Resisting the Corruption of the Soul

The Great Wall of China is one of the great feats of engineering of the ancient world. Built of bricks and stones, it is a massive man made structure that can be seen from space. Beginning in the 7th century BC, this 13,171 miles long fortification stretching from the northern eastern borders of China to the west was built to keep out the northern nomadic tribes. These tribes were making incursions into the Middle Kingdom. It was so effective that legends claimed that the walls were never breeched. The northern tribes were only able to gained access when corrupt officers or traitors opened the doors of the wall from within.

Edinburgh castle is a mountain fortress which dated from around the 12^th century AD. It is an imposing structure built on a cliff and is accessible by a series of winding corridors protected by defensive gatehouses. Again, legend has it that the walls of Edinburgh castle were never breeched. The castle fell by treachery from within when treacherous persons opened the doors or when the besieged surrendered.

In spite of what many people think, the greatest challenge to our spiritual life comes not from outside. Perhaps exterior circumstances may be non-conducive to our growth into Christ-likeness. We may live in a truly pagan/non-Christian environment with little morality or are actively hostile towards Christianity. We may be under persecution for our faith. Even our family: father, mother, brothers and sister may be turning on us because we seek to be obedience to the teachings of Christ. Perhaps we are unevenly yoked to non-believing spouses who limit our opportunities for Christian fellowship. Yet, these challenges may not break us.  They may instead make us more resolved in our efforts to resist, stand our grounds, overcome them, and keep the faith.

The greatest challenge to our spiritual life often comes from within. In resisting external influences we may become successful. Unfortunately spiritual success as in other types of success carries with them the seed of their own destruction. Spiritual successes may lead to spiritual pride. Spiritual pride may lead to self sufficiency and self-righteousness. Spiritual successes may also lead to complacency or what the desert fathers call acedia. We became too confident and relax our defenses, thus allowing our enemy to gain a foothold. Both turn our attention from God, who is the true author of our successes, to ourselves. As the church in ancient Ephesus discovered; distraction from their first love (God) is a form of idolatry.

How then do we hold onto our center and maintain our vigilance against spiritual corruption? The answer lies in guarding our minds and our hearts. Paul writing to the church in Rome commends, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2a). The apostle knows that true transformation can only happen and be maintained by the renewing of the mind. It is an ‘action’ type of statement implying that renewing our mind is a continuing process, not a once off event.

The writer of Proverbs knows of the importance of the heart in the character of a person. In the times of the ancient Israelite, the heart is regarded as the seat of the soul, the point where emotions originate, and who the person is. The heart does not refer to the muscular organ that pumps blood around the body. We are warned: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

The biblical teachings is that we are to continually renew our minds and guard our hearts if we are to resist corruption from within that will allow the enemy to take a foothold in our spiritual life. We are told that the enemy is always looking for the weak points in our armors. Peter who knows from personal experience, advises, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

The key to continually renewing our minds and guarding our hearts is intentional discipleship. Discipleship involves living a life as if Jesus Christ is with us all the time (described as life with Christ) and following and obeying all his teachings. It is intentional because we have to make the effort to become a disciple. We do not automatically become a disciple just because we believe Jesus died for us on the cross. A person can become a Christian without becoming a disciple. However that person will be missing out on the greatest treasure of discipleship – that of growing into Christ-likeness. 

Living a life of intentional discipleship is living a disciplined life. That means we have to intentionally make time to pray, worship, studying the word of God, becoming aware of the presence of God, making the right choices, keeping our thoughts and behavior pure, and allowing the Holy Spirit to bear fruit in us (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) in our busy lives. Intentional discipleship is not works-righteousness. We are not doing this to earn merits from God. Intentional discipleship is creating spiritual habits that will transforms us into the likeness of His son.

Our minds and hearts are the gateways into our innermost being. It is through here that corruption is seeded to destroy us from within. Even as Christian, our old self/old man/old nature still remains as remnants. These remnants are easily stirred to life if we allow it. Intentional discipleship prevents that as intentional discipleship is all about removing the old self and putting on the new.

Soli Deo Gloria

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Mentoring and Spiritual Formation

In Homer's great epic, the Odyssey, Odysseus, king of Ithaca, sets sail to lay siege to Troy, leaving behind a young wife and an infant son, Telemachus. However, he also leaves behind his trusted friend to instruct, train and guide his son to be the future king. "I leave with you this son, whom I so tenderly love; watch over his infancy if you have love of me, keep flattery far from him; teach him to vanquish his passions."[1] This man's name is Mentes (Greek) or Mentor (Latin). Thus the word "mentor" entered the English language. A mentor, as defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is a trusted counselor or guide. A person who is being mentored is called a protégé. If I were to ask you to name the greatest mentor in the New Testament aside from Jesus, who would you choose? I believe most people will choose the Apostle Paul. My vote is for Joseph of Cyprus. This unassuming man, after knowing Jesus Christ, sold part or all of his lands in Cyprus and donated the proceeds to the church in Jerusalem. He stayed on in Jerusalem and had such a wonderful reputation that they called him Barnabas, which translates as the Son of Encouragement.

It was Barnabas who chose to be a mentor to Paul when he first came to Jerusalem to meet the church there. The disciples were understandably suspicious of Paul, their former enemy who persecuted Christians. It was Barnabas who sponsored Paul and won the confidence of the rest of the apostles (Acts 9:26-27).

Barnabas and Paul were sent out on a missionary venture and it may have been Barnabas who convinced the companions who joined them in Paphos that Paul was trustworthy (Acts 13:13). When Paul and Barnabas disagreed over giving John Mark a second

chance, it was Barnabas who took John Mark under his wings (Acts 15:36-38). Later Paul

came to depend on this young man. I believe that it was due to the mentoring of Barnabas that Paul became such an effective mentor himself. He proved that when he wrote as a mentor to Timothy, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Tim 2:2).

Without Barnabas, Paul may not have had such a profound influence on the development of the early church. After Barnabas had mentored Paul, Paul started mentoring a large number of protégés. One of Paul's strategies was to mentor protégés from different parts of Asia Minor. At one time, Paul's entourage consisted of nine men: Sopater (Berea, Macedonia), Aristarchus and Seccundus (Thessalonica). Luke (Philippi), Gaius (Derbe, Galatia), Timothy (Lystra, Galatia), Tychicus and Trophimus (Ephesus, Asia) and Titus (Achaia). When Paul's protégés returned home, they could effectively spread the gospel. Hence with this precedent in the early church, it is surprising to discover that mentoring is not commonly done in our churches nowadays. Instead mentoring has become popular in the secular world, especially among those in management.

How is mentoring different from discipleship?

Discipleship is different from mentoring as the table below shows:

	Discipleship	Mentoring
Is it scriptural?	Taught and modeled in Scripture	Modeled in Scripture
Models in Scripture	Timothy	Barnabas
Primary basis of interchange	Content	Relationship
Type of role	Teaching new believers spiritual truths	Caring for and helping a person in all aspects of life
Whose agenda?	Discipler's agenda (spiritual disciplines)	Protégé’s agenda (goals/problems)
Training required	Academic knowledge and personal mastery of the spiritual disciplines	Practical experience relevant to protégé
Time frame	Limited time for duration of study	Life-long as needed
Focus of time together	Teaching the spiritual disciplines	Supporting toward maturity in all areas of life
Modern role parallels	Disciplined mature teacher	Loving uncle, aunt or close, more mature friend
Essential message	To mature spiritually, here is what you need to know, do, or become	How can I help you get where you are going?

(modified from Biehl, 1996, 29-30)

As we can see from the table above, discipleship is narrower in its objectives while mentoring is broader and helps to develop a more holistic person. This involves a long time and is not as objective-oriented as discipleship. Basically in mentoring, a more mature Christian is helping a younger Christian grow spiritually, emotionally and mentally through the stages of his or her life. It is a long-term commitment. As my mentor Dr Philip Cheong once commented. "We can help develop a spiritual life one-mile wide and one inch deep or one-inch wide and one-mile deep." Mentoring is building a spiritual life that is one-mile deep.

To show how mentoring can fit into our ministry, Bobb Biehl, who has consulted with the various ministries of Campus Crusade for Christ since 1980, has this to say:

In a year’s time, you may see 300 students come to Christ in your Campus Life program. Out of this 300 you will probably have 30 that become involved in a leadership program in which you will disciple them over a years period in the Ten Steps to Maturity. But when the year is up, you may say, "God bless you. Go in peace!"

This is great! You do wonderful work! But consider what would happen if you were to choose one to three students out of your discipleship 30 who you think have the most long-term potential, the greatest heart for God, or the highest potential to lead all of Campus Crusade someday and say to them, "I'd like to be one of your life mentors." Mentoring can be a logical extension of the discipling process for a few students per year, and the discipling can continue.[2]

Mentoring means building deeply into a few disciples for more lasting influence. It may

be considered an extension of the many discipleship programs available. Mentoring builds up spiritual maturity in life situations and the stages of life. In some cases, mentors choose the persons they want to mentor and approach them. In other situations, Christians who want to develop in their spiritual life seek out mentors to help them.

The mentoring process

The mentoring process is a process of spiritual formation both in the mentor and the protégé. Frequently mentors have shared that they have learnt as much from their protégés as their protégés have learnt from them. Mentoring is not a teaching program but a sharing of life experiences. Often it involves spending time together and the protégé sharing what problems or difficulties he or she is facing at the moment. The mentor then shares out of his or her own life experiences in similar situations. Eugene Peterson wrote, "The life of Christ emerges from within the actual circumstances of our seemingly very unspiritual lives — the daily stuff of ordinariness and accidents and confusion, good days and bad days, taking the humdrum and the catastrophic both in stride."[3]

The mentoring process should also be saturated with prayer and study of the Word. In any mentoring process there are three parties present: the mentor, the protégé and the triune God. Both the mentor and the need to learn to be sensitive to the leading of

the Holy Spirit who will lead them into the depths and mysteries of God in everyday life.

Conclusion

Good mentors are hard to find. A good mentor can make a lot of difference in our spiritual formation and can help us discern the presence of God in our lives. Mentoring can help to facilitate our spiritual growth. The church needs a great number of good mentors — godly, mature men and women who are willing to invest their lives in a few younger people. What a difference that will make in the expansion of the Kingdom of God.

Published in The Great Commission: building movements everywhere, March 2007, 10-11,13

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[1] Quoted in James M Houston, The Mentored Life: From Individualism to Personhood (Colorado Springs: NavPress. 2002). 33

[2] Bobb Biehl, Mentoring: Confidence in Finding a Mentor and Becoming One (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers. 1996), 31

[3] Eugene H Peterson, The Wisdom of Each Other: A Conversation between Spiritual Friends (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998), 53

Thomas Merton The Serene Disciple

When in the Soul of the Serene Disciple

When in the soul of the serene disciple
With no more Fathers to imitate
Poverty is a success,
It is a small thing to say the roof is gone:
He has not even a house.

Stars, as well as friends,
Are angry with the noble ruin.
Saints depart in several directions.

Be still:
There is no longer any need of comment.
It was a lucky wind
That blew away his halo with his cares,
A lucky sea that drowned his reputation.

Here you will find
Neither a proverb nor a memorandum.
There are no ways,
No methods to admire
Where poverty is no achievement.
His God lives in his emptiness like an affliction.

What choice remains?
Well, to be ordinary is not a choice:
It is the usual freedom
Of men without visions

                                                                           Thomas Merton

Lenten Focus: Following Jesus (3)

Batman, Inc and Spiritual Multiplication

I first came across Batman Incorporated in my Christmas 2010 reading.

From Wiki

Batman Incorporated (also known as Batman, Inc.) is an American comic book ongoing series, written by Grant Morrison and featuring Batman, that began in 2010. The debut of the series follows the events of Final Crisis, Batman and Robin and The Return of Bruce Wayne where, after being stranded in the distant past and believed dead, Bruce Wayne has returned to the present day DC Universe and is prepared to take his war on crime to the next level, by essentially "franchising" it and drafting, training and commanding a global team of heroes who will answer to Batman himself.

According to an article in the New York Post and DC Comics themselves, Dick Grayson will retain the role of Batman in Gotham City as Bruce Wayne travels across the world, seeking to use the symbolic power Batman has on a global scale. Wayne will also be featured wearing a new costume designed by David Finch, to further distinguish him from Grayson. Batwoman, who had previously guest-starred in Morrison's Batman and Robin series, will appear in issue #4 as part of a lead-in to her new ongoing series.

I still cannot get over the idea of Batman starting a franchise. For a man who is not super or meta powered, not invulnerable but dependent on his wit and gadgetry to survive, he has been doing well. However part of his ethos is that he is a loner, a creature of the night so that he strikes fear into the hearts of criminals. Coming into the light and organising a franchise of 'batmans' is just not in his character. Also many of his wards or apprentices that he has take on especially the Jason Todd Robin and Stephanie did not fare well. Dick Grayson was literally forced to become the Batman of Gotham when he was doing so well as Nightwing. Batman/Bruce Wayne is not able to produce another crimefighter like him. He was not doing too well in the mentoring department.

Often, what started as a one person enterprise may not translate well into a multi-persons organisations. While the present fad in management is succession planning, not every leader is good in training or equiping his or her successor. When I was a young in faith Christian I was 'trained' by a campus ministry with a strong emphasis on disciplemaking. I was taught a 'principle' that allegedly is from the apostle Paul. Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timthy 2:2  "The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others". In this verse, Paul allegedly gives Timothy a vision of success that depends on succession. Specifically, this vision spans four spiritual generations. The faith is passed from Christ to Paul; Paul to Timothy; Timothy to reliable men; reliable men to others. This vision is one of natural spiritual reproduction: make disciples who can make disciples.

I was taught how to be a disciple (note that I did not automatically become a disciple when I was born-again but have to be fulfil certain criterions to become one!), some Bible study and ministry skills and told to make more disciples like me. I actually bought into the disciplemaking multiplication table and believed that I could help to make the whole world Christian in 34 years!

Unfortunately I was never able to make disciples beyond the second generation (guess it must be my fault the world is not Christian yet). After 20 years I begin to question the disciplemaking paradigm. I now believe that the apostle Paul never meant 2 Tim. 2:2 to become a principle but as descriptive of Timothy's ministry. I also learnt that disciplemaking and discipleship is not about learning skills but about following Jesus. Discipleship is not following other disciples but following Christ himself. It is in the following of Jesus that I become like him.

Why do I follow Jesus? To become like him.

Meditation: We become like Jesus by following him

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Lenten Focus: Following Jesus (1)

You ask me to follow you? To be a fisher of men? Aren't you just a carpenter? And the son of a carpenter? What do you know about fishing? Who do you think you are? And why should I follow you?

What? Yes, I must admit that I have heard rumours of your so-called miracles; the blind can see and the deaf can hear. Me? I'm seeing and hearing just fine. I have a thriving business here and have branches in Tarsus and Derby. That's in Greece, you know. I have a beautiful wife and many children. Yes, children are a gift from God and my quiver is full. Too full, I sometimes feel. I am a respected leader in the community. In the evening I sit at the gate with the other leaders of this community and share my wisdom with them. In the synagogue I have a honoured place by the eastern wall. I serve my God well. I am not fanatical as the Pharisees in following rules. Well okay, sometimes I bend them a bit. Then I am not so crazy as the Essenes with their monastic ideals. I am seeing and hearing just fine.

Erh? You want me to follow you and leave all these behind? Do you know how much work I have put in to become who I am today? You do? Stop looking at me with those piercing eyes! Sometimes I feel that you are looking directly into my soul. I am a good man I am. Well maybe there are a few dark secrets I keep. Okay, okay, more than a few. But then who hasn't? Well maybe I play too easy with the rules in my business. You know what they say, as long as you don't get caught... Will you stop looking at me that way? Yes, I am sometimes a hypocrite in my dealings others and sometimes I pretend to know when I don't. But I do have to keep their respect, don't I?

Again with the following. You don't exactly live in five-stars hotels in your wandering. I like my comfort. I deserved it after working so hard, don't I? What, you want me to shake your hand? Oh, to see your hands. Man, your hand is so hard and rough. So many scars and calluses. Must be hard being a carpenter, eh? No power tools. Okay, okay, you work hard too. Who is going to look after my wife and kids when I am following you? Who is going to take care of my business when we are gone? Your Abba in heaven. You mean the One whose name we must not say. Your Abba? Woh, let me get out of the way. Lightning strike time.

Follow you, Jesus of Nazareth? Give me one good reason why I should. What do you mean I have to give you reasons why I should not?

Meditation: Too many excuses, too little following.



picture source

Mark Galli on Search for Significance

SOULWORK Insignificant Is Beautiful Why exactly do we want to make a difference in the world? By Mark Galli

...the search for significance, especially if it requires changing the world, can blind us to the everyday tasks, the mundane duties, and the dirty work that is part and parcel of the life of discipleship.

read more

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Book Notes on The Kingdom Life

Alan Andrews (ed.), (March 2010), The Kingdom Life: A Practical Theology of Discipleship and Spiritual Formation, Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.

It is heartening to note that there are many new books on spiritual formation that moves beyond teaching spiritual disciplines and a contemplative life to engage on the theology of (Christian) spiritual formation. In September 2002, a group of theologians, pastors, authors and church leaders got together to form the Theological and Cultural Thinkers (TACT) group to serve as a think tank on spiritual formation. This book which is a collaborative effort of some best in the field which reads like a list of who’s who in spiritual formation and discipleship: Dallas Willard, Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, Keith Andrews, Bill Hull, Keith Meyer, Peggy Reynoso, Paula Fuller, Bruce Demarest, Michael Glerup, Christopher Morton, Richard Averbeck and Alan Andrews.

TACT defines seven process elements of spiritual formation and three theological elements in this book. Each of these elements is expanded upon by one of TACT’s members as a chapter in the book. The process elements of spiritual formation are:

Element 1:

The gospel of the kingdom is the realm of God’s active goodness in forming us in Christ as we follow Him. The kingdom of God is grand, majestic, and full of beauty. We come to understand the kingdom by repenting and simply becoming apprentices of Jesus in His kingdom.

Element 2:

Spiritual formation is rooted in relationship with God and one another. Communities of grace and trust open the door to gaining permission to share truth among fellow believers and the unbelieving world.

Element 3:

Spiritual formation into Christlikeness involves an intentional public, personal, and communal commitment to living as Jesus’ disciples who are being transformed into His image in all aspects of our lives as we learn to obey His commands.

Element 4:

Spiritual formation is a lifelong pursuit of being conformed to the image of Christ from the inside out and not a matter of external activity alone.

Element 5:

Spiritual formation is a continual process of transforming the whole person, including the healing of woundedness and rebellion, by the power of God, not to be confused with mere technique or program.

Element 6:

Spiritual formation occurs when God, in His grace, invades the destructiveness of suffering that result from the fall of man and uses the pain of suffering that results for His redemptive purposes in His people. There is also unique suffering that shapes the formation of believers as they enter into the call to love a lost world and the inevitable suffering that result from that love.

Element 7:

Spiritual formation in Christ is a process of growing in kingdom living and participating in God’s mission. This begins with our personal reconciliation with God and results in an irrepressible manifestation of God’s good news. Disciples of the kingdom labor in community for reconciliation with God and one another as a central priority of mission. They also pursue justice and compassion for all people and work to correct institutional sin inherent in human structures.

The theological elements of spiritual formation are:

Element 8:

The theology of spiritual formation emerges from the Trinitarian nature of God – relational, loving, gracious, mutually submissive, and unified in will.

Element 9:

Spiritual formation takes place by the direct work of the Holy Spirit, regenerating and conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ as the Spirit indwells, fills, guides, gifts, and empowers people for life in the community of faith and in the world.

Element 10:

Spiritual formation is based upon the Bible as God’s reliable and authoritative revelation. The Bible, our primary source of truth, guides and informs the use of spiritual disciplines and models of spirituality as they have emerged worldwide and throughout time.

These key process elements of spiritual formation as highlighted by TACT is an intentional lifelong process that transforms with suffering as one of the agents of learning and with healing of “woundedness and rebellion” of a person from “inside-out” to the image of Christ. This involves “kingdom living and participating in God’s mission” and is lived out in communities and in relationships with others. The basis is the nature of the Trinitarian God and is the direct work of the Holy Spirit with the Bible as God’s revelation. While it is crafted by Evangelical authors based upon churches in the United States in North America, it nevertheless represents most of the universal elements of spiritual formation. Unfortunately they are not able to totally dissociate themselves from their cultural context of individualism. While there are references to the community, the process elements are more suited for spiritual formation in individuals who together with other individuals undergoing the same process are involved in building communities and missional ventures rather than the communities themselves have a role in the formation It is about “persons-in-communities” rather that “persons-of-communities.” Communities, especially Christian faith communities should have a bigger role to play in the TACT perspective.

A comparison of TACT’s elements of spiritual formation may be made with A Call to Spiritual Formation drafted by another study group on spiritual formation and proclaimed during the Renovaré International Conference in June of 2009, at San Antonio, Texas, USA. (http://acalltospiritualformation.info/history.aspx accessed 20 July 2009)

Christian spiritual formation is the process of being shaped by the Spirit into the likeness of Christ, filled with love for God and the world.

God calls us all to become like Jesus. Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”* We experience this abundance of life – here and now – as our passions, character, understanding, and relationships are increasingly aligned with those of Christ. This lifelong transformation within and among us is the continual gift of God’s Spirit. We are called to be renewed into the likeness of Jesus – but we do not always fully embrace this calling. Sometimes we seem content to be known as “Christians” without intentionally engaging with this work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Other times we desperately long for a new way of life, wanting to grow in our walk with Jesus, but needing help and encouragement. We, therefore, commit to pursue passionately and to receive joyfully God’s grace to be more fully transformed into the image of Jesus Christ (John 7:37–39;*John 10:10;Romans 8:29;1 Corinthians 11:1;1 Corinthians 15:49; 2 Corinthians 3:17–18;2 Corinthians 4:16–18; 2 Corinthians 5:16–21;Galatians 4:19; Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 3:16–19;1 John 3:2;1 John 4:17)

As we are rooted in Jesus and in the kingdom he proclaims, we are progressively transformed. Jesus is the center of all life and history, both the source and goal of all creation. God shaped this universe as a place where the love and life of Jesus Christ might flourish. Because we are formed in the divine image, we have the capacity to receive and express this life and love. Although human disobedience corrupts the divine image in us, God still forms a people able to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love their neighbors as themselves. Jesus makes this possible through his life, death, and resurrection. In him we experience a restored relationship of love with God and one another, and continual transformation into his likeness. We are becoming a reconciled and renewed community – which is both the goal and the substance of life in God’s kingdom. This is the good news we proclaim with joy to the whole world. (Genesis 1:26–28; Genesis 3:1–7;Proverbs 8:22–31;Isaiah 42:5–9;Jeremiah 31:33–34;Mark12:28–34;John 1:1–18; John 13:34–35;Romans 5:9–11;Romans 8:1–11;Romans 8:19–23;Ephesians 2:11–22;Colossians 1:9–23;1 Thessalonians 5:23;1 John 2:7–11)

Our engagement with God’s transforming grace is vital. Renewal into the image of Christ is not a human attainment; it is a gift of grace. God mercifully uses all our experiences, including our suffering and trials, to teach and transform us. Even so, transformation requires our involvement and effort. We need to make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit’s work in all our life experiences, particularly through intentional engagement with historical Christian disciplines, including Word and sacrament. These practices open us to the presence and grace of God. As a result, we become, through time and experience, the kind of persons who naturally express love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. (Matthew 5:43–48; Matthew 11:29–30; Luke 6:40; John 7:38; John 15:5–17; Romans 12:1–2; Galatians 5:16–25; Philippians 2:12–13; Philippians 3:12–16; Titus 2:11–14; Hebrews 5:13–6:1;Hebrews 12:7–13; James 4:7–8;1 Peter 2:2;1 Peter 4:1–2)

Spiritual formation happens in community. As we long to know and follow Jesus and be formed into his likeness, we journey with those who share this longing. God is calling the church to be a place of transformation. Here we struggle to fulfill our calling to love. Here we learn to attend to the invitations of God’s Spirit. Here we follow the presence of God in our midst. Spiritual community is the catalyst for our transformation and a sending base for our mission of love to the world. (Matthew 18:20; Luke 6:12–19; John 17:20–26; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:4–8; 1 Corinthians 12:1–7; Galatians 6:1–2; Ephesians 4:1–16; Hebrews 10:23–25;1 Peter 2:4–10)

Spiritual formation is, by its very nature, missional. As we are formed into the likeness of Christ, we increasingly share God’s infinitely tender love for others. We deepen in our compassion for the poor, the broken, and the lost. We ache and pray and labor for others in a new way, a selfless way, a joy‐filled way. Our hearts are enlarged toward all people and toward all of creation. (Isaiah 60:1–4; Matthew 5:14–16; Matthew 28:18–20; John 3:16–21; John 20:21–23; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Galatians 6:10; 1 John 4:7–21)

We invite all people, everywhere, to embrace with us this calling to become like Jesus. By God’s grace, we will seek to become lovers: lovers of God, lovers of people, and lovers of all creation. We will immerse ourselves in a lifestyle that is attentive and responsive to the gracious presence of God. We commit ourselves to the community of Christ’s beloved, the church, so that we can learn this way of love together. We entreat you to join us. (Matthew 5:1–10; Matthew 13:44–46; Mark 1:15;Luke 9:23–24;Romans 12:1–2; 2 Corinthians 6:1; 1 Timothy 6:11–12; Revelation 21:2;Revelation 22:17)

The elements of A Call to Spiritual Formation are similar to those suggested by the TACT group. Again, the weakness seems to be the lesser role of the Christian faith communities as compared to the role of the individuals involved. The role mentioned is that the “church to be a place of transformation.” The church or Christian faith community is not just a place for transformation but should be a transforming agent itself. Unlike the TACT group, the drafters of A Call did not give any theological grounding except numerous biblical references. For more details, see my Critique of A Call to Spiritual Formation

This book The Kingdom Life deals mainly with defining the nature and process of spiritual formation. The question a discerning reader will ask is how these process elements of spiritual formation may be applied in a church setting. In the epilogue, Alan Andrews and Christopher Morton mentioned some guiding principles of what they called ‘spiritual-formation church.’ These guiding principles are:

Guiding Principle 1:

Spiritual formation occurs in believers as they engage in intentional personal formation, community formation and missional formation. These three dimensions of spiritual development must not be compartmentalized or separated but organically connected.

Guiding Principle 2:

The center of the spiritual-formation church is Jesus and His kingdom. The Bible is a Christocentric book. Jesus’ primary message was about the immediate nearness and availability of His kingdom to us.

Guiding Principle 3:

Every spiritual-formation church must be rooted in the soil of the lost, the vulnerable, and the least.

Guiding Principle 4:

The spiritual-formation church should seek to create an environment of grace that welcomes everyone who will come to the “rivers of living water” (John 7:38, NASB) that resides in the culture of God’s kingdom.

Guiding Principle 5:

The spiritual-formation church must seek to reach, teach, and practically engage the people in spiritual formation. This means intentional spiritual formation must be the central passion of the church.

Guiding Principle 6:

Equipping people for ministry is critical to the health of the spiritual-formation church.

Guiding Principle 7:

The spiritual-formation church develops new leaders for the advancement of the gospel and the spiritual formation of the people of God.

Guiding Principle 8:

The Bible uses multiple metaphors to describe the people of God, but the primary descriptors are organic – for example, body and family (p. 301-312).

Andrews and Morton pointed out correctly that “intentional spiritual formation must be the central passion of the church.” The central passion of the spiritual-formation church is the place for “intentional personal formation, community formation and missional formation.” This implies that the spiritual-formation church is not just a place where believers practice the spiritual disciplines and be missional. It means more than that. The question to be asked is whether the present institutional church with its formative practices is the ideal model for spiritual formation and discipleship to take place. Is there a need to reorganize the formative practices and even the structure of the church itself? These are important questions if the central passion of the church is intentional spiritual formation.

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John Ortberg's Spiritual Growth Plan

DISCIPLESHIP
Your Spiritual Growth Plan
Developing life in the Spirit is a customized process.
by John Ortberg

A man I'll call Paul (because that's actually his name) told me he recently started going to church. In his mid-seventies, with no faith background, he woke up one morning with a sudden urge to hear the pope, and that launched him on a journey that led a few months later to a Presbyterian church and then to a commitment to follow Jesus. Every week he comes to church and marvels at all he gets to learn about prayer and worship and faith.

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Reframing Discipleship, Spiritual Formation, Christian Spiritual Formation

There has been much confusion about the meaning and usage of these words: discipleship, spiritual formation, and Christian spiritual formation. These words are sometimes used interchangeably by some teachers while others offered a more nuanced definition. Here I will offer some definitions of these terms.

Spiritual formation is the process of forming our inner spiritual beings (soul) which manifest outwardly as our character. This is an ongoing process which starts when we are in our mothers’ womb and continues until we die. There are numerous influences that affect our spiritual formation which includes our cultural legacy, our childhood experiences, our ethnicity, the socio-political environments in which we live in, the dominant culture in our society, and our social interactions with other people, including our family members. Often these influences act subconsciously by a process of socialization or enculturation. In other words, all of us are undergoing spiritual formation all the time, whether we are conscious of it or not.

Christian conversion (accepting Christ) involves a change in status by our justification by faith, and of the formative regeneration of our souls (sanctification). Christian spiritual formation starts after conversion. Christian spiritual formation is the process of the redemptive inner transformation of the character of a person to reflect the character of Christ himself. There are two components to Christian spiritual formation: (1) the work of the Holy Spirit, and (2) the willingness of a person to follow Christ in discipleship. Christian spiritual formation is a collaborative divine-human interaction. The influences that act on Christian spiritual formation are similar to those experiences by all living human beings. Additional influences are the formative practices of the Christian faith communities (Christian education) and the Word of God.

Discipleship is the part of Christian spiritual formation where we can be actively involved in. The Holy Spirit is ever willing to be involved but respect our choices and will not force us to be disciples. Discipleship is following and obeying the teachings of Jesus Christ and in doing so, we become Christ-like in our character. Jesus summarizes this by saying that, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). To be his follower, Jesus points out that there is a part about denying self, and there is another part about following him. Luke helpfully gives us some essential features on discipleship. These essentials are trust (Lk 9:37-43); suffering (Lk 9:44-45); humility (Lk 9:46-50); purpose (Lk 9: 51-56); commitment (Lk 9: 57-62); involvement (Lk 10:1-20), and prayer (Lk 10:21-24). However all these need the work of the Holy Spirit if Christian spiritual formation is to take place. We cannot will or discipline our bodies into spiritual transformation.

The purpose (telos) of Christian spiritual formation is three-fold reflecting the economy of the Triune God. Christian spiritual formation is (1) to restore image of God (imago Dei) within us so that we reflect the character of Christ; (2) to form a people of God –the body of Christ; and (3) to be part of God’s plan of reconciliation with all of creation (missio Dei). Christian spiritual formation is Trinitarian in basis as it is an invitation to join in the perichoresis or eternal dance of God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

So let us embark on the journey of Christian spiritual formation, availing ourselves to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, and intentionally becoming disciples of Jesus Christ with “informed minds, hearts on fire, and contemplative in actions” until “we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

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Vinoth Ramachandra on Church Growth in Asia

The article was posted in The Christian Post and deserves some thought.

Much Christian Growth in Asia is Superficial: Theologian

Edmond Chua
edmond@christianpost.com

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010 Posted: 10:12:49PM HKT

The perceived growth of Christianity in Singapore and other nations in Asia is not an unqualified blessing in the view of an Indian theologian.

"Much of the numerical Christian growth in our nations is superficial," said Dr Vinoth Ramachandra in a series of lectures he gave at Trinity Theological College which the college compiled and published as a book in 2009.

This was the same year a South Asian Christianity researcher who was invited to give the lectures that year had concluded that the quality of the large number of conversions in recent years in Singapore is questionable.

“Large churches (including those that send out many cross-cultural missionaries to other parts of Asia) seem to have little transformative impact on their neighbourhoods and culture,” said Dr Ramachandra, stressing that the primary task of the Church is not ‘missions’ and discipleship – what he described as activism.

Rather the Church’s task is “simply being the Church; a radically new community in which social, cultural and economic barriers between peoples are broken down and men and women learn to love their traditional and personal enemies,” the Secretary for Dialogue and Social Engagement for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) said in ‘Church and Mission in the New Asia: New Gods, New Identities’.

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How Safe is Your Discipleship?

I have always enjoyed Mark Galli's insightful comments. Here he touches on our discipleship and how safe it is. Is discipleship a safe venture? Reminds of Chronicles of Narnia where it was asked, "Is Aslan a tame lion?"

SOULWORK

Danger: God

What should we think about a deity who gives us sticks of dynamite to play with?

Mark Galli | posted 8/13/2009 10:08AM

Back in the early sixties, a book was published with the title, The Suburban Captivity of the Churches. I never read it, but it strikes me as an apt description of American Christianity, and a mirror image of the unnerving God of the church.

The suburbs are not the incarnation of social evil, as some critics would have us believe. But they do tend to shape us (as does the city, as does rural life!). And some of that shaping has not been for the church's best.

Let's take one famous quality of suburban life: safety. I live in a suburb in the Midwest where the biggest news items in the police blotter in our local paper usually have to do with shoplifting or DUIs or the occasional bicycle theft. Murders, rapes, armed robberies and the like—few and very, very far between. It's a safe place to live. Safe is good.

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God's Chisel

Formation In Faith

Sondra Higgins Matthaei (2008), Formation in Faith: The Congregational Ministry of making Disciples, Nashville: Abingdon Press.

Sondra Higgins Matthaei is professor of Christian Religious Education at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. I have been following her writings closely and have enjoyed her other book, Making Disciples: Faith Formation in the Wesley Tradition.

This book builds on her thesis of her previous book that spiritual maturity involves three stages; invitation to communion, deepening communion, and full communion. However she has taken the further step to suggest how her thesis may be translated into a congregation that is making disciples. She looks at the development of such a congregation in terms of relationships, structures and practices. I like this book because Matthaei is making a genuine effort to apply the results of her thesis. Many Christian educators are very good in suggesting theoretical models but often fails to teach us how to apply it to the grass root level of the church.

There is much to recommend for her model. However it could have been better if she had paid more attention to the leadership of the church in her model. Any disciplemaking processes in the church depends heavily on the support and commitment of the upper echolon leadership of the church. If the upper echelon are not interested in faith formation but more in building their own empires, then whatever model will fails. I wish she have given us some indicators how how she will convince church leaders to be spiritual leaders rather than glorified adminstrators.

A good book to read.

The Health and Longevity Gospel

From Mark Galli's blog, a post, The Health and Longevity Gospel, about red meat increasing the risk of early death. I like his insight about stewardship of our bodies and discipleship.

This fixation on food’s relationship to death is but another sign of our
culture’s deep fear of death. The subtext of these studies is “Eat and exercise
like a Spartan now, and be active and alert into your 90s—and with Viagra,
anything is possible!”
This addiction to longevity is especially evident in
the area of medical care—and not just among those who have no faith, but
especially among the most devout.

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From Entertainment to Disciplemaking

"Showtime!" No More
Could our church shift from performance to mission?
Walt Kallestad posted 11/26/2008 11:49AM

Entertainment evangelism: The concept came together for me while standing in a line at a Dallas Cineplex waiting to see the Batman premiere. The only way to capture people's attention is entertainment, I thought. If I want people to listen to my message, I've got to present it in a way that grabs their attention long enough for me to communicate the gospel.

It was an epiphany, a breakthrough understanding for me. So our church strategy revolved around the gravitational force of entertainment for evangelism. We hired the best musicians we could afford; we used marketing principles and programming specialists—for the gospel's sake. Attendance skyrocketed. More people meant more staff, more programs, more facilities, more land, and of course the need for more money. We became a program-driven church attracting consumers looking for the latest and greatest religious presentations.

For us, worship was a show, and we played to a packed house. We grew by thousands, bought more land, and positioned ourselves to reach even more people. Not that any of this is wrong in and of itself—people coming to faith in Christ isn't bad. I told myself it was good—I told others it was good. But now I was beginning to wonder if I'd led my church down a wrong path.
The show was killing me.

Attracting consumers was consuming me—not in the way vision consumes a leader. It was the opposite of that—I was losing sight of the vision. Our church was a great organization. But something was missing. We weren't accomplishing our mission; we weren't creating transformed, empowered disciples...

In the old days, we protected people's anonymity; today we thrust them into community, doing life together. We used to invite them to attend church; now we invite them to be the church. I used to ask, "What can we do to get more people to attend our church?" Now I ask, "How can I best equip and empower the people to go be the church in the marketplace where God has called them to serve?"

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Personal sharing from a megachurch pastor. The mission of the church is disciplemaking, not entertainment.

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