KCU/04/Group 1
Topic 2: How do people grow?
Question: Do more research into the four models of spiritual growth discussed in How People Grow & give a more detailed explanation & support for each of the models. Then, in light of your research, which model(s) of how people grow would you choose & why? (If the group cannot come to a consensus, feel free to have different group members each express their own opinions.)
Introduction Spiritual growth is an important aspect of every person’s life. According Dr. Henry Cloud’s and Dr. John Townsend’s book How People Grow, four models of spiritual growth: the sin model, the truth model, the experiential model, and the supernatural model. The purpose of this paper is to explore each of these models and to determine the positive and negative aspects of each model.
The Sin Model
According to Cloud and Townsend, the sin model states that "all problems are the result of one's sin" (Cloud and Townsend 16). In order to grow, a person must purge themselves of sin, and then their problems will go away. In this model, the greatness of a person’s suffering is directly related to how much they sin, or “indicative of the measure of his guilt in the eyes of God” (Intro to Job 723).
Later in How People Grow, however, they note that this view of growth does not necessarily work. Rather than focusing on being under the law, one must focus on being under the grace of God. Being under the law inhibits growth because it makes the grower feel that “God is the enemy” and that “we get what we deserve” (Cloud and Townsend 67). Various characters just in Bible history are examples that contradict the sin model, namely Job.
The very first verse of the first chapter of Job describes Job as being "blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil" (New International Version. Job 1.1). Job was the victim of incredible suffering, yet he was not guilty of a significant amount of sin whatsoever. Satan himself inflicted the suffering because he believed Job was “righteous only because it pays” (Intro to Job 723). How could this be possible? Author Edward Baldwin notes that according to various psalms and proverbs of the Bible such as Psalms 1, Proverbs 3:9-10, Proverbs 16:20, and Proverbs 16:31, “ if a man was righteous, happiness, including prosperity and long life” would be his reward from God (Baldwin 130). Job’s friend Eliphaz supports this by saying, “As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it. At the breath of God they are destroyed; at the blast of his anger they perish” (New International Version. Job 4.8-9). Throughout the Book of Job, his friends insist that “all suffering is caused by antecedent sin” and that Job’s suffering, therefore, must be caused by his unrighteousness (Baldwin 137). Eliphaz later accuses Job of various sins, such as stealing, selfishness, and pride, and he insists that Job must repent so that “prosperity will come to [him]” (New International Version Job 22). Job, however, “has consistently refuted” their arguments by showing that his lifestyle completely contradicts “unsupported charges of wrongdoing” (Baldwin 141).
Supernatural Model
According to the Supernatural Model (instant healing &/or Holy Spirit do all the heavy lifting), God is the one who heals. If you want to learn about healing, you must ask the one who knows about it. Faith and healings are inseparable. You cannot be healed without true faith. God is eager to heal those who obey and please him. It is one of the benefits he is anxious to give.
Christ performed many miracles during his ministry. Many of his most dramatic were healings. He made the lame walk—gave sight to the blind—healed lepers—healed others with the palsy—and “healed all that were sick”(Matt. 8:16). Not only did Christ heal large numbers of people, He also commissioned his disciples to do the same. We will learn that his ministers, when asked, still “anoint the sick” today.
A person did not receive ‘the Gift of Healing’ on a permanent basis, so that he became a professional ‘healer’ and could heal at will, as it were. Every time a healing or a miracle took place, the one through whom the healing or miracle was performed received a specific prompting from the Holy Spirit to carry out the act. That person might never receive such a prompting again; or, on the other hand, he may receive many. Many Christians believe that if they have their spiritual lives together, they will not suffer from emotional problems and will somehow avoid sin. If pain or sin invades their lives, they conclude that something is spiritually wrong with them.
The false assumption under which these Christians suffer is this: If I'm spiritual enough, I will have no pain or sinfulness. When these people do hurt, they cannot explain it. Have they failed? Has God abandoned them? Should they do something differently spiritually to make the pain go away? Are they being punished for some sin? People under the cloud of this assumption see only two options: try harder at the spiritual disciplines, or give up on the spiritual life altogether. God tells us that we will encounter sin and pain—even if we have regular daily devotions and we go to church twice on Sunday. Being a Christian does not exclude you from problems and pain.
What began on a corner at the turn of the twentieth century is now barreling down Main Street. What was once known as the Pentecostal movement has now splintered into numerous diverse, yet overlapping movements such as Pentecostal, Charismatic, Vineyard, Word-Faith, and Holy Laughter. Two different things can come to mind when one hears the term "charismatic." Some think of a group of people hungry for the Lord, walking in the power of the Spirit, spiritual in worship, aggressive in evangelism, and abounding in love. Others see individuals who are experience-oriented, imperialistic in outlook (only they have the full gospel), elitist in stance, uncontrolled in worship, and devoid of any real grasp of the Bible that goes beyond mere proof-texting. The Charismatic movement has grown rapidly and has become more diversified; therefore, it would be misleading to place all under an identical banner.
Experiential Model:
According to Cloud and Townsend, the Experiential Model held that you had to “get to the pain in your life-find the abuse or the hurt-and then somehow ‘get it out.’ Proponents of the more spiritual versions of this model either took the pain to Jesus or took Jesus to the pain. In a kind of emotional archeology, people would dig up hurts from the past and seek healing through prayer or and clearing out the pain. This model emphasized Jesus’ ability to transcend time: he could be there with you in your pain or an abuse and could change it" (Cloud and Townsend 16-17).
Experiential says, “We’ve talked enough. Stop talking and just do it.” Bill Carroll defines experiential worship as “interactive, bringing ideas to life, and taking people to a place they’ve never been.” People need to feel something different when they walk into our gatherings and when they walk out.
Louie Giglio said, “God is moving in fresh ways throughout the world. It’s the ‘wind of the Spirit’ Jesus refers to in John 3. The student culture seems more primed to be blown by that spiritual wind because they are not tied to forms, but more open to full-on mind, body, and spirit connection with Christ. There’s a hunger and a driving thirst for an experiential faith-one based in truth yet experienced on all levels of life.”
One thing to keep in mind as you bring different experiential aspects into your worship gatherings is that it must be guided. Too often in churches, we just expect that people will know what to do. Pastors and other worship leaders will say things like, “We’re going to take a minute to pray,” and then just let people try to figure out what to pray. I try to err on the side of guiding too much; people shouldn’t feel lost at gatherings.
Although a believer in Christ still has the ability and potential for grievous sin, but because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and his power and direction, a Christian always has room for growth in sanctification. By the power of the spirit you can be enabled to manifest the fruit of the spirit namely, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Gal. 5:22-23) God uses the spirit in the human body as his instrument for manifesting these evidences of God's grace.
The progressive sanctification of believers also results in their service to God. In the Bible the Scriptures are clear that every aspect of the believers in God is a result of work of the Spirit and part of their increasing sanctification. As long as they listen and follow the word of God, God will show them the way to live their lives. "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children” (Romans 8:16). While the Scriptures teaches us that Christians are secure in their salvation as work of God, their experience and assurance of salvation are related on the path they are walking with God and the ministry of the spirit to them.
The prayer life of a believer is also related to the Holy Spirit. Because we are often not aware of our spiritual needs, the spirit of God is there to help us with our prayers and offers intercession on our behalf (Romans 8:26).
The Truth Model
The Truth Model is one that has fit in best with the book How People Grow. However, as the book proceeds further, the Truth Model doesn't solve all the problems. I decided to look farther into the Truth Model a little bit more. I asked myself what is truth. The definition of truth is as follows: the true or actual state of a matter, conformity with fact or reality; verity, a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like, the state or character of being true, actuality or actual existence, an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude, honesty; integrity; truthfulness, ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience, agreement with a standard or original, accuracy, as of position or adjustment, fidelity or constancy, in truth, in reality; in fact; actually. Those are the very definitions of "truth." Truth also is absolute. One cannot define truth in any relative terms which downgrades the concept of truth to merely one man's opinion. No! Truth is a standard based on an absolute and solid foundation. That foundation is the Word of God. Jesus prayed for this very matter before His false arrest and mock trial. John 17:17 recounts: "Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth." This was Jesus' declaration to the Father. By this, we may understand that the Word of God is truth. Truth can be found in the bible and digging for truth in the Bible, but also a person must work on all the other models. One model can not stand alone. We must also watch ourselves to make sure that we do not make the mistake of only searching for truth alone in scriptures. We must also be weary of manipulating what the bible says to fit our way of living. Pual C. Vitz reminds us "Keep in mind that many of the particular expressions of self-rheory are apt to be very short lived" (Vitz 15).
Bibliography
Baldwin, Edwin Chauncey. Types of Literature in the Old Testament. New York: Nelson. 1929.
Cloud, Dr. Henry, and Dr. John Townsend. How People Grow. "Five Views on Sanctification" Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001.
The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984. Vitz, Paul C. Psychology as Religio Grand Rapids, Michigan William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company 1977
Introduction to Job. The NIV Study Bible. Ed. Kenneth Barker. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995. 722-724.
http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/postmodernism/worship.php