What Is SOUL CARE?
Transformation of the soul is what we’re all after
o God intends it for ALL of us
o involves the whole person
o Involves self denial (Matt 16)
o Must have a desire to change and be open to it
o Need plenty of courage
o Need a community to surround you
OBVIOUSLY
We must get to know God
“What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about you.” Tozier
What is Christian Spirituality ?
1. Set of beliefs: doctrine/creed
2. Leads to set of values (emotion)
3. Leads to way of life (behavior)
A Christian life is the ultimate result
We must have “Apprehension”
o To deepen our relationship with God, we must deepen our knowledge of God and His attributes.
o Relational intimacy presupposes intimate knowledge.
o Spiritual victory over sin is always related to our knowledge of GOD
“Appreciation”
o The degree that we understand God will determine how we appreciate God. We must have LOVE and AWE
o (Eph 1:3-14)
o (Heb 12:28-29)
o (1 Pet 1:17)
Then “Approaching GOD”
(We must do this and it’s up to us)
o We have a promise of a personal relationship
o We have a promise of the savior
o There are different paths (Spiritual disciplines)
o We must abide (John 15= crux)
o Therefore w/o knowledge of self, there is now awareness of Go
THEREFORE WE NEED TO CARE FOR OUR SOULS AND ENCOUNTER OURSELVES:
What is the purpose of Soul Care? (Gal 4:19)
o process of being conformed to the image by the HS for the sake of others. Heaven is not the goal but the destination. Christ formed in you is the goal (Gal 4:19)
What is our part?
o Our cooperation through the spiritual disciplines
o Phil 1:6 (will complete work in us)
o Phil 2:12 (we must be active)
o 1 Tim 4:7-8 train self (gumnazo = gym): Train like Jesus..don’t try, train.
What is the goal of soul care?
• First, understand what the soul is:
What is the meaning of “soul?” (nepesh)
o Assertion of “wholeness” or totality of being human
o Nephesh is a metaphor for the neck which connects the head (intelligence); it holds us together. Without soul we are a jumble of disconnected parts
o Genesis 2: if God’s breath was gone, human beings are gone (P.
• We must form Christ in us; not to just “feel better”
Jesus says:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me.
Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life
I’ll show you how to take a real rest
Walk with Me and work with me-watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
2 core elements
♣ encountering self
♣ encountering God
Understand Self
♣identity formation
“Be self aware not self absorbed”
Being vs. Doiing:
Key to start being “spiritual”: Now view your identity from a biblical sense
Our most life changing choice is to begin to live out of the reality of our new ID in Christ (remember our goal is to be conformed into the image of Christ)
Here are the order of events:
We are:
Formed
Deformed
Reformed
Transformed
Conformed
♣understand personality/ temperment
♣One cannot be fruitful if he/she neglects the source.
Role of scripture KEY
Self examination KEY
But need:
Spiritual Friendships
Centering prayer
Solitude
Simplicity
Make sure you are staying balanced in these four areas. I need to stay reminded of this constantly! God Bless You