The Journey--  Questions to accompany reading Chapter 2 

Use these questions to guide your reading of Chapter 2.  This is a very dense chapter, so take your time and give lots of thought and prayer to each question.  It will prepare you for the next few lessons.

Invitation to a Journey- Chapter 2 Being Conformed
1. Spiritual formation is a process of being conformed to the image of Christ.
What does that mean to you right now?

2. What actions or thoughts would be proof to you that this occurring in your
own life or the life of someone close to you?

3. This concept of changing or being changed presents a veritable seesaw
between conforming ourselves and being conformed. There is a massive
issue centering on control. Who is in control? Who is running your spiritual
life?

4. So many of us control most if not all aspects of our lives. What are some
areas you control completely and perhaps haven’t thought about
surrendering to God?

5. There is nothing we can do to transform ourselves other than get out of God’s
way and make ourselves available for God to do that work of transforming
our lives.
What are some of the ways we can surrender our lives to God, that He may
transform them.

6. Our culture and personal choice is to do it ourselves. Mulholland identifies
groups of people (page 27). How does each of these groups manifest
themselves?
Graspers-
Manipulators-
Controllers-
Do you see yourself in one or more of these groups? How so?

7. We are an informational, functional culture- with our books, computers, TV’s,
phones, etc. We seek to possess information.
How can that have an effect on God’s conforming us to Christ?

8. We often identify ourselves by what we do and that doing determines our
being. We work and perform to gain value in the eyes of others. How have
you or someone you love fallen into this trap?

9. We look at an interesting dichotomy- Jesus is called and empowered for
ministry by the Spirit and yet that same Spirit then becomes the speaker in
His temptation about who He was. Temptations go to the heart of who you
are and are becoming. What are some of the temptations you face? How can
God help take this from you?
We evaluate those around us by what they do and how well they do it. If
someone asked who you were how would you describe yourself?

10. this then creates incredible stress on various slices of our culture.
Mulholland looks at suicide rates of adolescents and seniors. He found the
suicide rate of seniors was twice that of adolescents.
If we are basing a person’s worth on what they do and how well they do it.
Then adolescents who don’t have a handle on that identity are vulnerable.
But Seniors who find themselves retired with nothing to do are much more
vulnerable to this type of evaluation because they no longer “do anything”
(page 29). They have lost their identity. How have you experienced this
phenonmen.

11. Have you experienced this? What did it feel like? How did you get through
it? What advice would you have for others facing this dilemma?

12. To realign our doing and our being. Being isn’t based on doing.
Many of us have grown up thinking we will be fine if we do the right things. That in
so doing we will become good Christians. What does the Bible have to say about
this?
What do Matt. 7:21 and 7:22 have to say about this?

13. In the section identified The Great Reversal, Mulholland identifies groups
again. Identify the characteristics of each group
A. Graspers-
B.Information takers-
C. Functionally Oriented-
D. Performance oriented People-

14. So how does letting God bring about His purpose reverse these patterns?

15. How can being conformed present difficulty for those of us who are instant
gratification types?
What advice would you give?

16. On page 31 there is a short paragraph about spiritual formation. How do you
respond to this?

17. On page 32- the book says Jesus points out that being doesn’t come from just
doing. Doing doesn’t necessarily lead to being. How do we work the two.
Spiritual Formation is “ a journey of learning to yield to God and discovering where
God will take us”. What part of your life would you like to yield to God today? This

very minute.

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