Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation focuses on becoming more like Jesus through lifelong growth in faith, character, and obedience. Explore Bible-based articles on following Christ, spiritual disciplines, prayer, Scripture reading, community, and the habits that shape a mature disciple. You’ll find practical guidance for mentoring, accountability, repentance, perseverance, and cultivating a gospel-centered life in every season. Whether you’re learning the basics of discipleship or helping others grow, these resources equip you to form disciples who love God, love people, and live on mission.

November 14, 2010

Christian Standard

Self-Examination, Not Self-Recrimination

By Daniel Schantz “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread . . . “ (Acts 20:7, King James Version). Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Catholic Jesuits, started life as a fiery, Spanish romantic””womanizer, gambler, warrior. When he was wounded in a battle against the French at Pampeluna, he was carried off to a castle hospital. While recovering, he was given a copy of The Imitations of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis, and he was so moved by it that he resolved to give up his wild living and become a saint.

November 5, 2010

Christian Standard

Marks of a Successful Discipler

By Rick Lowry Personal Life “¢ Models servanthood before group members. “¢ Is in the Word daily, along with being in prayer and practicing other spiritual disciplines. “¢ Feels a sense of personal spiritual growth and passes on that challenge toward growth to members of group. “¢ A spiritual leader outside the group meeting. “¢ Accountable in life to another spiritual leader outside the group. Passing on the Faith “¢ Prays for individuals in the group. “¢ Places a high priority on the group and the people in it. “¢ Is spiritually, emotionally, and relationally open to group members. “¢

September 2, 2010

Christian Standard

Growing Like Jesus (Intro)

Mention growth to a Christian audience, and their thinking quickly goes to the spiritual. Yet “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:51, 52). He showed us that growing close to God is connected with every other kind of growth, too. The intellectual, physical, and social dimensions of life all connect to the spiritual. And growth in any of these areas is most successful when accompanied by growth in the other three. This week we asked eight friends, Christian Standard contributing editors or members of our Publishing Committee, “What has helped you grow?”

September 1, 2010

Christian Standard

Growing Like Jesus: The Bad Bounce

By Jim Tune (Jim Tune was among eight Christian leaders asked to share what helps them mature just as Jesus did. Tune is executive director of Impact Canada, a church-planting ministry based outside Toronto, Canada (www.impactcanada.org), and a contributing editor for CHRISTIAN STANDARD.) __________________ Soccer”s World Cup is a big deal in the multicultural city of Toronto. Who knew one of the most controversial components of the tournament would be the ball itself? The ball is the Adidas Jubulani and it had goalkeepers and strikers worrying and complaining from the start of the contest. The manufacturer claims it is the most

September 1, 2010

Christian Standard

Growing Like Jesus: Wisdom You Can Touch

By Eddie Lowen (Eddie Lowen was among eight Christian leaders asked to share what helps them mature just as Jesus did. Lowen, a member of Standard Publishing”s Publishing Committee, is senior minister with West Side Christian Church, Springfield, Illinois.) ___________________ A television commercial for cars.com depicted a fictional young genius named David Abernathy during several phases of his life. In the first scene, as a newborn, David shocked the obstetrician who de- livered him by reaching up to shake hands with him! As a preschooler, David amazed his parents by using graphs and PowerPoint slides to successfully negotiate a later bedtime.

September 1, 2010

Christian Standard

Growing Like Jesus: Wisdom from Fellow Travelers

By Jennifer Taylor (Jennifer Taylor was among eight Christian leaders asked to share what helps them mature just as Jesus did. Taylor, one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee.) ________________________ This spring I tagged a few days onto a California business trip so I could spend time with friends. First I had coffee with John, who shared his recent decision to leave a safe ministry position and start a new church. “I waited years to discover this calling, and just tried to stay faithful until I saw the next step,” he told me. “And I”m not afraid

September 1, 2010

Christian Standard

Growing Like Jesus: Sight and Insight

By Pat Magness (Pat Magness was among eight Christian leaders asked to share what helps them mature just as Jesus did. Magness is professor of humanities and English at Milligan College in Tennessee and a member of the Publishing Committee at Standard Publishing.) _______________ An old story tells us that as Francis of Assisi neared his death, he apologized to his body””using the endearing term “Brother Donkey”””for working it so hard and so long with little rest or appreciation. Like many people in ministry, and to an extreme degree, Francis devoted his life fervently to God”s kingdom while neglecting the

September 1, 2010

Christian Standard

Growing Like Jesus: Hearing God Through People

By Glen Elliott (Glen Elliott was among eight Christian leaders asked to share what helps them mature just as Jesus did. Elliott serves as lead pastor with Pantano Christian Church, Tucson, Arizona and as a CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor.) ___________________ Years ago I was working as the dean of students at Pacific Christian College (now Hope International University). At the same time, I had the joy of leading the junior high ministry at my church. (It was natural. Both junior high kids and college students are just crazy enough to be fun!) I poured my life into my work and

September 1, 2010

Christian Standard

Growing Like Jesus: Learning to Obey

By Becky Ahlberg (Becky Ahlberg was among eight Christian leaders asked to share what helps them mature just as Jesus did. Ahlberg is minister of worship and neighborhood engagement at First Christian Church, Anaheim, California. She serves as a CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor.) __________________ The story of Jesus at the temple at age 12 has always fascinated me, but it”s the line just before our “grew in wisdom and stature” assignment that really hits home with me: “Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them” (emphasis mine). Many things have led to my own growth

September 1, 2010

Christian Standard

Growing Like Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Parenting

By Matthew Proctor (Matthew Proctor was among eight Christian leaders asked to share what helps them mature just as Jesus did. Proctor is president of Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri, and serves as a contributing editor for CHRISTIAN STANDARD.) ___________________ When I look at books on the spiritual disciplines, the table of contents all read the same: Bible reading, prayer, fasting, meditation, and solitude. Each discipline, of course, is a God-given tool to help sculpt us into the image of Christ. But, if I were writing such a book, I would add another chapter: parenting. Few things help move me

September 1, 2010

Christian Standard

Growing Like Jesus: No Pain, No Gain

By LeRoy Lawson (LeRoy Lawson was among eight Christian leaders asked to share what helps them mature just as Jesus did. Lawson is international consultant with Christian Missionary Fellowship International, a CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor and a member of Standard Publishing”s Publishing Committee.) __________________ “No pain no gain, Dad. No pain no gain.” Our son Lane was in his teens. Both grandfathers had bequeathed good genes, and he was making the most of them. (I resent how those genes jumped right over my generation and landed in his.) He wasn”t tall but he was muscular””and eager to become even more

August 8, 2010

Christian Standard

Dying to Self

By Nicholas Schonlau Since I became a follower of Christ, I”ve been enthralled with what it means to follow him. One of my favorite passages on this subject is, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). That has always been the challenge, for me and for many other Christians I”ve known over the years. What does it mean to deny myself? It means I must die. I think back to when I was buried with Christ through baptism. According to Paul, I died that day and

June 20, 2010

Christian Standard

“˜Likeitis”

By Phillip Murdock It was September of 2000 when I discovered I was infected. In 1998, I moved to a small town in southwest Virginia to begin work as the youth minister of a thriving congregation. Looking back, I can see I was already showing symptoms of this condition, but I had no idea at the time. I liked the feel of this small town, but it was nothing like the big city where I had grown up. The first few months were tough. I was 24 years old and most of the people in my congregation were older. I

April 25, 2010

Christian Standard

Literature as a Tool for Spiritual Growth

By Marvin D. Hinten I was led to Christ by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Most people are led to Christ by someone they know””a friend or relative””not an individual who”s been dead for a hundred years. And, for obvious reasons, most people are led to Christ by a Christian. But I became a Christian through reading a poem by Emerson in a high school English class. So I have experienced firsthand the power of literature to connect readers with God. Most Christian leaders, when thinking of books they “ought to read,” think of nonfiction. One should read theology and church management

April 4, 2010

Christian Standard

The Fasting Track: Sixteen Great Reasons to Fast

By Victor M. Parachin In 1756, a frightened and somber king of England called for a day of solemn prayer and fasting. Behind his call was the immediate threat of an invasion by the French. On February 6, 1756, John Wesley recorded in his journal the positive effect a day of fasting and prayer had upon the nation: “The fast day was a glorious day, such asLondon has scarce seen. . . . Every church in the city was more than full, and a solemn seriousness sat on every face. Surely God heareth prayer, and there will yet be a lengthening of

February 3, 2010

Christian Standard

What Will Make My Next Decade Different?

By Mark A. Taylor Her question has stayed with me for weeks. At a family gathering between Christmas and New Year”s, she challenged the group at the table, “Think back to the beginning of the decade that”s about to end. What would the person you were then think of the person you are today?” A day or two later I read a Facebook update from a friend anticipating a family meeting with her husband and two school-age daughters. The agenda: to discuss individual and family goals and dreams for the coming year. As simple as this is, it strikes me

January 31, 2010

Christian Standard

One Man”s Changing View from an Ugly Couch

By Brandon Smith The epiphany occurred on an ugly couch in our ministry center””a couch that resembled one my grandmother had in her living room. I was leading our college students through the first verses of Philippians. As usual, the apostle Paul had begun his letter with a prayer: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best” (Philippians 1:9, 10). Wait a minute. “What is best“””not “what is good” or “what is helpful.” We must be able to

January 17, 2010

Christian Standard

The Lost Art of Encouragement

By Terrie Todd As I left my employment with the church””after 25 years as administrative assistant, drama director, communications director, and finally director of creative arts””I was cleaning out my office. Among the items I packed up and took home with me was a basket filled with various encouragement cards and notes I”d received over the years. Some of them are more than 10 years old, some are e-mails I”d printed, some are hilarious, and some move me to tears. They came from people I led, people I followed, people close to me, and people I barely know. But each

December 20, 2009

Christian Standard

Living with Expectancy

  by Alan Ahlgrim There”s no doubt about it, this is my favorite celebration of the year. There”s just something special about Christmas for young and old alike. Ever since I was a little kid, Christmas Eve has been a night filled with anticipation and Christmas Day a grand celebration of light and love and joy. I can”t ever remember a crummy Christmas. When I was a kid I even got along with my sisters at Christmas. Somehow they seemed nicer. To me everything has always seemed better at Christmas. It has always seemed to me that the decorations are

December 9, 2009

Christian Standard

Surrender Comes Slowly

By Mark A. Taylor Surrender Comes SlowlyI”m keyboarding this column with an Ace bandage wrapped tightly around my right hand. It covers a small incision in my palm, an area responding to the pressure of my fingers on the keyboard with a small ache to accompany each keystroke. Tomorrow the bandage and dressing come off, to be replaced by a smaller, store-bought, self-applied variety. It will be the third day since the carpal tunnel surgery that most likely was required because of many earlier computer keyboarding sessions. This is only the latest in a series of coincidental maladies that convinced

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