LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Written Assignment
Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
Submitted to Dr. David Earley
In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500-B07 LUO
Disciple Ministries
By
Eldon Jones
January 31, 2021
Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………1
Overview of Three Directional Love……………………………………………………………1
Walking in the Spirit…………………………………………………………………………….3
My Personal Growth Assessment……………………………………………………………….4
Personal Growth Plan……………………………………………………………………………5
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………..6
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………...…9
Introduction
Spiritual formation is the personal growth of a person living to become more like Jesus.
This is an ongoing, gradual process that creates a change through spiritual transformation.1 After
the commitment to love God and accepting the obligation of salvation, the process of
transforming one’s life to serve the Father has begun. Spiritual disciplines are just the beginning
of the regimen that will help with the individual growth of a believer. In becoming a disciple of
Christ one becomes “Christ-like” in that the heart, mind, body and, soul are dedicated to doing
the will of God the Father and to be in service to others. “Transformation is a process that
requires the individual’s cooperation and effort, but it is also intended to be accomplished in
community with God and others.2 In the Gospels, Jesus taught His disciples the importance of
serving and teaching others. Through example, He showed them the life sacrifices, commitment
and, love that it takes to be a representative of God. The gospel identifies the marks of a disciple,
which shows the importance of the word of God in a disciple’s life.3 Spiritual formation is the
foundation of disciple-making and the love of God is the motivation.
Overview of Three Directional Love
Three directional love is a reference to the three primary commands of Jesus: Love God
(upward), love one another (inward), and love your neighbor (outward).4 These commands were
not new additions to the commands that God asked of His people in the beginning (Ex 20:1-17),
1 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2018, 4.
2 Joanne Jung J. The Lost Discipline of Conversation : Surprising Lessons in Spiritual Formation Drawn from the
English Puritans. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018, 26.
Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making is… Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013, 22.
3
4 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2018, 100.
however, Jesus, when challenged stated that the love of God is the first and greatest
commandment, and loving one’s neighbor as one’s self was the second (Matt 22:37-40). This is
the beginning of discipleship. The love of God can be explained as “relating to God.”5 God’s
love for mankind is an unconditional love that has been expressed by the sacrifice of His Son,
and the gift of salvation. This cannot be repaid or duplicated. However, the dedication that one
gives when getting closer to him through spiritual disciplines like reading His word, meditation,
and prayer, shows our love for Him and our desire to live as He wants (2 Pet 1:3).
Love for one another is often taken for granted simply because disciples are
concentrating on their relationship with God and focused on making disciples. Congregating
during specified worship times often is considered enough “love” for fellow disciples. However,
the command to love one another emphasized by Christ (John 13:34-35; 15:12) is amplified
throughout the New Testament. Showing love for one another is more than worshipping together,
it means sharing in a relationship with God and His disciples. Who can better understand serving
God in love than someone else that loves serving God? “The human soul thrives on and is
nurtured in relationship with God and others. Christians depend on God, His Spirit, His Word,
and others for spiritual sustenance, our identity in Christ, and for the very formation of our
faith.”6 Loving one another makes the mission of loving one’s neighbors easier to achieve. There
is strength in numbers and power in prayer, and when disciples lift each other up, the power of
God is with them (Matt 18:19-20).
The love for one’s neighbor is best expressed by sharing the gospel. There are so many
that are still lost in this world and have not been presented with the love of God. It is only the
5 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2018, 102.
6 Joanne Jung J. The Lost Discipline of Conversation : Surprising Lessons in Spiritual Formation Drawn from the
English Puritans. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018, 25.
love of God that saves souls, and the scripture is clear in that one cannot say that they love God
and not their neighbor (1 John 4:20-21). Spreading the Gospel is a command from Christ (Matt
28:19-20), and above all things, disciples must be obedient to the Word of God. The power of the
love that has been extended to a believer should compel them to share the reason for living holy
with someone who is dying spiritually. The command reminds disciples that the work of a
disciple is never complete, and there is always “outward” work to be done.
Walking in the Spirit
Spiritual formation is not possible without the Holy Spirit. The first step in spiritual
formation is accepting salvation, and “everyone who is saved has become so as a result of the
convincing work of the Holy Spirit.”7 Once saved the Holy Spirit becomes a comforter (John
14:16-17), teacher (John 14:26), life-changer (Gal 5:22-23), guide (Rom 8:14), and ultimately
the most important person in a person’s spiritual life.8 Because God is holy and has called us to
be holy as He is holy (Lev 11:44; 1 Pet 1:15-16), all conduct of a disciple in words or deeds must
be matched by holy actions (Col 3:17).9 However, because of the flesh warring against the spirit,
it is only the power of the Holy Spirit that can keep one from falling into sin. This requires
continual submission to the Holy Spirit, which must be chosen to live “in Christ.”10 Living in
Christ allows a person to live free of sin and effectively practice spiritual disciplines
strengthening spiritual development.
My Personal Growth Assessment
7 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making is… Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013, 31.
8 Ibid, 33.
9 Peter K. Nelson, Spiritual Formation : Ever Forming, Never Formed. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2010. 23.
10 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2018, 76.
After taking my Personal Spiritual Growth Assessment, I realize I have a lot of growing
spiritually to do. With the research gathered for this assignment, I would say that my scores are
puzzling at best. The Love for God (Up) section is my weakest area of growth. Daily reading
God’s Word and trying to listen and follow the voice of Jesus are my highest scores. I obtained
average scores on memorizing scripture, praying for the Holy Spirit, and disconnecting from the
world. For the remainder of this section, I scored very low points. I realize now that I do not have
specified time set aside to pray and plan. This is more than likely the reason I do not keep a
journal or have a dated prayer list. Although I have key scriptures I meditate on, I have nothing
written out for application. There was a time when I fasted twice in the week, now it seems as I
am only fasting when I am asked to pray for someone or I am in prayer for myself.
I used the word puzzling because the next section, Love for One Another (In), is my
highest scoring section. I was immediately reminded of (1 John 4:20-21), which did not sit well
in my spirit. Meeting weekly in small groups with other believers was the weakest point in this
section. The last time I did this was when the church had a project and people were assigned to
groups of seven. I enjoyed the fellowship, but I noticed it was difficult for everyone to meet at
the same time every week, and most groups were forced to meet after bible study during the
week. The other two weaknesses in this section are discovering my spiritual gift and using my
spiritual gift. I do realize now that this is important and have been praying about that. It is safe to
say that according to my scores I love and respect fellow believers.
The last section, Love for Our Neighbors (Out), proved to me that I do not spend enough
time in prayer. Seeking to serve, be a blessing, gain relationships, and listening to people who do
not know Christ are strong points of mine, however, every point that included planning and
prayer I scored very few points. I have prayed for people who do not know Christ, mostly upon
request, but planning or preparing specific actions to help lead people to Christ are weaknesses
that I never really paid attention to and need to actively practice more.
Personal Growth Plan
I Chose specific areas concerning my personal spiritual growth that I believe I need to
strengthen. Prayer is my main weakness in many areas. My first prayers in the morning will be
dedicated to God as always, however, I am going to include prayer to be filled with the Holy
Spirit. Next, I will pray for persons on a list who have asked for prayer and those not saved that
need prayer. This means I must start a prayer list (which I have) and a journal to document the
actions and any results. I will also record how the Lord is working in my life and document key
passages of scripture to utilize in meditation. Presently, my morning prayers last approximately
ten to fifteen minutes, so I estimate an additional ten to fifteen minutes in prayer for my prayer
lists. I believe writing key passages to meditate will save me time because presently I go through
the Bible and pick a topic for meditation or go to a message I have recently heard. After
meditation is a good time to write in my journal which I want to include a section where I
intentionally plan on sharing the good news with neighbors. I live in a very rural area with my
closest neighbor is ten acres away, so making plans to either invite them to dinner or going to
their homes is very beneficial.
I want to discover my specific spiritual gift, so as of right now I am exploring and
praying for guidance. I always just assumed that because I was capable of a few gifts, that I was
performing to my ability, however, I now realize that God has given me a specific gift that the
Spirit is wanting to perfect in me and I need to concentrate on that gift so that I can utilize it to
the fullest. I started fasting Tuesdays and Thursdays again so that I can take the time to reflect on
how God wants to use me. I also realized that I do not have a disconnect from the world time set
aside. I am a news junkie and unfortunately, there are mornings I turn on the news before I get
out the bed, get on my knees and pray. These are disciplines that I know have hindered my
spiritual growth and I now realize why my scores in the Love for God (Up) section were the
lowest.
There are a few other things that I need to work on, however, right now I will round these
off with participating in a healthy small group. Almost everyone I know is aware that I am in
school. Recently, right before the holidays, one of my neighbors shared that she, her mother, and
her sister were reading the Bible one chapter at a time. She asked if my wife and I would join
them so that I could explain some of the many things that they did not fully understand. We told
her we would be glad to join them and that hopefully together we could all get a better
understanding. I have to admit we all probably put it off due to the holidays, but I do know that
the invitation is still open we just have to get together on a day and time. Only her sister works
right now, and she babysits for her so we are working that out presently.
Conclusion
Spiritual formation is the road to disciple-making. The goal of a disciple is to be more
like Christ in every aspect of life. It is the Spirit of God that gives a believer life and without the
Spirit of God, there is no life. Jesus commanded His disciples to go into all nations and make
disciples, assuring them that God had given Him all power (Matt 28:18-20) and after His
resurrection, He reassured them that they would receive that same power from the Holy Spirit
(Acts 1:8). There is but one way to receive such power to make disciples, and that is through
submission to the Holy Spirit and Practicing spiritual disciplines. The formation of one’s spirit to
conform to the Spirit of God is a constant walk with God’s Spirit and the only way that people
will acknowledge Christ is if Christ is present. Ruth Haley Barton defines spiritual formation as,
“A process of being formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others.”11 All one can do is
conform to the image of Christ and allow God’s Spirit to take control. We must remember Jesus’
words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John
14:6 KJV).
Bibliography
Barton, Ruth Haley, and Mulholland Jr.. M. Robert. Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for
Spiritual Formation. Westmont: InterVarsity Press, 2016.
Earley, Dave and Dempsey, Rod. Disciple Making is… Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013.
Earley, Dave and Dempsey, Rod. Spiritual Formation is… Nashville: B&H Publishing Group,
2013.
11 Ruth Haley Barton,, and Robert M. Mulholland Jr., Invitation to a Journey : A Road Map for Spiritual Formation.
Westmont: InterVarsity Press, 2016. 20.
Jung, Joanne J.. The Lost Discipline of Conversation: Surprising Lessons in Spiritual Formation
Drawn from the English Puritans. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018
Nelson, Peter K.. Spiritual Formation: Ever Forming, Never Formed. Downers Grove:
InterVarsity Press, 2010.
