Training and Formation

Essay

Every sincere believer begins here. When you receive the Spirit, your heart longs to live well in God’s presence. You don’t want to drift aimlessly; you want to live according to Scripture and stand upright before Him. The problem is, despite this desire, life often falls short.

When I was in Nation A, my desire to live according to the Bible was intense. I pushed myself hard to live the way the New Testament portrays—looking back, maybe a little too hard. This experience resonates with many passionate young believers today. They want to live well but struggle, and in that struggle, they push themselves harder and then face even deeper discouragement.

The more you absorb the New Testament, the clearer one point becomes: its standards are incredibly high. Jesus addressed not only external sin but the very intentions of the heart. It’s not just about not stealing; it’s about handling greed and desire within. Reading Paul and the apostles brings the question: "Is living like this truly possible?"

For many, diving deeply into the New Testament leads to discouragement. It can feel impossible. But that discouragement isn’t pure defeat. Actually, if there’s no zeal, there’s no discouragement. The fact that you’re frustrated means the desire to live by God’s word is real. Discouragement can be the sign that you’ve begun to grasp the New Testament’s true height.

From there, most come to the conclusion: "Spirit-filledness is necessary." That’s true—the New Testament way of life is impossible without the Spirit’s filling. But let’s take a step further. If we think of Spirit-filledness only as a one-time boost at worship or gatherings that fades during daily life, it can lead to doubt. Like a powerful meeting that energizes you but leaves you back where you started as soon as it ends.

That’s why the keyword is growth. Growth takes time. Feeding a two-year-old child won’t make them instantly seven years old. The same principle applies to spiritual growth. No matter how long you read Scripture or how hard you push to become mature quickly, the spirit won’t immediately grow full-sized. In fact, pushing too hard by our own strength can make us edgy instead of deeply grace-filled.

Here we must emphasize the concept of the new spirit—the new self, the new creation. In many Korean churches, doctrines like forgiveness of sins are well taught, but sensitivity to regeneration and the growth of the new spirit can be weaker. Having the Spirit dwell in us means new life has begun. This life must grow, be nourished, and protected.

Meanwhile, balancing identity and spiritual warfare is crucial. Dark influences and spiritual oppression demand attention, but focusing only on those risks blurring one’s true identity. Repeated messages like “You are full of problems” or “You are under darkness” can make a person see themselves as darkness itself. Identity must be strong—even when we appear weak or shadowed, the reborn identity within is beautiful.

Just like Romans teaches, if the Spirit dwells in us, our identity is not our flesh but the new life the Spirit inhabits. When anger rises suddenly, or desire overwhelms, or dark thoughts flood in, we should not instantly identify those as “me.” We can separate: “This is not who I am. I am currently oppressed. My true identity is in God.”

Spirit-filledness is essential. The fullness of the Spirit experienced in worship, prayer meetings, and praise is truly precious. But that fullness isn’t a bucket with a hole that empties completely. Even when it feels like the grace received in gatherings drains out as you live daily, a tiny growth remains within the new spirit. That tiny growth, though small as a millimeter, accumulates and eventually becomes a substantial increase in spiritual stature.

So don’t fall into despair. You might wonder, "Why do I fall again?" or "Why do I recharge but then feel drained?" but that doesn’t mean it’s pointless. Grace stays, the spirit grows. This growth doesn’t come by rushing or forcing it but by regularly feeding, protecting, resting, and avoiding suppressing the spirit with worry or anger.

I want to emphasize: we must help and guard the spirit. Worry oppresses the spirit. Anger and frustration do too. Even in ministry or leading worship, when we try hard to perform well through sheer will, we can actually disrupt the natural flow of the spirit. Sometimes what’s needed is to let go of striving. When we relax our grip, true strength from within can rise up.

The Word is food. Yet, just as the body grows when it eats the right foods at the right time, the spirit grows by consistently and calmly consuming the Word. Eating a lot at once won’t make you mature any faster. Nor will neglecting to feed allow growth. Spiritual growth requires steady, peaceful nurturing, balanced between pushing too hard and being lazy.

Now, let’s distinguish between training and formation. The church has long emphasized training – learning Scripture, setting discipline, applying will, and changing behavior. Training is undeniably vital. But focusing too much on training risks relying too heavily on our own strength, leading either to pride or discouragement when changes don’t last.

Consider military training. In the army, soldiers live by their training. But when discharged, most don’t maintain that lifestyle automatically. Training often stays at the level of actions, effort, discipline, and will. It can feel temporary without forming the person’s inner being. This calls for reflection on the limits of disciple training alone within church life.

Therefore, the concept of formation comes forward. Formation focuses on being. It’s not just about fixing behaviors but about the new spirit and inner self genuinely growing. Discipline and effort are necessary tools for supporting this growth, but they should not be the focus. The heart must be life and the goal stable transformation.

Disciple training should not be discarded. It remains necessary. But it must deepen into disciple formation. All practices—reading the Word, worshiping, praying, self-control, obeying—are not projects to become perfect by our own power. They are ways to aid the growth of the new life God has given us. Training exists for the sake of formation.

Ultimately, the encouragement to hold onto is clear. It’s wonderful to desire to live well in God. Discouragement is part of the process. Spirit-filledness is essential. But it’s not all a cycle of momentary charges and drainings. Grace remains; the spirit grows; small changes accumulate. Rather than pushing yourself too fast, nurture and protect the new spirit and trust the gradual growth that God accomplishes in time.

Content Notes

1. A Spirit-filled person wants to live well before God.

A sincere believer does not want to drift through life carelessly. The Spirit awakens a desire to stand upright before God and live according to Scripture. The struggle begins because that desire is real, yet the actual life often falls short.

2. The New Testament is far higher than human strength.

Jesus and the apostles do not stop at outward behavior. They press into motives, desires, anger, greed, and the direction of the heart. Anyone who reads the New Testament honestly eventually feels that this life cannot be produced by willpower alone.

3. Discouragement can reveal sincere zeal.

If there were no desire to live by the Word, there would be no disappointment. Discouragement is painful, but it can also mean a person has begun to see the true height of the New Testament. It should be brought into grace, not treated as proof that growth is impossible.

4. The New Testament life is impossible without the fullness of the Spirit.

The life described in the New Testament cannot be sustained by mental strength or willpower alone. We need the fullness of the Spirit. Worship, prayer, and praise are real channels of grace that turn a person back toward God.

5. Seeing Spirit-filledness only as charge and discharge becomes exhausting.

If Spirit-filledness is imagined only as being charged in worship and discharged in ordinary life, discouragement grows. A person may feel alive only at gatherings and empty again afterward. But grace is not simply lost the moment the atmosphere changes.

6. Grace leaves growth inside the regenerated spirit.

Even when the warmth of a gathering feels weaker the next day, something can remain. Grace leaves real growth in the new spirit, even if it is only one millimeter. Over time, those small measures accumulate into the stature of the inner person.

7. Growth is a life process that takes time.

A toddler does not become seven years old because someone feeds him a lot in one day. Spiritual maturity works the same way. More Bible reading, more prayer, or more intensity cannot force the new spirit to become mature overnight.

8. Pushing only with zeal can make a person sharp.

A person may read Scripture with the desire to become loving, but if they push themselves only by pressure, they may become sharp, anxious, or irritable. The problem is not zeal itself but zeal without grace, pace, and spiritual care.

9. We must understand the growth of the regenerated spirit.

Regeneration means new life has truly begun. The Spirit dwelling in us is not only a momentary experience; it means a new creation is alive inside. That life must be fed, protected, and allowed to grow.

10. Identity and spiritual warfare must go together.

Spiritual warfare is real, but focusing only on oppression can make a person forget who they are in Christ. Darkness must be dealt with, yet the believer's deeper identity is not darkness. It is the new life where the Spirit dwells.

11. Anger and desire should not be confused with the true self.

When desire, fear, or anger rises, a believer can say, "This is not my deepest identity. I am under pressure, but I belong to God." That distinction protects the heart from shame and helps a person fight spiritually from identity, not despair.

12. The spirit grows when it is fed and protected.

The Word is food for the spirit. It must be received steadily and regularly, not forced in panic or neglected entirely. A peaceful inner environment matters because new life grows through nourishment, protection, and time.

13. Worry and anger can press down spiritual growth.

Worry is not only an emotional problem. It can press down the new spirit and make growth harder. Anger can do the same. Guarding the heart from constant anxiety and rage is part of caring for the life God has placed within us.

14. Even in ministry, there are times to release self-effort.

When leading worship, serving, teaching, or standing before people, the pressure to perform well can become self-powered striving. Sometimes we need to loosen that grip. Letting go is not collapse; it can make room for the true strength God gives.

15. Training has value, but it cannot be the center.

Training teaches discipline, obedience, habits, and action. It is necessary, but if it becomes the whole framework, people can fall into pride when they succeed or discouragement when change does not last.

16. Military-style training can shape behavior without guaranteeing formation.

Military-style discipline can shape behavior while the structure remains, but it may disappear when the structure is removed. Church training can have the same weakness if it changes only habits and not the person's inner life.

17. Formation is the growth of regenerated life.

Formation is about the new spirit, the inner person, and the actual growth of life. Discipline and effort are not discarded, but they become servants of life rather than the center of the Christian life.

18. Disciple training must deepen into disciple formation.

Reading the Word, praying, worshiping, practicing self-control, and obeying are not projects for proving our strength. They are ways of helping the new life God has given us to grow steadily and become stable.

19. Stable transformation comes through accumulated growth.

Change is rarely one dramatic leap. It grows through many small touches of grace: worship, the Word, repentance, obedience, rest, and ordinary faithfulness. Formation trusts that God is building something real over time.

20. The conclusion is to care well for life.

The desire to live well before God is precious. Still, pushing too hard can exhaust the soul. A healthier path is to feed, protect, and give time to the new spirit while trusting God's gradual work.