Is discipleship mainly about trying harder—or is it something God does in us?

In this short, focused segment on the Thinking Christian Podcast, Roger Ross explains why the Holy Spirit is the prime mover in the entire work of Christian discipleship. If spiritual growth becomes merely human effort, Roger argues, we’ve missed the point of how God actually transforms people.

Using growth as a concrete example, Roger describes how the Holy Spirit opens our minds and hearts to what God wants to teach us—often through ordinary means like books, worship, relationships, and even painful experiences. God can use any moment as a formative “teaching point,” and mature disciples learn to recognize when something they’re hearing or experiencing is a clear prompt: “That was for me. I need to pay attention.”

This episode will encourage you to rethink spiritual formation—not as self-powered improvement, but as Spirit-led transformation that can happen through every circumstance of life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:


Why the Holy Spirit—not discipline alone—is the engine of discipleship


How God uses ordinary and difficult experiences to produce spiritual growth


What it means to be spiritually attentive to God’s “this is for you” moments


How to avoid turning discipleship into self-help Christianity

You can purchase Kinda Christian: From Curious to Serious about Jesushere.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

🔗 Download a free resource "Making Everyday Decisions So That God Gets the Glory" from Useful to God:www.usefultogod.com

To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com.

📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation!

This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. “Whether we’re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org/ 

Is discipleship mainly about trying harder&mdash;or is it something God does in us?
In this short, focused segment on the Thinking Christian Podcast, Roger Ross explains why the Holy Spirit is the prime mover in the entire work of Christian discipleship. If spiritual growth becomes merely human effort, Roger argues, we&rsquo;ve missed the point of how God actually transforms people.
Using growth as a concrete example, Roger describes how the Holy Spirit opens our minds and hearts to what God wants to teach us&mdash;often through ordinary means like books, worship, relationships, and even painful experiences. God can use any moment as a formative &ldquo;teaching point,&rdquo; and mature disciples learn to recognize when something they&rsquo;re hearing or experiencing is a clear prompt: &ldquo;That was for me. I need to pay attention.&rdquo;
This episode will encourage you to rethink spiritual formation&mdash;not as self-powered improvement, but as Spirit-led transformation that can happen through every circumstance of life.
In this episode, you&rsquo;ll learn:
<ul data-start="1523" data-end="1822">
<li data-start="1523" data-end="1597">
Why the Holy Spirit&mdash;not discipline alone&mdash;is the engine of discipleship
</li>
<li data-start="1598" data-end="1677">
How God uses ordinary and difficult experiences to produce spiritual growth
</li>
<li data-start="1678" data-end="1758">
What it means to be spiritually attentive to God&rsquo;s &ldquo;this is for you&rdquo; moments
</li>
<li data-start="1759" data-end="1822">
How to avoid turning discipleship into self-help Christianity
</li>
</ul>
You can purchase Kinda Christian: From Curious to Serious about Jesus <a href="https://amzn.to/4aUSAJD">here</a>.
Subscribe to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Useful_toGod">YouTube channel</a>
🔗 Download a free resource "Making Everyday Decisions So That God Gets the Glory" from Useful to God: <a href="https://www.usefultogod.com">www.usefultogod.com</a>
To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on <a href="https://www.christianity.com/author/james-spencer/">Christianity.com</a>.
📢 Stay Connected &amp; Keep Growing!
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation!
This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management.&nbsp;&ldquo;Whether we&rsquo;re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk.&nbsp;Call us at&nbsp;1-800-793-8548&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://trinitycredit.org/">https://trinitycredit.org/</a>&nbsp;

Christians shouldn’t just think. They should think Christian. Join Dr. James Spencer and guests for calm, thoughtful, theological discussions about a variety of topics Christians face every day. The Thinking Christian Podcast will help you grow spiritually and learn theology as you seek to be faithful in a world that is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny Christ.

Find more from James at https://usefultogod.com/.

Christians shouldn’t just think. They should think Christian. Join Dr. James Spencer and guests for calm, thoughtful, theological discussions about a variety of topics Christians face every day. The Thinking Christian Podcast will help you grow spiritually and learn theology as you seek to be faithful in a world that is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny Christ.
Find more from James at <a href="https://usefultogod.com/">https://usefultogod.com/</a>.

Christians shouldn’t just think. They should think Christian. Join Dr. James Spencer and guests for calm, thoughtful, theological discussions about a variety of topics Christians face every day. The Thinking Christian Podcast will help you grow spiritually and learn theology as you seek to be faithful in a world that is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny Christ.

Thinking Christian: Clear Theology for a Confusing World

Christians shouldn’t just think. They should think Christian. Join Dr. James Spencer and guests for calm, thoughtful, theological discussions about a variety of topics Christians face every day. The Thinking Christian Podcast will help you grow spiritually and learn theology as you seek to be faithful in a world that is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny Christ.
Find more from James at <a href="https://usefultogod.com/">https://usefultogod.com/.</a>

The Holy Spirit and Discipleship: Why Growth Isn’t Just Human Effort (Roger Ross)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/877cff8b-283e-4b50-8deb-b3d20024bc82/transcript