Spiritual Formation and Discipleship Final PDF

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Formation and Discipleship...

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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY

Spiritual Formation and Discipleship

Submitted xxxxxxxxxx in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

DSMN 500 – B03 Discipleship Ministries

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Contents

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................1

Importance of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship.................................................................2

The Areas of Spiritual Growth ....................................................................................................3

Walking in the Spirit......................................................................................................................4

Personal Growth Assessment and Moving Forward .................................................................5

Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................7

Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction Spiritual formation and discipleship are key components to being a good Christian. The two parts, play off one another while strengthening the bond with Jesus. While one part may be stronger than the other, the two compliment each other as the believer begins to gain an understanding of what works for them as they learn. Spiritual formation is about submission and reflection while discipleship is about the learning process to be more like Jesus while bringing others into the fold. The practices or processes that a believer goes through in order to progess through their religious life, are at the core of spiritual formation. This can often be seen as the maturation of one’s faith. As the believer grows in their faith, their spiritual capacities are exercised and become stronger. This can be achieved through various disciplines or meditations as one progresses. Discipleship is the way in which a believer learns the teachings of Jesus and also works towards living within what is taught. The change from within comes about as one begins to understand what it means to be like Christ and how to listen to the Holy Spirit. As our spirit is transformed, the believer starts to love those around them and then works towards making other disciples. There needs to be an understanding how the two depend on each other and how they can be best utilized. Through research, a personal growth assessment, and gained knowledge on spiritual formation, a plan will be developed to perform proper discipleship.

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Importance of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship As we grow in our relationship with Christ, we need to understand the place of spiritual formation and its place with discipleship. While the two do have distinct definitions, it is the manner in which they are carried out or practiced that is important to understanding how the two relate to one another. A believer needs to learn their strengths and weaknesses to so they can maximize these changes in their lives. Spiritual formation is “an ongoing, gradual process of glorious transformation into the image of Jesus by the Spirit of God that is available to every believer as a result of honestly and intentionally seeking the face of God.”1 The Bibilical version of this is found in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 where it is written, “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”2 The goal is to become more like the Lord because if a person is not growing as the become spiritually mature, then they are not experiencing a spiritual formation. Discipleship can be viewed as the act of embracing and assisting in the spreading of someone’s teachings. For us, we are embracing the teachings of Jesus and are assisting with the spreading of them. This is referred to as The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, as Jesus tells the eleven disciples, “and Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you’.” This is our call to spread the word, but we must engage in spiritual formation 1 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is… How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2018), 4. 2 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016). 2

as it not just for one group of people but for all, regardless of your level of spirituality as it is “the ongoing, holistic salvation of the soul” which transforms us all.3 The Areas of Spiritual Growth Spirutal growth or formation can be found in three areas. These areas are upward (love for God), inward (love for one another), and outward (love for our neighbors).4 Erickson states, “Spiritual formation is character formation.... Spiritual formation in a Christian tradition... is the process of establishing the character of Christ in the person.”5 The combination of the three areas and knowing how they affect the spiritual growth of a person, make the growth a more impactful experience. The first area to examine is “upward.” This is loving “God with all of our heart, soul, and mind.”6 As the process begins, we are to “respond to God’s love by intentionally spending time hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on His word.”7 This may seem like an easy task to do but it can be the hardest to get going. We are saddled with the routine tasks or responsibilities of this world and it is easy for a person to have trouble making time for what can be an easy thing to do. When we spend time with Him, that is where we learn who He is and experience His love for us. The next direction for us to move towards is inward. This is the love that we have for one another. It is written in John 13 and 15 that we must love one another. We love each other so we can build each other up in the service of the Lord.8 By doing this, we can get rid of egos and the 3 Jason Lanker, “The Soul: Discipleship that Fosters an Integrated Soul,” Christian Education Journal 16 (January 2019): 130. 4 Earley and Dempsey, 101. 5 Matthew Erickson, “Time to Live: Christian Formation through the Christian Year,” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 12 (January 2019): 31. 6 Earley and Dempsey, 101. 7 Ibid. 7 8 Ibid., 103.

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self-absorption that prevents us from sharing our spiritual gifts with those around us. When we change our focus from ourselves, to the mentorship of those around us, we grow as well. This can be a group approach as we take our experiences and use them to “sharpen” the lives of those we congregate with. This is a strength in numbers approach as we move towards The Great Commission and rely on each other to make disciples.9 The third area of spiritual growth is outward. We are instructed to not only love God and one another, but we are to love our neighbors. We can do this by sharing ourselves with those who may be on the outside of a relationship with Christ. We can do this by listening to others. Learning their story and their struggles. We can put ourselves in their shoes and gain an understanding of where their relationship is with the Lord. When we listen, we learn how to show them our love. Once they see that we are serving them, we are in a better place to share Jesus with them.10 Walking in the Spirit Walking or living in the Sprit provides us the freedom that God wants for us. Before we begin our walk, “a person is the enslaved victim of the flesh, with desires that pull defiantly away from God and stubbornly toward self and sin.”11 When we accept God and begin our journey with him, we begin to experience his patience and unlimited supernatural power. Our perspectives are changed as we move from self to others. We grow in our relationship with God, we grow in character, and we experience an outward growth of moral life.12 As we continue, there is a communally positive effect. Those that we experience life with, will feel the effects of our walk, and it will spread to them. Being with the Lord on a one to 9 Brian Labosier and Jeremy Labosier, “A Thirty-Year Experiment in Teaching Spiritual Formation: Twelve Lessons We Learned,” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 11 (February 2019): 129-130. 10 Earley and Dempsey, 104-105. 11 Ibid., 74. 12 Steven L. Porter et al., “Measuring the Spiritual, Character, and Moral Formations of Seminarians: In Search of a Meta-Theory of Spiritual Change,” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 12 (January 2019): 14. 4

one basis is an awesome thing. Experience the Lord with others, is tremendous. We can choose to “declare the power of the flesh to be dead.”13 We will live like a “child of God” and not a “slave to sin.” We use His power and strength to shed our sinful nature as we replace our old lifestyles with the new. The strength we gain on our walk in the Spirit is a “tangible display of being free of the enemy within.”14 Personal Growth Assessment and Moving Forward The personal growth assessment can be used as a tool to gain an understanding of where someone is at in their spiritual formation. The assessment covers a variety of topics, under the categories of upward, inward, and outward. After taking my assessment, I was surprised to see that my upward love for God was severaly lacking. It became obvious that I just was not taking the time out of my day to dig deeper into God’s word or find ways to delve into it. I do pray everyday and do my best to put God before everything, but now I ask myself, am I doing enough and what do I do to get better? My outward display of love was not where it should be. The score was higher, but still embarrassingly low. My inward love for one another was almost an 8 out of 10 on the assessment scale. I expected this number to be high as I typically drop everything, to help someone in my congregation. I have a good grasp of service to the church, but unfortunately my upward and outward love need some work. Armed with the these scores, it is time to put a plan in motion and work towards an “out with the old, in with the new” perspective. The difficulty with this will be knowing that I do not have a regular church to attend right now. Online services are good, but the human experience is what is needed. To experience tremendous growth, a church is needed as being part of one helps “people to pray deeply in a range of different ways; understand how to see the world and our

13 Earley and Dempsey, 77. 14 Ibid., 77-78.

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times as God sees them; worship with mind, body and spirit; explore and understand the Bible; put faith into practice in daily life; nurture and care for each other in the church community; and speak about one’s faith or personal journey.”15 Some practices I can take on for the upward area are to disconnect from the real world. Time is needed to remove myself from the distractions of everyday life, such as the computer, work, or even social media. Keeping a physical prayer request list or even a journal would give me a tangible item to look at and reflect on. Fasting from food or certain items would also increase my upward love for God, as I would rely on Him to get me through the hardships I would be experiencing. To improve on my outward expression of love, forgiveness of those who have done mental or physical harm to me would give the opportunity to move past personal differences and focus on the help that maybe they need. Focusing more on the gospel and learning how to explain it to non-believers would help. By understanding it better and figuring out how to present it, I would be able to express the the love I feel from God, to them and help become better. Regarding improvements to my inward expression, I need to focus on my spiritual gifts. By gaining a better understanding of what I have to offer to fellow believers, will make us strong as a whole. I am planning on bringing back the men’s small group that I had previously been in charge of. This will allow me be open with like minded men and learn to strengthen each other.

Conclusion Learning the finer points of what spiritual growth and discipleship are, helps one gain an appreciation of how the two area work together and compliment each other. Spiritual formation 15 Leslie J. Francis et al., “What Helps Christians Grow? An Exploratory Study Distinguishing Among Four Distinctive Pathways,” Pastoral Psychology 68 (2019): 390.

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is needed for the believer to grow and mature in their relationship with the Lord. Once a level of comfort is achieved, the discipleship of that person will become better as they are confidnent in their abilities to explain the Gospel. The stronger the relationship, the better one would be as they bring others to Jesus. To gain an idea of what is needed to strengthen a relationship with Christ how to best serve Him and those around them, a spiritual growth assessment can be utilized to identify strengths and weaknesses. This assessment looks at a person’s level of their love for God, love for one another, and the love of their neighbors. When the factors are analyzed, a plan can be placed into motion to bolster up the weak areas. Once the weaknesses are turned into strengths and the person is transformed, then true discipleship and a stronger walk in the Spirit occurs.

Bibliography Earley, Dave and Rod Dempsey. Spiritual Formation Is… How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2018.

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Erickson, Matthew. “Time to Live: Christian Formation through the Christian Year.” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 12 (January 2019): 25-33. Francis, Leslie J., Simon Foster, David W. Lankshear and Ian Jones. “What Helps Christians Grow? An Exploratory Study Distinguishing Among Four Distinctive Pathways.” Pastoral Psychology 68 (2019): 379-392. Labosier, Brian and Jeremy Labosier. “A Thirty-Year Experiment in Teaching Spiritual Formation: Twelve Lessons We Learned.” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 11 (February 2019): 125-140. Lanker, Jason. “The Soul: Discipleship that Fosters an Integrated Soul.” Christian Education Journal 16 (January 2019): 122-133. Porter, Steven L., Steven J. Sandage, David C. Wang and Peter C. Hill, “Measuring the Spiritual, Character, and Moral Formations of Seminarians: In Search of a Meta-Theory of Spiritual Change.” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 12 (January 2019): 5-24.

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