God desires to empower you through the Holy Spirit to live a Christ-directed life. As you continue to breathe spiritually (confess your sin and claim the fullness of the Spirit), you will experience a deepening fellowship with God enabling you to grow in Christian maturity.
1). What does it mean to grow in Christ?
Video Clip 1: Growing in Christ
It means to increase in your knowledge of Christ, your love for Him, and in obedience to Him.
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You have sent" (John 17:3).
Common Question: How can I grow in Christ?
Suggestions for Christian Growth
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Galatians 3:11). A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following:
- Go to God in prayer daily
John 15:7 - "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
- Read God's Words daily
Acts 17:11 - "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Begin with the Gospel of John.
- Obey God moment by moment
John 14:21 - "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
- Witness for Christ by your life and words
Matthew 4:19 - "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
John 15:8 - [Christ speaking] "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
- Trust God for every detail of your life
1 Peter 5:7 - "Cast all your anxiety on him [God] because he cares for you."
- Holy Spirit: Allow Him to control and empower your daily life and witness
Galatians 5:16-17 - "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want."
Acts 1:8 - "But you will receive power when the Hoy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Communication is vital to any relationship, including your relationship with Christ. There are four aspects of communication that will help you grow in your relationship with Christ as you live in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Video Clip 2: Four spiritual food groups
2). God communicates with us through the Bible, revealing His character and His will.
"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
3). We communicate with God through prayer -- sharing our thoughts, our needs and our desires to do His will.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hears and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7)
"This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us -- whatever we ask -- we know that we have what we asked of Him" (1 John 5:14-15).
4). We communicate with Christians through fellowship -- encouraging and building up one another.
"And let is consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10: 24,25).
5). We communicate with non-Christians by witnessing -- sharing about our relationship with Christ.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to me by which we must be saved" ( Acts 4:12)
Summary
Read 1 Corinthians 3:6, 7. God is the source of your growth. You cannot develop spiritual maturity by trying really hard. As you walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, read the Bible, pray, tell people about Christ and spend time with other believers, God will be at work in your producing fruitfulness and maturity.
Suggestions for Further Growth
Set aside time and a place for daily personal Bible study and prayer. A good book to begin with is the New Testament book of John. As you read, underline particularly meaningful verses. Pray and ask God to show you who He is and how you can respond to Him. Some additional suggested passages for study are the ones in this lesson. Other passages are: Colossians 1:9-12; Matthew 7:7-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Psalm 1; 34; 103; 145; John 15:1-7; and Luke 9:23-26.
This is the Beginning of Your Christian life and there is much more to understand than just these four lessons. The church is God's appointed place for Christians to learn and grow. Take the initiative today to find a Bible-teaching church in your neighbourhood and make plans to attend regularly.
