This document discusses the formation of disciples through spiritual practices. It suggests that disciples of Jesus are formed through intentional practices like fasting, meditation, study, service, and identifying with Jesus, rather than through creating "Christians" or focusing on the church. The early disciples saw themselves as learners in Jesus' way who were being transformed into his image through such practices.

2. Our Father, above us and
all around us …
May your unspeakable
Name be revered.
Here on earth may your
commonwealth come.
On earth, as in heaven, may your will
be done.

3. Give us today our bread for
today.
Forgive us our wrongs as we
forgive.
Lead us away from the perilous trial;
liberate us from the evil.

4. For the kingdom is yours and yours alone,
the power is yours and yours alone, and the
glory is yours and yours alone,
Now and forever. Amen.

5. Al-le-lu-ia
Al-le-lu-ia
Al-le-lu-ia
Amen

7. Christian faith as way of
life

10. Do we envision Christian faith
working from the individual to the
global, or from the global to the
individual?
Or both?

11. Heat
Solar Energy
Prosperity
Resources
Waste
Equity Security
Societal Machine
The Ecosystem

12. Prosperity
Equity Security
4 Crises:
Societal Machine
Planetary crisis (Prosperity)
Poverty crisis (Equity)
Framing Story
Peace-making crisis (Security)
! Religious Crisis (Spirituality)

13. 4 Crises: The Human
Situation: What
Conventional View
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
Emerging View
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
is the story that
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did groups – have rebelled against God and
we find not maintain the absolute filled the world with evil and injustice
ourselves in? perfection demanded by God, like a terrible disease. God wants to save
God has irrevocably determined humanity and heal it from its sickness,
Planetary crisis (Prosperity)
that the entire universe and all it but humanity is hopelessly lost and
contains will be destroyed, and confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
the souls of all human beings – wandering farther and farther into
except for those specifically lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
exempted – will be forever human beings will spiral downward in
punished for their imperfection sickness and evil.
in hell.1
Basic Since everyone is doomed to Since the human race is in such desperate
Questions: What hell, Jesus seeks to answer these trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
questions did questions: how can individuals question: what must be done about the
Jesus come to be saved from eternal mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
Poverty crisis (Equity)
answer? punishment in hell and instead the general human condition and its
go to heaven after they die? How specific outworking among his
can God help individuals be contemporaries: living under domination
happy and successful until then? by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message: Jesus says, in essence, “If you Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
How did Jesus want to be among those groups – including your own religious
respond to the specifically qualified to escape leaders - are leading you farther and
crisis? being forever punished for your farther astray. I have been sent by God
sins in hell, you must repent of with this good news – that God loves
Peace-making crisis (Security)
your individual sins and believe humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
that my Father punished me on God graciously invites everyone and
the cross so He won’t have to anyone to question and reject what they
punish you in hell. Only if you have been told and instead follow a new
believe this will you go to path. Trust me and become my disciple,
heaven when everyone else is and you will be transformed, and you will
banished to hell.”2 This is the participate in the transformation of the
good news. world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3 This is the good news.
! Religious Crisis (Spirituality)
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant

14. Jesus didn’t claim to start a new
religion. He proclaimed a new
kingdom....

15. kingdoms relate to
prosperity, equity,
security, and religion ...

16. heaven
world
church
self

17. God’s love, joy, peace,
justice
world
church
self

18. This approach has powerful
implications for what it means to
identify as followers of Jesus in
today’s world.

19. 261
versus
3

20. 261
versus
0

21. Did Jesus come to create “Christians”
or to form disciples who would join
God in healing our world?

22. Clearly, for the early
disciples, the church was
an expanding circle of
disciples. It was “the
embodiment of Christ.”
They saw themselves as
learners in his way.

23. come, follow me
Learn of me, take
my yoke upon
you
I have given you
an example
Make disciples,
teaching them to
practice
everything I have
taught you

24. Be conformed to the image of
Christ. Romans 8
Be transformed by the renewing
of your mind. Romans 12
… that Christ may be formed in
you. Galatians 4
Learn Christ… Be made new in
the attitude of your minds
Ephesians 4
Christ in you, the hope of glory
… everyone fully formed in
Christ Colossians 1
Let this attitude be in you which
was also in Christ… Philippians 2

25. This kind of personal spiritual
formation involves intentional
spiritual practices (or
disciplines):

26. Actions within our power which we do
to train ourselves to do things
currently beyond our power, and to
become people we are currently
incapable of being.
- Running a marathon
- Making or playing a violin
- Learning a language

27. For example, fasting:
- Feeling and acknowledging our weakness in
the face of impulses from our bodies.
- Practicing impulse control.
- Asserting to ourselves the importance of
things other than impulse gratification.
- Accepting weakness and “poverty” in faith that
greater strength and satisfaction can come to
us.
- What benefits could come from this practice?

28. The sermon on the mount
Explains how disciples of the kingdom are characterized by a “right/just
way of living” which “surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees.”
Different attitudes: blessed are …
Different role - salt and light
Beyond “no murder” to no hatred, anger, insult, or grudges
Beyond “no adultery” to no lust or divorce
Beyond no lying to no exaggeration
Beyond no excessive revenge to no retaliation
Beyond loving friends to loving enemies
Beyond harsh religious “perfection” to God’s compassionate
perfection.

29. How are disciples formed?
Through practice(s).
___public worship ___solitude ___sabbath
___meditation ___eucharist ___silence
___study ___spiritual direction
___practicing God’s presence ___prayer journaling
___fixed-hour prayer ___contemplative prayer
___service ___submission ___simplicity ___feasting/
fasting ___pilgrimage ___self-denial
___identifying with Jesus ___reconciliation
___giving ___confessing sin ___reciting creeds

30. How are disciples formed?
Through practice.
___public worship ___solitude ___sabbath ___eucharist
___silence
___study ___spiritual direction
___practicing God’s presence ___prayer journaling
___fixed-hour prayer ___contemplative prayer
___service ___submission ___simplicity ___feasting/
fasting ___pilgrimage ___self-denial
___identifying with Jesus ___reconciliation
___giving ___confessing sin ___reciting creeds
But this is only half the story …

31. Spiritual Formation through
personal practices.

32. Spiritual Formation through
missional practices.

33. Jesus calls disciples -
men and women who
will learn to live a new
way of life and
experience
transformation.
Then he sends them out
as apostles … people
who would bring
transformation to the
world.

34. the well-formed disciple/apostle
Love God! ! ! ! Love neighbor, enemy
Via Contemplativa! ! Via Activa
Good heart! ! ! ! Good works
Trust!! ! ! ! Obey
Transforming (1)! ! Transforming (2)
Disciple! ! ! ! Apostle
“interior castle”!! ! kingdom of God
godliness! ! ! ! otherliness

35. the well-formed disciple
patient kind not envious
doesn’t boast not proud not rude
not self-seeking not easily angered
no record of wrongs doesn’t
delight in evil rejoices with
truth always protects always trusts
always hopes always perseveres
never fails

36. The purpose of
personal
formation is
social
transformation

37. And social
transformation
requires personal
transformation.

38. There must be ongoing
transformation at every
level:
Economic, political,
social, familial,
community, artistic,
ecological, legal,
business, military,
scientific,
educational, etc.

39. How are disciples formed?
Through personal practices.
___public worship ___solitude ___sabbath
___eucharist ___silence
___study ___spiritual direction
___practicing God’s presence ___prayer journaling
___fixed-hour prayer ___contemplative prayer
___service ___submission ___simplicity
___feasting/fasting ___pilgrimage ___self-denial
___identifying with Jesus ___reconciliation
___giving ___confessing sin ___reciting creeds

40. How are apostles formed?
Through missional practices.
___forgiving ___hospitality ___praying for healing
___not judging ___confronting evil ___serving
___listening ___associating with the lowly
___holy kiss ___speaking truth in love
___neighborliness ___loving enemies
___preferring poor ___speaking for justice
___proclaiming good news in word and deed
___giving to poor ___throwing parties for poor
___walking to other side of street to serve
___giving ___encouragement ___empathy

41. How is the world
transformed?
Through
communities of
people
participating in
transformation.

42. Does Christ’s
church have a
mission?
Or does Christ’s
mission have a
church?

43. As the Father sent me,
so I send you.
(John 20:21)

46. … the church is the community
that joins God for global
transformation on every level …
It is a community of transforming
individuals who participate with
God in the transformation of the
world: the coming of the
Kingdom of God.

47. transformation
transformission

48. Spiritual formation is the
development of people who are
agents of God’s healing …
Agents of peace, reconciliation,
creativity, courage, patience,
urgency, generosity, solidarity with
the poor and oppressed, truth-
telling …

49. Working out the dynamic tension …
Social movements:
Confront social institutions, call for change
Social institutions:
Conserve gains made by previous social
movements
Oppose current social movements

50. the well-formed disciple

51. the well-formed apostle.

52. the well-formed earth.

54. 1. Adopt Jesus and the gospel of
kingdom as your primary message
2. Read and preach Scripture from a
Christ/gospel focused- perspective.
(Tent, not flat or tilted)
3. Learn your
environmental address.

55. 4. Learn your social context ...
study, but especially get out and
ask.
5. Speak to government
and civil society leaders
6. Develop a theology of
movements, institutions, and
communities.

56. 7. Develop a range of simple,
doable, durable practices and
projects for people to get involved
with.
8. Make space for people to issue
calls to form new mission groups.
9. celebrate small wins

57. 10. Keep it spiritual ...
watch language, monitor love for
enemies, pray, reconcile, surprise
with acts of kindness, interpret in
light of Scripture.

58. Come.
Follow
Me.

59. world
church
self

62. self
church
world

63. world
church
self