Spiritual Formation: Spiritual Disciplines

What are some of the spiritual activities that Jesus did while He was on earth? As we search through the gospel accounts of His life, we can observe the things He did, some of which are often called spiritual disciplines: activities that Jesus Himself participated in. These are actually things that we can do in our lives that invite God to work changes toward Christlikeness in our spirits: changes that we otherwise could not make with our own strength or power.

Once a person has decided to follow Jesus, he is determined to learn as much about Him as possible. One is able to get a clear picture of the kind of person Jesus is by studying the gospels intently and purposefully, learning from other disciples, and praying to our heavenly Father asking for His help to enable us to become like Jesus. As we learn the kinds of behaviors and activities found in Jesus’ life, we can emulate them in our own lives.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Topics?

Is there anything specific you would like to discuss? Please let me know by posting or emailing me. If you do not have anything in mind, I'll continue to post things I'm interested in. Thanks, Terry
Read more

Practical ways of developing and expressing community

After having discussed the biblical principles describing what a Jesus community looks like, we must ask, “How do we develop and express community/fellowship in our churches today?” Is the biblical model a pattern for all times? Not necessarily, otherwise we would all have to meet in private homes, share a common meal in our gatherings, and eat the Lord’s Supper in the context of that fellowship meal. Yet, it is important that we follow the principles discussed above. We must be careful not to make every action of the early church an authoritative precedent to be rigorously copied without regard to time and place. The New Testament is not a second Levitical Code. It is our responsibility, guided by ancient precedent and wisdom from above, to adapt to the current and future needs of our world. Whatever forms, projects, programs, or activities we use today, they must be guided by the fundamental truths that Jesus is Lord, the Holy Spirit is present, the gospel must be lived out, and...
Read more

God builds community through spiritual gifts

As the body of Christ, we must learn to understand each person’s giftedness from the Spirit of God. Each person in a community should understand the various roles, functions, and works of the body, and how every individual works within that framework, coordinated and networked within the body to accomplish the overall purposes of the community. We must remember that God has gifted His church for her own well being and growth. Sadly, many do not recognize their gifts in the body of Christ, nor do they know what their role is in the body. We might begin by studying together the purpose of the church in light of the gospel, and evaluating the various gifts of each body part within the realm of that purpose. In doing so, we learn to appreciate the unity that is inherent in the diversity of a community. After discovering one’s gifts, and identifying their role in the community, each one must be taught how and where to administer their gifts and carry out their role within the community...
Read more