This is the final set of questions for the spiritual life checkup.
The recommended article to go along with these questions is Juggling Work and Rest by Ruthann Ridley. 1. Do you deeply desire to go to heaven and be with Jesus?________ Why or why not? 2. Is your life balanced? ________ Explain: 3. Do you have regular time for family, recreation, personal growth, etc.?________ Explain: 4. Do you feel you have enough of a balance of worship, study, and service to stay in spiritual shape?________ Explain: 5. Is there anything you would like to talk about and work on that was not mentioned in this inventory?________ Explain: 6. Are you willing to work with a spiritual director to help you grow in your faith as a disciple of Jesus Christ? Thanks for taking the time to work through this spiritual inventory. May the Lord bless you as you seek to know him better, love him more, follow him more faithfully, and become more and more like him throughout your life. Your Brother in Christ, Pastor Dale
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The recommended article to go along with these questions is Why Bother with Discipleship, by Dallas Willard found at his website.
Part 5: Trusting God and Living for Him: 1. What does it mean to trust God with your finances? How are you doing with tithing? Do you struggle with trusting God to meet your material needs? Explain: 2. How do you think God is calling you to serve him at home? in your workplace? church? neighborhood? Are you able to faithfully follow his call in those areas? In which areas do you struggle? Do you know God's unique purpose(s) in your life?________ Explain: 3. How do you make important decisions in your life? 4. Are you learning to let go of the desire for things?________ Explain: 5. Are you regularly bearing the fruit of the Spirit? ________ Not sure what you mean ________ Explain: 6. Are you regularly exercising spiritual disciplines?________ Not sure what you mean________ Explain: 7. Are you able to exercise your spiritual gifts in your church family?________ What are your gifts? Would you be interested in taking a spiritual gifts inventory? 8. Are you able to share and/or explain to others why you are a Christian?________ What are the main things you would share with another person as to why you are a Christian? Explain: 9. Do you have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others? ________ Explain: 10. In what ways are you serving those who are less fortunate (examples: extending mercy to the poor, the sick, etc.)? 11. Are you concerned with injustice in your community, nation, and world? In what ways are you responding to such things? The recommended article to go along with these questions is a review with Paul Tripp and Timothy Lane about their book, How People Change at CCEF.
1. Are you a more accepting, forgiving, and loving person than you were five years ago? ________ Explain: 2. What temptations have you overcome over the last five years? What temptations do you still struggle with? How do you fight the temptations you face in your daily life? Explain: 3. How do you usually respond to sin in your life? 4. Do you understand what it means to repent?________ Explain: 5. Would you like help in fighting these ongoing sins and temptations as you seek to be obedient to God? 6. Do you understand what it means to become Christlike and find your identity in Christ alone? ________ Explain: 7. Is there anything in your life that you are putting before God? (your family, ambition, comfort, job, etc.)? 8. When you fail, what happens within you? 9. When you succeed, what happens within you? 10. Do you worry or experience fear and anxiety often? ________ How do you respond? Grace and Truth, Dale The recommended article to go along with these questions is: The Mind Under Grace by Darren Marks at Christianity Today
1. How often do you read the Bible? 2. Are you growing in your understanding of Scripture and increasingly putting what you learn into practice? 3. Do you feel you know the Bible well?________ In what areas do you need help? 4. Are your doubts and questions being answered?________ If yes, how? If not, what help do you need? 5. Do you know and understand basic Christian doctrine? Examples include: the character of God, the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, sin, salvation, Christian growth, etc.? What help do you need? 6. In what areas of intellectual life (explaining your faith; understanding basic Christian doctrine; practical applications of Scripture; etc.) are you stronger, and in which areas would you like to learn more? 7. Are you part of a Bible study or small group? ________ If you are, what have you learned that has helped you grow in your faith? 8. What are your reading habits? 9. What kinds of books do you generally read? How have these books shaped your thinking? Grace and Truth, Dale The recommended article to go along with these questions is: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton of The Transforming Center
* When and how did you become a Christian? 1. Do you have a passion to know, love, and follow God?________ In what ways? 2. Do you have a God-centered life? ________ Explain: 3. How often do you attend Sunday morning worship? 4. How meaningful is Sunday morning worship to you? 5. Do you have a regular time set apart for prayer? Describe your prayer life? Is it satisfying? 6. How meaningful is personal devotional time to you? 7. Do you feel you are growing closer in your relationship with God? In what ways do you want know him better?________ Explain: 8. What other spiritual disciplines do you practice? How have they helped you grow closer to God?________ Explain: 9. Do you have a teachable spirit or do you resist instruction and direction from others? Explain: As I mentioned in the Introduction, I would be honored to meet with you (or even correspond with you via email) to pray with you and help you discover ways in which you can grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and Truth, Dale Dear Southside Family,
Continued spiritual growth after we come to faith in Christ is a key emphasis in the Christian faith. We call it sanctification. That’s simply a fancy word that means growing in godliness or holiness. In other words, as followers of Christ, we are called to progressively become more like Christ throughout our lives. Becoming a Christian by repenting of our sin and placing our trust in Christ alone for our salvation is only the beginning. The rest of our lives are to be spent pursuing Christlikeness, in and through the power of the Holy Spirit. The whole Bible points to this truth, but here are a few sample-verses to make the point… John 17:17 – Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. Romans 12:1-2 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. [2] Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. 2 Corinthians 13:5 – Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 5:9 – So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. Ephesians 4:1 – As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Ephesians 5:1 – Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children Ephesians 5:10 – and find out what pleases the Lord. Hebrews 6:1 – Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 Peter 3:18 – But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. This is a common theme found throughout Christian history, especially in the life and ministry of our own John Wesley. Throughout his life and ministry, Wesley exhorted followers of Christ to “go on to perfection” (i.e., spiritual maturity). His General Rules and Covenant Service (see Appendices A and B) are representative of how important this was to him. The following Spiritual Life Checkup is composed of questions for self-examination as well as articles of encouragement and direction. Completing this will not magically or instantaneously make you like Christ. It will, however, give you some indication of how you’re doing on your spiritual journey with Christ and point you to some areas in which you may want to pursue greater growth and depth. This is completely voluntary, and thus, there is no requirement to share your findings with anyone else. However, if you think it would be helpful to talk about what you learned, I would be happy to meet with you to pray, talk about what you discovered, offer appropriate guidance, and perhaps share resources to equip you on your journey. If you belong to a small accountability group, you may also consider sharing your results with your brothers and/or sisters in that setting. Perhaps together you can pray for and encourage one another as you seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. One Last Caveat: Please take your time with this. Prayerfully proceed, asking God’s Spirit to guide you as you reflect on your walk with Christ, answer the questions, read the articles, etc. You won’t get extra credit for completing this quickly. Instead, I deeply desire for you to learn more about yourself so you can better know and love God as well as see and hear the ways in which God may be leading and calling you. PS – a good article to read on this subject is, Your Regular Checkup by Gordon MacDonald PSS - I've read through many great spiritual inventories over the years and indebted to them all. Among the authors of those inventories are Donald Whitney, The C.S. Lewis Institute, and Wallace Benn. Please forgive any duplications of their questions. Please do not hesitate to let me know how I may serve you. Your Brother in Christ, Pastor Dale |