Practicing the Way: Formation, Apprenticeship, and Life Practices

The life and life in abundance theme sets out a very plain question: what is the purpose of a life, twenty four seven? The Westminster catechism gives the simple and beautiful summary, “to worship God and enjoy him forever,” and that pushes worship way beyond singing songs on a Sunday.

Romans 12 gives the shape of that purpose: in view of God’s mercy, bodies are to be offered as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. The word “living” matters, because this is not morbid human sacrifice, but the offering of every aspect of a person’s life to Jesus. Worship becomes the whole package: work, hobbies, sport, marriage, family, relationships, choices, desires, and even the laying down of things the body naturally wants. Every single thing a person does is worship of something, so focus on Jesus means letting every part of life become worship to him.

The renewing of the mind becomes vital because passive lives are simply conformed to the pattern of the world. Practicing the way names the journey of turning formation from an unintentional process into an intentional one. Formation is not just a Christian thing or even a religious thing. Formation is a human thing. Every person is being shaped by genetics, family patterns, wounds, education, habits, decisions, relationships, environments, stories, media, and voices. Nothing is stagnant, and the real question is not whether someone is a disciple, but who or what that person is a disciple of.

Apprenticeship gives stronger language than simply identifying as a Christian. Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John with the words, “Come follow me,” and their response is to leave nets, boats, and even family patterns behind. The rabbi image shows discipleship as all of life: being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing the things Jesus did. Christianity is not merely a Sunday experience, a life group, or saying grace before lunch. It is an immersive apprenticeship under the lordship, leadership, and love of Jesus.

Practices then make the whole thing practical. Transformation is possible, but it is not inevitable. Practices are not meant to suffocate or load twenty new burdens onto people. The trellis image says it well: the framework is not the life itself, but it makes space for the life to grow. Sabbath, solitude, prayer, community, scripture, fasting, generosity, service, and witness become ways of forming a community of rest, peace, communion, depth, orthodoxy, holiness, contentment, justice, mercy, reconciliation, hospitality, and flourishing for the people of Jersey.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. All of life becomes worship Every action carries spiritual weight because every action gives worth to something. Romans 12 does not leave worship trapped in songs, services, or religious moments, but gathers the whole body, the whole schedule, and the whole set of desires before God. The hard edge is that even ordinary choices are never neutral, because life is always being offered somewhere. [09:32]
• 2. Formation is never neutral Formation is always happening, even when nobody is paying attention. Family patterns, wounds, habits, media, friendships, and environments are quietly shaping the sort of person being formed. Intentional formation begins when passivity is named for what it is, not freedom, but surrender to whatever happens to be loudest. [16:32]
• 3. Discipleship means real apprenticeship Jesus does not merely offer a label called Christian, but calls people to follow him as rabbi. The old image of apprenticeship makes discipleship wonderfully concrete: being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing what Jesus did. Such a life cannot be squeezed into Sunday, because the invitation itself reaches every corner of human existence. [20:43]
• 4. Practices make room for life Practices are not the life itself, and that distinction matters. A trellis does not produce life, but it creates a framework where life can grow instead of sprawling in every direction. Sabbath, solitude, prayer, and the other practices become wise structures, not badges of achievement, where transformation is given room to take root.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [06:58] - Life Purpose and Abundant Life
• [07:40] - Worship Beyond Singing
• [08:08] - Romans 12 and Living Sacrifice
• [10:33] - Renewing the Mind
• [11:19] - Practicing the Way Begins
• [14:33] - Formation Is a Human Thing
• [16:32] - From Unintentional to Intentional Formation
• [18:30] - Apprenticeship to Jesus
• [20:16] - Being With, Like, and Doing as Jesus
• [23:22] - Practices and Real Transformation
• [26:11] - The Trellis Framework
• [27:52] - Nine Practices for the Year
• [31:25] - Next Steps and Resources
• [36:06] - Life in Abundance Together

Bible Reading

Romans 12:1-2
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” [08:08] [10:33]

Matthew 4:18-22
“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” [19:33]

John 10:10
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” [31:05]

Observation questions

1. In Romans 12:1-2, what are believers told to do with their bodies, and what two opposite processes are named in these verses? [10:33]
2. What are some ordinary parts of life that can become worship to Jesus, not just obviously religious moments? [09:32]
3. In Matthew 4:18-22, what do Peter, Andrew, James, and John leave behind when Jesus calls them to follow him? [19:33]
4. What are some of the specific things that shape a person over time, according to the message about formation? [15:48]

Interpretation questions

1. Romans 12 calls worship a living sacrifice. Why does that language push worship beyond singing or church services and into the whole of life? [08:45]
2. If people are always being formed by something, what does it mean to say that passivity usually leads to being conformed to the world? [16:32]
3. Jesus says, “Follow me,” and the fishermen leave very concrete things behind. What does that suggest about the cost and seriousness of apprenticeship to Jesus today? [20:16]
4. If Jesus came so that people may have life in abundance, how might intentional formation under his leadership differ from simply drifting through life? [31:05]

Application questions

1. If every part of life is worship of something, where does worship most easily drift away from Jesus in daily life right now—work, phone use, relationships, money, rest, or something else? [09:34]
2. Which voices, habits, or environments are currently forming the heart most strongly? Are those influences helping someone become more like Jesus, or are they just loud and familiar? [34:01]
3. Jesus’ invitation to follow him reached Peter and Andrew in the middle of ordinary work. In what ordinary setting of life might Jesus be asking for fresh obedience right now? [19:43]
4. Transformation is possible but not inevitable. What is one area of life where change is deeply wanted, and what kind of intentional practice might make space for that change? [24:17]
5. Practices are meant to be a trellis, not a burden. Which practice sounds most life-giving in this season—Sabbath, solitude, prayer, community, scripture, fasting, generosity, service, or witness—and why? [26:47]
6. Sometimes spiritual formation is more about subtraction than addition. What may need to be reduced or let go of so there is more room for the life of Jesus to grow? [25:43]
7. Following Jesus is not meant to be a Sunday-only experience. What would it look like to make apprenticeship to Jesus more immersive over the next week in a simple, realistic way? [21:48]