Christians Grow Spiritually, Part 2

Chuckle: One woman said to another: "My husband is absolutely no good at fixing anything, so everything in our house works."

Quote: “The strongest principle of growth lies in the human choice.” --George Eliot

WHY GROW SPIRITUALLY?

". . . until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13 NIV).

Without growth we will not appear as authentic Christians. We will have nothing meaningful to say to others, either in words or deeds. Without growth, I become stagnant - I have no excitement - no joy - no out-flowing - nothing that reflects a relationship with Jesus Christ. A real deal Christian is a growing Christian. Here, Paul addresses lack of growth in Corinthian Christians.

"Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly -- mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid (spiritual) food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed you are still not ready. You are still worldly" (1 Corinthians 3:1 NIV).

No one listens to the advice or wisdom of babies - but only the mature - those who are growing - those who have something to offer. Our lives reflect the evidence of spiritual growth. It's true that only 10% of an iceberg is visible above the water and 90 percent is beneath the water. Growing Christians are like this. What you see is the result of depth in Christ. Many are all surface, with no underlying growth, maturity, and stability. The secret (90%) of a Christian life is spent with God - time in His Word - time in prayer. This is where spiritual growth occurs. As we grow:

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching . . . Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head (of the church), that is Christ" (Ephesians 4:14-15 NIV).

With many claiming to be born again Christians, why don't we impact our communities more? Why doesn't our presence become salt and light as Jesus admonished us to be? Perhaps it's because too many of us are light-weights - we're not growing - we're not concentrating on the spiritual nourishment and exercise necessary for growth. People who make a difference put down roots deep into the soil of God's Word. The resulting growth makes them effective as tools of the Holy Spirit.

A tree with shallow roots cannot take the strong wind. For quality growth, it's roots must reach deep into the soil which gives it life and strength. If we have no growth, we are not effective for Christ. Christians who are growing are working, ministering, moving, doing, praying, etc. When we are growing in Christ, we will experience the full joy of our relationship with Him.

Love, Jerry & Dotse