Journey into Lightl

The Challenge to Grow Spiritually and Be Formed Into Christlikeness

Protestants have tended to neglect spiritual growth since the Reformation when the primary focus of the theologians was on countering Catholic doctrinal errors. The Reformers focused on the authority of Scripture and salvation by faith alone. However, they did not tend to focus on spiritual growth (spiritual formation) as much.

As a result, their preaching did not center on intellectual, doctrinal, and biblical information that was focused on spiritual growth, but assumed  it would be a by-product of it. They left the people largely on their own to grow spiritually in response to the preaching.

One of the results of leaving the formation process to the individual to figure out was that many Christians sought to grow themselves in their own power and fortitude. What the pulpits needed to teach the was “how” of living the Christian life better. Church leaders needed to teach practices on how to cooperate with the Holy Spirit for spiritual transformation.

Many people consider how to raise good kids, have a happy marriage, and be respected by others more important than their spiritual maturity. But today, the world is crying out for an authentic Christianity that goes beyond knowing truth to demonstrating the truth through a transformed life.

Many leaders believe equipping people for life and service needs to go beyond what is now practiced in discipleship training, which is largely knowledge and behavioral-based. They believe people need to be taught  and trained them how to cooperate with God in the development of a love relationship with him.

The evangelical church is in desperate need of a coherent and comprehensive theology of spiritual growth at the heart-level. The seminaries have largely neglected connecting theology to how people are transformed. Although pastors have often provided “meat of the Word” teaching, they have largely failed to provide practical application of the Word to the daily struggles with sin that people face.

One of the results is pastors often make knowing the Word an end itself. Instead the Word needs to be taught as a means through the Spirit of experiencing God and being transformed at a deep level. People are taught by word and example that knowing the Word is more important than being godly. Often the knowing of the Word has not resulted in believing the Word at the heart-level. As A.W. Tozer said, “We Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of his Word. We have almost forgotten that God is a person and, as such, can be cultivated as any person can.”

He further writes, “Sound Bible exposition is an imperative must in the Church of the Living God. Without it no church can be a New Testament church in any strict meaning of that term. But exposition may be carried on in such a way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever. For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into him, that they may delight in his Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God himself in the core and center of their hearts.”