According to Donald Whitney, “The Spiritual Disciplines are those personal and corporate disciplines that promote spiritual growth. They are the habits of devotion and experiential Christianity that have been practiced by the people of God since biblical times.”1 In the Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (2014), Whitney posits that individual perseverance in spiritual exercise develops Godliness in believers.”2 He defines "the struggle in Christian living,"3 community, and the Holy Spirit as three things necessary for perseverance in spiritual exercise. Except for evangelism and service, Whitney believes all but two can occur during one’s private devotional time: evangelism and service.”4 He draws the conclusion that Christians are occupied with serving both God and humans, and he attributes the urgency conveyed by Mark's usage of the word "immediately" to the writer's portrayal of Jesus' life. …show more content…
Whitney goes beyond conventional Christian teaching in his hyperbolical defense of the saints' perseverance. Although Whitney's concept may be passionately contested, it is undeniable that God commands Christians to evangelize, fellowship among His people, and serve His Church.”6 Evangelism is the process of telling lost people about Jesus Christ, His mission, His atoning work, and the implications for the elect worldwide. Improving one's evangelistic endeavors can begin by purposefully focusing one's teaching and preaching and by making use of informal, fortuitous meetings that the Holy Spirit arranges (1 Peter 3:15). The use of various spoken, written, and recorded media, rapidly expands the evangelist’s reach both locally and
N.T. Wright: During my first semester at Northwestern College, I was assigned the book, “The Challenge of Jesus” by N.T. Wright for one of my Biblical Studies courses. This book and every other book Tom Wright has written has dramatically impacted my Christian faith. Dr. Wright has not only defended the basic tenants of the Christian faith, but also has shown how an academically-minded pastor ought to love and care for his or her congregants. N.T. Wright was previously the Bishop of Durham and pastored some of the poorest in the United Kingdom. His pastoral ministry has helped shape his understanding of God’s kingdom-vision which he is diagramming within his magnum opus “Christian Origins and the Question of God”. This series has instructed myself and countless other pastors to be for God’s kingdom as we eagerly await Christ’s return. Additionally, I have had the privilege of meeting with N.T. Wright one-on-one on numerous occasions to discuss faith, the Church, and his research. I firmly believe Tom Wright is the greatest New Testament scholar of our generation and he is the primary reason why I feel called into ministry.
Andy Stanley shows how to become deep and wide by staying simple in a church. First, he accomplishes this by keeping programming simple. By making the programs simple he can get more involvement from those who attend North Point. Secondly, Stanley demonstrates easy simplistic ways to move people through the discipleship process. By making this process simple those who attend North Point can more easily reach the community around them. Even though these are a few of the many applications used by Stanley he effectively helps pastors by giving them simple steps to bring people closer to Christ without a church background.
“The call is something that is an indescribable joy and an indefinable burden at the same time.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 32). There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a congregation of the redeemed moving forward in their faith. However exciting this may be, it is usually not the thrill that propels the pastor in his service. It is the burden placed on the pastor by God that compels him in his work. The pastor understands that he is largely responsible for the work of God being accomplished by his faithfulness to his calling. “All through the Word of God and down through the annals of history, when God has moved it has almost always been attended by the preaching of the Word.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 31)
When Hughes was thirteen he attended a revival with his Aunt it was his turn to "see Jesus," his entire community and church all waiting expectantly for the moment when he was finally saved from sin. Unfortunately for Hughes, salvation did not occur. His fellow peers that he would be delivered, to Jesus convinced him. He was so caught up in the idea that when it did not happen, and when it did not, he felt like an outcast amongst his religious community. People crying, and praying for him at his feet, Hughes did not want to be the reason for all the madness happening around him. He stood up and acted as if his salvation had come to him, although deep within he knew it had not. "My aunt came and knelt at my knees and cried, while prayers and songs swirled all around me in the little church. The whole congregation prayed for me alone, in a mighty wail of moans and voices” (Hughes 111-112). Influenced by the wales and the cries, Hughes started to feel as if he was the problem, that something was wrong and it was up to him to fix it. As the congregation prayed for him alone, and his aunt cried and prayed by his feet, a wave of social pressure came to him at once. To stop the crying, and the constant praying there was only one thing to be done, although he knew he was never actually saved, he stood to his feet, and the religious community and church all rejoiced as they
“First, there is the call to be a Christian. Second, for each individual there is a specific call—a defining purpose or mission, a reason for being. Every individual is called of God to respond through service in the world. Third, there is the call that we face each day in response to the multiple demands on our lives—our immediate duties and responsibilities” (Smith, ...
Spiritual formation is a process that morphs as we grow and change. There is no one singular correct path this type of journey takes because each journey is as individual as the person who is experiencing it. Most obvious, the journey will be different from those who identify as religious and those who do not and will diversify with in each category. For example, the spiritual journey a Buddhist takes will be different from that of a believer in Judaism or Christianity. In fact, the journey will continue to diversify between Christians, male and female, age groups, even by demographic location. Consequently, the spiritual formation process is as diverse as it is intricate and we may never be able to discover all the journey options. Although individuals may not actively recognize they are experiencing spiritual formation it is a process that affects all. Because it is in human nature to question, learn, grow, and act, everyone to a certain extent is exposed to a unique spiritual formation journey.
Richardson, William E., and Dave Kidd. “Articles.” Pentecostal Evangel. General Council of the Assemblies of God. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.
Rambo, L. R. (2005). Engaging The passion of the Christ. Pastoral Psychology, 54(4), 281-383. Retrieved from EBSCOhost
The coming of the Holy Spirit transformed the disciples into missionaries (Gooder 2009, 9). Working under the power of the Holy Spirit serves to connect the apostolic teaching to the Christ-figure, and (as it did with Jesus) functions as the same eschatological sign of a future fulfilment of the kingdom to come. This raises some crucial questions, which are beyond the scope of this essay: does the church work under the power of the Holy Spirit and does it proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ
The Spiritual Exercises: not only speak to the Jesuits but also to the religious of other congregations; not only to the religious but also to the laity; not only to Catholics but also to the Protestants. In other words, the Spiritual Exercises speak to all who believe in God and base their spirituality on the gospel message. First I will define what a spirituality of vocation is. Second I will explain what the Spiritual Exercises mean. Third I will try to show how the Spiritual Exercises are a representation of a universal call to the Christian gospel. Then I will conclude by stating my stand.
Words are authenticated by incarnational living of the gospel in the everyday lives of followers of Christ. The problem is that, for many, one aspect of witnessing is more important than the other, producing a pale image of the gospel lived out. Situation and context frames the witness response but gospel-valued living, compassionate ministry, and proclamation dialogue form an integral whole. For decades, this theme has been the motivating force for the missionary movement and what many mean by “doing mission”. In Mark 1:14-15 Jesus proclaimed the good news of God, saying the kingdom of God has come near, even though it was not fully manifested.
God has ordained that Revelation is transmitted to all people, to all generations, and to remain intact forever. This mandate is performed by the Church through evangelization. However, the desire to proclaim Jesus Christ, to “evangelize” and to lead others to the “fiat” of faith in Jesus Christ, which at the same time arouses the need to know this faith better, does not come from human inspiration. It springs from the loving knowledge that Jesus Christ has of us.
The purpose of this essay is to elaborate on my spiritual journey that impacted my decision to enter into this educational program and to discuss how I plan to integrate my personal spirituality into God's work. In addition, I will illustrate how my work look differently when compared to my work that is not integrated with my faith, moreover difference the between pastoral and clinical counseling. Spiritual Journey that Impacted my Decision to Enter into this Educational Program My spiritual expedition that impacted my decision to enter into this educational program hence, this is God's intended purpose for me. I invariably formed a tangible and intimated with God, the Almighty thus, I knew it was my vocation to teach and preach God's
Evangelism is one of the key component for changing people’s lives. McRaney states, “The word evangelism comes from a combination of Greek words for “good” and “messenger.” Evangelism involves bringing the goods. Kent Hunter reminded us that “when Christians witness, they tell how Jesus Christ has changed their own lives. The change in their own lives gives them the desires to share the Good News with others.” Christians must share their testimony to people and spread the gospel so that they can bring lost souls to Christ. God has commissioned every Christian to evangelize so that people will learn about Jesus Christ and accept Him as their personal savior. Matthew 28:19 states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Christians are required to spread the Gospel throughout the world and can no longer just attend church. Christians must plant seeds and water the seeds so that lost souls will be saved.
It is important for me to remember when preparing a sermon, that it is not about the preacher, but through preaching, God the Holy Spirit does the work of giving God’s