PRACTICING THE WAY
Growing in Christlikeness
through spiritual
disciplines
As you begin..
Call to worship: This time together, gathered in community as a family of disciples, is in worship of something. Some come for food, some for friends, some for biblical community, and to know more of Jesus. As a group leader, it is your job to call this group of people to worship Jesus, reminding your group that we are gathering to honor and worship God in community with one another. Take a moment to set the focus of your group on Jesus.
Confession: Begin your group with a time of prayer. First, give a moment of silence, read 1 John 1:9 ("If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"), and allow a moment for your group to seek the Lord in repentance through prayer. Invite them to share these things with the group if needed.
Call to Prayer: Take a moment to pray over your group, invite others to join or task others with praying with you over your time together. Feel free to identify specific things to be in prayer about: food, children and families, conversation, and biblical study.
Week 1 - Spiritual Formation
Begin by reading 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
Spiritual formation isn’t a Christian thing or even a religious thing; it’s a human thing. To be human is to grow, to mature, to adapt over time. Formation is simply the process by which our “spirit,” or inner person, is formed into a particular shape or character. Over a lifetime, we are spiritually formed by a complex alchemy of genetic inheritance, family patterns, childhood wounds, education, habits, decisions, relationships, environments, and more.
The problem is, most of our spiritual formation is unintentional. It just happens. And often, we are “conform[ed] to the pattern of this world,” more than “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind.”*
Dallas Willard was an American philosopher (1955–2013) who spent a great portion of his life studying and writing on spiritual formation. He defines spiritual formation in the tradition of Jesus Christ as “the process of transformation of the inmost dimension of the human being, the heart, which is the same as the spirit or will. It is being formed (really, transformed) in such a way that its natural expression comes to be the deeds of Christ done in the power of Christ.”
Dallas goes on to identify a problem that exists in Evangelical circles, saying, “We’re not only saved by grace, we’re paralyzed by it. I’m Southern Baptist, and we often preach to you for an hour, telling you you can do nothing to be saved, and then sing to you for forty-five minutes trying to get you to do something to be saved. That’s confusing!”
As we see in 1 Corinthians 2 and 2 Corinthians 3, there is a process for growth and development within God’s design. It’s important for us to understand that salvation is not the carrot on the end of a stick or a prize that we receive after a life lived well. Salvation is a gift from God, and we have the ability to practice the life of Jesus FROM the gift of salvation and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit.
There is more of God’s nature we have yet to experience, more understanding we have yet to obtain, and God’s desire for us is to grow in our knowledge, our intimacy, our love for Him. Just as anything else, our walk with Christ takes practice. We need to be led, we need to be taught, we need to practice the things that make us more like Christ.
Discussion
This is an introduction to our spiritual formation. We will continue to discuss how our spirit is formed to be more like the Spirit of God over the next few weeks, then move into practices. Today, take time to share stories of God’s grace and how He has brought growth and maturity into your life. How has God worked in you? What prayers has He answered in your life?
Link and references Dallas Willard Practicing The Way
Week 2 - Be With Jesus
Begin by reading 1 John 1:35-43
Luke 6:40 says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Some translations exchange the word disciple for “apprentice.” This may be a better way to understand the emphasis of this text. Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. As apprentices of Jesus, our goal is NOT to add more and more but instead to intentionally slow our lives down to find deep joy in walking with Jesus.
When we read the Bible or hear stories of Jesus, all of us desire to be like Him. The difficulty comes in knowing how.
There are two phrases Jesus uses to begin His ministry: “Come and see” and “Follow me.” In these are a deep and intimate invitation to be with Jesus. An invitation into a relationship, to knowing and being known. By His word, and through His Spirit, Jesus is speaking the same words to us today. We enter into our faith through Jesus’ invitation to “come and see,” and it is a familiar phrase spoken to God’s children throughout time (Jeremiah 29:13 - You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart).
As we prepare to enter into a season of spiritual practices, we do so with the anticipation to be with Jesus. As we submit our time, attention, and desires, we are looking for the ways in which Colossians 3:1-3 is brought to life: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” The focus here is “with Christ.” Jesus is not after anything you have; what Jesus desires the most is to be with you. That was God’s design in the beginning before sin entered in and brought separation; Jesus’ mission was to restore us to God and bring about a way for us to be together.
Discussion
We are relational creatures, made in the image of a communal and relational God; you are in community right now. Talk about the power, impact, the sweetness of community, the gift that it is from God. Take a few minutes to share how God has spoken to you, has led you, has grown you through intentional time spent with Him.
Link and references Dallas Willard Practicing The Way
Week 3 - Live Like Jesus
Begin by reading Romans 8:29
Genesis 3:8 gives us a glimpse into the relationship between God and man before Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden. One could conclude that God spent time with Adam and Eve, that there was closeness; furthermore, it was God who showed Adam and Eve the “way of life,” how to fully live in the world God had created. As sin brought separation, it also removed our way of life. Man began to create his own way, and as we have seen throughout the Biblical text and through our world today, we have lost our way of life. Fear, depression, anxiety, lust, greed, and pride have infiltrated our lives and have brought greater separation between God and man. It has diminished our abilities and quality of life. Not only is Jesus the way we enter into eternal life with God, but Jesus also leads us in the way of life here and now. The life of Jesus guides us to the fullness of life within this “present age.”
In the life of Jesus, we see specific patterns or “practices” that intern became disciplines, leading to a lifestyle. We follow Jesus and grow in Christlikeness by taking on the same practices and disciplines that shaped His life.
Mason King says, “It takes all of your life, for all of your life, to become like Jesus. When we come to know Christ and begin following Him, we are to surrender everything. Everything! Every thought, desire, principle, and practice we have. We are called to live like Jesus; often, the barriers that keep us from living like Christ are our sin or the scars from our sin.
Jesus once said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” He likened sin to a disease and himself to a healer. Based on this text, ancient Christians called Jesus “the doctor of the soul.” Trying to go on the spiritual journey of discipleship without healing from sin is like trying to run a marathon with a broken leg — you’re not going to get very far, and it’s not going to be very fun. A key step in our apprenticeship to Jesus is healing from sin. Consider sin from these three dimensions: sin done by us, sin done to us, and sin done around us. Understand that the life of Jesus was one of forgiveness. The body of Jesus hung upon the cross as a banner for the lost, saying to all who would believe, “You are forgiven.” We first need to understand it is not God’s design for us to carry our sin but to be restored to God through repentance. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Discussion
Let's create an intentional space where we can lay down the sin that we have been carrying, the burdens and barriers that keep us from seeing Christ clearly and living like Him. Sin that has been done by us, to us, or around us. Additionally, take a moment of solitude asking God to bring to mind sin that might exist and allowing a time of personal prayer and reflection.
Link and references Dallas Willard Practicing The Way
Week 4 - Become Like Jesus
Begin by reading Luke 6:40.
This past week throughout the sermon, the question was asked, “How much of your day is spent looking for ways to be closer to Jesus?” We can further that thought by asking, “How much of your day is spent looking for ways to become like Jesus?” Becoming is not an option for us; we are all becoming. We fail to realize how much of what we see, hear, eat, or even the media we consume plays a role in the people we become. Constantly, we are finding new positions to hold, new things to be passionate about, and new experiences that stir our emotions. While there are some things outside of our control that play a part in the people we become (environments & experiences), we do have a choice in how we respond to them, how we live inside of them; we do get to choose who we become.
Let’s make this clear: You do get to choose who you become.
It’s been said that our system is not flawed; it is producing exactly what it has been designed to produce. In other words, I am not an astronaut because I have never studied, practiced, or pursued any galactic opportunities. I’m not an astronaut because I don’t care to be; I’ve never tried. Similarly, we are not like Jesus because the rhythms of our lives have not been established or lived out to make us like Jesus. I actually believe it is way more obtainable to be like Jesus than it is to be an astronaut.
The scriptures reflect the heart of Christ as one who wants us to be with him, abiding, dwelling, becoming. So, we don’t rely on our efforts alone, but we also have Christ our advocate whose desire to commune with us, and desire for us to be like Him, is even greater than our own. He is working in us to make us as disciples, like Himself, our teacher.
Discussion
• What has helped you in your life to become like Jesus?
• What rhythms are currently active in your life that help you in becoming like Jesus?
• Take a moment and address the things in your life that have had a positive effect on who you have become.
• If comfortable, take a moment and address the things that have had a negative effect on who you have become: people, environments, & experiences.