We just wrapped up what may have been my favorite teaching series to date (granted, we’ve only had a few!), entitled “How We Change.”

In the series, we asked the question: how do we actually change and grow spiritually? For example, how can you go from a non-believer to a fully devoted follower of Jesus?

For Christians, the New Testament is clear that we are to grow and change and produce fruit in our lives. So where do we start?

In attempting to answer that question, we proposed a 5-part Theory of Change, which attempts to distill what the Bible teaches on the topic. (Full disclosure: I did not come up with the phrase “theory of change” but was introduced to the concept by John Mark Comer.)

He says that every church has a “theory of change” whether they can articulate it or not. The basic question it answers is, how does your church expect spiritual change to come about in a person’s life? Most churches at least imply something like this:

inspirational teaching + force of will = change

  • Attend church.
  • Be inspired by the music and the teaching.
  • Try your best to live it out.
  • And over time, you’ll hopefully see some real change.

While that is surely a good place to start, the Bible has way more to say about spiritual formation.

First off, the clear teaching of Scripture and the underlying assumption of our Theory of Change is that we do not change by our own efforts. This is not a call to moralism, a plea for you to try harder at living the Christian life—as if you can do so in your own strength! In fact, we set this teaching series in the context of John 15, the metaphor of the Vine and the Branches.

In John 15, Jesus tells us repeatedly that our sole job is to remain intimately connected to Him. As we remain in Him, He produces fruit in us and brings about spiritual change. This means that our theory of change is essentially five ways to remain in Jesus and position yourself in order for God to change you.

That’s why we say we are changed first and foremost “by the gospel, through the Spirit, and in the Church.” Change is not a product of our own doing (“you can do nothing without me.”) but it comes about as we behold the Gospel (what Jesus has done for us) and allow the Spirit to work in our lives.

From there, here are the 5 components of our theory of change:

  1. Scripture—We are changed as we read, hear, study, and allow the Word of Christ to dwell richly in us. (Col 3:16) This looks like reading God’s Word privately and hearing God’s Word corporately. [v.7 If my words remain in you…]
  2. Prayer—Along with scripture comes prayer. As we hear God speak to us in his Word, we develop a vocabulary for conversing with him in a life of prayer. [v.7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask…]
  3. Community—Just as the vine and the branches illustrate that we are to remain in Christ, we must also live in organic community with the other branches, and this is known as the local church! [v.12 Love one another as I have loved you.]
  4. Serving—The local church exists to serve the wider community in which we are a part of by showing and sharing the gospel of Jesus through living a life of selfless service to others. [v.13 No one has greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.]
  5. Suffering—While we have the least amount of control over this component, suffering (or pruning) brings about the deepest change in us when we face it with joy, in faith, for the glory of God. [v.2 He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.]

Check out the series page or Apple Podcasts to listen to each weekly component! (Except for week 2, when we experienced some recording issues!)

Of course, experiencing spiritual change is not formulaic.

Inward transformation is a work of God’s Spirit, so like the wind, it can be hard to see. Instead, think of these five things as guardrails along the road to spiritual change that can keep you moving in the right direction. So let me conclude by asking you a few questions:

  • Are you leaning into these 5 things in your own life, and allowing God to bring about change in your life?
  • Which of these 5 may be absent from your life?
  • Which one do you need to lean into more this year, to allow God to change you?