Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – The Gospel within Discipleship: Spiritual Formation
By Sara Singleton
June / July 2011
Much of modern ministry substitutes God’s presence for a “functional culture that is driven by technology, schedules, and computers; a culture that moves at a faster and faster pace, driving out time for prayer and reflection.”6 God invites us into a conversational relationship of listening and responding, leading us back into a shared life with God.7 Listening is most effective in a secret place of intimate communion with God.8 Jesus showed us this “way” through his practice of Sabbath rest and time alone in silence and solitude (John 14:6).
Call to the Light
Embedded in the human psyche are wounds and brokenness that testify to the need for renewal of the inner life (cf. Romans 12:2). Within our heart is a deep pit of intergenerational sin and wounds, false identities we cling to for emotional security, and a host of fractured relationships. God wants to reclaim everything that is false and present us with our true self. God wants to identify what is broken and heal it in his love.
But God waits for our permission to do so. We grant permission by giving God access to what is hidden. Paul writes, “Anything exposed by the light becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light” (Ephesians 5:13).
Nothing remains hidden forever (Hebrews 4:13). Paul writes, “The sins of some people are conspicuous and precede them to judgment, while the sins of others follow them there.” Instead of being exposed, whether now or in the end, how much better to disclose what is hidden to a trusted spiritual friend.
We read, “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). The bridge to humility and holiness is through self-disclosure to a soul friend—a person who incarnates the love and grace of Christ. Mature Christians have discovered the link between self disclosure and spiritual growth. The alternative is self protection through hiddenness. Self protection leads to a self deception that completely obliterates spiritual growth.9
Spiritually-formed Disciples
The change that comes from the renewal of our inner life leads to an irrepressible love for God and others. When we face our whole selves, both the best and the worst, and know the unconditional love of God at work within, we find ourselves able to love others with deep and unconditional love.10 Through learning, listening, and living in the light, disciples become expressions of the abiding love of God in Christ.
Endnotes
1. Adaptation of the definition offered by Willard, Dallas. 2002. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 22.
2. Metamorphosis is the English cognate for the Greek word used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:18.
3. C.S. Lewis speaks of God’s intent in this way: “[Christ] is a living Man, still as much a man as you, and still as much God as He was when He created the world, really coming and interfering with your very self; killing the old natural self in you and replacing it with the kind of self He has. At first, only for moments. Then for longer periods. Finally, if all goes well, turning you permanently into a different sort of thing; into a new little Christ, a being which, in its own small way, has the same kind of life as God; which shares in His power, joy, knowledge and eternity.” 1975. Mere Christianity. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 149.
4. Hoekema, Anthony A. 1996. “The Reformed Perspective.” In Five Views on Sanctification. Ed. Stanley N. Gundry. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA: Zondervan, 74.
5. See also Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. 2005. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. Downers Grove, Illinois, USA: InterVarsity Press, 15.
6. Standish, Graham. 2007. Humble Leadership: Being Radically Open to God’s Guidance and Grace. Herndon, Virginia, USA: The Alban Institute, 75.
7. Willard fully exposits the biblical basis for a life of relational communication with God in his 1999 book, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God. Downers Grove, Illinois, USA: InterVarsity Press.
8. Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion: Volume I, III. 20. 29, 892.
9. Moon, Gary M. and David G. Benner. 2004. Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls. Downers Grove, Illinois, USA: InterVarsity Press, 79.
10. Barton, Ruth Haley. 2008. Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry. Downers Grove, Illinois, USA: InterVarsity Press, 210.
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Rev. Dr. Sara Singleton now pastors at First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs after a 20-year career as a registered nurse. She earned a DMin in spiritual formation from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the editor of a 2-volume audio devotional series, Hearts On Pilgrimage. She is married with two adult children and a granddaughter. |