Things a church must do to grow: Spiritual formation What is spiritual formation?

"Spiritual formation" is the process of being formed and transformed once again into the image of the living God. When God created humans, he gathered the dust of the earth and carefully shaped and formed Adam, he then gently and lovingly formed Eve from Adam's side. God not only created them physically, he formed them spiritually. They carried around in their bodies the very breath and essence of God. Psalm 33:13-15 tells us "From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earthhe who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do." They lived in perfect fellowship and harmony with their creator. Then sin came in all its ugliness, which destroyed that perfect relationship, and separated them (and us) from the God who created us. Jesus came to restore that relationship. Part of that restoration is "relearning" how to live as an image bearer of God. It is allowing ourselves to be reshaped, remolded, re-formed into the image of Christ. The Merriam Webster dictionary tells us that formation is the act or process of forming, or the state of being formed. One can either do the forming, or be formed; you are either the potter or the clay. You, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8) Who is the potter that forms and shapes you? Is it God? Is it you? Is it the world? Acts 2 42 They [the believers] devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. In Acts 2 we see a group of believers who are being formed and shaped by God through the teaching of the Apostles. They are the clay in the hands of the true potter, the author of life. These men and women had met Jesus; they were saved by grace, received the Holy Spirit, and were forever changed. The Apostles had spent an intense three years with Jesuslistening to his teaching, asking questions, pondering his parables, observing his actions, learning how to pray, living in community. They were devoted to him. They allowed themselves to be formed and shaped by Jesus. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he left his disciples with the command to "go and make disciples of all nationsteaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." They were charged with the responsibility of forming and shaping new believers into the image of Christ, just as Jesus had molded and shaped them. They were ready, able, and willing to teach others what Jesus taught them. And the new believers in Acts 2 were eager to learn. These believers devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles. The dictionary describes "devotion" as "profound dedication; earnest attachment to a cause." They weren't just interested in "Bible study," they were

deeply devoted to knowing and understanding what it meant to be a follower of Jesus, and how to live their faith. Transform: to change from one form, appearance, structure, or type to another. As the believers in Acts 2 allowed themselves to be formed by the Spirit through the Apostles teaching, they were being transformedchanged from one form or appearancethat of the worldto anotherthat of Christ. They were being transformed by the renewing of their minds (Romans 12:2). They were no longer living under the confines of Jewish law and tradition, but under grace. As their minds were being renewed by the teaching, their whole way of thinking and acting and relating to one another was being changed. The joy of their salvation flowed out into every detail of their lives. They had everything in common (v. 44). Their love and gratitude to God so filled their hearts that they did not look upon their material possessions as their own. What they had belonged to God and was at the disposal of others in the community. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had a need. They didn't drop a handful of coins in the collection basket. They didn't do it to try to earn favor with God. They did it out of overflowing gratitude to God for his overwhelming goodness to them. It was worship, their response to the grace of God. They did it as a result of the teaching of Jesus. They did it out of love for the one who came to give them an abundant new life. They responded by taking their own personal possessions and property and sold them to give towards the needs of others. They broke bread together and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God. God was the source of their actions. Who they were was directly linked to who God is. Together, they were being transformed into a new and different type of community. Those on the outside witnessed this new and different community, and they wanted in. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Matt Skinner writes that Acts 2:42-47 describes "a community of faith that operates in the power of God's Spirit. Justice, worship, and mutuality are not the accomplishments of extraordinary folk; they are the signs of the Spirit within a community of people who understand themselves united in purpose and identity, not a collection of individual churchgoers". Do we as individuals and as a community of believers have a profound dedication to the teaching of Jesus? Are we allowing his Word to re-mold and re-shape us into his image? Are we being transformed by his teaching? Does the joy of our salvation over flow into every aspect of our lives? Are we in turn seeking to facilitate the formation and transformation of the lives of those around us? Are we being spiritually formed by the true potter? Are we the work of His hands, or that of the world?