Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
Beth Buster
DSMN 500: Discipleship Ministries
January 29, 2023
Contents
Introduction..................................................................................................................................1
Importance of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship...............................................................2
The Practice of Spiritual Growth...............................................................................................3
Walking in the Spirit....................................................................................................................5
Personal Growth Assessment......................................................................................................6
Conclusion....................................................................................................................................8
Bibliography.................................................................................................................................9
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Introduction
Children living in the southern states are yearly mesmerized by little, alien-like brown
shells left on tree trunks all over during the summer. These shells have six prickly legs and feet
and are often thrown on unsuspecting friends to the horror and delight to those involved. They
become prized treasures and the most dedicated children often compete for the largest number of
these creatures to add to their collections. These childhood jewels are the shed exoskeletons of
the southern insect, the cicada. These somewhat grotesque skeletons are the proof of a unique life
cycle of an insect from larva to shimmering green, flying insect. This metamorphic like
transformation takes place every summer in the south and is a natural representation of the
spiritual transformation a follower of Jesus Christ goes through. Buried in sin, man is covered in
muck and mire and groping along without hope of anything else. But then the gospel makes a
way for man to become what God intended them to be, and they shed off the skin of the old
creature and emerge as the new creation God is calling them to be. The transformation made by
the gospel changes self-centered sinners into glorious, holy overcomers reflecting the glorious
love of Jesus.1
The question then becomes, “how does this transformation take place?” Two key
components to transformational growth and maturity in a believer are spiritual formation and
discipleship. While some may try to make these components stand-alone disciplines to conquer,
they are actually intertwined and dependent upon each other as they strengthen the bond of the
believer with Jesus. The two elements complement each other as the believer begins to gain an
understanding of what works for them as they learn. Spiritual formation is about submission and
reflection while discipleship is about the learning process to be more like Jesus while bringing
1 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is....How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and
Confidence, (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2018), 7.
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others into the fold. At the core of spiritual formation are the practices or processes that a
believer goes through in order to progress through their religious life. This is often seen as the
maturation of faith. As the believer grows in their faith, their spiritual capacities are exercised
and become stronger. This can be achieved through various disciplines or meditations as one
progresses. Discipleship can be defined as an individual who has abandoned their self to
sacrificially follow Jesus and His commands. One must daily commit to living in relationship
with Christ and fellow disciples in order to grow the Kingdom of God, while continuing to allow
the Holy Spirit to transform them as they live on mission for Christ (Matt 4:19). The change
from within comes about as one begins to understand what it means to be like Christ and how to
listen to the Holy Spirit. As an individual’s spirit is transformed, the believer starts to love those
around them and then works towards making other disciples. There needs to be an understanding
how the two depend on each other and how they can be best utilized. Through research, a
personal growth assessment, and gained knowledge on spiritual formation, a plan will be
developed to perform proper discipleship.
Importance of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
As a relationship grows with Christ, there is a need to understand the place of spiritual
formation and its place with discipleship. While the two do have distinct definitions, it is the
manner in which they are carried out or practiced that is important to understanding how the two
relate to one another. Spiritual formation is “an ongoing, gradual process of glorious
transformation into the image of Jesus by the Spirit of God that is available to every believer as a
result of honestly and intentionally seeking the face of God.”2 Paul knew this to be true when he
wrote, “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we
2 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is… How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and
Confidence, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2018), 4.
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all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same
image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:17-18). To become more like the Lord is
the goal because if a person is not growing as they become spiritually mature. Otherwise,
spiritual formation is not being experienced. Discipleship can be viewed as the act of embracing
and assisting in the spreading of the teachings of an individual or group. A follower of Christ is
embracing the teachings of Jesus as well as teaching them to others. Indeed, the last command of
Jesus before He left the earth with the Great Commission. Jesus tells those in attendance, “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt 28:18-20). This command to spread the
word must be engaged through spiritual formation as it is for all believers, regardless of the level
of spirituality as it is “the ongoing, holistic salvation of the soul” which transforms us all.3
The Practice of Spiritual Growth
Spiritual growth or formation is accomplished in three areas of practice. By showcasing
an upward, inward, and outward love, a disciple will exhibit a love for God, for one another, and
for neighbors. Erickson states, “Spiritual formation is character formation. Spiritual formation in
a Christian tradition is the process of establishing the character of Christ in the person.”4 The
combination of the three areas of practice and knowing how they affect the spiritual growth of a
person, make the growth a more impactful experience.
The first area, an upward love, is loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matt.
22:37). As the process begins, one should “respond to God’s love by intentionally spending time
3 Jason Lanker, “The Soul: Discipleship that Fosters an Integrated Soul,” Christian Education Journal 16
(January 2019), 130.
4 Matthew Erickson, “Time to Live: Christian Formation through the Christian Year,” Journal of Spiritual
Formation and Soul Care 12 (January 2019), 31.
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hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on His Word.”5 In theory, this may seem
like an easy task to do but in practicum, it can be the difficult to make happen. Saddled with the
routine tasks, habits, or responsibilities of this world, it is easy for a person to have trouble
making time for intentional, disciplined processes. Through the process of spending time is spent
with God, one will learn who He is and will experience His love for us.
The second area of practice is an inward love, or the love one has for another. The apostle
John wrote often of the love that believers have for one another both in his gospel and his letters.
Disciples of Jesus follow His example to love each other and build each other up in the service of
the Lord.6 Without humbling oneself in submission to others (Eph. 5:21), a believer could be
prevented from sharing the gospel with others. Changing the focus from self to the mentorship
of those wiser and maturing in the faith will result in the growth of the believer. These
experiences are used to sharpen the lives of those that congregate together. By strengthening
each other through love, believers move towards true discipleship and rely on each other to make
disciples.7
The third practice of spiritual growth is outward love. Believers are instructed to not only
love God and one another, but to love their neighbors. By investing time and energy in those in
the community, relationships are built. Not only can an individual learn the stories and struggles
of those around them, but those without a relationship can also learn of the believers struggles
and vulnerabilities. Through the shared life experiences, each person gains an understanding
from where the other person is coming. When time is taken to listen, love is expressed for those
5 Ibid., 7.
6 Ibid., 10.
7 Brian Labosier and Jeremy Labosier, “A Thirty-Year Experiment in Teaching Spiritual Formation: Twelve
Lessons We Learned,” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 11, (February 2019), 129-130.
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involved in the process. With a relationship established, sharing the gospel becomes much more
successful.8
Walking in the Spirit
Walking or living in the Spirit provides the freedom that God wants for His followers.
Before God calls to an unbeliever, “a person is the enslaved victim of the flesh, with desires that
pull defiantly away from God and stubbornly toward self and sin.”9 When this person accepts
God and begins their journey with Him, His patience and power is experienced through the Holy
Spirit. Perspectives are changed as one moves from self-service to the serving of others. As
relationships grow in God, character is grown, as well as an outward growth of moral life.10 From
this maturation, the whole Church and community are positively affected. Those that are living
in community, will become witness to the effect of the Holy Spirit, and it will spread around.
Experiencing the Lord with as an individual and with others is transformational. By the power of
the Holy Spirit, believers “declare the power of the flesh to be dead.”11 No longer a slave to sin, a
believer walking in the Spirit will live like a child of God. The transformation that is gained by
walking in the Spirit is a “tangible display of being free of the enemy within.”12
Personal Growth Assessment
Personal growth assessments can be used as a tool to gain an understanding of where one
is in their spiritual formation. The Personal Spiritual Growth Assessment covers a variety of
8 Earley and Dempsey, 104-105.
9 Ibid., 74.
10 Steven L. Porter et al., “Measuring the Spiritual, Character, and Moral Formations of Seminarians: In
Search of a Meta-Theory of Spiritual Change,” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 12, (January 2019), 14.
11 Earley and Dempsey, 77.
12 Earley and Dempsey, 77-78.
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topics, under the categories of upward, inward, and outward. These types of assessments are not
helpful to me in the way that they score answers, but I can appreciate the ideals behind the test. It
does clearly point out how upward, inward, and outward love is expressed, and the taker should
then be honest when answering. My strongest scoring section is the inward love. This is not
surprising to me as I am gifted in shepherding and tend to have a mothering like attitude towards
others. My table has always been open to all for conversations, venting sessions, and times of
counsel. Not surprisingly, my upward love for God is lacking. I struggle making the concepts
concrete and being disciplined to carve out the time needed for daily consumption of God. I
expected my outward love to be fairly low as well and was surprised it was the middle scoring
section. While there is much room for improvement, it was not as deficient as I expected.
Armed with these scores, a course of action can be made. First, there are no excuses for
not creating the habits to put God first. Without consuming the Word of God, nothing else of
spiritual formation or discipleship is possible. If I want to be serious about discipleship, I am
going to have to be disciplined. I plan to keep a dated planner to write down the Scripture read
for the day. Along with the Scripture read, I will notate three specific prayers I am praying. I
know if I start of too grandiose, I will set myself up for failure. I already have a daily scripture
passage I write, so I will continue with that. After three months of regular time spent in the
afternoon to these endeavors, I will evaluate what more to add to my time with God.
While my inward love assessed well, there is always room for improvement. It has been a
season of difficult situations and people in our church, and as the wife of the pastor, I need to set
a better tone and example. I purpose to model Christian life by which I “worship with mind,
body and spirit; explore and understand the Bible; put faith into practice in daily life; nurture and
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care for each other in the church community; and speak about one’s faith or personal journey.”13 I
know where God has called me to serve and minister, and I know how to do it, I just need to
focus on Him rather than the irritations that have been weighing me down.
To improve on my outward expression of love, focusing more on finding ways to share
the gospel will be my start. I have been a stay at home mother for 24 years, and do not have
many out of the house or church contacts. I take my calling to raise my children very serious, and
they are my first mission field. But I am not leading by example to them by cultivating
relationships with those in our neighborhood or other communities. I plan to start having family
gospel days. These days will be fun and interactive for all of us. We will start by praying for our
neighbors, brainstorm ideas for meeting more of them, and plan a community event. Since our
children love being outside, I will lead them in a prayer walk or bike ride through the
neighborhood, and help them safely interact with the people who live near us. Through these
starting points, I plan to find ways of making my kitchen table an oasis to all people.
Conclusion
Being a disciple consists of being sacrificial, relational, and transformational.14 Learning
the finer points of what spiritual growth and discipleship are, helps one gain an appreciation of
how the two areas work together and complement each other. Spiritual formation is needed for
the believer to grow and mature in their relationship with the Lord. Focusing on spiritual
formation through the three practices of upward, inward, and outward love, will in turn reflect
the sacrificial, relational, and transformational characteristics of discipleship. Without intentional
actions, the goal of becoming more Christlike will not be reached. With the goal in mind, a plan
13 Leslie J. Francis et al., “What Helps Christians Grow? An Exploratory Study Distinguishing Among
Four Distinctive Pathways,” Pastoral Psychology 68 (2019), 390.
14 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…How to Live the Great Commission with Passion
and Confidence, (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), 27.
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of action can be written to assist the believer. One must be careful to not turn the plan into the
goal, but to use it in order to become the reflection of Jesus Christ.
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Bibliography
Earley, Dave and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2013
Earley, Dave and Rod Dempsey. Spiritual Formation Is… How to Grow in Jesus with Passion
and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2018.
Erickson, Matthew. “Time to Live: Christian Formation through the Christian Year.” Journal of
Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 12 (January 2019).
Francis, Leslie J., Simon Foster, David W. Lankshear and Ian Jones. “What Helps Christians
Grow? An Exploratory Study Distinguishing Among Four Distinctive Pathways.”
Pastoral Psychology 68 (2019).
Labosier, Brian and Jeremy Labosier. “A Thirty-Year Experiment in Teaching Spiritual
Formation: Twelve Lessons We Learned.” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care
11 (February 2019).
Lanker, Jason. “The Soul: Discipleship that Fosters an Integrated Soul.” Christian Education
Journal 16 (January 2019).
Porter, Steven L., Steven J. Sandage, David C. Wang and Peter C. Hill, “Measuring the Spiritual,
Character, and Moral Formations of Seminarians: In Search of a Meta-Theory of Spiritual
Change.” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 12 (January 2019).
