Holy Spirit and God

Spiritual Transformation Through Community

Importance of Community for Spiritual Transformation

Accountability

Process of Growth

Biblical and Theological Foundations

Jesus Christ

Love

Holy Spirit

Community Transformation

The broad theme that this research project will endeavor upon is to what extent is there a necessity of community within spiritual transformation. Transformation can be thought of on many different levels that include on a personal as well as a corporate level transformation. It is reasonable to assume that every individual in the Body of Christ must align themselves fully on an individual basis so they are in a position to make their optimal contribution to the community and the church can move in its fullness of power and purpose. However, it is also reasonable to believe that the power of the collective Christian community is far greater than just the sum of its parts; that ultimately, there should be a Christian community transformation as being a light to our local and earthly community.

Every individual believer must come to terms with their responsibilities to acquire a Kingdom mindedness, and learn to mitigate any personal ambitions that deter from the pursuit of this perspective. The research question can thus be stated as "how does the of the connection of the individual to the community facilitate spiritual formation on all levels?" It is the responsibility of the local pastor and elders to empower the people to strengthen the bonds, in both directions, and work together with the empowering provided by the Holy Spirit. With basic assumptions things in mind, the thesis statement of analysis will be "the community of believers as a collective unit plays a foundational role in each individuals' spiritual development and transformation of the community on a collective and holistic level."

II. Importance of Community for Spiritual Transformation

A. Purpose

"When Jesus came to his first disciples, he came to them with his word, and was present with them in bodily form. But this same day Jesus died and rose again. How is his call handed on to us to-day? To call us: "Follow me," Jesus no longer passes us in bodily form as he passed by Levi the publican . . . Who are we to come forward and volunteer for such an extraordinary and unusual life? Who is there to tell me and others, for that matter, that we are not acting on our own initiative and following our own wild fancies?

(Bonheoffer, 1959)"

Bonhoeffer (1959) poses some tough questions to be answered about the role of the community in The Cost of Discipleship. If you compare the experiences that the first disciples had with Jesus directly, with the circumstances that congregations must face in today's contemporary period, there are obviously substantial differences. The scriptures represent the only witnesses we have today of Christ's presence in the material world as it existed in its humanly life and our faith rests on the unity of Scriptures; "who tells us that the Pauline Christ is as alive for us to-day as he was for St. Paul?" (Bonheoffer, 1959). Indeed, if people were forced to rely on Scripture alone, it is reasonable to suspect that this would limit the understanding of Christ's presence would be limited to a small segment of the population, not everyone can access, interpret, and understand the meanings that lie within the strings of words contained in Synoptic Gospels for example. Even for adept Biblical scholars, using the texts to find "substance", that is unlocking symbolism and metaphor, can make it difficult to extract underlying messages that allow these texts to speak the messages contained on their own terms (Volker, 2015).

However, if we have accepted our own personal calling to serve God, and believe every person is a child of God and humanity is created in the image of God, then through the scriptures we must be necessity define our own faith in terms of our community. The writer of the letters of John emphasizes how important it is to treat each other as brothers and sisters who love one another (Dyck, 2012):

"If anyone boasts "I love God" and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both."

(1 John 4:20-21, The Message)

Fortunately, the Christian tradition has been passed down with far more than the written word alone. Also, accessible to all individuals in humanity are networks of other followers who have congregated and founded communities in the name of Christ to help us expanded upon our own faith, as well as facilitate spiritual growth in others. The bond that Christ can offer men and women from all walks of life is unprecedented in its powers of attraction. There are different levels of community that can be postulated from the local community that we are most intimate with, to the global community of believes, and then to all humanity. Although there must be tactical considerations for any level of community in which we engage with, it is also reasonable to suspect that the basic underlying principles of integration apply to all levels of congregations of differing sizes and scopes.

1. Accountability

The bonds that form in a community do not always manifest without conflict however. Each individual, despite having a unifying faith on the deepest level, may also have points of departure in their personal interpretation of scripture or even broader themes in Christianity itself. To overcome such challenges, Dyck (2012) has developed a system of empathizing with the perspective of others as a route to restoring a collective cohesion in the community of God.

Holy conferencing isn't for convincing others that we are right. It is for listening to others in such a way that we understand better why they hold their beliefs. The scripture's observation that someone might be "strong on opinions but weak in the faith department" could apply to any of us! It's the next line that holy conferencing seeks to draw out: what part of another's history brings them to their perspective?

(Dyck, 2012)

Every community of faith can disagree internally about the ideal ways in which the church can follow Christ's presence. However, in building the types of communities that can provide the foundational role that can foster spiritual development on differing levels, these challenges must therefore be identified and overcome.

B. Principles

People come to the church from many different circumstances and walks of life. Assuming that you know where an individual is at in their path along their own personal spiritual development can be one of the most fundamental of all mistakes in fostering relationships with Christ. Dyck (2012) recalls one lesson that was learned in the mentoring from Bishop James S. Thomas when he spoke of his own story that claimed that he used to say that the truth was clear to him when he was thinking his own thoughts by himself, but it was when he was in the presence of others that it all got confused; he had to confer with others to see more sides or angles or perspectives on whatever the matter was at hand (Dyck, 2012). However, to face these challenges, one must develop a sense of tolerance and humility in our own internal perspective, before we can relate to the perspectives of others.

C. Process of Growth

John Wesley believed that we first need to "order [our] conversations right" and he wasn't a stranger to confrontational, emotionally charged conversations about deeply held beliefs (Dyck, 2012). Whether we are engaging in a discourse with other believers, or in one with a non-Christian worldview altogether, there is bound to be sources of conflict at almost any level of spiritual growth.

He (Wesley) emphasized the need to converse "always in grace." Again, this means to give the other person the benefit of the doubt, to assume the best instead of the worst, to listen deeply

("Preface to Sermons on Several Occasions," § 9-10, in The Works of John Wesley, Vol. I, Sermons I, ed. Albert C. Outler, Abingdon, 1984).

While most people might naturally shy away from such conflict, or at least feel an internal sense of righteousness in the presence of conflict of ideas, the greater the conflict, the greater the opportunity for spiritual growth. That is to say, we should not fear those that think differently or interpret scripture differently than us, or even life in general, rather pursuing a dialogue based on empathy, understanding, and above all, love, can overcome virtually any crisis or conflict that can work to divide a community.

III. Biblical and Theological Foundations

A. Jesus Christ

Ultimately, all things must be rooted and grounded in the Word of God. This is so because it is the only foundational truth to build upon. Anything that does not line up with what God says will eventually sink. Although there are many different interpretations of biblical foundations, for Wesley, the ultimate goal of sanctification was "to renew men's and women's hearts in (God's) image (Dieter, Hoekema, Horton, McQuilkin, & Walvoord, 2987). Wesley's views were based on his understanding of the works that the early church fathers produced, which was a unique line of interpretation when compared against some other arguments that have been produced by other lines of investigation.

Wesley taught that sanctification begins at conversion, when the Spirit regenerates the heart of the believer, and that it's appropriated by faith, the same way that salvation is. Sanctification is "faith working by love": not merited but appropriated by faith. When a Christian appeals to God in faith for the power to live a life of Godly love, the Holy Spirit takes away his or her "bent to sin" and replaces it with a "bent to loving obedience."

(Dieter, Hoekema, Horton, McQuilkin, & Walvoord, 2987)

Wesley believed that man is basically completely and utterly depraved until, through grace, they begin their journey to God through the recognition of their inner moral compass as an indication of the grace of God; the first step towards salvation.

" . . . the beginning of the process by which God begins to lighten the darkness of the Fall for all men and women; it will bring those who faithfully receive it to saving grace, sanctifying grace, and grace for the life of love."

(Dieter, Hoekema, Horton, McQuilkin, & Walvoord, 2987)

There will always room for a Christian to develop in maturity, but after the path towards salvation begins, believers must rely on a range of various assets to enjoy a greater degree freedom from all works of the devil and of all sin.

Is there then sin in him that is in Christ Does sin remain in one that believes in him Is there any sin in them that are born of God, or are they wholly delivered from it Let no one imagine this to be a question of mere curiosity; or that it is of little importance whether it be determined one way or the other. Rather it is a point of the utmost moment to every serious Christian; the resolving of which very nearly concerns both his present and eternal happiness.

(Wesley Center Online, N.d.)

Wesley took his interpretation of the role that sin has in the lives of Christians very seriously; as one of the cornerstones of the foundations of "Church" in itself. Wesley grappled with the early interpretations of sin compared to those of later scholars such as the Germans who made the case that sin in the flesh and sin in the heart could be differentiated in some capacity. One interpretation is the role of the "inward" sin, the sin of thoughts and inner workings, and the "outward" sin, the types of sin that manifest in the flesh and the blood realm of the material world. The dialectical nature of these two forms of sin serves as one of the most central of the biblical foundations that ultimately define the role of the community in its role of transformation in the Church's body. In a sense, the role of sin in the path of salvation sets the most fundamental of all objectives in the path(s) that are available in pursuing salvation.

1. Love

If one ever wants to find an example of anything, Jesus Christ is that example. His importance will also explicate the power of love that he portrayed and demonstrated towards community. One of the most central to Christ's message of salvation, a message that resounds above all others in virtually all texts, is simply one of love.

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35

The second is this: "Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these" Mark 12:31

If we assume that love is one of the central guiding paths towards salvation, then the question becomes how to best understand love, and apply it not only to our most intimate communities and Churches, but also to those we might consider as "enemies". This implies that on some level, a sense of community is not limited to the Church. However, for the Church to engage with the broader society in an efficient and effective manner in its effort to spread salvation, then it must function as a cohesive body that operates with some unison. Jesus Christ is that example, his examples highlight the importance that will also explicate the power of love that he portrayed and demonstrated towards community

B. Holy Spirit

The path towards greater salvation often begins with small steps. The Holy Spirit is the great keeper and guide of the saints. A successful community will need such direction and the works of the Spirit can provide this direction.

Spiritual transformation is the process by which Christ is formed in us . . . for the glory of God, for the abundance of our own lives, and for the sake of others.

(Galatians 4:19; Romans 8:29; Romans 12:1, 2)

Yet, the spiritual transformation that the Holy Spirit builds in us, as a vessel of Christ's love, cannot often be defined in any manner in which communicable in the form of rigid plan, one that resides in black and white terms.

To work to fully develop our personal transformations, as well as those who reside in our most intimate level of community, with must trust the guiding nature of the Holy Spirit. However, at the same time, this does require use to embrace humility, wonder, and above all, a sense of the mysterious. In fact, everything we affirm as central to our Christian faith is somewhere in Scripture referred to as a mystery (Barton, 2011).

The mystery of God (I Corinthians 2:1) . . . We are servants and stewards of God's mysteries (I Corinthians 4:1) . . . The mystery of God's will (Ephesians 1:9), the mystery of Christ (Ephesians 3:4) . . . the mystery of the Gospel (Ephesians 6:19), the mystery of marriage which is applied to Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:31, 32) . . . the mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27) . . . God's mystery which is Christ himself (Colossians 2:2) . . . the mystery of the faith (I Timothy 3:9) . . . just to name a few.

(Barton, 2011)

There is no clear path to salvation and spiritual transformation that applies to all cases and to all walks of humanity. Rather, at some level, we must fully embrace the uncertainty that is inherent in the physical world and trust the mysterious nature of the Holy Spirit to guide us in our collective journeys. With that being clearly stated and understood, we can do our best to provide the right conditions in which we believe that spiritual transformations and development are most likely to manifest in our communities.

IV. Community Transformation

The theologian, John Wesley, is the father of Methodism, and some of the theology he imparted has already been introduced in the foundations section. However, the core concentration of his theology will discuss the portion of his Works of Piety as it pertains to community transformation directly. To be more specific, his views on Christian Conferencing or more accurately Holy Conferencing, may be more relevant today than ever before. The strategy of using societies to spread the Word and Methodism across America and abroad have never faced an environment as challenging as the one that is present in the contemporary period. For most of human history, things changed at a relatively slow pace. However, in today's world marked by globalization, the instantaneous exchange of information and ideas, and many other social and technologically driven transformations, the power of community has never before become as critical to creating the right conditions in which a path towards salvation is best facilitated.

However, many giants of the Christian faith in which shoulders we stand upon today, also faced similar circumstances in their own spiritual development, and John Wesley serves as a great example, to which I could find no better.