Fall Focus Essentials Opportunities
There is no doubt that as Christ followers, we deeply desire a life that is ever-growing in relationship with God. We long to be formed – actually, transformed – to be more and more like Jesus.
But desire and longing don’t automatically bring about the spiritual formation we are searching for. We are constantly being molded (for better or worse) and we often misunderstand or get off track in what we think it looks like to be shaped spiritually. We might not know where to start or may even believe spiritual formation is just a new term for the things we are already doing. Sometimes we end up frustrated that we never seem to make much progress in specific areas of our spiritual lives.
Spiritual formation is not a checklist of practices. It is not increased religious activity or learning more facts about the Bible. To grow more like Jesus, we have to always be seeking to be more available, more intentional and more willing and open – knowing that this process will be lifelong.
At Pulpit Rock we want to bring some focus to this collective desire and provide help to overcome some of the common ways we misunderstand or get off track in our spiritual formation. The Essentials can be a part of this path.
The Essentials is intentionally curated content around 6 foundational aspects of our formation. Each course provides engaging group discussion, opportunities for self-reflection and guidance for the process of spiritual formation. Key topics include:
Identity in Christ, Encountering God in Scripture, Finding Your Purpose in the Kingdom of God, Experiencing Victory Over Woundedness and Sin, Meaningful Relationships and Community and Learning to Prioritize Beliefs Well.
We invite you to engage in your spiritual formation by being a part of The Essentials and the opportunity to continue to grow more and more like Jesus.
The Courses
Identity in Christ
When it comes to your personal faith journey, nothing is more foundational than finding your identity in Christ – it’s what we were created for. The list of things fighting for this sacred role in each of our lives is long and can lead us away from the truest thing about us as children of God. This course is a great first step into your spiritual formation journey.
Experiencing Victory Over Sin and Woundedness
Do you find yourself discouraged with woundedness or sin in your life that you feel you “should be healed from already”? This discouragement is normal and is not for a lack of faith or effort. Healing was a priority to Jesus and was just about all he did in either practice or teaching. Jesus always went to where the pain was. Wherever there was human suffering, Jesus went to it and was concerned about it NOW and he was about its healing NOW. We weren’t created to just go on struggling with these things. Learn how to develop a spirituality that reaches to the hidden, deeper levels of our pain and suffering because if we don’t get to that deeper level, nothing really changes. Healing awaits.
Encountering God In Scripture
How do we read our bibles without harming ourselves or others? Can I interpret scripture accurately without a theological degree? What is so important about context? Engage with questions like these and many others as we walk through really important guardrails for encountering God in scripture. God gave us scripture for this very reason – to encounter and come to know our Creator.
Meaningful Relationships and Community
We were created for Christian community, one that is very different from any other type of group. Our best growth happens through deep community, where the implications of following Jesus are worked out together. But the truth is we often don’t understand the environment needed for relationships to grow, or we make community all about ourselves. We’ve even started to lose some essential relational skills in our current world. This course will help equip us to see others better and learn to engage in transformative relationships.
Finding Your Purpose in the Kingdom of God
When we begin following Jesus, we enter into a kingdom that includes our participation. Our faith is not just for us to consume, but to actively display and live out in the places we live, work, and play every day. What does it look like to participate with God in his Kingdom work? It’s not as difficult as you might think, but it does take intentionality. In this course, discover your identity as a “sent” person, living an active kingdom life with God.
Learning to Prioritize Beliefs Well
How we respond when we encounter believers in Jesus who disagree with us over doctrinal issues says a lot about our spiritual formation. We were not meant to fight and divide over every issue of theology, doctrine or truth. The early believers held tightly to a few central doctrines and had healthy disagreement about most other issues.
In our day this posture is more important than ever. Developing a sense of what beliefs matter most to our faith and what beliefs we should hold with grace is part of healthy spirituality. Learn how to have a well-ordered theological framework, so that you can navigate our complex world with wisdom.
