Spiritual Formation
On this page, we explore new ideas for the formation of our spiritual life in Jesus Christ.
Who Am I? Rooting Your Identity in the Image of God
by Bob Robinson
The wonder of being a human being is that you are created in the
“image of God." However, sin has cracked the image in
humanity so that we have deviated from the original plan for our development, no
longer living out the wholeness and beauty of being image bearers. The gospel
places those with faith in Jesus Christ back on course toward God’s intended
goal for us – to be fully human, glorifying God as the imago Dei.
Moving Away from the SIN-SALVATION GOSPEL and toward the FULL STORY GOSPEL
by Bob Robinson
The Gospel that worked in the 20th Century may not work in the 21st Century. The reason is because it is truncated. It only speaks of "Sin and Salvation" and not of the COSMIC GOSPEL that transforms all things. Here is a diagram that pictures the difference (pdf file).
The Good News that Conquers Our Predicament (The Gospel of the Kingdom of God)
by Bob Robinson
"...I'm hoping to know and teach a Gospel that is true to Scripture - and the Gospel that I see in the Bible is COSMIC (big enough to redeem all of Creation) and RELATIONAL (getting at the root of the Fall—the loss of our relational capacities)..."
Friend of
Kuyper - an online resource from Bob Robinson
Features many, many articles on spiritual formation from a neocalvinist worldview.
by Scot McKnight (pdf format)
"...What did Jesus mean by "kingdom of God," and what did he have in mind—in real world living—when he packed his vision into this expression?"
Dallas Willard interview
"...I ask pastors 'does your gospel have a natural tendency to produce disciples? By disciple I mean someone who is learning from Jesus how to lead their life as he would lead their life if he were in their place. The New Testament defines a disciple as someone who is with Jesus learning how to be more like him..."
by Scot McKnight (Book Excerpt)
Mary, the mother of Jesus—who was
she, really? What kind of woman would compose a song as powerful as the
Magnificat?
The real Mary was an unwed, pregnant teenage girl in first
century Palestine whose response to the angel Gabriel shifted the tectonic
plates of history. Far from the saccharine caricatures so often seen today, the
Mary of the Scriptures was a woman of courage, humility, spirit, resolve and
guts. By meeting this Mary, the first disciple and teacher of Jesus, we are
brought even closer to her Son.
In his warm style, backed with biblical scholarship, Scot
McKnight travels through the contours of Mary’s life as she struggled to come to
terms with the mission that her son would accomplish.
The Evangelical Mind Today by Mark Noll
It hasn't sold as many copies as Left Behind, The Prayer of Jabez, or The Purpose-Driven Life, but historian Mark Noll's The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind has arguably shaped the evangelical world (or at least its institutions) more than any other book published in the last decade. In the October issue of First Things, Noll looks at what has changed and what remains in his critique: "The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind." (First Things has devoted much space to discussing the book over the years.) "I remain largely unrepentant about the book's historical arguments, its assessment of evangelical strengths and weaknesses, and its indictment of evangelical intellectual efforts, though I have changed my mind on a few matters, Noll writes.
A Chart that will explain the meaning of life
Imago Dei--The Image of God in Man
Why are Small Groups So Important?
by Bob Robinson
"...Friendship—community—is one of the richest experiences you can have in life. It makes you a more loving person. It keeps you steady in the storms of life. It alleviates aloneness. We are transformed into the people we are meant to be in the context of relationships. God has wired us to know and be known, to love and be loved, to serve and be served, to comfort and to be comforted, to celebrate and to be celebrated...That is what Small Groups (also known as Growth Groups, Home Groups, Community Groups) are all about!...
The Centre and the Circumference
by Al Wolters
"...All the structures and patterns of society, all
the capacities and possibilities of culture, all the relationships and attitudes
of our personal lives, exist by virtue of God's creative power. Language,
sports, art, the family, commerce and friendship are as much part of the created
order as stars and lakes, plants and animals. All the everyday activities of our
ordinary lives are made possible and upheld by the Creator's almighty power..."
Neo-Calvinism 101 by Derek Melleby
"...Neo-Calvinism is not just reformed, it is reformational. Whereas reformed
theology tends to emphasize the reformation and purity of the Church, reformational theology, while based on solid doctrine, uses this doctrinal basis
to be about the reformation of all areas of life..."
The Radical Life and Thought of Abraham Kuyper by Matt Swanson
"...He was also a prophet of the first order, calling all of society to a radical vision of faithfulness to its Creator...the example of the way he lived his life and the core of his theology are very empowering for the church of our time as a model of how to live in the world and transform it for the Kingdom of God..."
Spiritual Formation: What it is, and How it is Done by Dallas Willard
"...Spiritual formation in the tradition of Jesus Christ is the process of transformation of the inmost dimension of the human being, the heart, which is the same as the spirit or will. It is being formed (really, transformed) in such a way that its natural expression comes to be the deeds of Christ done in the power of Christ..."
Never Alone by Scot McKnight
Scot McKnight tells us about his favorite authors, and ends with these words: "With such good friends, we desultory readers are never alone."
SPIRITUAL FORMATION: A Pastoral Letter by Richard J. Foster
"..any genuine understanding of Spiritual Formation and its immense importance for the lives of individuals and churches is as remote as ever..."
MORE TOOLS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
NEW BIBLE STUDY:
In-depth biblical exposition from messages Bob has preached over the years
The ABC's of Bible Study Helps
This is a bibliography of Bible study helps can help you as you seek to understand God.
Spiritual Formation from RENOVARÉ
Richard Foster has been led by God to offer the Church an opportunity for deep spiritual development. Follow the above link for the questions that will lead you to a deeper walk with Christ.
