Skip to main content

What's in a Name

If you’re reading this you are probably a LIFEGroup driver. If you are a LIFEGroup driver you probably know all about the three relationships in every LIFEGroup. In the next weeks we are going to dig a little deeper into the three relationships.

One goal of every LIFEGroup is that every member of the group is being formed into the image of Christ. We call this the formative relationship. When was the last time you formed something? What does it mean to form something? What images come into your mind? The first thing I see in mind is a potter spinning a wheel and transforming a lump of clay into something beautiful.

When someone decides to follow Jesus that person receives the Holy Spirit. The Spirit works and begins to form the person. The Spirit begins to sculpt the believer into the image of Jesus. Imagine yourself a lump of clay becoming something beautiful and precious.

So how does this happen? If the Spirit is doing the work, then do we just sit back and watch it happen? The work of God is too mysterious to explain completely but one thing we do know is that we are not to be passive clay. We are to actively work towards our own transformation.

How is accomplished? How do we open ourselves to the formative work of the Spirit? One of the key ways is through what are called spiritual disciplines. These are things like praying, meditating, reading the Bible, memorizing scripture, fasting, and contemplation among many other methods.

All these things were practiced in the life and ministry of Jesus. Those who follow Jesus should not underestimate their importance. Spiritual disciplines are not a way to manipulate God’s favor. Rather they are a way to discipline our selves and prepare us for the transforming work of the Spirit.

All these disciplines mentioned have one thing in common. They are most often done in isolation. When we think of spiritual disciplines we often think of a silent monk sequestered away in the halls of a monastery. If the goal of our lives is to be formed into the image of Jesus then shouldn’t we spend our time in isolation solely focused on pursing those spiritual disciplines?

I guess the question is, was that how Jesus lived? Jesus did pursue the spiritual disciplines in isolation but also taught spiritual formation in community. But what does spiritual formation look like in community? We’ll look at that next week as we continue our discussion on formative relationships.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Discussion Questions for Easter

Have several people ask the question, “What’s the most important thing you’ve ever done?” Ask other people, “What do you hope to accomplish in the next several years of your life?” Tell your class that today you’ll be talking about “life mission” or the one most important thing you do that drives everything else. Tell them that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the defining moment in history, so it should be the defining moment in our lives. Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. How does the resurrection impact some of the crucial beliefs of Christianity?  How would Christianity be different if there was no resurrection? How would you be different without the resurrection? Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. What are some specific ways that the resurrection gives us hope? If you had been a friend of Jesus when he was on earth, how would the resurrection have impacted your life?  How do you think his followers then were effected by the resurrection? Read 1 Corinthian...
3 comments
Read more

Community Killers: Crisis

Here is Part Two in my series on dealing with "Community Killers". Today the topic is "Crisis". Every group experiences crisis at some point. Death, illness, divorce, and financial ruin are just some of the issues that can threaten to destroy a group. These crisis, however, are not to be feared. Rather, they should be embraced as an opportunity for the group to care for one another in unique and deeply meaningful ways. The following are five suggestions (certainly not an exhaustive list) which can help a group handle crisis successfully: Openness. The first step in a group’s efforts to deal with crisis is simply knowing about and understanding the crisis. If a member does not feel comfortable sharing the crisis issues in their life, the group cannot come to their aid. A willingness to share not only the crisis situation, but also the details can significantly impact the degree to which the group can offer assistance. The role of the leader sometimes requires a per...
Post a Comment
Read more

Humility: It's Not All About You

Without naming names, when have you observed a person who seems to be only interested in “moving up the ladder”? What are some of the character traits of a person like this? • Read Genesis 11:1-9. • Generally speaking, who were these people focusing on, themselves or God? Why was this a problem? John Calvin thought that verse 6 was God ironically saying, “This people have conspired against me, and since they can speak to one another in the same language, how can their plan be defeated?” In other words, God wasn’t concerned, he found it humorous that the people thought so highly of themselves. • Read verse 4. What do you think it means that they wanted to “make a name” for themselves? • What things do we (you) often do try to make a name for ourselves? Why is it important to us that people think highly of us? • Read Romans 12:3. What do you think it means to think of yourself with “sober judgment”? Why are we sometimes slow to “judge” ourselves? How can we judge ourselves in a heal...
Post a Comment
Read more