Spiritual Life & Disciplines

Part 1 – The Goals of a Believer’s Spiritual Life

Overview of Class

What are the goals of a believer’s spiritual life?• Relationship with God

• Jer. 9:23-24• Hos. 6:6• John 10:14, 17:3• Phil. 3:10• 1 John 5:20

Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord.

What makes life worthwhile is having a big enough objective, something which catches our imagination and lays hold of our allegiance; and this the Christian has in a way that no other person has. For what higher, more exalted, and more compelling goal can there be than to know God?

J.I. Packer, Knowing God, 34.

What are the goals of a believer’s spiritual life?• Righteousness like God

• 2 Cor. 3:18• Eph. 4:12-15• Col. 1:28-29• 1 Thes. 4:3• 1 Tim. 4:7b

What are the goals of a believer’s spiritual life?• Communion & Conformity• Relationship & Righteousness• To know God & Be like God• Closeness & Christlikeness

What do we mean by spiritual life?• The spiritual life of the believer refers to all

that is involved in his relationship with God: his communion with God and his conformity to God

What is God’s design for the development of a believer’s spiritual life?• Providence (“all things” – Rom. 8:28-29)• People (Matt. 28:19-20, Eph. 4:12-15, Col.

1:28-29)• Personal Pursuits – spiritual disciplines

(Phil. 2:12-13, 1 Tim. 4:7b)

…the only road to Christian maturity and Godliness… passes through the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines.

The Spiritual Disciplines are the God-given means we are to use in the Spirit-filled pursuit of Godliness.

Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, 14-15.