Pearl, Living Into My New Self

In Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God, Gordon Fee outlines a theology of the Spirit in the Divine Trinity, the basis within Scripture for the experience of the Spirit, and the interaction of the two. Fee, a Pentecostal scholar, “redefines the terms of discussion about the Holy Spirit in a way that transcends today’s

The process of change that Adams describes is a four-step biblical process based on the fact that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness‖ (2 Timothy 3:16, ESV). It has three distinctions to it. First, it involves, the Ministry of the Word, which includes teaching, exhortation, rebuke, encouragement, etc. Secondly, the Spirit of God blesses and brings it about, and brings the counselee closer to the likeness of Christ (Adams, 1986, p. xiv). It is substantial change that requires the Holy Spirit 's alteration of the heart (ones inner life known only to God and

In Shaped by the Word, by Robert Mulholland Jr., one finds a way to read scripture in order to provide a deeper understanding of God and allow His Word to shape one’s spiritual life. In the Introduction, in chapter 1, the reader is introduced to the idea that there is a movement in the church that seeks to become deeper and stricter in spiritual formation. He claims there are many books written for this purpose, and his intending purpose for this book is for God to use however he may want in the reader’s spiritual life. Mulholland provides the reader with a prayer to pray in preparation of reading this book and states there may be points where God is knocking and calling the reader’s attention to something new.

The more a soul accepts the works of God, the more spiritual it will become. God created the Great Awakening in order to give people the opportunity to experience more ecclesiastical zeal. Once a person finds "Joy in the Holy Ghost," they will then experience “joy unspeakable and full of glory." (Romans 14:17 & 1 Peter 1:8). Using these biblical quotes, Edwards explains that by exalting in God, the human soul fills with joy and raises. Therefore, it is in people's best interest to personally accept the Great Awakening and allow the works of God to fill their soul even more and spiritually elevate

The Harper Collins definition is, “The chief purpose of love is to bring one’s neighbor into communion with God. True self-love and love for God are coincident or coextensive.” This definition says that to love others you have to bring others to God, just as St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times. When

Being called to love can be summed up by Jesus’s words in Matthew 22:37-40, when he says, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” My understanding of how to love God and love my neighbor has certainly been shaped by the material in this course thus far, especially by the consistent prayerful attitude discussed in Liturgy of the Ordinary. By implementing spiritual disciplines such as lectio divina and close reading, I have been able to center myself on this prayerful attitude and more effectively live out my call to love God and others.

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the Day of Judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen

As noted by Henri Nouwen, “God profoundly loves us, just as we are! Our task is to trust in that unmerited love”

When one thinks of love, he thinks of affection towards another person, but in the case of Matthew 5-7, Rumi, and Mo Tzu; love goes beyond loving another person. There are three ways love is interpreted in these texts: love for God, love for yourself, and love for others. Matthew 5-7 talks the importance of becoming self-successful before helping others, while Rumi discusses the need to love ourselves and become wiser. Mo Tzu argues that we should love others, work together, and treat each other equally to live in a better world. When people talk about love, it means putting that persons needs before yours, but these texts show that worshipping a God or higher power comes before everything else. Each of the texts gives their own interpretation on love, but they can be looked at deeper than just the superficial meaning. It is not only about what the author’s interpretation is, but the religious background that makes love stand out in their own way.

With interpretation, anyone who loves God, God will love them the same. The word of God

Spiritual transformation requires the transformation of the body because the flesh is weak, I must not let my body parts control my actions. Christian

The love of Jesus is evident to us not only by his sacrifice on the cross, but he showed his love while he walked on this earth in many other ways by feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and teaching others. The reason I chose this topic is because I feel that this is one of the greatest examples Jesus gave for us while on this earth. It’s an example of how we should seek to treat others everyday and what we should strive to achieve throughout our lives. Jesus was the perfect representation of love, even when loving his enemies.

And this incredible inward transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit. Anyone who isn’t born new cannot see the kingdom of God.

Therefore, this beautiful message of God’s love will spread like a wild forest fire as it spreads towards others giving them hope for their soul to live for God while they are doing the will of God so that they will have eternal life with God.

“how God in conversion changes stubborn and unwilling into willing men through the drawing of the Holy Ghost, and that after such conversion, in the daily exercise of repentance, the regenerate will of man is not idle, but also cooperates in all the works of the Holy Ghost, which He does through us, has already been sufficiently explained above.” Tappert, 1959:537.88)