to keep going forward; God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind
. (2 Tim. 1:7) The believer grows stronger in his relationship with his Christian community of believers (ecosystem) and therefore the transformation allows the spiritual formation to make the believer look more and more like Christ and less like himself.
As the believer moves from the Proclamation of Jesus’ Gospel to Regeneration, and Transformation, the next ingredient necessary for spiritual growth is Confirmation. Confirmation
The believer must have a clear understanding that the objective goal is to become more like Christ as the regeneration and transformation ingredients remain active in everyday life matters. "to claim that Christ is the paradigm for believers is to claim that he is the standard by which maturity is defined.” (Samra, 2006, p. 73). This ingredient (Confirmation) has to do with the way that as a community of believers immersed in the teachings of Jesus, they continue to build on the foundations of spiritual growth. Lowe (2018) suggests in his video Whole Person Transformation
that “the goal of developing whole persons is a biblical one that finds its origin in the Old Testament but achieves its fullest revelation in the person of Jesus in the New Testament.”
In addition to the believer's understanding of the main objective, it is also necessary to not only be more like Jesus but to be more like Jesus in the concept of community. Spiritual
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maturity is evident in the way in which the believer encourages each other. Samra (2006) claims that Paul believed that the believer is to grow spiritually by way of the local community of believers who are conformed to Christ in the community. (133). Ephesians 4:11-16 allows the believer to see the ultimate objective of confirmation, that is that the individual is not to grow alone but to grow in the community of believers in the fullness of Christ. Eph. 4:13 (NIV) Until we all reach unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
My Emerging Model of Spiritual Formation
Part Four
In addition to the ingredients already mentioned, to expand addressing the importance of spiritual formation that will manifest the presence of God's Holy Spirit guidance in the life of the
believer and demonstrate that the Proclamation of Jesus' Gospel, Regeneration, Transformation, and Confirmation are allowing the believer to grow spiritually some additional ingredients must be added. This paper will add the importance of God's calling,
the Character and identity of the individual, and the need to belong to a community.
Calling
If the believer longs to have a strong spiritual formation, he must understand that God has
a plan already set for him. The believer must grasp the need for him to understand that the truth that matters is that “God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we do, and everything we have is invested” (Guinness, 1998, 3-4,29) to his service. As we have come from the proclamation of Jesus as Lord, and the regeneration and transformation ingredients are doing their part of allowing spiritual growth, the calling begins to shape the lifestyle of the believer.
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The most important calling in the believer’s walk in life is to love God above all (Matt 22:37) and to love others (Matt. 22:39). God’s calling does not have to do much with the future wife, or what career to job to choose, Pettit puts this way, (2008, p. 216) “calling is the place in life where God has brought you, and where in your uniqueness you can love God and love others.” Calling can be described in two terms; one is the primary calling, and the second would be the functional calling. This is a way to facilitate the believer’s understanding of the theological concept of calling. The primary calling deals with the acceptance of God’s calling his
children back to Himself. In this concept, God’s people are called to live a life separated from the
customs of this world, to live a life seeking to please God. Pettit says, “Our primary calling is the
umbrella under which we function as believers.” (2018). The second part is the functional call which is “how we live out our primary calling.” (Pettit, 2018, p. 1998) Living every day seeking to please God is to live every day loving, caring, and serving people. To love God is to love our neighbor, Matt. 22:37;39 (NIV) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… love your neighbor as yourself.”
Character and Identity
John the Baptist told his followers, “He [Jesus] must become greater; I must become less.” The believer must have this attitude. His character must demonstrate the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and his identity must reflect Jesus Christ. The believer has John the Baptist as a clear reference to someone who knew his identity (Who he was about Christ) and someone with a good character (core values, behaviors, and attitude). Harris (1999, p.82) says that as believers there must be a difference between who man was before Christ and who man is now in Christ. Harris writes that the believer now in Christ must become “obedient to the pattern of teaching to
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which they were entrusted, and to offer their bodily member as slaves to righteousness that leads to holiness.” Character and identity can develop under three essential resources: God’s Word, God’s Spirit, and God’s People. As stated at the beginning of this paper, the Word of God is the main objective “source of truth about Christ” (Pettit, 2008, p. 45). Spiritual formation cannot happen if
it is not aligned with God’s Word. The second essential resource is the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that He would send another helper, the Holy Spirit. It is only through the guidance and discernment that the Holy Spirit gives the believer that the Word of God can come alive and allow spiritual formation according to God’s Word can occur in the life of the believer. Gordon Fee has said, The Spirit is the empowering presence of God for living the life of God in the present.” (Fee, p. 183). The third resource comes by way of community. If the believer intends to grow spiritually, there must be an effort to become a slave to Jesus Christ’s righteousness and to make an honest effort to lead his life in holiness. This new life must be led by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a true connection between the believer and the community
of believers.
Community
The Word of God and the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit are only as powerful as the community in which it rests. A Community that is voided of God’s Word and does not do as the Holy Spirit leads is only a group of people doing what they please and far away from God’s desired plan.
Community according to Jesus is a community that loves God, is obedient to God, and does as Scripture says with the understanding of what the Holy Spirit is instructing them to do. In
Luke 12:30 (NIV) Jesus says, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
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and with all your mind and with all your strength. Jesus is calling on the community of believers to come as one heart, one mind, one body, and love God the Father. In Matt 19:17 (NIV) Jesus says, “If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” A clear calling for the believers to obey God’s Word.
Community is an essential part of every believer’s spiritual formation. It is through community life that Christian formation can be seen in the world. Christianity is not about an individual, it’s about the community of different kinds of people coming as one to represent the One and only Jesus Christ. If that was the case, Jesus Christ would have come in the form of man
and done it all without the need to call out twelve men. Jesus Christ called out twelve men to establish what would become a community of believers... the Christian church. Christian community is very important for spiritual formation because within the community the believer can receive wisdom. Prov. 13:20 (NIV) Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. As long as the believer fellowships with those of the
same faith, he can rest assured that spiritual formation will grow and not only benefit him but those around him will also benefit as the Holy Spirit will lead in every situation at hand.
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My Emerging Model of Spiritual Formation
Part Five
This paper hopes to develop a clear and precise road map that will lead the believer into spiritual maturity through spiritual formation. This formation must lead the believer to a targeted outcome that will not only benefit the believer as an individual but will also help the body of Christ as a whole. The presentation of the gospel (Salvation), along with the sanctification process allows the believer to live out Scripture in their walk as in their walk as a member of the community of believers. This process must lead the believer to what this section of this paper will present. A Targeted Outcome of the Spiritual Process.
Apostle Paul understood the importance of the work that walks hand in hand between the process of sanctification and the outcome that must be present in the spiritual process. Hebrews 6:1 (ESV) Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity… Maturity is one clear outcome that the believer is expected to show in his walk with Jesus Christ.
Maturity
One major outcome the believer is expected to demonstrate as proof of spiritual maturity is to be patient and prayerful. “Be patient, then brothers and sisters, until the Lord comes.” James
5:7 (NIV) Apostle encourages the believer to patiently bring all kinds of needs in prayer before God (Phil. 4:6). Samra (2006, p. 82) writes that Paul’s “be/already” stative language describes the condition of the believer, that is their spiritual condition, the way they live, must demonstrate spiritual growth, therefore, maturity is the outcome. The “becoming” process emphasizes the actions of every believer. Believers are expected to walk in the walk continually by the Spirit and
not according to the flesh (Samra, 2006, p. 82). Paul exhorts the true believers to “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Gal. 5:16 (NIV). If the believer expects
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to form a solid spiritual foundation, maturity must be present and by walking by the Spirit the proper outcome will be present.
Being Conformed to Christ Brings Maturity
Being conformed to Christ is one of Paul’s concepts for maturity as he makes it an important spiritual issue throughout his writings. Paul writes in Romans 8, 12; 1 Corinthians 15, and Galatians 3-4 the connections with his main point on the importance of the believer to be conformed to Christ. (Samra, 2006, p. 110). In Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV) Paul writes, “Therefore, as you receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted, and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” As the believer is rooted in Christ, the believer begins to look more like Jesus and less like himself, therefore, the outcome will be maturity in the believer’s lifestyle. Samra writes that “God has justified sinners because he wishes them to be conformed to the image of his Son – not the other way around.” (Samra, 2006, p. 110). Samra also writes that the main responsibility is to understand that the main objective of ministry is to “accomplish the mission of delivering mature believers on the day of Christ.” (102). The outcome hoped for is to be transformed and conformed into the image of Jesus Christ, which in turn will bring spiritual maturity to the life of the believer.
The Role of the Local Community
A third targeted objective of Spiritual maturity is to have a community of believers in one spirit, one mind, and one calling; to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul makes the best case for this belief as he “expected the maturational aspect of his apostolic commission to be carried out in and by the local church.” (Samra, 2006, p. 133). Paul worked hard to instruct the church community to grow in maturity with the intention that the work of the local
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community of believers would accomplish the targeted objective. Paul says in Phil. 2:2 (ESV) “Complete my joy by agreeing, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” In verse five, he says “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Paul intends to have the community of believers become one mind to be more like Christ and less like
any individual. Samra states that Paul’s intention is not to have his readers “think of themselves as Christ, but to be unable or unwilling to conceive of themselves without also thinking of Christ and their relationship to Christ and other believers.” For spiritual maturity to grow, the community made up of many individuals must conform to the image of Christ.
Wisdom and knowledge make the community able to communicate, to share what the gospel is all about. Prov. 11:14 (ESV) states that where there is no guidance, people will fall, but where there is a community of believers, there will be safety. It is in the midst of the Christian community that the proper attitudes can be shared to uplift the spirits of those who are suffering, it is through the Christian community that good advice can be given to each other to keep walking in the straight and narrow path. Lowe writes that everyone is connected, and no one will
“exist as an isolated unit” (2008). To hit the targeted objective of spiritual maturity, the community of believers must play a key role in this spiritual growth. Spiritual maturity is seen as the individual becomes more like Christ and his character reflects the attitude and teachings of Jesus Christ. As stated before, John the Baptist’s declaration
to become more like Christ and less like himself is a very clear instruction for every believer to embrace and live out. As Samra says in his conclusion, Paul describes a mature believer, one whose “attitude and actions correspond to their status in Christ.” (167). As maturity forms in the individual, he can participate in the local community of believers and “be beneficial to them about the process of maturation.” (Samra, 2006, p. 169).
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References
Guinness, Os. (1998). The call: Finding and fulfilling the central purpose of your life.
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Issler, Klauss. (2008). The soul and spiritual formation. In foundations of spiritual formation. Kregel Academic.
Lowe, Mary. (2018). Social Networks and Spiritual Formation, Part I
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Lowe, S. D., & Lowe, M. E. (2018). Reaching the goal - process terms in spiritual formation. [video file]. Retrieved from https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/525491/pages/watch-
reaching-the-goal-
process-terms-in-spiritual-formation?module_item_id=55129780 Lowe, S. D., & Lowe, M. E. (2018). Ecologies of faith in a digital age: Spiritual growth through
online education
. Downers Grove, IL, IVP Academic.
Lowe, Steven D. (2018). The targeted outcome of spiritual formation.
[video file]. Retrieved from https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/525491/pages/watch-the-targeted-outcome-of-
spiritual-formation?module_item_id=55129743
Harvey, John D.. (1992). “The ‘with Christ’ motif in Paul’s thought,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
35, no. 3
Petit, P. (2008). Foundations of spiritual formation: A community approach to becoming like Christ.
Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.
Samra, James G. (2006). Being conformed to Christ in the community.
Clark Publishing.
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