Category: Spiritual Theology

The theology of spiritual growth & sanctification

Forces That Ruin Fellowship – Lesson From Second Century

Posted on by

Why did koinonia and dynamic church life fade in Christianity? Many of us sense that church should be more relational and that everyone should be able to develop and exercise their spiritual gifts. Without this church seems more like a spectator experience (or a “busy-ness” experience) than a participation experience. By the end of the 2nd century several forces began to combine to reduce koinonia, or fellowship, in the Christian church. Fellowship became less important in the Church’s spiritual theology (the theology of spiritual growth.) Understanding these forces will help us to avoid the same problems today and recommit ourselves to true koinonia. As you read this list you might ask yourself if there are similar forces today that interfere with koinonia. Here is a list of some of the forces: 1. The Church was focusing on teaching proper doctrine so believers would not be led astray. Christianity was experiencing Continue Reading →

Is Our Highest Calling Worship or Evangelism?

Posted on by

Subtitle: The Great Commission, the “Great Catechism”, and the Great Commandment Sometimes we hear people debate a Christian’s greatest calling. A couple of professors from Liberty University (one teaches at the seminary) posted an article that reflects this debate very well. They ask: “So is it worship or evangelism? Which one is our greatest calling that deserves our most fervent effort?” They go on to say that the two are so closely connected that both deserve our top attention. (The article is about two pages and can be found at http://www.lifeway.com/Article/great-commission-worship-witness-evangelism.) In my experience worship and evangelism have been the activities most mentioned in American Christianity as the most important things we do. But is this what we find in the New Testament? Are worship and/or evangelism taught as the most important things that all Christians are called to? Strangely, the authors of the article don’t actually cite any verses Continue Reading →

Part 2 -When We Explain/Consider Our Faith What Is Our Central Theme? Spiritual Marriage

Posted on by

If loving God is the greatest commandment why do we find the theme of “union” of love in Church history? Isn’t it going beyond scripture to add “union”? The great spiritual writers believed it was biblical because scripture is very clear that our love for God is not unrequited; He returns the love (which He initiated in the first place). Our relationship of love produces a union, since each one is loving the other and receiving love from the other. Mutual love produces union, as Colossians 3:14 states: “Beyond all these things put on love, which is [a]the perfect [grk. teleiotes] bond of unity.” (NASB) Footnote [a]: lit. ”the uniting bond of perfection”. We experience this union in part now but it is “not yet” fulfilled. One day our love will be consummated; but that will only be possible when we are completely transformed so that we can be fit Continue Reading →

Part 1-When We Explain Our Faith What Is Our Central Theme? The Union of Love.

Posted on by

When we think or talk about our faith do we focus on our union of love with God or do we focus on lesser matters? Do our hearers understand that God is the author of ultimate relationship or do they feel like we are trying to prove the faith? How do we speak to ourselves about what our faith is about? I believe our union of love with God in Christ is the grand unifying theme of biblical theology and spirituality. Every element of the gospel is best understood in the context of His desire to be in a strong and loving relationship with us and His desire for us to live in community with fellow believers. He wants to be our Father, our teacher, our lover, and our friend. Jesus summed this up in Matthew 22:37 by saying that the greatest commandment was to love God with all your Continue Reading →

How Serious Spiritual Theology Will Make Us More Effective In Our Culture

Posted on by

The church is the community of truth but equally important it is the community of friendship and unusual love. The Church Fathers repeatedly taught believers to pray for the government and be good citizens even though Roman leaders were far more capricious and dangerous than present day Western leaders. The unusual love of believers for each other as well as for their enemies was a light that quickly attracted thousands all over the Empire. The reason the believers acted that way is that they had an informal spiritual theology (i.e., theology of spiritual growth) that taught loving others was even more important than defending doctrine. Defending doctrine or morality before unbelievers has its place but loving them first was more important. Today we can do what the early Church did if our doctrine and practice are integrated. Unbelievers today are still attracted to kindness and generosity. Many world cultures are Continue Reading →