Spiritual Formation 201 - Part 13 - Living in the kingdom Day by Day

Last week’s soul training - 3 Days with no Gossip

A Day Without Gossip

All through this series which we are going to wrap up next week, we have been working from these basic principles:

Do what you can, not what you can’t

Begin where you are, not where you want to be.

Take small attainable steps toward change, not impossible steps that lead to failure.

With that in mind, this week let’s work on an area that we often tolerate as a kind of “acceptable sin”: Gossip.

Gossip defined: 1) speaking negatively 2) about someone who is not present.

1. This week, try to go one to three days without gossiping.

(one day is hard for most!)

2. Refuse to entertain the gossip of some one else. (leave or change the subject)

********

Okay....here we are. The last installment of Spiritual Formation 201. We have spent the last 12 weeks looking into the ways and means of developing your walk with Christ. We have looked at a lot of false narratives that can keep you stagnant in your own spiritual formation if not irradicated from your thinking. We have looked at the true narratives that you need to replace the false narratives with.

As I have said from the beginning. Hearing this stuff once. Doing the practices once (which defies the meaning of “practice”) will not cause any change.

This final session of Spiritual Formation 201 is about this one truth: abiding in Jesus is the only path to real transformation and the abundant life.

To “abide” in Jesus, we must arrange our ordinary lives around Him and His teachings, setting our minds and hearts on things above, so that our lives are built on the rock of Christ rather than the shifting sands of culture, self, or religion.

Two false narratives:

Let’s start here. The first false narrative says:

What matters is having faith in Jesus, not having an ongoing relationship with Him.

That’s a lie. Faith in Jesus is not just about a one-time decision—it’s about a lifetime of relationship. Jesus didn’t say, “Believe in me once and you’re done.” He said, “Follow Me.” He said, “Abide in Me.” Faith that doesn’t lead to an ongoing walk with Him is like a marriage where the vows are said once, but no life is shared after. That’s not a relationship. And when Jesus says, “Follow Me” He is not just saying do what I say, but also, do what I do. Live your life the way I lived mine while I was with you. Be intentional about creating margin in your life. Observe and practice the Sabbath. Shabbat = “Stop!”

The second false narrative says:

2. The only way to be a good Christian is to keep all the rules.

That’s religion, not relationship. It breeds legalism and pride on one hand, or guilt and shame on the other. Jesus didn’t come to make us better rule-keepers; He came to give us a new heart. A heart that actually wants what God wants.

Jesus Narrative: Abide in Me and Bear Fruit

Jesus gives us the true narrative in John 15:

John 15:5–8 - 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

The picture is simple but profound. Branches don’t bear fruit by trying harder. They don’t strain or grit their teeth. They bear fruit because they’re connected to the life of the vine. That’s us. Our only real task is to stay connected to Him—to abide. From that abiding, fruit will come naturally: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

The question isn’t, “Am I doing enough for Jesus?” The question is, “Am I staying close to Jesus?” Because apart from Him, we can do nothing.

Four Images, One Point - (Matthew 7:13-27)

In Jesus clarion call to us to live as His apprentices, He uses four Illustrations that essentially make the same point: arranging your life around Jesus and His teachings is the only way to the abundant life.

There is only one way to the abundant life

Matthew 7:13–14 - 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

The narrow gate isn’t popular. It’s not flashy. It’s not the easy way. But Jesus is crystal clear: “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life.” He’s not saying life with Him is miserable. He’s saying life with Him will mean choosing a path different from the crowd. Apprenticeship to Jesus will always look counter-cultural, but it leads to the only kind of life that’s truly life.

2. From the Inside Out

Matthew 7:15–20 - 15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Jesus warns about false prophets, but the principle is broader:

fruit reveals the root.

Transformation doesn’t start by managing external appearances. You can only fake fruit for so long. True transformation comes from being changed on the inside—abiding in Him. When the heart is made new, the fruit will show.

3. There is only one way to the Kingdom

Matthew 7:21–23 - 21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.

These verses are sobering: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom.” In other words, lip service and religious activity aren’t enough. Jesus says what matters is whether He knows us. That’s relational language. Do we walk with Him daily? Do we allow His Spirit to shape us? Christianity isn’t about checking boxes; it’s about being known and transformed by Christ.

4. There is only one way to build a good life

Matthew 7:24–27 - 24 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

Jesus ends with the parable of the wise and foolish builders. Both hear His words, but only one puts them into practice. Here’s the bottom line:

hearing without doing is deception. The storms will come—that’s guaranteed. The only question is: what is your life built on? If it’s built on Christ and His Word, it will stand. If not, collapse is inevitable.

Setting Our Hearts & Minds on Things Above

The only way to nurture my relationship with Jesus is to set my heart and mind on the Kingdom of God. The fundamental building block of an apprentice of Jesus is to live close to Jesus in our ordinary lives. If we can learn how to spend an ordinary day with our minds set on things above, we will have learned one of the most important spiritual exercises in the Christian life.

To build our lives on the rock of Jesus teaching, we need to take control of our time, instead of letting time control us. The most frequent excuse for not growing in our spiritual lives is lack of time. Most of us live at the mercy of our schedule, instead of planning ahead and arranging our schedule around our apprenticeship to Jesus!

This is really where it all comes together. Abiding in Jesus and arranging our lives around Him isn’t about living on a spiritual high all the time. It’s about learning how to live our ordinary, daily lives with our minds set on things above. It’s choosing to orient our schedules, our habits, our rhythms, around Jesus.

Most people say, “I don’t have time.” But the truth is—we make time for what we value. If apprenticeship to Jesus is the goal, then we need to structure our days around that. That might mean practicing silence and solitude. It might mean daily Scripture meditation. It might mean Sabbath rest. But the point is this: you don’t drift into a life built on the rock. You arrange your life around it.

When we do that—when we abide in Him day by day—we discover the abundant life Jesus promised. Not a life free of storms, but a life that stands strong in the storms because it’s rooted in Him.

Closing Exhortation: A Call to Abide

Well friends, here we are at the end of Spiritual Formation 201. We’ve spent twelve weeks together, wrestling with false narratives, replacing them with Jesus’ true narrative, and practicing rhythms of life that help us grow as His apprentices.

And here’s the truth I don’t want you to miss: formation doesn’t happen by accident. As we said at the beginning, you will be formed—one way or another. Either you’ll be shaped by the narratives and habits of this world, or you’ll be formed by Jesus and His Kingdom. There is no neutral ground.

Jesus put it simply: “Abide in Me and bear much fruit.” That’s the invitation. Not, “Try harder.” Not, “Keep the rules better.” But, “Stay close to Me.” That’s it. Abide in Him. And as you do, fruit will come. Transformation will come. Not overnight, but over a lifetime of walking with Him.

Think back to the four images we looked at today. There’s a narrow gate—will you choose it? There’s fruit that grows from the inside out—will you let Him cultivate your heart? There’s the warning about lip service—will you actually know Him? There’s the house built on rock—will you arrange your life around His words so when storms come, you stand firm?

So here’s the final challenge I want to leave you with: I have given you a few extra pages today. One is a recap of all the Soul Training exercises we have done in this 201 course. The other is just a list of some of the most common spiritual practices you can do that well help you grow as an apprentice of Jesus AND help you experience abundant Kingdom Living.

Pick one or two practices from either list and commit to them. Not all of them. Not a dozen new disciplines. Just one or two. Practice them faithfully. Let them become part of the rhythm of your days. Because it’s not in hearing once or doing once that change happens—it’s in arranging your life around Jesus, again and again, day after day.

And when you stumble—and you will—don’t give up. Abide again. When you get distracted, return. When you feel dry, stay connected. Because the Vine never runs out of life.

Friends, the abundant life Jesus promised in John 10:10 isn’t out there somewhere. It’s not reserved for the “super Christians.” It’s here, now, for those who will abide.

So as we close this series, my prayer is that you will walk with Jesus in your ordinary days, with your mind set on things above, and your life rooted in Him. I want my life and your life to bear fruit that lasts. I want my house and your house to stand strong in the storm. And I want my joy and your joy to be made full in Him. Amen?