Essay: Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
DSMN500: Discipleship Ministries
January 26, 2025
Contents
Importance of Spiritual Formation and its Relationship to Discipleship.................................1
Three Areas Related to Spiritual Growth...................................................................................3
Holy Spirit Impact on Spiritual Development............................................................................6
Personal Growth Assessment Reflection.....................................................................................8
Habits and Disciplines to Work On.............................................................................................9
Bibliography.................................................................................................................................11
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1
Importance of Spiritual Formation and its Relationship to Discipleship
Spiritual formation is very important for every believer. It begins when someone is
gloriously transformed into the image of Jesus. The ultimate goal of glorious transformation is to
reflect the image of Jesus. This is something that the apostle Paul wrote about. Believers with an
unveiled face are being transformed into the same image of Jesus from one degree of glory to
another (2 Cor 3:18 ESV). The ultimate goal is that Christ is formed in every believer (Gal 4:19),
and that every believer is equipped for ministry for the building up of the body of Christ in unity
until they are mature to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph 4:11-13).
Spiritual transformation is the process that occurs when someone is transformed and becomes
more and more like Jesus.1
Spiritual formation is an ongoing process. It is a gradual growth in the image of Jesus
from glory to glory. The importance of spiritual formation being an ongoing process is
highlighted in the writings of both Paul and Peter. Those who are mature have been made
Christ’s own and press on and strain toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in
Christ (Phil 3:12-15). Those who are continually being formed make an effort to supplement
faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with
steadfastness, steadfastness with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly
affection with love (2 Pet 1:5-7). They grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Pet
3:18). Spiritual formation happens by degrees and is the gradual ongoing process of becoming
more and more like Christ.2
1 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is… How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and
Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 7.
2 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 8.
2
Spiritual formation results in seeking the face of God. It is a deepening relationship with
God. The more it is deepened, the more the believer looks like Christ. It is enabled by the Spirit
of the Lord. The one who has the power to transform a believer into the image of Jesus is the
Holy Spirit. He does so as the believer spends time in the presence of the Lord. 3 Spiritual
formation is something that is available for every believer. Every believer needs to put
themselves in the position to receive the grace of God in order that they be changed into the
image of Jesus.4
Every believer, in their process of spiritual formation, is a disciple. A disciple can simply
be defined as a person who is following Christ, is being changed by Christ, and is committed to
the mission of Christ.5 There are ten guiding principles that can also be used that provide more
detail on what a disciple is. A disciple is someone who seriously considers the cost of following
Christ,6 is totally committed to Christ, is willing to carry their individual burden to sacrifice for
Christ and His cause, is willing to give up all the earthly things they possess, and relies upon
God’s Word and experiences freedom in Christ.7 A disciple also is someone who genuinely loves
other believers and abides in Christ while praying and bearing fruit, glorifying God.8 They are
full of the Holy Spirit, they obey and follow the desires of their master, and are themselves
3 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 9.
4 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 10.
5 Jim Putnam, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church
to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 51.
6 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is… How to Live the Great Commission with Passion
and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013), 22.
7 Earley and Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…, 23.
8 Earley and Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…, 24.
3
disciple makers.9 To sum it all up, a disciple is someone who is sacrificial,10 relational, and
transformational. It is here where spiritual formation and discipleship relate to one another. A
transformational disciple understands that the purpose of spiritual growth and formation is to
look more like Christ in word, attitude, thought and deed. So, they use certain practices of
spiritual formation to accomplish this such as studying the Word of God, journaling, memorizing
Scripture, praying, and fasting. Being leads to doing which means the more a believer is
transformed into the image of Christ, the more they will do what Christ did, which means a
disciple will use the gift they discover and develop for the kingdom of God, leading to discipling
others for Christ.11 What Christ wants to do in the life of the believer first is become the person
God wants them to be in order that they can then do the things that God has designed them to
do.12
Three Areas Related to Spiritual Growth
There are three areas related to spiritual growth that every believer must grow in their
spiritual formation journey. They are all predicated on love. The more a believer becomes like
Christ, the more they will love. A follower of Jesus loves God, loves other believers, and loves
their neighbors. Their love is upward towards God, inward towards other believers, and outward
towards their neighbors.13
9 Earley and Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…, 25.
10 Earley and Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…, 26.
11 Earley and Dempsey, Disciple Making Is…, 27.
12 Rod Dempsey, “Watch: How Do I Grow as a Disciple?” (video lecture in DSMN 500 at Liberty
University, Lynchburg, VA, January 26, 2025).
13 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 100.
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Upward love is the first area a believer must grow in spiritually. A believer must love
God with all their heart, soul, and mind. Their love for God must be all encompassing. The way a
believer can spiritually grow in their love for God is by practicing the spiritual disciplines.14
Reading and loving the Word of God is a spiritual discipline that is essential for a believer in
order that they understand the love of God and in order to love God with all their heart, soul, and
mind. This is how a believer is empowered to communicate with God and hear from God.15
Other upward disciplines are praying, journaling, fasting, and spending time in stillness, silence,
and solitude with God.16
Inward love is a love that is directed towards other believers. It is the second area a
believer must grow in spiritually. In addition to loving God with all of one’s heart, soul, and
mind, a believer is to love their brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus gave the disciples a new
command that they love one another just as Jesus had loved them. This is how others will be able
to tell if they are disciples of Jesus (John 13:34-35). A way a believer can grow spiritually in this
aspect is by applying the many “one anothers” found in Scripture and by using their spiritual
gifts to serve and build one another up. Inward love is a deep love for one another, a love that
outdoes other sin showing honor (Rom 12:10). Inward love is living in harmony with other
believers (Rom 12:16) and accepting them (Rom 15:7). Inward love means greeting one another
(Rom 16:16), agreeing with one another (1 Cor 1:10), and serving one another through love (Gal
5:13). Inward love is having patience and bearing with one another in love (Eph 4:2), being kind
and compassionate to one another, and forgiving one another (Eph 4:32). Inward love is speaking
to one another in songs, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph 5:19), submitting to one another in the
14 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 101.
15 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 102.
16 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 84.
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fear of Christ (Eph 5:21). These are a few of the more than fifty “one anothers” found in the New
Testament that believers must strive to implement in their spiritual growth journey.17 Practical
ways of inward love that contribute to the spiritual growth of believers are doing life together
with other believers, participating in healthy home groups or small groups, being accountability
partners for one another, and practicing inward love at home.18
The third area a believer must grow in spiritually is outward love. Believers are to love
their neighbors as themselves (Mat 22:39). This is in addition to loving God and loving one
another. The visible presence of Christ in the believer should be seen and felt by members of the
community. When those who are nonbelievers look at a believer, they should not only hear of the
love of God, but they should see that the believer has actual love for God and for other believers.
A nonbeliever should feel and experience the love of God through the believers around them.19
The acrostic BLESS is a way believers can bless their neighbors. This is done by beginning with
praying on how to bless the people in the place God is sending the believer, learning to listen to
people share their struggles, eating with people to build relationships, serving them, and sharing
with them the story of how Jesus changed the believer.20 Practical ways of outward love that
contribute to the spiritual growth of believers are praying for neighbors, being a light to
neighbors, sharing the Good News with neighbors, loving the least by serving them, and showing
love to enemies.21
17 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 103-104.
18 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 84.
19 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 104.
20 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 105.
21 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 84.
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Holy Spirit Impact on Spiritual Development
Walking in and under the control of the Holy Spirit impacts the life of a believer and
impacts their spiritual development. Believers are those who no longer live according to the
flesh. They no longer are controlled by their sinful nature.22 They no longer desire the things that
gratify the flesh. They are no longer dead to the things of God, defiant toward or displeasing to
God. They no longer display distorted or wicked behaviors toward God, other believers or
nonbelievers.23 They are now in Christ, which means they are in the Spirit. Romans 8 discusses
the Spirit and living by the Spirit twenty times, in sharp contrast to living for the flesh, signifying
its importance in the spiritual development of the believer.24 The believer who once was
spiritually dead and separated from Christ is made alive with Christ and is filled with the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit resides in the life of the believer, brings him to life, and guarantees that he
will be resurrected. When one is born of the Spirit, and the Spirit dwells inside them, they
produce spiritual fruit. This spiritual fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those who belong to Christ and live by the Spirit have
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (Gal 5:22-24).25 They no longer produce the fruit
of the flesh, but abiding in Christ, they now bear much fruit, something they could not do apart
from Christ and from the Holy Spirit’s presence in their life (John 15:5).
There is a disciple’s hierarchy that has an ultimate motivation for a follower of Christ: to
glorify and bring glory to God. The Holy Spirit is involved in every step of a disciple’s
hierarchy. From the moment a believer is saved, they are indwelt with and sealed by the Holy
22 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 73.
23 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 74.
24 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 75.
25 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 76.
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Spirit, who is given to them as a guarantee of their inheritance until they acquire possession of it
(Eph 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit then aids the believer to fulfill the will of God which is the
believer’s sanctification and growth (1 Thes 4:3). The Holy Spirit is the one who helps the
believer be a good steward of what God has given them, using the gifts and talents given to them
for the benefit of others. This results in bearing fruit and the believer giving glory to God.26
In order for the Holy Spirit to produce an impact in the spiritual development of the
believer, the believer must live in the Spirit. This means saying not to the flesh. A believer is
under no obligation to listen to the flesh, now having the power to say no to the flesh. A believer
can and must put to death all that is earthly in them (Col 3:5) by crucifying the flesh with its
passions and desires (Gal 5:24). Believers are to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit (Rom
8:14) by continually submitting to, walking by, being led by, and keeping in step with the Holy
Spirit (Gal 5:16,18,25). This means putting off the old self and putting on the new self which is
created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:23-24).27 This all
results in living under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Believers should be so saturated by the
Holy Spirit that he has complete control of their lives and continues to impact and spiritually
develop them more and more into the image of Christ.28
Personal Growth Assessment Reflection
There are many areas the writer of this essay was not aware of when completing the
“Personal Spiritual Growth Assessment” handout. This assessment addresses three areas of
spiritual growth: love for God, love for one another, and love for neighbor. There are several
26 Randi L. Shevel, “Disciple’s Hierarchy” (class handout in DSMN 500 at Liberty University, Lynchburg,
VA, Spring 2025).
27 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 77.
28 Earley and Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is…, 78.
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strengths as well as several weaknesses in each of the three areas addressed on the assessment.
While the writer of this essay reads the Word of God regularly, he does not systematically
memorize it or consistently write out key passages to meditate on for application in daily living.
While prayer happens on a daily basis, it does not happen at a specific time or with a specific
plan. While he has a prayer list with requests, it is not dated. While he prays to be filled with the
Holy Spirit, he does not do so on a daily basis. He does not keep a journal and practices fasting
inconsistently. He also inconsistently seeks times of solitude with the Lord. He is realizing that
there is a lot of work to do to become more disciplined in his love for God.
While the writer of this essay has discovered his spiritual gifts of teaching and pastoring
and applies them consistently in building up the body of Christ, he does not always confess his
faults, sins, and shortcomings to other believers. He meets biweekly with a small group. He
prays for other believers, but not always consistently and daily. He guards against the lust of the
flesh, eyes, and pride of life for the most part. He prays daily with and for his family and is able
to not hold grudges against others.
While the writer of this essay is prepared with a simple explanation of the Gospel to share
with others as God opens the door, he is not praying regularly for opportunities to share the
Gospel with his neighbors or coworkers or seeking regularly to share his spiritual gift with those
outside the body of Christ. He prays for people he knows who do not know Christ a few days a
week. He does not seek friendships and relationships with people who do not know Christ. He is
not planning meals to spend time and to listen to what others have to say. He very rarely
participates in acts of service to the poor and unhoused in his community.
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Habits and Disciplines to Work On
As noted in the previous personal reflection part of this essay, there are many glaring
weaknesses the writer of this essay has to work on, especially when it comes to love for God and
love for neighbors. The first discipline he will seek to apply consistently is praying daily to be
filled with the Holy Spirit. This is something that he wants and forgets at times to pray about.
This is something that is essential for one who is called to pastor and teach in the body of Christ.
He will also make it a goal of fasting spiritually on a weekly basis each Thursday in order to
grow and develop more spiritually. He will also introduce moments of silence and solitude on a
regular basis to connect to Jesus.
When it comes to having love for one another, there are also several habits and
disciplines that can be improved upon. The first one is praying daily for other believers. With the
new year, the writer of this essay will strive to pray daily for a family in the church he serves in
each week until all of the families of the church have been prayed for. He will also work on
sharing with others his shortcomings and faults regularly so that others can hold him
accountable. While he does not participate in regular gossip, he will commit to doing a better job
of letting others know he is not interested to listen to gossip when it is brought up.
Loving neighbors is one of the most deficient aspects of the writer of this essay. An area
of improvement is seeking to befriend people who do not know Christ. Growing up in an
evangelical Romanian church that was centered around having community with like-minded
people of the same nationality has produced a lasting impact and desire to continue in the same
aspect. Pastoring an ethnic Romanian bilingual church has also provided some limitations in
applying this practice. The writer of this essay will work at engaging and befriending people of
other nationalities outside of his community for the purposes of getting to know them and hoping
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to eventually share Christ with them. Another area that the writer of this essay would like to
improve upon is listening first to what others have to say. This implies being patient, hearing
others out, and waiting for an opportunity to share Christ. This works hand in hand with the
befriending others. The writer of this essay will make an effort to befriend others in order to
listen to them and then providing them with a reason for the hope that is in him in all gentleness
and respect (1 Pet 3:15).
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Bibliography
Dempsey, Rod. “Watch: How Do I Grow as a Disciple?” Lecture in DSMN 500 at Liberty
University, Lynchburg, VA, January 26, 2025.
Earley, Dave and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is… How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013.
Earley, Dave and Rod Dempsey. Spiritual Formation Is… How to Grow in Jesus with Passion
and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018.
Putnam, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help
Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
2013.
Shevel, Randi L. “Disciple’s Hierarchy.” Class handout in DSMN 500 at Liberty University,
Lynchburg, VA, Spring 2025.
