In the words of Dallas Willard
"Spiritual formation, is in practice, the way of rest for the weary and overloaded, of the easy yoke and the light burden (Mathew 11:28-30), of cleaning the "inside of the cup and...the dish" (23:26, of the good tree that cannot bear bad fruit (Luke 6:43). And it is the path along which God's commandments are found to be not "heavy," not "burdensome" 1 John 5:3).
It is the way of those learning as disciples or apprentices of Jesus "to do all things that I have commanded you," within the context of his "I have been given say over everything in heaven and earth" and "Look, I am with you every minute" (Mathew 28:18,20 PAR).
But - we reemphasize, because it is so important - the primary "learning" here is not about how to act, just as the primary wrongness or problem in human life is not what we do. Often what human beings do is so horrible that we can be excused, perhaps, for thinking that all that matters is stopping it. But this is an evasion of the real horror: the heart from which the terrible actions come. In both cases, it is who we are in our thoughts, feelings, dispositions, and choices - in the inner life - that counts. Profound transformation there is the only thing that can definitively conquer outward evil.
It is very hard to keep this straight. Failure to do so is a primary cause of failure to grow spiritually. Love, we hear, is patient and kind (1 Corinthians 13:4). Then mistakenly try to be loving by acting patiently and kindly - and quickly fail. We should always do the best we can in action, of course; but little progress is to be made in that arena until we advance in love itself - the genuine inner readiness and longing to secure the good of others. Until we make significant progress there, our patience and kindness will be shallow and short-lived at best
It is love itself - not loving behavior, or even the wish or intent to love - that has the power to "always protect, always trust, always hope, put up with anything and never quit" (verses 7-8 PAR). Merely trying to act lovingly will lead to despair and to the defeat of love. It will make us angry and hopeless.
But taking love itself - God's kind of love - into the depths of our being through spiritual formation will, by contrast, enable us to act lovingly to an extent that will be surprising even to ourselves, at first. And this love will then become a constant source of joy and refreshment to ourselves and others. Indeed it will be according the promise, "a well of water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:14) - not an individual burden to carry through life, as "acting lovingly" surely would be."
The Purpose, Process and Practices of Jesus’ Apprentices
THE PURPOSE:
What is the purpose of spiritual formation? It's to become like Jesus. The goal is conformity to Jesus. “He…predestined [us] to be conformed to the image of His Son…” (Romans 8:29). How is He doing this? Practicing the spiritual disciplines is one of the ways we train to become partners with Jesus in his love for all people,. As we follow Him, He transforms us and we become more and more like Him. As Jesus’ apprentices and friends (John 15:12-14) we continually seek our Master's instruction on how to love like He does. As the Apostle Paul said, “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience and genuine faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)
THE PROCESS:
The transforming of our hearts comes from each act of obedience to Jesus – to His Word. The inmost dimension of the human being; the heart, which is the same as the spirit or will, continues to mature as we walk with Him. It is being formed (really, transformed) in such a way that its natural expression comes to be the deeds of Christ done in the power of Christ.” (- Dallas Willard). Spiritual Formation is the process of being conformed into the image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:3 – 11 “His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life & godliness…” Our part is to add certain spiritual disciplines to our soul Read here. “Agape [sharing God’s pure love for people] is the center, the linchpin, of it all.” (- Dallas Willard)
THE PRACTICES: Daily Practices
These are not burdens, they're blessings. If one desires to be changed into the image of Jesus, we will need to get used to these practices and embrace them as the normal Christian life. Someone may say, "I don't need to practice these things, I can change on my own. This is like putting myself under a set of laws - and I'm free from the law." In our fallen state we tend to naturally avoid these practices (i.e. our "flesh'). We "cannot do the things that we would..." said Paul (. ). If we could change ourselves naturally without these these following practices, we wouldn't need these practices. But one honest look at this list (below) will tell me how far our "changing myself" has gotten me. Not so far.
Here are some of the spiritual disciplines/practices are as follows:
It's all worship.
- Adoration (surrender, thanks, praise)
- Prayer
- Fasting
- Surrender
- Solitude
- A Sabbath day of rest
- Journaling
- Private Worship
- Reading , studying and meditating on God’s Word), fellowship with other believers, self-control, stewardship of time, generosity, practicing God’s presence, practicing people’s presence, and above all, love. As we practice these disciplines God is restoring our humanity and training us to be partners with Jesus in His great love for people. This training is not just for this life, but for the glorious life with Jesus in His coming Kingdom (Revelation 3:19-21).
Why do we need to practice spiritual disciplines in the first place? Simple answer: because we are fallen creatures; glorious, and yet fallen. Therefore, godliness doesn’t come just naturally. A godly lifestyle doesn't just happen. It happens when we keep our hearts in alignment with His. Proverbs 4:3 "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts." We learn these practices from Jesus, His word, and from those more mature than us - people like Dallas Willard, Brother Lawrence, and, of course, the earlier church fathers. Whether alone or in fellowship with other followers of Jesus, as we learn and do these practices the journey becomes one of joy, peace and adventure in His love as He trains us to be His future co-rulers. Sounds exciting? It is! Come join us.
