Spiritual Formation

Articles that address the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ for the glory of God and for the sake of others (II Corinthians 3:17-18).

Still, My Soul Be Still

By Asher Witmer Miscellaneous, Spiritual Formation

We are in the middle of moving from Chiang Mai to Los Angeles via New York City. We landed at JFK on June 1st, and hit the westward road June 17. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with friends and family and seeing the great landscapes of the United States.

Unfortunately, while visiting my grandparents in northern Illinois, we got word that Teresa’s cousin, Sheldon Bacher, was killed in a car accident. We had just seen him a couple days before! Sudden, tragic deaths like this jerk the heart so deeply–it’s numbing. Words can’t sympathize… this isn’t how life is supposed to be! We turned around and headed for South Carolina to grieve with the family and share in their loss. As I drove, today, a song that became meaningful to me over the time of my Mom’s death kept running through my mind, so I thought I’d share it here.

“God, you are our God! And we will trust in You and not be shaken.”

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An open letter about the Bible, blogging, and why I choose the titles I do

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation, Theology

A couple months ago I wrote an article titled, No, You Don’t Have to Read the Bible. I received quite a basket of mixed feedback, so I thought it beneficial to follow-up and bring clarity where I may have failed to before.

This is an open letter. Quite long, to be honest. But necessary for clarifying a few things I deeply believe. The letter is separated into the following sections. Feel free to skip ahead to whatever interests you most by clicking on the heading below:

  • Summarizing No, You Don’t Have to Read the Bible
  • “What a title!!??”
  • Intentional Blogging
  • Relational vs. Intellectual, and an “ever-evolving message”
  • The Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Inspiration of Scripture
  • The Problem with Scripture in 2017
  • What I Believe about the Bible in 18 Statements

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Living Vibrantly Alive in a World of Brokenness

By Asher Witmer Ecclesiology, Spiritual Formation

Thanks again for all the feedback you’ve been giving after the first two posts!

But what about when your church requires extra-biblical standards of new believers? What about when you feel lonely and unable to connect with others?

Am I suggesting that no matter what church situation you are experiencing right now you should just focus on the Gospel and continue investing as much as you can?

Absolutely not!

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What I Got Wrong about Theology

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation, Theology

Have you ever felt that Christians are more concerned about right and wrong beliefs then they are about being one with Christ?

I used to think the problem was that we focused too much on theology. All the different terms—soteriology, ecclesiology, eschatology, Calvinism, Arminianism, and so on. Most of them made no sense to me and I couldn’t figure out why people spent so much time debating over which ones were right.

So, I said once that we as Anabaptists focus too much on theology and not enough on relationships. Having said that, I’ve pondered it a lot and have concluded I was wrong.

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No, You Don’t HAVE to Read the Bible

By Asher Witmer Popular Posts, Spiritual Formation
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What if the modern approach to Scripture isn’t what God intended for it? What if saying you can only know God through knowing the Bible cripples people from knowing Him at all?

Today, more than ever we need to be grounded in Truth, but the way we worship the black, white and leather of the Bible doesn’t help us become anymore grounded.

When we put the Bible on a pedestal it was never supposed to have, we actually cultivate contempt for Truth and turn people away from God. In this post, I expose the wrong way to use the Bible, explain the right way, and share how to tell the difference.

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The Stuff of Intimacy

By Asher Witmer Romance & Family, Spiritual Formation
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In my last post, I said we can live without sex, but not without intimacy. Having a great sex partner is not the key to sexual gratification. Finding the most beautiful spouse in the world won’t keep one from lusting after others. The desire for erotic pleasure comes as the result of a lack of meaning and purpose and nothing in life is truly meaningful without its relational value.

What I didn’t say in that post is what intimacy looks like. I didn’t really explain how to have meaningful relationships.

As I said before, I don’t necessarily feel like an expert at relationships yet, but I am slowly learning. The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden with God provides excellent training material.

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You Can Live Without Sex, But Not Without Intimacy

By Asher Witmer Romance & Family, Spiritual Formation
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Can I tell you a secret? Having a great sex partner is not the key to sexual gratification. Finding the most beautiful wife in the world won’t keep you from lusting after other women. The desire for erotic pleasure comes as the result of a lack of meaning and purpose and nothing in life is truly meaningful without its relational value.

Sixty-four percent of Christian men view pornography at least monthly. Thirty-seven percent look at porn several times a week. I know what it’s like to be addicted to pornography. I thought the struggle came from my strong sexual drive.

But as I came to experience freedom from lust and the addiction to erotic pleasure, I learned part of what held me captive for so long had little to do with sex and more to do with intimacy.

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When Refugees Can’t Come, We Must Go to Them

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
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And now we come to the current problem in the refugee crisis. Refugees can’t come to America. Not now, at least. If we can’t be Christian and not accept them, what are we to do?

I have heard a lot of discussion about the Parable of the Good Samaritan among Christians debating the crisis and Trump’s ban. What surprises me as I listen to these conversations is that many people are using the parable to justify not taking care of their refugee neighbors.

“The Good Samaritan didn’t take the injured Jew home with him.” “The Good Samaritan found him on his way.”

I’m afraid in justifying ourselves, we are missing the very point Jesus was trying to make.

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When Refugees Come, We Must Greet Them

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
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I do not believe you can be a Christian and not accept refugees. If we haven’t before, now is the time to truly count the cost of following Christ.

As Christians, we are called to lay down our lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are the hands and feet of Love in this broken world, and we risk our lives being so. Our doors are to be open to the Christian refugee as well as the Muslim refugee. We of all people need to be the ones greeting refugees when they come.

Islam is a religion of consummation. They are not merely concerned with us accepting them and letting them have their own religious peace. They want the whole world to be converted. In taking them in as a nation, we risk being consumed by them. If we want the world to know peace, then we must be the first ones to care for them so that we can introduce them to the One who is peace.

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What You Need to Know about Faith, the Government, and Refugees

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
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I find it interesting how many people thought I was talking about Trump and his ban on refugees when I asked the question, “Can you be a Christian and not accept refugees?”

Perhaps our faith and our patriotism are so intertwined that we think in terms of our government enabling or crippling us from living out what Christ calls us to. When our government prohibits us from doing something, we don’t do it. Or we complain about not being able to do it rather than just living out our faith regardless of the cost.

Why is this? Why can’t we separate ourselves from this earthly kingdom and live for the sole purpose of the Kingdom of God?

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What Will Happen If We Don’t Accept Refugees (and what could happen if we do)

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
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There are more refugees in the world today than any other time since WW2, yet our President has administered an executive order banning refugees from seven prime terrorist countries.

The seven main countries refugees are fleeing from.

I am not concerned about the executive order. We will get into that in the next post. What concerns me is the unwillingness on the part of many followers of Christ to open their doors to those fleeing for their lives.

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