Discipleship…a progressive process

Discipleship

Jesus called us to be (and to make) disciples. A disciple is a person who has decided that the most important thing in their life is to learn how to do what Jesus said to do. A disciple is not a person who has things under control, or knows a lot of things. Disciples simply are people who are constantly revising their affairs to carry through on their decision to follow Jesus.

 

Discipleship focuses on the inner self, which consists of our ideas, beliefs, and emotions. Character grows out of our inner lives, and it governs what we think and feel. As our character is transformed our behavior is changed as well.

In today’s church we’ve reduced the gospel to a theory of atonement and reduced grace to forgiveness of sins…in other words: a gospel of justification does not generate disciples.  Discipleship has been made optional, therefore churches are filled with undisciplined disciples.  The cost of non-discipleship is far greater.  It costs you exactly the abundance Jesus came to bring.

Process

Formation is a process that happens to everyone. The most despicable as well as the most admirable of persons have had a spiritual formation. Their spirits or hearts have been formed. We all become a certain kind of person, gain a specific character, and that is the outcome of a process of “spiritual formation”.

 

Christian spiritual formation is the redemptive process of forming the inner human world so that it takes on the character of the inner being of Christ himself. In the degree to which it is successful, the outer life of the individual becomes a natural expression or outflow of the character and teachings of Jesus.

 

It is a whole life process, dealing with change in every essential part of the person.  It does not aim at controlling action/behavior.  It is a holistic process.  Your spirituality must be comprehensive and integrative.  Everything everywhere all the time

 

The external manifestation of “Christ-likeness” is not the focus of the process; and when it is made the main emphasis the process will be defeated, falling into crushing legalisms. It is neither privatized nor legalized, but takes place in the realm of community.

 

“Sometimes we think of spiritual formation as formation by the Holy Spirit. Once again. That’s essential. Spiritual formation is not all by the Holy Spirit. None without the Holy Spirit. But there’s always more involved.

 

We have to recognize that spiritual formation in us is something that is also done to us by those around us, by ourselves, and by activities which we voluntarily undertake…There has to be method as well as a lingering mystery to the growth of my spiritual life.

 

A life-changing principle can be introduced at an event, but it takes time to internalize that principle in our lives. Perhaps even weeks or months. This is what we refer to as the “process.”

 

From Tim Elmore…Habitudes:  We’ve observed that most people require both a planned “event” and a “process” to experience true life-change.

 

An event may be a weekend conference, a retreat, a banquet, a concert, or a camp. Following these events, we should encourage students to “sign up” to participate in a process to continue thinking, discussing and applying the truths that were introduced at the event. These could be small groups, accountability partnerships, mentoring relationships or a class.

 

Here is the value of both:

 

EVENTS	PROCESS
1. Motivate people	1. Matures people
2. Are a calendar issue	2. Is a consistency issue
3. Challenge participants	3. Changes participants
4. Usually about a big group	4. Usually about a small group
5. Encourage decisions	5. Encourages development
6. Become a catalyst	6. Becomes a culture
7. Easy	7. Difficult

 

A Spirit Driven Life

Spiritual birthing does not have a due date.

Galatians 4:18-19 It is a good thing to be ardent in doing good, but not just when I am in your presence. Can’t you continue the same concern for both my person and my message when I am away from you that you had when I was with you? Do you know how I feel right now, and will feel until Christ’s life becomes visible (until Christ is formed) in your lives? Like a mother in the pain of childbirth. (Message Bible)

A genuine spiritual life can never be forged in some indefinite future when we get it all together, master some spiritual discipline, find more time, get a new job, or finish raising our children.  God cannot reach us where we “ought to be”; God can reach us only where we are…precisely because we are accepted and loved not for what we accomplish but simply because we have being.  – Companions in Christ

What is spiritual formation?

Spiritual formation is a Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self—our “spiritual” side—in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself.

What is important is not only confirmation in Christ, but conformation to Christ.

Romans 8:29… For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

You are either being spiritually formed, conformed, deformed, reformed, or transformed…so who and/or what is forming you and is it forming in you the image (beliefs, paradigms, world view, attitude, character, heart) of Christ?

“We cannot take the approach that we just need to teach people the classic spiritual disciplines, assuming that a person already has a developed center. We must use spiritual disciplines to help people form the center.” – Reggie McNeal in The Present Future

Romans 12:1-2  I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.  – Message Bible

The more advanced a person is in the process of spiritual formation, the greater and more pervasive will be their spirituality.