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Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
Final
Discipleship Ministries (Liberty University)
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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
Submitted xxxxxxxxxx
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500 – B03
Discipleship Ministries
by
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Contents
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Introduction....................................................................................................................................1
Importance of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship.................................................................2
The Areas of Spiritual Growth.....................................................................................................3
Walking in the Spirit.....................................................................................................................4
Personal Growth Assessment and Moving Forward..................................................................5
Conclusion......................................................................................................................................7
Bibliography...................................................................................................................................8
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Introduction
Spiritual formation and discipleship are key components to being a good Christian. The
two parts, play off one another while strengthening the bond with Jesus. While one part may be
stronger than the other, the two compliment 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
others into the fold.
The practices or processes that a believer goes through in order to progess through their
religious life, are at the core of spiritual formation. This can often be seen as the maturation of
one’s 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 is the way in which a believer learns the teachings of Jesus and also works
towards living within what is taught. 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 our 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.
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Importance of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
As we grow in our relationship with Christ, we 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. A believer needs to learn their strengths and weaknesses to so they can
maximize these changes in their lives.
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.”1 The Bibilical version of this is found in 2 Corinthians
3:17-18 where it is written, “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is freedom. And we 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 The goal is to become
more like the Lord because if a person is not growing as the become spiritually mature, then
they are not experiencing a spiritual formation.
Discipleship can be viewed as the act of embracing and assisting in the spreading of
someone’s teachings. For us, we are embracing the teachings of Jesus and are assisting with the
spreading of them. This is referred to as The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, as Jesus
tells the eleven disciples, “and Jesus came and said to them, ‘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’.” This is our call to spread the word, but we must engage in spiritual formation
1Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation Is… How to Grow in Jesus with Passion
and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2018), 4.
2 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English Standard Version
(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016).
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as it not just for one group of people but for all, regardless of your level of spirituality as it
is “the ongoing, holistic salvation of the soul” which transforms us all.3
The Areas of Spiritual Growth
Spirutal growth or formation can be found in three areas. These areas are upward (love
for God), inward (love for one another), and outward (love for our neighbors).4 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.”5 The combination of the three
areas and knowing how they affect the spiritual growth of a person, make the growth a more
impactful experience.
The first area to examine is “upward.” This is loving “God with all of our heart, soul, and
mind.”6 As the process begins, we are to “respond to God’s love by intentionally spending time
hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on His word.”7 This may seem like an
easy task to do but it can be the hardest to get going. We are saddled with the routine tasks or
responsibilities of this world and it is easy for a person to have trouble making time for what can
be an easy thing to do. When we spend time with Him, that is where we learn who He is and
experience His love for us.
The next direction for us to move towards is inward. This is the love that we have for one
another. It is written in John 13 and 15 that we must love one another. We love each other so we
can build each other up in the service of the Lord.8 By doing this, we can get rid of egos and the
3Jason Lanker, “The Soul: Discipleship that Fosters an Integrated Soul,” Christian Education Journal
16 (January 2019): 130.
4 Earley and Dempsey, 101.
5Matthew Erickson, “Time to Live: Christian Formation through the Christian Year,” Journal of
Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 12 (January 2019): 31.
6 Earley and Dempsey, 101.
7 Ibid.
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8 Ibid., 103.
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self-absorption that prevents us from sharing our spiritual gifts with those around us. When we
change our focus from ourselves, to the mentorship of those around us, we grow as well. This
can be a group approach as we take our experiences and use them to “sharpen” the lives of those
we congregate with. This is a strength in numbers approach as we move towards The Great
Commission and rely on each other to make disciples.9
The third area of spiritual growth is outward. We are instructed to not only love God and
one another, but we are to love our neighbors. We can do this by sharing ourselves with those
who may be on the outside of a relationship with Christ. We can do this by listening to others.
Learning their story and their struggles. We can put ourselves in their shoes and gain an
understanding of where their relationship is with the Lord. When we listen, we learn how to
show them our love. Once they see that we are serving them, we are in a better place to share
Jesus with them.10
Walking in the Spirit
Walking or living in the Sprit provides us the freedom that God wants for us. Before we
begin our walk, “a person is the enslaved victim of the flesh, with desires that pull defiantly
away from God and stubbornly toward self and sin.”11 When we accept God and begin our
journey with him, we begin to experience his patience and unlimited supernatural power. Our
perspectives are changed as we move from self to others. We grow in our relationship with
God, we grow in character, and we experience an outward growth of moral life.12
As we continue, there is a communally positive effect. Those that we experience life
with, will feel the effects of our walk, and it will spread to them. Being with the Lord on a one to
9 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.
10 Earley and Dempsey, 104-105.
11 Ibid., 74.
12 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.
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one basis is an awesome thing. Experience the Lord with others, is tremendous. We can choose
to “declare the power of the flesh to be dead.”13 We will live like a “child of God” and not a
“slave to sin.” We use His power and strength to shed our sinful nature as we replace our old
lifestyles with the new. The strength we gain on our walk in the Spirit is a “tangible display of
being free of the enemy within.”14
Personal Growth Assessment and Moving Forward
The personal growth assessment can be used as a tool to gain an understanding of where
someone is at in their spiritual formation. The assessment covers a variety of topics, under the
categories of upward, inward, and outward. After taking my assessment, I was surprised to see
that my upward love for God was severaly lacking. It became obvious that I just was not taking
the time out of my day to dig deeper into God’s word or find ways to delve into it. I do pray
everyday and do my best to put God before everything, but now I ask myself, am I doing enough
and what do I do to get better? My outward display of love was not where it should be. The score
was higher, but still embarrassingly low. My inward love for one another was almost an 8 out of
10 on the assessment scale. I expected this number to be high as I typically drop everything, to
help someone in my congregation. I have a good grasp of service to the church, but unfortunately
my upward and outward love need some work.
Armed with the these scores, it is time to put a plan in motion and work towards an “out
with the old, in with the new” perspective. The difficulty with this will be knowing that I do not
have a regular church to attend right now. Online services are good, but the human experience
is what is needed. To experience tremendous growth, a church is needed as being part of one
helps “people to pray deeply in a range of different ways; understand how to see the world and
our
13 Earley and Dempsey, 77.
14 Ibid., 77-78.
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times as God sees them; worship with mind, body and spirit; explore and understand the Bible;
put faith into practice in daily life; nurture and care for each other in the church community; and
speak about one’s faith or personal journey.”15
Some practices I can take on for the upward area are to disconnect from the real world.
Time is needed to remove myself from the distractions of everyday life, such as the computer,
work, or even social media. Keeping a physical prayer request list or even a journal would give
me a tangible item to look at and reflect on. Fasting from food or certain items would also
increase my upward love for God, as I would rely on Him to get me through the hardships I
would be experiencing.
To improve on my outward expression of love, forgiveness of those who have done
mental or physical harm to me would give the opportunity to move past personal differences and
focus on the help that maybe they need. Focusing more on the gospel and learning how to
explain it to non-believers would help. By understanding it better and figuring out how to present
it, I would be able to express the the love I feel from God, to them and help become better.
Regarding improvements to my inward expression, I need to focus on my spiritual gifts.
By gaining a better understanding of what I have to offer to fellow believers, will make us
strong as a whole. I am planning on bringing back the men’s small group that I had previously
been in charge of. This will allow me be open with like minded men and learn to strengthen each
other.
Conclusion
Learning the finer points of what spiritual growth and discipleship are, helps one gain an
appreciation of how the two area work together and compliment each other. Spiritual formation
15 Leslie J. Francis et al., “What Helps Christians Grow? An Exploratory Study Distinguishing Among
Four Distinctive Pathways,” Pastoral Psychology 68 (2019): 390.
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is needed for the believer to grow and mature in their relationship with the Lord. Once a level of
comfort is achieved, the discipleship of that person will become better as they are confidnent in
their abilities to explain the Gospel. The stronger the relationship, the better one would be as they
bring others to Jesus.
To gain an idea of what is needed to strengthen a relationship with Christ how to best
serve Him and those around them, a spiritual growth assessment can be utilized to identify
strengths and weaknesses. This assessment looks at a person’s level of their love for God, love
for one another, and the love of their neighbors. When the factors are analyzed, a plan can be
placed into motion to bolster up the weak areas. Once the weaknesses are turned into strengths
and the person is transformed, then true discipleship and a stronger walk in the Spirit occurs.
Bibliography
Earley, Dave and Rod Dempsey. Spiritual Formation Is… How to Grow in Jesus with Passion
and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2018.
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Erickson, Matthew. “Time to Live: Christian Formation through the Christian Year.” Journal of
Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 12 (January 2019): 25-33.
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): 379-392.
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): 125-140.
Lanker, Jason. “The Soul: Discipleship that Fosters an Integrated Soul.” Christian Education
Journal 16 (January 2019): 122-133.
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): 5-
24.
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