In early July 2017 I was interviewed for a Sunday morning service on the topic of spiritual formation. Below is the video of that interview from YouTube (I am on the left). The main topic was an explanation of what spiritual formation is along with some discussion of stages of growth. Pastor Dr. Rich Brown of Trinity Alliance Church near Redding, CA did an excellent job of preparing the questions and of conducting the interview, which was the substitute for his sermon that morning. We think it turned out well so I hope you enjoy it.
It begins with some questions about my background. Then we talk about the biblical definition of spiritual growth, the causes of growth, stages of growth, the human role in spiritual growth, and a few other brief topics. Below this video is an approximate transcript of some of the discussion so you can get an idea of it.
RICH: How would you describe what is meant when we say we are studying spiritual formation?
PHIL: It comes from the verses we just looked at. In a nutshell it means becoming like Christ in his virtues, so I call this Christformation, in other words growing from an infant to a mature Christian who is able to love God and love people in deeper and deeper ways. So we look at the what causes spiritual growth and how to apply that to our lives.
…
RICH: There are some real good reasons we talk about stages of growth. What are some of those?
PHIL: …learning about stages of growth helps us to be honest about where we are spiritually and where we need to go. It helps us to realize it’s okay to be where we are…To know which experiences, thoughts and feelings are normal for the stage you are in…
…
RICH: You’ve found the five-fold way helpful to understanding spiritual growth, can you explain it?
PHIL: … [Summary: …it begins with grace, then purification, then filling, then Christformation, then union of love]…[discussion of four stages of watering.]
…
RICH: What do you say to someone who says I don’t really want to grow, I’m content where I am?
PHIL: …I think the most important thing in this area for motivating us is to have a vision of the blessing of being close to God…
We think this discussion will both clarify spiritual formation and inspire you to pursue spiritual growth and your union of love with God!
