The Formation Series grows out of one burning conviction: when we see the glory of Christ, we are changed. The road of Christian spiritual formation is a pilgrimage of beholding — a journey where the veil lifts, our hearts awaken, and our lives are reordered around the King.

This Prologue comes from the original Transformation Course, the teaching journey that now undergirds Faith Fulfilled – Formed in Promise, Transformed in Glory and the wider Formation Series. As we walk a 72-week path through the Transformation Course on this blog, and a 31-day devotional path through Faith Fulfilled, this Prologue serves as a lantern at the trailhead.

It invites us into the pilgrimage of transformation, shows us the purpose and purging of that work, and calls us to seek the glory of God above the glory of man — for our deepest healing and for the sake of the next generation.

The Pilgrimage of Transformation

They climbed the mountain weary, feet pressing into the dust, lungs burning from the ascent. The midday sun blazed over the hills of Galilee, its heat pressing against their backs. It had been a journey like any other—until it wasn’t.

For in the blink of an eye, the world as they knew it split open before them.

There—before their very eyes—Jesus, the rabbi they had followed, the man they had walked with, changed. His face blazed like the sun, too bright to behold, His garments gleamed with a radiance beyond this world. The very air seemed to shimmer with uncreated light. The ground trembled beneath them. And suddenly, Moses and Elijah—men long dead—stood beside Him, speaking of things too wondrous to comprehend.

Peter, always the first to speak, stumbled forward, overwhelmed. “Lord, it is good for us to be here!” (Matthew 17:4 NKJV). His heart, overcome with wonder, longed to build shelters, to capture this moment, to remain in this place where heaven had kissed the earth.

Before he could finish, a cloud descended—thick, weighty, holy.

Then, a voice. The Voice.

The same Voice that spoke light into existence, that thundered over Sinai, that called Abraham from Ur and summoned Moses from the burning bush.

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5 NKJV).

And just as suddenly as it came, the moment vanished. The light withdrew. The cloud lifted. Moses and Elijah were gone.

And there stood Jesus.

Not radiant with unbearable light. Not clothed in the glory of the world to come. Just Jesus. Just as they had known Him. And yet, nothing was the same.

They had seen Him. They had beheld His glory. And though the vision faded, the revelation would never leave them.

They walked down the mountain changed—though their outward appearance was the same, something inside them had shifted forever.

This is the journey of transformation.

To behold Him as He truly is. To see with unveiled eyes the majesty we so often miss. To be changed by the radiance of His presence. This is not an abstract doctrine—it is an invitation, a summons. The same Jesus who was transfigured before them now calls to you:

“Come up the mountain. See My glory. Be transformed.”

The vision may pass, but the change remains. To see Him rightly is to never be the same.

This journey through the Transformation Course, and through Faith Fulfilled, is your ascent. This pilgrimage is your invitation.

The Purpose of Transformation

The veil was torn, and heaven stood open.

Isaiah saw the Lord, high and exalted, His train filling the temple, His throne ablaze with majesty. The very foundations trembled at the weight of His presence. Seraphim cried out in ceaseless worship, their voices shaking the thresholds of heaven:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:3 NKJV).

Smoke filled the sanctuary, thick with divine presence, and Isaiah—this man of unclean lips, this prophet in waiting—collapsed beneath the unbearable weight of holiness. Every illusion of self-righteousness crumbled. Every unspoken sin was exposed. His soul trembled, overwhelmed by the terrifying beauty of God.

“Woe is me, for I am undone!” (Isaiah 6:5 NKJV).

Yet, before despair could consume him, mercy moved. A seraph took a coal from the altar—white-hot with the fire of heaven—and touched it to his lips. Cleansing. Purging. Sanctifying. The burning did not destroy him; it remade him.

And then came the Voice.

“Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” (Isaiah 6:8 NKJV).

Isaiah, no longer undone but made new, answered the call of the transformed:

“Here am I! Send me.”

This is the essence of transformation: a collision with the presence of God that leaves no part of us untouched. It is the unravelling of self in the light of His glory, the holy fire that cleanses, the commissioning into a life that now belongs to Him.

We cannot encounter His glory and remain as we were.

Just as Moses descended Sinai with his face radiant, just as Peter, James, and John came down from the mountain carrying the vision of Christ’s transfiguration, so we will be changed as we behold Him, yield to Him, and walk in His ways (Exodus 34:29–35).

This Formation Series journey is more than gradual self-improvement through Christian ideas. It draws us into seeing Him—beholding the King in His beauty, encountering His holiness, and stepping into the transformation He has destined for us.

Glory that Transforms and Glory that Guards

At the heart of this transformation stands the glory of God. From all eternity He is glorious, and He delights to reveal His glory to those who seek Him. Scripture tells us: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV).

God proves Himself as the One who reveals His glory to those who draw near in trust. His zeal for His own glory is not insecurity; it is love. He knows that any glory we try to steal will wound us, while the glory He reveals to us will heal us. He guards His glory for our good.

“I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images” (Isaiah 42:8 NKJV).

When we live for borrowed light—platforms, personalities, the approval of crowds—we step into shadows that cannot sustain our souls. The more we chase our own glory, the more fragile we become. Yet the glory of God is our true environment, our true home. The earth “will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14 NKJV).

Our prayer in this Formation Series is that God would raise a generation with an aversion to personality cults and borrowed brilliance; a generation weary of celebrity-driven church and hungry for the face of Christ; a generation who desire the Name and glory of Jesus above their own image or influence.

Transformation protects us from the glory of man and anchors us in the glory of God. The more we behold Him, the less we are impressed with ourselves, and the more we find joy, safety, and freedom in His praise.

The Purging of Transformation

The storm had come.

This was the storm of suffering, silence, and searching—the kind that strips a man bare, leaving only the raw ache of questions unanswered. His children—gone. His wealth—destroyed. His body—wracked with pain. Job sat in the dust, scraping his wounds, surrounded not by comforters but by accusers.

For days he wrestled, demanding answers, seeking justice, pleading for an audience with the Almighty. Yet heaven was silent. Until it wasn’t.

Then came the Voice—thundering from the whirlwind, shaking the foundations of Job’s understanding.

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” (Job 38:4 NKJV).

The One who commands the morning, who shuts the sea behind doors, who hung the stars in place—this was the God before whom Job now trembled.

And he was undone.

All his arguments, his defences, his accusations—they crumbled before the weight of divine majesty. And Job, once so sure of his case, could only whisper:

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And  repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5–6 NKJV).

He had beheld the Almighty, and nothing could remain the same.

The Proving of Transformation

Three men. Three encounters.

On the mountain, Peter beheld the transfigured Christ and longed to remain in the radiance of His glory.
In the temple, Isaiah was undone by holiness and cleansed to proclaim the word of the Lord.
In the dust, Job was silenced by sovereignty and restored through the mystery of surrender.

To see Him is to be changed. To behold Him is to be remade.

The call remains: Come. See. Behold. Be transformed.

As we ascend the mountain of this course and the volumes of the Formation Series, may we behold, be shaped, and be sent—formed in the fire of His glory to exclaim His Name.

Transformation and the four streams of formation

These encounters with Peter, Isaiah, and Job also reveal the four streams of formation that shape the Formation Series:

• On the mountain we glimpse contemplative formation — beholding Christ’s glory until our hearts burn and our desires are reordered.

• In the temple we see sacramental formation — the coal from the altar, cleansing and commissioning a prophet to serve in the presence of the Holy One.

• In the dust we learn confessional formation — words and arguments yielding to humble agreement with God’s wisdom and ways.

• Across all three stories we witness Spirit-empowered formation — God Himself drawing near, speaking, purging, strengthening, and sending.

Faith Fulfilled will return again and again to these movements. The Transformation Course posts on this blog will do the same, helping us walk out this pilgrimage of transformation in the ordinary roads and rooms of our lives.

A Prayer for Transformation

Heavenly Father,

You are the God of glory, the One who dwells in unapproachable light, yet You invite us to come near. You are the Voice that thunders from the mountain, the fire that purifies at the altar, the whirlwind that humbles even the strongest of men. Who can stand before Your majesty and remain unchanged? Who can behold You and not be undone?

What Isaiah glimpsed in the temple, and what Peter beheld on the mountain, we now receive through the sacraments—cleansed by the waters of baptism, and beholding Your glory in the breaking of the bread.

Lord, as You led Peter, James, and John up the mountain, so lead us higher. Open our eyes to see Christ as He is—radiant in splendour, clothed in light, the fullness of divinity revealed. Let us refuse shallow glimpses and borrowed revelation. We long to see You with unveiled faces, to behold the beauty of the King and be transformed by the radiance of Your presence. Let the vision of Your glory burn away every lesser affection, every dim distraction, and every chain that binds our hearts to the dust.

Holy God, as You filled the temple with Your glory and Isaiah trembled before You, so let us grasp the weight of Your holiness. We confess our lips are unclean, our hands unworthy, and our hearts prone to wander. Yet, as You purified Isaiah with fire from the altar, cleanse us, Lord. Let the burning coal of Your Spirit refine us—consume every impurity, every falsehood, every idol. Make us ready vessels, set apart for Your purpose, consecrated to proclaim Your Name in reverence and awe.

O Sovereign Lord, as You spoke to Job from the whirlwind, let Your voice silence our pride and dismantle every false argument we have raised against You. We confess that we have sought to comprehend You on our terms, to fit You within the limitations of our understanding. But now, with Job, we declare: we have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, and we long that our eyes may see You. We bow before You, repenting of every thought that diminished Your greatness, every complaint that failed to trust Your sovereignty. Teach us to embrace mystery, to trust Your wisdom, and to surrender before the weight of Your majesty.

Father, we ask that You guard Your glory in our generation for our salvation and joy. Deliver Your Church from the snare of personality and platform. Raise up sons and daughters who are weary of the glory of man and hungry for the glory of Christ. Give us leaders and communities that love Your presence more than reputation, Your Name more than their own, Your praise more than human applause.

May we be those who climb the mountain and descend changed. May we be those who tremble in the temple and rise purified. May we be those who are silenced by Your voice and yet go forth to proclaim Your wonders. Let the transformation You have begun in us bear witness to the world—that we have seen the Lord and we will never be the same.

May this course and the Formation Series be an altar of encounter, a place where Your presence is made known, where lives are transformed. Let every word, every reflection, every declaration lead us deeper into the knowledge of You. As we ascend the mountain of this course, may we behold, be shaped, and be sent—formed in the fire of Your glory to exclaim Your Name.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.

Amen.

SHINE reflection, declaration, and prayer

Reflective question (S — See His Glory / E — Exclaim His Name)
Where am I most tempted to seek the approval and glory of people, and how is Jesus inviting me to behold His glory instead and let that vision transform me?

Declaration
Lord Jesus, You are the Beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased. We turn from the glory of man and set our hearts to seek, behold, and proclaim the glory of God in Your face.

Arrow prayer
Father, lead us up the mountain to see Your Son, purify us by Your holy fire, and send us back into the world as those who have been changed by Your glory. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Prologue