If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every single time. Unfortunately, this is the default of much spiritual living. Call it “incidental transformation.” A person goes to church a few Sundays each month, has a group of Christian friends that they regularly associate with, and may even be a regular listener to a podcast of a well-known ministry leader. Whatever life-change they experience is incidental—almost accidental. They weren’t aiming for any growth objective and, therefore, they aren’t necessarily conscious of the impact their church, community, podcast, or any number of things might or might not have on their life.
Contrast this common experience with “intentional transformation.” This person is aware of undeveloped aspects of their spiritual life and wishes to mature as a disciple of Jesus. The Apostle Paul urges Christians toward this conscious pursuit,
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)
The Philippians could no longer count on Paul’s spoon-feeding and would need to intentionally attend to their salvation—or sancitification—in his absence. Spiritual growth is cultivated in community and through various activities. But, each Christian is personally responsible to join the Holy Spirit in this lifelong pursuit.
The Core Competencies give the Christian something to aim at. They do not form a complete list of Christian beliefs, virtues, and practices. But, they are “core” or central. Let’s take a moment and better understand each set of competencies.
CENTRAL BELIEFS
Knowledge is what a disciple understands to be true. Before belonging to Jesus Christ, people neither seek truth nor under-stand truth (Romans 3:11). Because they do not possess the Holy Spirit, they cannot understand spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:14). The Bible describes this condition as “foolishness”—being dull to the wisdom and ways of God. In fact, the fool denies the existence of God, despises correction, hates instruction, is impulsive in passions and decisions, speaks proudly and is bent on destruction (Psalm 14:1-2).
However, when a person turns to the Lord, he gives them his Holy Spirit who, in turn, gives them the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:12, 16). With this new spiritual disposition, the Christian is able to “grow in the knowledge of the Lord,” increasing understanding of God and his ways (Colossians 1:10, 2 Peter 3:18). Though the accumulation of knowledge may be nothing more than the mere appearance of maturity for some people (1 Corinthians 8:1), for the truly mature it is the foundation for their spiritual zeal (Proverbs 19:2, Romans 10:1-3). As they read God’s Word, they desire, understand and apply spiritual truth that sets them free (John 8:32).
The Bible, in its 66 books, is filled with life-changing truth. But in a limited discipleship relationship, there are some truths that must take priority for the growing believer. At Central Bible Church, we refer to Central Beliefs—essential truths that every Christian must understand. Many of these competencies were originally proposed in The Connecting Church, by Pastor Randy Frazee. Since then, Central Bible Church has modified the list to the following Central Beliefs:
- Authority of the Bible
- Church
- Eternity
- The Holy Spirit
- Humanity
- Identity in Christ
- Jesus Christ
- Life Purpose
- Personal God
- Salvation by Grace
CENTRAL VIRTUES
Virtue, or character, is what a disciple becomes. It refers to the inner virtues cultivated by the Holy Spirit. As a believer is conformed to the image of Jesus, they think and talk and act like Jesus—the proof of a heart increasingly transformed. Peter describes this change in 2 Peter 1:3-8,
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Several spiritual principles are stated in this powerful passage. First, God, through his Spirit, has provided every Christian what we need to live a godly life. Second, according to the promise of God, we are able to “participate in the divine nature”—becoming like Jesus—and escape the corruption of the world (see also Romans 12:1-2). Third, since we have this potential, we should intentionally “add to” our faith all of the virtues mentioned. Finally, as our character is conformed to Christ, we become productive and effective in our life with Jesus.
Character is essentially the “overflow of the heart.” The Christian wants to be loving, gracious, merciful and kind at the core. But, even before the believer experiences this inward change, they can choose to act according to these and other character traits. Very often, the Bible commands the Christian to show love, be gracious, act mercifully or treat people with kindness, with the expectation that as they cooperate with the Holy Spirit, they will learn to be what they do. In other words, their actions will form their character.
Like knowledge, there are dozens of character traits that God wishes to refine in the Christian. The following 11 Central Virtues are especially important:
- Gentleness
- Grace
- Faithfulness
- Hope
- Humility
- Joy
- Kindness/Goodness
- Love
- Patience
- Peace
- Self-Control
CENTRAL PRACTICES
Practices are what a disciple can do. These are the skills or aptitudes of the spiritual life. Just as a child learns how to walk, ride a bike, or drive a car with age, so the Christian develops skills that help their spiritual growth and make them more fruitful in their service to God. Historically, many skills have been called “disciplines” of the spiritual life. As opposed to “works” that people do to gain favor with God, disciplines are healthy spiritual habits inspired by grace. They are practices that overflow from a person’s relationship with God.
Just as the vision, knowledge and character mentioned above are normative for the Christian, so these skills should be normative as well. If I were invited to someone’s home for a meal and they were feeding their 13-year-old son, I would form one of two conclusions: Their son was lazy or their son had a developmental difficulty that prevented him from being able to feed himself. Similarly, we must conclude that Christians who do not pray, share their faith, or practice financial stewardship, for example, are either lazy or spiritually deficient. A growing disciple becomes increasingly proficient at spiritual skills.
Like the other competencies, there are dozens of skills that God wishes to develop in the Christian. The following 10 Central Practices are especially important:
- Bible Study
- Biblical Community
- Compassion
- Disciple-Making
- Evangelism
- Generosity
- Prayer
- Single-Mindedness
- Spiritual Gifts
- Worship
No doubt, the reader will ask, “But, what about _____?” and will wonder about some foundational truth, some character trait, or some skill not mentioned in these lists. Where is the imminent return of Jesus, or faith, or fasting? Remember that none of the lists are intended to be exhaustive. They are foundational. More important is that the disciple has a list—a core set of essential truths, virtues, and disciplines that become the focus of their spiritual development.
Each of the brief chapters that follow will give the reader a snapshot of one Core Competency. Included is a credal statement that summarizes the competency and a key verse from Scripture. No doubt, the reader may identify more meaningful texts to support any competency. The goal here is not to be complete, but to highlight specific dimensions of the spiritual life where the maturing disciple may focus their attention. Hopefully, this little book will sharpen your aim.