Jesus told us to make disciples, yet the idea of discipleship and spiritual formation is ambiguous.
• Since I have been here, Agape’s plan for discipleship is largely this way. We align with much of the American church in this ambiguity. However, the goal of this series is to add another crucial piece of the
•How Disciples Grow: A Study of the Spiritual Disciplines >> Growth happens in
• But how does growth happen in the Christian life? Physical growth happens as natural
• Spiritual growth follows the same pattern. Spiritual growth takes place as the believer
• What are the natural processes for the believer? Who is responsible for the growth?
God grows believers through the
• Consider how the Trinity is at work in your salvation >> Romans 8:11 | If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
// God the Father designed salvation
// God the Son accomplished salvation
// God the Spirit implements salvation
• Consider how the Trinity is at work in your sanctification >> Philippians 1:6 | And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
// God the Father speaks the Word >> Scriptuer
// God the Son provides the model >> Christlikeness
// God the Spirit fuels the process as we fix our eyes on the model and consume the Word
• Romans 8:29 | For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…
• Grace is unleashed at salvation that continues to work in our sanctification.
// John Piper >> “[G]race is…a disposition or a quality or an inclination in the nature of God, but is an influence or a force or a power or an acting of God that works in us to change our capacities for work and suffering and obedience.” (Consider Ephesians 2:8-9 and 2 Corinthians 9:8)
• Historically, Christians have talked about the “means of grace”. Means is defined as “channels, avenues, pathways, or a delivery system”
• David Mathis >> God has his regular channels— the means of grace— those well-worn pathways along which he is so often pleased to pass and pour out his goodness on those waiting expectantly.
• Please note: Saying that the Christian is active in this process does NOT mean that we are contributing to the reality of our salvation. Jesus paid it all. We cannot add to His finished work. However, we are called to respond to this work: with faith, surrender, and energy to pursue holiness >> Hebrews 12:14 | Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
“Train
for godliness”
• 1 Timothy 4:7 | Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;
• This is an command from Paul to Timothy: YOU train yourself for godliness. Timothy is
• The word “train” is where we get our word for “
// John Piper >> “The essence of the Christian life, is learning to fight for joy in a way that does not replace grace.” We cannot earn God’s grace or make it flow apart from his free gift. But we can position ourselves to go on getting should he keep giving. We can “fight to walk in the paths where he has promised his blessings”
// Donald Whitney >> Spiritual Disciplines are those personal and interpersonal activities given by God in the Bible as the sufficient means believers in Jesus Christ are to use in the Spirit-filled, gospel-driven pursuit of godliness, that is, closeness to Christ and conformity to Christ.
• Whitney >> Think of the Spiritual Disciplines as ways by which we can spiritually place ourselves in the path of God’s grace and seek Him, much like Zacchaeus placed himself physically in Jesus’ path and sought Him. The Lord, by His Spirit, still travels down certain paths, paths that He Himself has ordained and revealed in Scripture. We call these paths the Spiritual Disciplines, and if we will place ourselves on these paths and look for Him there by faith, we can expect to encounter Him.
Objection: I can’t…
• We are all disciplined at
• Whitney >> many professing Christians are spiritually undisciplined and seem to have little Christlike fruit and power in their lives. However, many of them are remarkably disciplined in other areas of their lives.
• God has foreordained the path of growth. The Spirit is inside of believers to help them walk on it. Sadly, many choose not to.