Missions

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"Spiritual formation is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ by the gracious working of God's spirit, for the transformation of the world" (Adapted from Mulholland 1993, by Companions in Christ 2004).

This means, in essence, that spiritual formation is a gradual development of our whole being to become more and more like Christ, through the gracious working of the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of reaching the world and leading them in the knowledge of God and of themselves, for transformation through justification, sanctification, and glorification. Jesus said in John 17:17, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." God's word is truth, but knowing the word alone does not always impact our spirituality. True transformation involves more than just mere intellectual knowledge and understanding. It involves the whole person, the emotions and the human heart. One of the key processes that can help transform our inner beings, our emotions and our hearts is meditation. Meditation in Christian context refers to the going through of one's mind about God and His Word, until it gets to the heart and touches the emotions (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-2; 19:14; 63:1-8; Deuteronomy 6:5-9).

The Great Commission is an on-going task of spiritual formation and discipleship. As Christians, we must constantly be aware that when we serve God in spiritual services or in ministries, as layman or missionaries, locally or overseas, not to be caught up in the busyness of things, in superficiality, or hurried routine, but to conscientiously serve the LORD to train the young in faith in the knowledge of self and God, through meditation and leading of the Spirit, in transforming the world for the LORD.

REFERENCE

Companions in Christ (2004) "Companions in Christ Training", Upper Room Ministries, http://www.upperroom.org/companions/tipsarchive.asp?act=details&loc_id=2974&item_id=203312 (Accessed 3 May 2007).

Mulholland, Robert (1993), Invitation to a Journey. Illinois: InterVarsity Press.


For the complete e-book of this article, please read Introduction to Christian Missions.

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