By Casey Tygrett
Abide
Abide is the central word in Jesus” teaching on the vine and the branches in John 15. It is a key teaching because it emphasizes our need to remain in the life, teachings, and transforming presence of Jesus throughout our lives.
A life of abiding is key to Christian spiritual formation. Abiding can be a form of prayer in which a person concentrates on just being with God without needing to make requests or even use words. Abiding is a key concept to spiritual formation because it essentially is the “base camp” out of which comes all of our efforts in discipleship.
Contemplation
The word contemplation gets thrown around a lot, especially regarding spiritual formation. To some, it is a mystical and suspicious word, but the basic definition of contemplation is the process of quietly thinking on God, our lives, etc., in a way that leads to action. Contemplation is key to spiritual formation and discipleship because without a quiet, undistracted focus on Scripture or our own lives in comparison to Jesus, we have a hard time seeing where God desires to bring transformation into our lives.
Discipleship
Discipleship is the general term for the pathway we take to become like Jesus through transformation by the Holy Spirit. Many people believe discipleship and spiritual formation are the same thing, but this is not true. Discipleship is a direction, a status even (disciple), within the process of becoming like Jesus. It is a state of being within a larger, grander scheme.
Lectio divina
This is a way of prayer and reading Scripture that draws us into hearing from God and seeing the impact of the text on our everyday lives. It is a practice that also should be coupled with study of the Bible. We do “divine reading” by reading through a text slowly, out loud, and then spending some time quietly thinking on the words and phrases in the text.
Some have objected to divine reading because they consider it too mystical, or that it doesn”t consider the serious study of the text. However, this is only one way of reading and not the way of reading Scripture, and it seems to jibe with David”s desire to “meditate” (see below) on the law of God at every moment of every day (see Psalm 119:15, for example).
Meditation
Meditation is the practice of “focused thinking” that is key to our lives being transformed by God (see Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 12:2). Meditation focuses our thinking on a passage of Scripture, or characteristic of God, or image of him in art or creation, or even a real-life event so as to see God more clearly. Meditation also helps us take apart the complex world in order to find a way to follow Jesus within it.
The objections to meditation traditionally have been that it is too closely related to Eastern mystic religions (Buddhism, Hinduism), but David encouraged people to meditate in the Psalms (Psalm 1:1-3, for example).
Silence/Solitude
Jesus is the model for silence and solitude in passages such as Luke 5:16, where we see him preparing for a heavy and active season of ministry. Silence and solitude may sound like “monastic” habits that separate us from the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19, 20), but we learn from the life of Jesus that growth and activity in the kingdom of God come from separating time; when we engage with God in such ways, we gain understanding of the direction we are supposed to go. Silence and solitude can be practiced during a long commute to work or in the quiet times at home, either first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening before sleep.
Soul
The word soul refers to the whole of a person”s life, not just the internal container for everything supernatural that happens to a human being. The challenge to the word soul is that it is so hard to define. Are souls saved? Are souls shaped? What does a soul do? What is clear is that the soul is a key part of what we offer to God in the process of spiritual formation (see Matthew 22:37).
Soul Care
This is the effort of using practices and habits to open up space for God to transform us completely in every area of our life. Soul care incorporates reading Scripture and prayer, practicing spiritual disciplines (see below), and developing healthy relationships with others.
Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines are training exercises that help to change parts of our lives that don”t line up with the character and activity of Jesus. For example, fasting helps us learn how to live when we don”t get what we want, so we can grow into the contentment of Jesus. The common argument against spiritual disciplines is that they seem to be ways of “earning” salvation, which only comes by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Writer Dallas Willard puts them in the right framework by saying, “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.” Spiritual disciplines don”t earn our salvation, they open up space for God”s grace to continue to change us as he desires (see 2 Peter 1:8).
Spiritual Friendship
Spiritual friendship is a relationship in which two to three people, open to the Holy Spirit, help each other listen to God and identify areas in their lives where work is being done, or needs to be done, by God. Also known as spiritual direction, this is a very specific way of Christians to help each other follow Jesus more closely. Outlined in books, such as David Benner”s Sacred Companions, spiritual friendship is a way to listen actively to another person and to God”s Spirit for direction in life.
Spiritual Formation
This is the process by which life and character are shaped. Christian spiritual formation is the process by which God, through the Holy Spirit and our participation, transforms us into the character and lifestyle of Jesus Christ.
Transformation
The goal of God”s work in each human being is that he or she be transformed and return to the image and likeness God initially created that person to have, by becoming like his Son, Jesus Christ.
Casey Tygrett is spiritual formation pastor at Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park, Illinois.
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