Prayer, Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Disciplines

To make our daily living an offering to God… a living prayer… we need direction, discipline, a guide and tried and true paths. Christ is our guide. Spiritual disciplines are a disciple’s response to his grace. They are the means through which we genuinely grow spiritually. They are our means of spiritual formation.

Dr. Robert Mulholland, Asbury Theological Seminary professor, offers an excellent definition of spiritual formation: “It is a process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others.” Maturing disciples intentionally seek spiritual formation throughout their life. Spiritual disciplines are tried and true “holy habits” that provide the means for allowing Christ to reside and rule more fully in our lives. The Fruit of the Spirit we find listed in scripture are the evidence of the Spirit’s work of grace and remarkable transformation in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22.

In our Methodist tradition, John Wesley defined the “means of grace” in this process of spiritual maturation as what we call “Expressions or Deeds of Faith” and “Expressions or Deeds of Mercy.” These are intentional acts of devotion, in response to grace, that disciplined, “methodical” Christian disciples seek to focus on in their daily living:

At First Church, we seek to foster prayer, spiritual formation and spiritual disciplines through three primary settings:

• Worship
• Bible Study
• Service to Others

Our pastors will be sharing more with us over the next few months the concept of Worship Plus 2.  Stay tuned.