This is all about changing one’s mind (the narratives we believe) to let our thoughts be centered on the things of God. We adopt the true narratives of Jesus through reading God’s Word, reading books on growing in faith, listening to podcasts or sermons, and many other ways to be taught through the mind how to follow Jesus. This concept is centered around Romans 12:2, which says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your minds.”

This is essential to becoming more like Jesus, but it’s also hard to do well. Participating at River Valley Church on Sundays and in the community should encourage us to bear up one another’s burdens, celebrate together, and suffer together if necessary to be transformed into the image of Jesus. A church community can check in with us when we listen to the wrong narratives or slack in soul-training exercises to keep us growing to be more like Jesus together.

Other descriptions for soul-training exercises are spiritual disciplines, practices, or formation. Whatever language you prefer, they are actions one takes to become more like Jesus. This is where apprenticeship takes shape. Imagine a plumber apprentice just sitting in a classroom for 500 hours learning through their mind to become a master plumber, but they never actually put their hands on a sink to change out a faucet. Would you trust them to renovate your bathroom? You need to step outside the classroom of learning about Jesus to engage in hands-on exercises like prayer, fasting, silence & solitude, simplicity, celebration, community, serving the poor, hospitality, and whatever else Jesus did.

All of these things are woven together by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Many individuals try their hardest to change just by their willpower. Some do change. But the transformation required by Jesus is only realized through the Holy Spirit working in our minds (narratives), in our bodies (exercises), and in social context (church community). He can be active in our hearts when we read a Christian book on spiritual formation or this blog that you’re reading. He can give us renewal while practicing the discipline of fasting or speak to us through the mouth of another Godly friend. Without the leading of the Holy Spirit, this is just another dead religion.