Discipleship Letters 27-28

Discipleship Letter 27                                                            Feb. 1, 2009

Christian spiritual formation is the task of the church. “The church was formed to form. Our charge, given by Jesus himself, is to make disciples, baptizing them, and teach these new disciples to obey his commands…The witness, teaching, and compassion that the church is to practice all require that Christians be spiritually formed.” [James Wilhoit, Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ through Community (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008), pp. 15-16.] The gospel that we believe has a transformative power to reform outward behavior and transform inward condition. The gospel can save us. The gospel can also transform us.

The church has the task of proclaiming and teaching the gospel that promotes “a depth of understanding, greater trust, and spiritual cleansing and healing” and confronts “the false gospels and idols, which are always present in our lives.” (p. 31) Paul said, “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have often intended to come to you…in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles…So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome” (Rom. 1:13, 15). Paul also said in Col. 1:6 that the gospel has come to us and is “bearing fruit and growing” among us, since the day we “heard and understood the grace of God in truth.” We’re saved by the gospel; are we compelled to foster Christian growth by the gospel?

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Discipleship Letter 28                                                            Feb. 8, 2009

Spiritual growth is important for all followers of Jesus. In the ministry of Jesus, silence and solitude are the two indispensable elements. “The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray” (Mk. 1:35). Silence and solitude are the vital links between us and God. To become Christ-like, we must practice silence and solitude in our daily lives.

(1) Silence and solitude are “valuable paths to self-knowledge which is the first necessary step in the knowledge of God.” [Kenneth Leech, Spirituality and Pastoral Care (Cambridge: Cowley, 1989), p. 20.] In silence and solitude, we are true to ourselves. We don’t avoid ourselves. We listen to ourselves. We accept ourselves. In the ministry of silence and solitude, it helps us cultivate a sense of self-awareness and of divine-sensitiveness.

(2) Silence and solitude are “ways of deepening the life of contemplative prayer, allowing the Holy Spirit to enter into and pray deeply within us.” (p. 21) In silence and solitude, we’re willing to wait upon God. We actively come before God in silence and solitude; we wait passively for God’s initiative and dwelling. This kind of waiting invites the Holy Spirit to get involved in our spiritual lives.

To become Christ-like, we must put silence and solitude into practice in our Christian living.