Trinity Adult Sunday School, Week 1

TRANSFORMATION—Week 1— Transformation/Sanctification/Spiritual Formation

I.  Opening Prayer

II. Reading

A Thought from C.S. Lewis

“In speaking of this desire for our own far-off country, I feel a certain shyness. I am almost committing an indecency. I am trying to rip open the inconsolable secret in each one of you…the secret we cannot hide and cannot tell, though we desire to do both. We cannot tell it because it is a desire for something that has never actually appeared in our experience. We cannot hide it because our experience is constantly suggesting it, and we betray ourselves like lovers at the mention of a name.

“Our commonest expedient is to call it beauty and behave as if that settled the matter. The books or music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing…For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.

“…almost all our modern philosophies have been devised to convince us that the good of man is to be found on this earth… They begin by trying to persuade you that earth can be made into heaven, thus giving a sop to your sense of exile in earth as it is… Do what they will, then, we remain conscious of a desire which no natural happiness will satisfy.”

The Weight of Glory. The MacMillian Co., 1949. Pp 4-6.

III. Discuss Reading
            How many of you can relate to this passage?
            What is it that is so elusive?  
            What does Lewis say we looking for?  
            What are you looking for with God?  
            How will you approach your growth in Christ?

IV. Transformation
Romans 12: 1,2—what is the “mind”, and why does it need renewing?  Emotions, Intellect, Will.  The Heart.

Romans 8:16; 8:26-29 “conformed to the image of His Son”
            What would that look like?  
            Does anyone feel like they are already conformed to His image?
            In what way?

How does the Holy Spirit work in our lives? Are you aware of Him working in you?  How?
1. Lead with the Body – Roman 12:1,2
2. Open the Heart – Ez. 36: 26 and Jer. 31:33—this is where the Holy Spirit can transform
3. Ministry of the Holy Spirit – this is a relational process between you and God


V.  What is Spiritual Formation?
“The divinely sanctioned process and means by which believers are conformed to the image of Christ by the filling of and union with the Holy Spirit for the sake of others.”

This is an exciting ride! Just as the Trinity is relational, so is our journey to conforming to the image of Christ.  Not only are we joined to Christ as individuals, but we are joined to Christ as a Church.  Spiritual Formation is both individual and corporate.  We’re in this together!

What are some ways we can pursue our relationship with God as an individual?  As a church?

This growth is a process that will take our whole lives.  Phil 1:6

The Bible speaks of SANCTIFICATION.  It’s a joining of the Holy Spirit with us in making us more like Jesus.   (look at verses for Transform and Sanctify)

Transformation takes time and attention on our part, but wedon’t actually do it. The Holy Spirit makes the changes in us that help us more resemble Jesus.
If we coulddo it, then the Law is good enough and Jesus died in vain (1 Cor 15:14)  But we needed a Savior.  We know we are sinners-- that’s why we’re all here!

John 15:5—What does it mean to “abide in the vine”?  Why does Jesus say we can’t do anythingwithout Him?

Augustine, Luther, Aquinas—they all believed that there is a FINAL end (“telos”) to everything that we do, that it will color every other goal in life.  Transformation should color all the other parts of our lives.

We’ve heard the phrase “in Christ”.  What does it mean?  

How do we move to a position where Christ is the center of everything we do?
            Not just a peripheral thought
            Not just for Sunday
            Not compartmentalized in our lives

Let’s find out how the Holy Spirit indwells us individually and corporately!  How does the Holy Spirit bring Transformation about in the real world?

VI.  Prayer and Meditation during the week
Pray for 20 minutes. Ask the Holy Spirit and your soul what it means to be ‘transformed’.  Where in your life do you see the Holy Spirit at work?  How does He work?  
Take time during your prayer to be still, to listen to what is happening in your heart.  What are your thoughts?  Write them in your prayer journal.

VII. Time of prayer for personal concerns

VIII. Song--  Amazing Grace

IX.   Closing Prayer

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