To be like Jesus and to be conformed in His image is the goal of our Christian life. Period. How do we achieve that goal is critical to understand. Many times the purpose of the Christian life is unclear. The goalpost keeps changing every year. That is why we fail to achieve maturity, which we need in our Christian journey.
In Philippians 2:12, Paul exhorted ‘to work out your salvation.’ Many preachers say, “Let go and let God”, meaning don’t worry God’s Grace will take care of your salvation. This kind of thinking and preaching removes our responsibility and puts God in the seat to let Him implement His Sovereignty. On the other hand, some preachers and teachers said, work hard and disciplined yourself. They imply that our salvation depends on our effort.
But if we carefully study the scripture, it is not either/or but both/ and.
That is why we need to understand in our spiritual formation that the moment Jesus enters in our heart, we will not be ‘angels”, but we have values/ mindset and culture which shapes us so powerfully. That’s where our grandfather effect comes into play.
You must have heard stories where an excellent Christian suddenly falls into sin or fails morally. I understand we must forgive them and restore them as the Bible commands us to do so. But the larger question I believe Paul is asking is how our salvation must impact the people and the community around us. We cannot claim that we know God, who is so powerful and wonderful and yet live our life so lousy that we become a laughing stock in the community and drag the name of the Lord to the dirt. Fail -restore game is a good thing, but the better thing is a consistency that builds the reputation and glory of God in the long run. Think of the impact of Joseph’s life in the history of Kingdom and eternity and compare that with King Solomon.
Whenever I study sanctification and discipleship in our ( Indian subcontinent) context, I find the clinical separation between human involvement (effort) and God’s grace and will. It is so important to explore and ask questions and even struggle to find the truth and balance and bridge within the framework of the scripture. The proper scriptural framework will lead you much better path in terms of your doctrine, experience and action. ( More on this in later blogs)
There are many spiritual formation models believers have used since ancient times, which is why specific models or practices work for one individual but may not work for others. We all must find our pathway to our spiritual formation.
I don’t know about you, but if I understand how things work or can get the picture of an item, I would like to understand that helps me move forward and find a resolution. I can dwell in mystery but not for too long. For me, faith has to work, and if that faith requires my participation, then I am all for it.
So let us talk about the family of our origin for a while. The idea is not new. We don’t have to go very far to unearth this idea. We find these stories and quirky characters in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, the first family in the creation story. A mom is plotting and scheming for one son against the other. A brother was killing another brother. The narrative is pretty messed up.
Our environment and culture shape us so profoundly we can’t even fathom it sometimes. When we walk with God through intimate prayers, worship, contemplative bible study and, of course, if we belong to “speaks truth in love” kind of community. Then the skeletons of our past will come tumbling down. Our lives get exposed to the degree which we are not even aware that exists within us. Sometimes spiritual formation happens in our emotions and spirit, but it may not have taken root in our behavior or daily living. This process takes time and internationality.
So we may be worshipping and serving Jesus with full-on passion, but let us not forget that we are human and work in progress, and our family of origin plays a significant role in shaping our humanity. Suppose our family of origin did not have values and culture that Jesus espoused in the scripture. In that case, it will be a considerable challenge and journey to building a biblical worldview. Without realizing the influence of our family get exposed in our thinking, values, our words and action. These are massive areas that need deep excavation and which we will do as we go.
So my final encouragement in this episode is that when we become spiritual by encountering God, let us not make the mistake of thinking that we have abandoned our humanity. Our genuine encounter with our Maker will reveal our true self and constitution. And we become a sojourner with the Holy Spirit to work out our salvation and partner with God who works through our humanity his extraordinary grace and love to touch and change the world around us.
I desire to share my life, learnings and wisdom I have gathered over 25 years of my ministry journey with you all but most importantly, to the Next Generation. In this blog, I will write on the subject that pertains to our faith, practice and engagement with the world around us.
Also, I will curate books, resources and other contents that will help you to grow in your faith and particularly in your leadership growth and understanding.
Here is one book that shaped my spiritual formation when I was very young. It is an old book, but it is good to gain insight from the older generation. Don’t read books of your contemporaries; reading the older generation gives rare wisdom and understanding.
The Making of a Man of God: Lessons from the Life of David https://www.amazon.in/dp/0800759222/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_IhpQFbSHX8K53
Commentaires