![]() ![]() When Christians talk about God coming to live in their hearts, it’s the Holy Spirit they are describing. Here are some shortcuts to specific sections of content if you’re in a hurry: So let’s take a deep dive into this topic and see how He can transform you. Knowing the Holy Spirit will radically change your life because He is the way you will experience the life of God within you. ![]() Understanding who the Holy Spirit is, the place He holds within the Holy Trinity and the role He plays in individual lives is vital to anyone exploring what it means to become a Christian and anyone trying to follow Jesus. When theologians speak of the three-in-oneness of God, they refer to Him as “the Trinity.” The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. That’s not a simple idea to get to grips with. But many struggle to grasp who the Holy Spirit is in a way they could explain clearly to someone else. Getting your head around the difference between God the Father and Jesus is one thing. Transformation is evident when a believer is unashamed in presenting his own life as being aligned with Christ.If you want to understand who God is, you need to understand all of who God is. The research noted believers felt it appropriate and even necessary for others to know them as Christians and be held accountable for a life exemplary of that name. Transformation is occurring when relational maturity is evident in our lives. As believers, our horizontal relationships with others should develop just as our vertical relationship with God does. After all, humans are naturally relational. Jesus established the church for our collective good and our collective growth. Our faith is personal, but it is not intended to be private. Transformation is seen when our desire is to know God more deeply and experience His work more fully. It is referred to in Scripture as our “first love,” and believers are commanded to return to it. ![]() A continuous hunger should arise from this life. People become disciples of Christ because they intend to follow Him and become like Him. Transformation is seen in believers when risk aversion is set aside and lives are characterized by faithful obedience to God’s will. Believers participating in the research noted they knew the importance of living by faith as opposed to living by personal strength. But you can see it when it is put into action. Transformation is evident when personal needs, and even life goals, are set aside for the needs we see in others.Ĭan you measure a person’s faith? Probably not. It highlights a maturity of soul that we allow the needs of others to trump our own. The choice to serve others is just that-a choice. Just as Jesus said He had come to serve and not be served, so must believers. Transformation can be seen in them, because they progressively set aside earthly delights for Kingdom priorities. In our study, we found people progressing in their faith prioritize God’s desires over self-will. Transformation can be recognized in people when their minds are sharpened by the Bible, their perspectives are shaped by the Bible and their actions are directed by the Bible.ĭiscipleship is the process of obedience to one who is in authority over you. However, leadership must often begin restating the obvious. It should go without saying believers will be engaged in studying the Scriptures. They are not necessarily new ideas, but they stand out as key ideas in the lives of North American Protestants. We refer to them as the attributes of discipleship. The research revealed eight factors at work in the lives of believers who are progressing in spiritual maturity. However, we did uncover attributes that indicate spiritual growth and/or the desire that growth is occurring. In the Transformational Discipleship project led by LifeWay Research, we did not set out to randomly create objective measurements against which a person’s life would be deemed infantile, growing or mature. Nevertheless, there are biblical injunctions that halt our progress into sin and prescriptions that lead us toward spiritual maturity. A strong case can be made that it is ludicrous to attempt to measure transformation in a person’s life. ![]()
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