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Content Page
“Spiritual Formation and Discipleship Assignment Essay “
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….2
Three Areas of Spiritual Formation ……………………………………………………2
The Mind and Spiritual Formation……………………………………………………..4
Walking under the control of the Holy Spirit…………………………………………..5
Personal Assessment……………………………………………………………………5
Improvement Implementation…………………………………………………………..6
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………….8
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Introduction
During the development of my journey in ministry, Spiritual formation focuses on the
deepening of one's relationship with God. Discipleship focuses on maturing one's faith in the
context of a faith community's particular beliefs and values.1 The connection between the two is
disunion from Jesus Christ or living a Christ-like life. During deliverance, the individual
professes their shortcomings to save themselves and place their trust in faith in Christ. According
to 2nd Corinthians 5:17, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things become new.2 Once the individual becomes saved, the process and journey of
purgation come later to look Christ-like. To truly understand what spiritual formation and
discipleship mean, one must understand what it means to change spiritually and be disciplined.
According to the authors Dempsey & Earley, Spiritual formation is the process of transformation
that occurs as a believer becomes more and more like Jesus.3 According to James Wilhoit,
faithful imitation respects the tension between the reality that the Holy Spirit ultimately brings
about our imitation through conforming us to Christ's likeness and the fact that we must work
hard and carefully at imitating Christ by adopting his lifestyle and life patterns.4
Three Areas of Spiritual Formation
Spiritual growth is intimate, something that is not forced upon but is a call to surrender
life to Christ and grasp the shift that God is doing within and through the person; in three areas,
progression and flourishing need to happen within the Christians' walk. The improvement of the
three areas will lead the person into their truthful maturity in Christianity.
1 http://www.georgefox.edu
2 www.biblesyudytools.com
3 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion
and Confidence. (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013). 6.
4 James C. Wilhoit, Spiritual Formation as If the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ through
Community, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2022). 44.
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First Area
The first area draws attention to growth within the person's connection to God and
embraces their discerning of God's heart. Growth comes from the humbleness of the follower to
the Holy Spirit, which prepares the person. We know that God uses his Word, studied by people,
as God's provision for teaching his people. Scripture teaches in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all Scripture
is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.5
In the passages, God disclosed himself to humankind, and God is the known author of the
passages. Studying the Word of God gives inspiration to the followers of Christ.
Second Area
The second area draws attention to growth through relationships among other Christian
believers. We know that man was not put on earth to be alone but for them to bide among the
community with those who are like-minded people. From this discovery, in Genesis 2:18 (NIV),
the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right
for him."6 Hebrews 10:25 tells us Let us not give up Meeting Together, as Some are in The Habit
of Doing, but let us Encourage one Another and All The More as You See The Day
Approaching.7 The Bible demonstrates that love is the foundation for all relationships and that
love is described by benevolence, unselfishness, and compassion. The Bible decrees to "love
your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31) and "love one another as I have loved you” (John
15:12). John 13:34. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I
have loved you, you also are to love one another." The favorable Word: we must constantly learn
to love one another just as much as Christ loves each of us unconditionally. Building each other
5 www.biblegateway.com
6 www.biblegateway.com
7 www.biblegateway.com
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up strengthens us to develop a deeper discerning of our existence as followers of Christ—new
formation, loved children of God.
Third Area
The third area is through spiritual growth; the follower becomes sanctioned to follow
Jesus Christ's Word to go about all the nations and spread the Word of God through teaching. If
believers want to become more Christ-like, they must be faithful to his every Word. Matthew
28:19 speaks about spreading the Word that comes from partaking with others. Everyone should
be glad to share in spreading, not just selected believers. Each of us has an attestation to share; it
might not be the same as others, but it could help them understand that they need to welcome
Jesus in their lives as their Lord and Savior. When believers aspire to read about Jesus, flourish
with other believers, and share in the Word of God to a lost world, I know God is devoted to
building within said man's spiritual capability and outturn purification.
The Mind and Spiritual Formation
Spiritual formation is a Spirit-empowered and Spirit-led transformation of the person's
conformity with Christ, who is the image of God.8 The author's words remind us that we cannot
love God with only part of our being, which means that reading Scripture to know better and
love God will require using our minds.9 Loving God with our minds is one aspect of spiritual
formation and one way to grow maturity in Christ.10 According to Dempsey & Earley, we should
love God with the mind he has given us, which means we should read and meditate on
wholesome things.11Our minds need to be transformed daily on the things that will help to
strengthen our lives. We can read, study, memorize, and meditate on the Word daily. If we are
8 Ryan A. Brandt, and John Frederick, Spiritual Formation for the Global Church: A Multi-
Denominational, Multi-Ethnic Approach, edited by, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2021). 32.
9 Ibid, 45.
10 Ibid.
11 Earley & Dempsey, 52.
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not renewing the mind, it will tend to fall to the things of the world. Following Christ means
realigning your thinking away from the things of the earth and focusing on eternal values.12
Walking under the control of the Holy Spirit
When we tend to walk under the control of the Holy Spirit, we allow the power of the
Holy Spirit to (a) sincerely help us to grow more in godliness, (b) obey God's Word, and (c) have
a better intimacy with Christ. The Holy Spirit is God's advanced deposit, ensuring our complete
salvation, which is the redemption of our bodies.13 This means that the generative Spirit at the
dawn of creation is the generative Spirit that affects every believer's new birth.14 Walking in the
Holy Spirit will alter our earthly bodies into the image of his marvelous body and restore the
entire world to the natural state appointed by God.
Personal Assessment
Reviewing the personal assessment and reading the selected chapters, I see I need to
improve in many areas. Sections of the sanctification growth are that individuals are only
partially religious once they are with Jesus Christ in infinity. Nevertheless, I now see the sectors
where I need more significant improvement in my love for God. I honestly didn’t understand
why my score was low because I have a passion and love for God. With this, it is not sufficient
to say I need improvement; action needs to be in place. For improvement in the section for Love
of God, it can be pretty valuable for me to start journaling about God's deity for my life. I will
begin to make a request list for individuals who ask for prayer; I will meditate more on God's
Word, dedicate more time to his words, and listen more to his speech. I believe this will keep me
focused on what God is speaking and how much he loves me unconditionally. I also need to
12 Ibid.
13 William A. Simmons, The Holy Spirit in the New Testament: A Pentecostal Guide, (Downers Grove:
InterVarsity Press, 2021). 244-245.
14 Ibid, 245.
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improve in the area of love for one another. I love people, but I can use improvement to be a
better person loving others.
My most vital area was love for neighbors. Roberts stated that love is a state of
inwardness and so is hidden in a sense, but just as a plant can be recognized as harvest time
draws near by the fruits it bears, so love is recognizable by the works that make it evident.15 The
love we are commanded to embody toward our neighbor is peculiar and different from our love
for family members, romantic partners, or friends. If we are to know how to love our neighbors,
we will need to know the special marks of this kind of love and how it differs from the other
types. Works of Love is an extended exploration of the marks of Christian love, oriented to the
practice, action, or work of loving people.16
Improvement Implementation
Talking about spiritual formation has three sections on realities: it is a development, is
led by the Holy Spirit, and takes work. The goal of spiritual transformation is becoming more
like Jesus. If you are not changing and growing, you are not experiencing spiritual formation.17
The individuals cannot transform themselves to be mature. This is something that must be
developed from the spiritual effort of the Spirit. We should not assume if the steps are followed,
and we pray that we become mature spiritually. There will be a time in our lives when we mature
fast, and at other times, maturity will be lost. But we need to know it is okay!
In my assessment, I did not like the results because I know how I feel, but it did cause me
to become a better person. The purpose is to help the individual understand more about
themselves, their desire, energy, and character tics and analyze the areas in which they can
15 Robert C. Roberts. Recovering Christian Character: The Psychological Wisdom of Søren Kierkegaard,
(Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2022). 212.
16 Ibid.
17 Earley & Dempsey, 11.
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improve or believe. The personal growth assessment can help us understand ourselves and our
commonalities/differences with other people.18 Understanding your assessment can also help
avoid and resolve conflicts, create and maintain close-knit connections, and analyze and improve
tenacity and shortcomings.
Bibliography
Brandt, Ryan A., and Frederick, John. Spiritual Formation for the Global Church: A
Multi-Denominational, Multi-Ethnic Approach, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2021.
Earley, Dave and Dempsey, Rod. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013.
18 https://new.sewanee.edu
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Roberts, Roberts C. Recovering Christian Character: The Psychological Wisdom of
Søren Kierkegaard, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2022.
Simmons, William A. The Holy Spirit in the New Testament: A Pentecostal Guide.
Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2021.
Wilhoit, James C. Spiritual Formation as If the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ
through Community, Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2022.
www.biblesyudytools.com
http://www.georgefox.edu
https://new.sewanee.edu
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