Posts in Spiritual Formation
Book Review for Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age
Book Review for Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age

Overall, the book is a much-needed and helpful lens change for Christians caught up in the negative and despondent discourse of our day. Zylstra and Hansen joyfully turn the spotlight to how God is working, examining Christians who continue to joyfully follow Christ in difficult circumstances. They write: “[These Christians are] still showing us the way of resolute hope in hostile cultures. They expect to fight for faith amid this world that put Christ to death on the cross.” I believe this book will help Christians to remember that God is still the King and is always in charge. With that in mind, perhaps we can follow these “gospelbound Christians” and live that way as well.

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Spiritual Formation, Learning from ChinaEF Gregory
The Ways of Discipleship In Our Church
The Ways of Discipleship In Our Church

It is difficult to do discipleship. It needs to be comprehensive, not only in terms of knowledge, but also in the practice of piety, which includes love for others, and evangelism. It is not easy to do discipleship well in a comprehensive way…Discipleship is related to the specific context and growth of our churches. It is difficult to simply copy a discipleship system from another region, country, or culture. In the case of my own church, our discipleship mechanism has been developed gradually and organically.

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Pastors & the Church, Spiritual Formation杨传到 Preacher Yang
Sharing Grief: A Statement on the Atlanta Shootings
Sharing Grief: A Statement on the Atlanta Shootings

Finally, we call upon Christians and churches to pray. Pray that churches would tirelessly work for the Gospel, knowing that only the gospel can ultimately heal, forgive, and redeem. Pray for those who weep and mourn. Pray for justice to be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Pray that Christians would speak up for the marginalized. Pray that churches would be prophetic voices calling for change, justice, reconciliation, and peace.

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Spiritual FormationChina Partnership
The Voice of Chinese Sisters: "The Lord Suffers With Us"
The Voice of Chinese Sisters: "The Lord Suffers With Us"

The Lord sanctifies us through his Word, the Spirit, and the Church. God tells us to care for one another, encourage one another, build one another up, love one another, and exhort one another. We need others to help us when we are weak, and we need their counsel when we are prideful. We usually react in two ways to suffering: either we are extremely weak and discouraged, exposing our true nature, or we might think we are strong and consequently look down on others, judging them and feeling self-righteous in our heart. While the Spirit can give us supernatural peace, God prefers to comfort and help us through our brothers and sisters whom we can see. This is because when we love one another, others will recognize that we are his disciples.

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Women, Spiritual Formation王建国 Wang Jianguo
Connecting the Gospel with Life
Connecting the Gospel with Life

Chinese culture emphasizes good works. Believers have a tendency to focus on works but ignore grace, and so undermine the importance of our relationship with God. Counseling is helping them to ponder how their theology is connected with God…How can we understand our struggles—our situation—in a more biblical way? How can we use what God has given to us to address marriage, parenting, depression?

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Women, Spiritual Formation, Theology & SermonsChina Partnership
Gospel Renewal: Matchless Grace
Gospel Renewal: Matchless Grace

What is gospel renewal? It is good news grown afresh in the soil of the spirit. It is the work of Jesus hitting the heart. It is freedom by grace, and love apart from achievement. It is roots that stretch deep and hold tight through the fiercest storms. Gospel renewal begins as a fresh and individual realization that God’s love and acceptance is yours in totality. Of course, although gospel renewal begins as personal transformation, by definition it does not stop there, but grows into communal revival for the church, the body and bride of Christ and the manifestation in our world of God’s eternal kingdom. Gospel renewal is entire communities of believers who, together, cling to Jesus.

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Spiritual Formation, PrayerEF Gregory
Looking Back on KL2020: Confidently Waiting, Come What May
Looking Back on KL2020: Confidently Waiting, Come What May

I have an enriched understanding, view, and acceptance of suffering and the way of the cross…Christ is with us. Christ is for us. And Christ will never leave his bride alone. When we face the darkness of the night and trials of the day, we have a great high priest who understands the pain and sorrow found in this world. If we allow him to, he can and will fix our eyes on him and comfort us with his presence. With this I can say that I am “confidently waiting come what may.”

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Spiritual Formation, Testimonies & StoriesChina Partnership
Looking Back on KL2020: An Amazing God Was With Us
Looking Back on KL2020: An Amazing God Was With Us

God has been present with us, leading us into this battle, showing that he is leading. We are just following him. Even though there are storms, as long as God is with us, we press on.

And not just me! Among such a group of pastors, this is the common story. God is building a community who shared this experience. People go back to that moment and share and get energized to push forward. It was a great mark in my life and in many people’s lives. The lasting effect will only be known in five or ten years. God is building a community through these small battles in the midst of a big warfare.

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Spiritual Formation, Testimonies & StoriesChina Partnership
The Year We Embrace the Truth of Immanuel
The Year We Embrace the Truth of Immanuel

Christ’s birth was an act of fellowship and identity with a broken, suffering, sorrowing world. The hardships of 2020 are not ones to forget and move past. This is the year we embrace and live into the truth of Immanuel. Though our hurting communities live in isolation for the moment, today we fellowship in spirit with Chinese and other Christians around the world who have known and understood this truth much longer than us…Will you take 2020 with you into 2021? Do not let this opportunity pass you by.

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Learning from China, Spiritual FormationHannah Nation