Spiritual Development Is A Complex Journey

Always have compassion, be humble in what my assigned duties are, give respect and reverence unto God, and continue to equip myself for mission work unto God. Keep up with my prayer life, daily devotion and meditational times.

In considering how the call to be a Christian lead to a transformed life imparts knowledge, understanding which give you discernment for the other two callings because it is all connected as a whole. Answering the first call of being born again is the biggest transformation of humanity. Being transformed is much more than changing behaviors or turning over a new leaf, it is all about renewing your mind to fulfill God's call and purpose in life. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2 (English Standard Version). When I received Christ into my life, my heart (spirit) became one with God, actually transpired; therefore, was a real spiritual transformation from spiritual death to life. Our life becomes one with God. "But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him" 1 Corinthians 6:17 (English Standard Version). That is why the scriptures are so essential for our life; because it is the Word of God. Christians are born of the Word of God which give everlasting life, which is by the Spirit

The principles are for continual growth and elevation for Christians. The instructions in The Bible are not only for guidance is a comforting and strengthening agent. Given this statistic, this could be an additional reason why God created mankind in His image to take part in on other wonderful helpful contributions. Highlighting the difference between a secular worldview and a biblical worldview, the incorporation of belief and doctrine, theories of vocation and efforts for living righteously is proven to be an influential lifesaving

Bois Du was the writer of “Our Spiritual strivings”. He was saying he was a black man telling how he was speaking for blacks including himself. Then you have booker T.Washington who was explaining his disagreements between South American and others . However, in Washington's blacks will not protest for equality or civil rights and whites would provide He asked whites to hire negros instead of immigrant torrent According to Du Bois he's explaining how blacks didn't have many opportunity. Also how blacks were fighting for their lives. Even though they still didn't get peace they still fought but not only has not found freedom his promise land. Booker T. Washington was born a slave in Franklin County , Virginia Booker T. Washington became

21). I agree, it is vital that the disciple is involved in an intentional, ongoing plan that challenges themselves to greater Christ-likeness which manifests itself in the nurturing of others toward wholeness. This is what we are called to do when we become children of God. Christian Spiritual formation cannot happen in solitude; therefore, the purpose of spiritual formation is to ultimately lived out in community. This aligns with my view of personal and corporate spiritual formation. If we are not conformed to the image of Christ, we cannot incarnate in our relationships with others. Therefore, if we say we love God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit we are to love others. The image of Christ will be seen as the ultimate reality of human wholeness, the consummation for which each heart longs (Mullholland, p. 21). Therefore, God’s people has a role in healing brokenness and injustice in the world (p. 21). We are to be the salt and light of the world (Matthew

My dad used to tell me all the time that we are all a work in progress. At the time I didn’t know exactly know what he meant. As years have passed on and my relationship with Christ matured, I now know what he meant. We as children of God can never be perfect, but what we can do is strive to be like Christ, this is what the definition of a Christian is, “Christ like”. I try to share the good news of Jesus, and when I do I like to talk to people about God’s Grace and through his son Jesus there is no Condemnation.

As we pour into others, God continually pours into us; continually working in and through us conforming us to the image of Christ through serving others.

Spiritual disciplines will prepare us for our journey in Christ. I feel if understanding correctly, the classical Christian Pilgrimage remind us that we all have issues requiring regular examination. In chapter eight, the classical Christian Pilgrimage tells us we are at different stages on the path of wholeness in Christ. However, in my thoughts some areas of our Christian journey we may be doing well, but in other areas we have not touched at all. Not to mention, these are the place we are not ready or capable of handling yet, however, as we mature in God and He knows what we can handle, then we are awakened. God awakens us to our true selves which have not been completely revealed. In reality, once we reach maturity to God, he reveals all that is hidden deep inside of us (the real us/you). By the same token, he let us see the inner behaviors, attitudes, desires, in fact how we measure up in them being Christ-like. I feel the awakening stage deals with the comfort of being set free of these issues that are holding us back also causing detours on our path to wholeness in Christ. Equally, the threat is being afraid to see who we really are; also how far from Christ-like we really are. We must first be awakened from our separation also alienation from God (Mulholland 79-82).

God expects individuals that call themselves “Christian” to grow spiritually. The Word of God encourages personal examination as a part of the growth process, as found in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” Becoming more Christ-like focuses on how He works in us and not on our work for Him. The Cycle of Works demonstrates that regardless of work we complete, the acceptance of others, the sustainability of our works and the significance it brings, we cannot compete with God’s Cycle of Grace that show us that we are significant in His sight and that brings us sustenance and acceptance

I think back to about six months ago when I was sitting at home in Evansville, Indiana. I knew that I was going to be coming to Liberty University for seminary in the spring and it was time to choose the classes that I would be taking. I was working to try to fit everything into my schedule and figure out which classes were offered when. As it turns out, there were only about 4 that I could feasibly and logically fit into my schedule. I had an idea of all of them except one. Discipleship Ministries 520: Spiritual Formation. To be completely honest, the topic was foreign to me. I could deduct off the two words that it was about being formed spiritually but that was about it. I know that I will get into this later

Kimber, T. R. (2012). The Role of Spiritual Development in the Cross-Cultural Reentry Adjustment of Missionaries. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY & THEOLOGY, 40 (3), 211-219.

According to Willard, "The training required to transform our most basic habits of thought, feeling, and action will not be done for us." (345) This training is for the betterment of the people and representation of God and His love. Training was given to change a person heart from their way of thinking about the unbeliever and feelings of rejection because evangelism is not about the person but God. So, the first thing of a curriculum for Christlikeness is to change what people believe. Willard also states, "In order to become a disciple of Jesus, then, one must believe in him. To be at home in his kingdom, learning to reign with him there, we must share his beliefs." (319) Otherwise, the individual character and behavior cannot change. The disciple must live as well as believe the word /gospel taught.

I’d like to state the most obvious observation that I’ve made about spiritual formation; that is that I will always need to be seeking for ways to nurture my personal spirituality throughout my life. I know that to most people this may sound like a “duh” statement, but for me it has truly become a reality and one that I must admit I have been struggling to embrace. I was brought up in a church that, like most traditional churches, stayed happy living in the “comfort zone” of their Christianity. They took everything that the Bible said at face value without digging in to find out why they believed what they believed. I had never been challenged to look deeper into the text. In the past few years I have felt the need to tunnel out of this

My faith journey has been challenged throughout my life. I have had many ups and downs, and many times when I questioned my faith. Although those times were rough, I found comfort in God and knowing that He is always there for me. One of my favorite quotes is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13. This quote got me through tough times when my faith was shaking.

I would like to reflect on a few key moments of my spiritual journey from childhood that has led me to my call to ministry. I do believe that as the prophet Jeremiah was called before his birth (Jeremiah 1:5) that some are called and know their purpose from an early age while others find their path later after stumbling through life. Perhaps it might be that they have heard the call but were uncertain or unwilling to answer the call. Looking back on my life’s journey, I can see the “God moments” and how they have influenced my faith journey.