Teaching notes used at Life Transforming College international - 601, Spiritual Formation and Leadership (SFL).

1. Purpose 3
Sections 22-28 (pages 169-223)
Why is
discipleship
essential?

2. You Were Created
To Become Like
Christ
Purpose 3
Sections 22-28 (pages 169-223)

3. You were created
to become like
Christ!

4. How We
Grow
Section 23 page 179 - 184

5. “God wants us to
grow up...like Christ in
everything”
Eph 4:15
“We are not meant to
remain as children”
Eph 4:14 (Ph)

6. God
wants
you to
grow up

7. Many Christians grow older but
never grow up.
Spiritual growth is not automatic -
you must be intentional,
wanting, deciding, making an effort.
Discipleship - the process of
becoming like Christ - always
begins with a decision.
The first disciples did not
understand all that was involved -
but they took a decision, a
commitment.

8. Every choice has eternal
consequences - so
choose wisely;
2 Peter 3:11
Since everything will be
destroyed in this way,
what kind of people ought
you to be?You ought to
live holy and godly lives

9. God’s part and your part
Christlikeness is the result
of making Christlike
choices and depending
upon the Spirit to help
you fulfill those choices.
You let go of old ways,
intentionally develop new
ones, and be certain the
Holy Spirit will help you in
this.

10. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always
obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much
more in my absence—continue to work out your
salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who
works in you to will and to act according to his good
purpose.
Php 2:12-13

11. The work out part is your
responsibility - the work in is
God’s role, God works with us,
not just in us.
This is not about salvation but
Christian living: God has given
you a new life now you have to
work at it, just like working out
to get fit, or working out a
problem, or working the land to
get a harvest.
Fear and trembling means it is a
serious business.

12. Changing your autopilot
Life change requires thought
change.
Many people try to change their
life through sheer determination
(your own strength), and often
it works for a while - Warren
likens this to trying to change
the course of a speedboat set
on autopliot to go east but you
change it’s course by strength
and make it go west.

13. The alternative is to deal
with the root of the problem
- change your autopilot.
Rom 12:2
Change always starts in your
mind, with the way you think
- so this change has to be the
first in spiritual growth.
The way you think
determines how you feel,
and this then affects the way
you act.

14. Eph 4:23 NLT
...to be made new in the
attitude of your minds;
In the NT this is described as
repentance - the Greek
word literally meaning ‘to
change your mind’
When you take on Christ’s
view of things repentance has
taken place - thinking about
God, yourself, sin, people, the
future, life...anything.

15. Php 2:5 Have this mind
among yourselves, which is
yours in Christ Jesus...
...a process which has
two parts;
1. Stop thinking
immature thoughts
- these are self centred
and self seeking - 1 Cor
14:20 - babies are selfish,
not giving they only
receive -

16. Rom 8:5 Those who live
according to the sinful nature
have their minds set on what
that nature desires; but those
who live in accordance with
the Spirit have their minds
set on what the Spirit
desires.

17. 2. Start thinking maturely
- this focuses on others not
yourself - 1 Cor 13:11
Biblical knowledge is helpful in
maturing us - but it is not the
only way to measure maturity,
and in fact such measurement
can be misleading.
Our beliefs must be matched,
shown by, Christlike behaviour.

18. Rom 15:2-3 Each of us should please his neighbor
for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not
please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those
who insult you have fallen on me."
Thinking of others is the heart of Christlikeness
and the best evidence of spiritual growth. Such a
way of thinking is rare, counter-cultural and
difficult - but God has given us his Sprit to help us
live it out:
1 Cor 2:12 We have not received the spirit of the
world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may
understand what God has freely given us.

19. Key Verse:
Rom 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind.Then you will be
able to test and approve what God’s will
is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

20. Ask yourself:
What is the one area where I
need to stop thinking my way and
start thinking God’s way?