week 8 spirtual formation blog

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY

Spiritual Formation Blog Post

Submitted to Dr. Donald Hicks,

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

RTCH 500 – B16

Research, Writing, and Ministry Preparation

By

Spencer Barnard

March 5th, 2019

Spiritual Formations Concepts That I Must Incorporate into my Walk.

Based on my reading of Foundations of Spiritual Formation: A Community Approach to Becoming Like Christ by Paul Pettit, I have gain some great insight into concepts that I can incorporate into my personal walk with Christ. Paul Pettit defines Spiritual formation as, “The ongoing process of the triune God transforming the believer’s life and character toward the life and character of Jesus Christ—accomplished by the ministry of the Spirit in the context of biblical community.”[footnoteRef:1] One of the primary concepts of the book that I need to incorporate into my walk deals with worship. Everything flows from what we worship. Our journey with God begins with it. Richard Averbeck states that, “Worship is the core discipline and experience of true spiritual formation.”[footnoteRef:2] It is the response each of us should have based on what God has done for us. One of the primary takeaways from this concept is that worship deals with Holy Spirit guiding each and every aspect of my life. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and our actions speak to what we worship. [1: Paul Pettit, Foundations of Spiritual Formation: A Community Approach to Becoming Like Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2008), 24 ] [2: Richard Averbeck, “Foundations of Spiritual Formation: A Community Approach to Becoming Like Christ, ed. Paul Pettit (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2008), 69]

The most helpful concept of this book for me dealt with leading from identity verse leading from image. I learned that the difference between leading these two ways is the difference between bondage and freedom.[footnoteRef:3] Image deals with perception not reality. When I lead from image I show my insecurities. I focus my leadership inwardly by focusing on myself. I am in bondage to a false reality. When I focus on myself I find myself responding to people in one of two ways. They are either a vehicle to accomplish my purposes or they are an obstacle I must remove. This was never God’s intention for relationships. The only remedy for this kind of leadership is rest in who God says I am. A secure since of identity enables me to serve others rather than use them. How I lead is a direct response to my spiritual formation and security in Christ. In 2 Corinthians 12:10-11 Paul describes the painful experience that God gave him to keep him from exalting himself above others. He has slowly evolved spiritual as he took on the identity of Christ. He states, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Jesus has set us free from who others think we should be and who we try to be. We can now become the people God designed us to be. Seidel states, “The only way we, as God’s men and women, can provide the leadership needed in the days ahead is if our sense of personal identity is firmly grounded in our relationship to Jesus Christ.”[footnoteRef:4] [3: Andrew Seidel, “Foundations of Spiritual Formation: A Community Approach to Becoming Like Christ, ed. Paul Pettit (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publication, 2008), 194] [4: ibid, 193]

How I Plan to Incorporate the Two Concepts into My Walk of Faith

Moving forward I plan to stop compartmentalizing my life. I tend to separate my work life, home life, school life and church life. I must understand that Jesus is calling me to worship him in every aspect of my life. I now understand that worship is a core discipline to spiritual formation and must be a response of who and what Jesus has done for me, expressed in everything I say and do. This means that I wake up each morning ready to make my life an act of worship. Secondly, I plan on operating out of my identity verse my image. I will do this by focusing on who God says I am verse who others think I am. This starts with me focusing each day on verses like Psalms 139:1, Psalm 139:13-16, etc. His love for me isn’t based on my performance and the only way I make any difference in this world is by him equipping and empowering me to serve others out of an unselfish heart. Jesus modeled this kind of service for me and I will strive to love and see others in the same way. When I fully understand my significance in Christ, and my proper identity… Then I can share life giving love, but not before!

One Piece of Advice That I Think Will Help Another Person in Their Walk With Christ

The one piece of advice that I would give anyone who is planning on entering seminary education is to be careful not to just make it an academic experience but a spiritual one. There is a tendency to just go through the motions of learning facts and processes while never experiencing Jesus. This should be more than an educational journey but a major piece of a person’s spiritual formation. Ministry will not just be what he or she does, but it is something that flows from who you are. The process of building who you are starts now. The things a person learns in seminary education needs to become a practical part of their daily lives. My advice is to not wait until you get out of seminary to start ministering to people, but to look for ways to incorporate what you learn through your classes. Explore ways to practice what you learn, so that it becomes a way of life. In Ephesians 4:11-13 Paul states, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ be built up.” We are being equipped to equip others. He or she should never forget the calling God has placed on their lives.

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