5: Spiritual Formation: Can a Disciple be a DIY Christian from Home?

Contents:

• Baptism (Matt 3:13-16; 28:19; Rom 6:1-10)

• The Lord’s Supper/Communion (Luke 22:17-20; 1 Cor 11:17-34)

• Church Attendance (Heb 10:24-25; 1 Pet 5:18-19)

• Bible Study (Acts 17:11; 18:26)

• Financial Giving (1 Tim 5:17-18; 2 Cor 9:6-7; 1 Cor 16:1-2)

• Call to Action

Maybe it is best to add some qualifying questions to set the stage:  

1. Should a disciple be a home-alone participant of the church?

2. Is this what Jesus modeled for his disciples?

3. Has the mandate of Genesis 1:26-28; 9:1, 7; Acts 1:8 changed over the last six-thousand years of God’s kingdom calling?

The simple answer is: “No.” Please read on!

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20, English Standard Version).

Christians are to be disciple-makers: you “go,” “baptize,” and “teach” until the end of the age. As reflected in previous blog posts on this site, the work of the church as “disciples” is to carry this out, to not only make disciples and plant more churches, but to spread God’s kingdom that is among us until he culminates it in eternity (the creation/kingdom mandate of the verses listed above). Spiritual Formation is a participatory practice, not to be done alone. The church is Christ’s body, and he gives the body a warning:

“But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you...” (1 Cor 12:18-21a, English Standard Version).

So, now we turn our attention to see how spiritual formation aids in identity and inclusion of all the members, remembering that Christ has given a working outline in Matthew 28:18-20 for this. Individual local churches and denominations have their individual preferences toward practices , but doctrinal understanding is from the Bible. My point here, due to space and time, is not to debate, but to suggest a simple understanding; your responsibility is to go and be a Berean,

“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11, ESV).

Baptism (Matt 3:13-16; 28:19; Rom 6:1-10).

This is usually done soon after a confession of faith has been made and the new disciple has been explained the identification process and testimony to the church, as well as the witness it presents to the world. It symbolizes leaving the old life behind, and being raised to new life in Jesus (I personally like to use Col 2:6-15 as my text for conducting a baptismal service). This is identification in Christ (life, death, new life, and mission), and into his body (the church) being the instrument of his work on earth.

The Lord’s Supper/Communion (Luke 22:17-20; 1 Cor 11:17-34).

This is a family of God activity that many churches do not allow a new believer to participate in until they have been baptized. The Lord’s Supper/Communion commemorates Christ’s first coming in giving his body and blood to initiate the New Covenant (Matt 26:26-29), thus symbolizes our hope and expectancy of Christ’s second coming where he will again drink it with believers in his kingdom (v. 29; See also Heb 9:26-28).

Church Attendance (Heb 10:24-25; 1 Pet 5:18-19). 

There is much that needs to be said here, but this will be reserved for a future blog post where time and space can be given to it. The church fills a training and spiritual building aspect, a care and nurturing aspect, a social aspect of family building in community, and a means of having accountability in disciple-making and disciple-sending according to the New Covenant (Matt 26:26-29), New Commandment (John 13:34-35 with Matt 22:37-39)., and the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20; 24:14). It is here you come to separate from the world and learn a culture based on God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This includes the metanarrative story of God as taught and preached in the local church during times of meeting and in small group gatherings. When we do not stand together and learn to do our part (See Romans 12-15; 2 Cor 12-14; the Letter to the Ephesians; and 1 Peter 4:7-11 for starters), we run the risk of being picked off as a weak member of the herd,

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Pet 5:8-9a, ESV).

Bible Study (Acts 17:11; 18:26).

It is just not enough to expect to get all the Bible you need in a short 2 to 2 ½ hour church service of Sunday school and sermon (and this depends too on how often one attends church per month). Here is where I recommend you study up on small groups, purposes for them, and why you should be in one. In the future, be looking for a blog post on “Seven Reasons for Utilizing Scripture” that I think will be a good reminder and reference tool for any disciple to use in prioritizing a disciples regimen.

Financial Giving (1 Tim 5:17-18; 2 Cor 9:6-7; 1 Cor 16:1-2). 

Simply put, providing for those who spiritually feed you is a loving and responsible thing to do (Gal 6:6-10). There are often benevolent funds in the church to help those who are struggling to pay bills, there is the cost of running the facilities we meet in, the resources used for worship and instruction, etc. Simply put, life cost, and ministry is no exception. Your giving is needed. For anyone who has served as a missionary where you have to raise 100% of your support, or even part of it, you understand what I mean! (Perhaps another idea for a future blog post!).

Call to Action. 

The first thing you should do is connect with your pastor/elder leadership team at your church and have them explain the church/denominational doctrine and practice on these areas. Next, I would recommend a study with a Bible concordance on the occurrences and meaning of these spiritual formation activities from the text of the Bible. I would also recommend the simple series from the  9Marks books (see below) for a better understanding. Every disciple should be familiar with how (both spiritual disciplines and spiritual formation) is applied to the disciple’s life to be an effective and productive member of the body and ambassador for the kingdom of God.

Where to go to find the extra help you need:

[1] 9Marks, Building Healthy Churches, “Bookstore,” 9marks.org,  https://9marks.myshopify.com/collections/9marks-publications.

[2] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, Second Edition: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994, 2020).

Every believer – a disciple of Christ!