ESSAY SPIRITUAL FORMATION AND DISCIPLESHIP (1)

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Liberty University *

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Feb 20, 2024

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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.
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.
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