Hello world!
Welcome! I’m so glad you decided to visit.
There are Christians who have been followers of Jesus Christ for many years. They were on fire for God when they first got saved, and thought nothing could every change how they felt. Over time, that zeal seemed to wane. Secretly, now, they think they have lost that zeal, that closeness with the Lord they once had. They long for those days when they felt so close to the Lord. Perhaps you are wondering this yourself? Have you wondered what you can do to regain that intimacy you once had with the Lord? I have been there too. The missing key may well be spiritual formation. Many Christians since the time of Christ have asked some of the same questions. My hope is you will join me on this journey of discovery. We will examine how spiritual formation can be a game changer, as together we draw closer to Christ and we are transformed by Him.
I invite you to join me on a spiritual journey to become more and more like Christ. Spiritual formation is nothing but a fancy theological term. Spiritual formation is a more modern way of saying sanctification. Bruce Demarest gave a great definition of spiritual formation in his book, Satisfy Your Soul: Restoring the Heart of Christian Spirituality. He wrote, “Spiritual formation is an ancient ministry of the church, concerned with the “forming” or “reshaping” of a believer’s character and action into the likeness of Christ” (22-24). 2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV) partially describes this process saying, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
There are two primary theories about how spiritual formation occurs. the first is that this is completely the work of the Holy Spirit. The Christian has no influence or ability to change this. The second theory is that the Christian can partner with the Holy Spirit in the work of spiritual formation by practicing spiritual disciplines. I fall in this second camp, as do many other scholars. There are many passages of scripture suggesting the main work of spiritual transformation is the job of the Holy Spirit, where Christians partner with the Holy Spirit in that work. By clarification, that work is not the saving grace of salvation which is completely the work of Christ and his shed blood.
There are many Christian people who have been a Christian for many years. Secretly, they think they seem to have lost that zeal, that closeness with the Lord they once had. Perhaps you have wondered what you can do to regain that intimacy you once had with the Lord. The missing key may well be spiritual formation. My hope is you will join me on this journey of discovery, as together we draw closer to Christ and are transformed by Him.