Question #6 - Besides praying, reading my Bible, and going to church, are there other things I need to incorporate into my spiritual journey to help me grow?

Opinions are diverse on the elements of spiritual formation (the process of having the character of Christ formed in us- Gal. 4:19), but it would be safe to say that at least five branches of spiritual formation are necessary for a balanced and thriving Christian spirituality.  But let’s start with a well-defined idea of what Christian spiritual maturity/formation is:

What is spiritual maturity?

• A definition of spiritual maturity- Spiritual maturity is the community-located, Spirit-driven progression towards loving God with our entire being by loving others as God loves them and trading in one kingdom for another as Christ is formed in us.

• Starting from the last phrase- First and foremost, spiritual maturity is Jesus Christ being formed in our inner-being (Gal. 4:19).  At the core of who we are, seated on the ruling chair of our attitudes, will, desires, thoughts and actions is Jesus. 
• A community-located, Spirit-driven progression - This forming of Christ in our own lives is not a one-time event, but an ever-growing journey, an ever-increasing surrender with many new challenges and obstacles.  But the active agent in this inner-transformation is not our own determination, but a continual surrender and cooperation with the Holy Spirit.  And it happens in the God-ordained context of Christian community.
• Towards loving God with our entire being - Jesus Himself identified this command as the chief commandment (Matt. 22:36-38).  With all our thoughts, deeds, goals and affections, we should be constantly striving to love God and find wonder in His presence.
• By loving others as God loves them - Jesus identifies the second greatest command as loving your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:39-40) - the idea being love as God loves.  But, our emphasis is on the little word “by” for loving others seems to be the greatest demonstration of our love for God (Matt. 25:31-46; Rom. 12:9-10; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8; 1 John 3:14, 17-18; 4:7-8).
• And trading in one kingdom for another - The gospel Jesus preached (as did Paul, Peter, and the other apostles) was a gospel of the “kingdom” (Matt. 4:23; Acts 28:23), that is - an invasion of the kingdom of light into the kingdom of darkness; an entire shift in allegiance, values, priorities, and direction.  The Christian life is counter-culture and spiritual maturity is an ever-expanding kingdom-trade.   

In light of this definition, how do we get there?  What are these five areas for a balanced Christian life?

• Word ~ We need to be attentive to God’s instructions in the Bible.
• Worship ~ Both corporately and privately, we need to cultivate a lifestyle of awe and wonder of God.
• Inner Life ~ Would include prayer, but also the observance of communion and baptism, the practice of the spiritual disciplines like solitude, silence, fasting, simplicity, etc…, not as a “works-righteousness”, but like what an athlete does by taking practice shots before a game.  With the spiritual disciplines, we give the Holy Spirit greater access to our souls by giving Him space and quiet to work.
• Kingdom-advance ~ This is outreach to others with the good news of Jesus Christ and His death, resurrection and salvation.  This is producing disciples of Christ.  This is also engaging in the necessary spiritual war that we are in.
• Social justice ~ This is the practice of helping those who have no other place to turn: the poor, the oppressed, the invalid, the mentally challenged. 

The use of these practices, in combination, should provide a more balanced approach in which we are “knowing”, “doing”, and “being” the Christian life.