Are you correctly
growing spiritually or you are stuntedly growing spiritually? Are
you growing unto maturity or you are spiritually immature? Do you see spiritual
growth as a necessity or as an option? Are you still connected
to God or you have already disconnected from God. Are you compromising
your
faith or you are contending for the faith? The
answers you proffer to these questions are worthwhile if really you want to
understand the indispensability of spiritual growth.
You cannot grow
spiritually if you are not yet born into God’s family. This reminds me of the wordless
book with each page coloured from Gold – Black – Red – White – Green. The
page coloured green symbolizes strong and growth. That is to say that after the
blood of Jesus has cleanse you from your sin and you are made as white as the
snow, you are expected to grow spiritually. As we are save to serve God, so are
we expected to grow in the Lord after been saved too. Every child of God is
expected to grow spiritually as long as he/she has the opportunity to live. The
intention of God for us is to grow unto maturity in order to become like Christ.
Therefore, “…..Our goal is to become like a full-grown man - to look just like
Christ and have all his perfection.” (Eph. 4:13). What this verse
simply explains is that we should all come to the knowledge of the Son of God,
to full growth, to the full measure of Christ. Have you ever asked yourself the reason
why Jesus died for us? If no, please ask and find the right answer to
it.
Growth literally
is the process or act of growing. It is the process of becoming larger and more
mature through natural development. It is an increase in size, number and
significance. While Spiritual growth is the process of becoming more and more
like Jesus Christ (conforming us to His image) by placing our faith in Him. It
is pertinent to know that spiritual growth is progressive and it isn’t
a natural accident. You cannot grow spiritually by declaration made
unto you nor can you grow spiritually overnight. One cannot give his/her life
to God today and expect to be spiritually grown more than someone who gave his/her
life over ten years ago. This can only happen when there is lack of spiritual
growth, and this we can observe in this generation of ours where those who gave
their life to God three years back are growing more spiritually than those who claimed
to have given their lives to God over fifteen years back. Spiritual growth is not attained as
a result of our physical age, nor can it be attained through the physical
activities displayed all over today, but it is made possible by how deep we
understand God. Our level of
growth as Christians is proportional to the desire we have for God and this
growth comes to reality through the practical dealings God is bringing our ways
as we carry out our daily responsibilities. Indisputably, our
usability in the Kingdom of God is determined
by our spiritual growth/maturity, our ability and capability to handle what he
will release our ways, and our level of preparedness as his vessels. There is need for us to grow in grace as
affirmed in 2 Pet.3:18 which says, “..grow
in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge
and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah)..” May
God grant us the grace to grow in Jesus name, amen.
The implications
of not growing spiritually. When God’s children are not growing
spiritually as expected, the heart of God is pained. How will a farmer feel
when he plants African Spinach over three years later but refuses to grow? How
will a mother feel when her child of ten years is still being carried in her hands
refusing to neither crawl nor walk? How will
a business man feel for being in business over twenty years, yet his business
is not growing at all? I guess none of these personalities would be happy. So
is it in the heart of God. God is never happy when His children refuse to grow
unto maturity. Statements and quotes such as ‘heaven help those who help
themselves’ ‘variety is the spice of life’ ‘life does not have duplicate, so
enjoy the pleasures of the world now’ ‘money is the root of all evil’ and
many more altered and acted upon by people who call themselves Christians and
most a times claim it is written in the bible is one of the evidences of not
growing spiritually. We must be watchful because the lack of spiritual growth
can cause us to accept and run with erroneous statements such as those given
above and many more. We live in a time where many claim to be born again, yet
are living as “….children tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind
of doctrine..” (Eph. 4:14). We
live in a time where many suspend God countless times when they intend to carry
out wicked or wrong activities. We live in time where many people are displaced
from the position/location God expect of them to be. We live in a time where
many are not quite sure that there is a glorious heritage we shall possess, and
this can be posses only when we grown unto maturity. The bible says, “But remember this, that if a father dies
and leaves great wealth for his little son, that child is not much better off
than a slave until he grows up, even though he actually owns everything his
father had” (Gal. 4:1). The reality remains that growing unto maturity is a
prerequisite for us to possess our possessions. We live in a time where
people are neither hot nor cold. We live in a time where spiritually immature
people are occupying many ‘leadership positions’ in Churches and
fellowships claiming that God called them. The truth is that ‘lack
of spiritual growth makes us liable to demonic oppression. It causes
instability in the faith and makes us beggars for crumbs when actually we own
the whole estate” says Pastor Gbile Akanni. To avoid being
victims of all these implications alienated above, we should therefore avoid
the hindrances of spiritual growth such as putting confidence in the flesh,
prayerlessness, taking pleasures in the things of the world, taking God’s grace
for granted, among several others. No wonder the bible clearly says, “Do
not be like children in your thinking, my friends; be children so far as evil
is concerned, but be grown up in your thinking.” (1 Corinthians 14:20). What is hindering you from growing
spiritually?
What then are we
expected to do in order to grow spiritually? We cannot take
part in spiritual growth unless we first give our lives to Jesus Christ (New
Birth). And now, just as you accepted
Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue
to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the
truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. (Colossians
2:6-7). We must allow our roots to grow down into him by studying
the Word of God daily through our personal quiet time and through fellowship
with other believers. Your root in this
context is your heart. What comes into your heart and you consistently
think of determines your next action. What sort of music do you listen to? What
sort of films do you watch? What sort of messages do you listen to? “..don't lose a minute in building on what
you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate
patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each
dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active
and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you
mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. (2 Peter 1:5-8) Do you remember that Jesus
appointed the disciples so that they might be with Him and that He might send
them out to preach? Do you know that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and
prayed? Are you putting on the whole armour of God? Are you hungering and
thirsting for righteousness? Do you have an attitude of gratitude? Are you
following the pattern of Jesus? All these questions and many more are stepping
stones to becoming spiritually matured if they are answered correctly.
The desire of
God is for us to grow unto maturity, but the question is, what is the standard, the pattern
for our growth? This question is answered in Eph. 4:13 when it said, “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and
knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, MEASURING UP to the FULL
AND COMPLETE STANDARD OF CHRIST” Jesus is the mould, the yardstick for
our growth. Don’t focus completely in measuring your spiritual growth with mortals
(Pastor, Mentor, Role Model, etc). This is because God will not use the life of
your General Overseer, Reverend, Mentor, Role Model, etc to measure your
growth, but the life of Jesus Christ who happens to be the pattern Son. That
does not mean that you should halt from looking unto people who are grown in
the Lord as mentors or disciplers, No!, it simply suggest that as you follow
them, don’t remove your eyes from Jesus. Keep following Jesus’ steps, examples
and lifestyle. The implication of Apostle Paul saying “Pattern yourselves after me
[follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah).” (1 Cor.
11:1) is that when he ceases to follow Christ we should equally cease
following him, but must continue to follow the steps of the pattern Son who is
Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must follow Christ in discipleship in
order to be made, and to become a man in Christ. Pastor Gbile Akanni defines
discipleship as “a ‘SHIP’
that conveys us from the realm of being fishers of fish to the realm of being fishers of men.” He also defines discipleship as the “ship” that brings the
willing volunteer pupil (disciple) across the ocean of the natural lifestyle,
the gulf of the fallen nature into the new spiritual lifestyle. The fact
remains that Jesus is the perfect example for us to follow, therefore, we must
respond immediately today by following Him if we desire to grow unto maturity. Simon Peter and Andrew, James and his
brother John as confirmed in Matthew 4:18-22,
left their nets, boats and father behind respectively to respond to Jesus
as quick as possible when He called them to follow Him. What about you, will you follow Jesus today or you will procrastinate
following Jesus? “Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter
with these last words: Be joyful. GROW TO MATURITY. Encourage each other. Live
in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Cor.
13:11.) It is conclusively pertinent to note that following
the pattern Son (Jesus Christ) and learning of Him is the secret unto becoming a
full grown man into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. You
can find a comprehensive detail of this write-up and others in my other website; www.lifesprinciples.blogspot.com.
MAY GOD BLESS YOU!!!!.
“You are either becoming more like Christ
every day or you are becoming less like Him. There is no neutral position in
the Lord.” - (Stormie Omartin)
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