Growing up Spiritually

Growing up Spiritually

Understanding spiritual growth for a Christian is the beginning of a worthy journey with God. When a Christian misses that understanding, the possibility of chasing shadows and boxing the air becomes rife. You can't grow up by chance, spiritual growth is a process that works with one's conscious participation.

Spiritual growth isn't the development of the physical abilities to do the physical rigors of religion or spiritism. Spiritual growth is defined by the possibilities presented by the New Creation that took place when we submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ through faith in His death and resurrection. The possibility of becoming like Christ in character and subsequently in charisma is the foundation of spiritual growth.

What happened was called being born again. Being born again isn't a superficial change in character per se but the re-creating of the real person with the seed or the nature of God. The root of one's personality from where characters are formed was recreated, infused with the possibilities of becoming like God. We are born of God to grow up to become like Him.

Jesus Christ taught that when He said...

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 10
24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

The disciple can be as his master. The essence of discipleship is to become like the master. Isn't that what Jesus sent us to do? To make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded?

That's why we are called and predestined to be conformed to His image.
[My Offline Bible] Romans 8
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

The goal of spiritual growth is to be conformed to the image of Christ.
[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 3
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Growth is precipitated from the genetic inheritance of a living creature, the nutritional quality supporting it's growth, the state of the environmental incidences of the creature and the creature's ability and commitment to practicing what the inner nature presents through examples.

If these four factors are favorable, a living creature can mark up to the best of its progenitors or ancestors.

In our quest for spiritual growth, being born again offers us a new creation that affords us the very nature and seed of God.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Peter 1
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 3
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

The seed and nature of God remains in us. Jesus Christ is the Vine, we are the branches, we are of the same tree and of same genetic make up. John 15

But if we must grow we must have the right nutrition. And so Jesus Christ, when He was tempted by the evil one to do the unusual to get physical food when hungry said,

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 4
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Apostle Peter said same

[My Offline Bible] 1 Peter 2
1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

We grow up spiritually by God's word. The word of God is food for the New Creation inner man. The quality of the genetic material we inherited from our Father God is limited by the quality of God's word we are exposed to in manifesting through us. No Christian can grow into the image of Christ feeding on just anything. The quality of God's word must be top notch if a believer must come out conformed to Christ's image. Christ's image in us is nurtured out by the teachings of Christ, who is the word of God. The image of Christ within doesn't respond to traditions, human philosophies, ordinances, superstitions or the word of truth not rightly divided.

Spiritual growth will also respond to the environment just like any kind of biological development. The environment must aid the direction of growth. If what the environment offers are challenging to expected growth, more of the energy meant for growth will be used to survive and so limiting growth. If diseases and physical harm are constantly present, an organism won't grow properly. The same is true spiritually. The spiritual environment we find ourselves must encourage Christ-likeness.

The environment must offer all that's conducive and necessary for growth and be unfavorable for things that can influence negatively.

This is where the church we go to and the community of believers we are exposed to come in. The church is the ground and the pillar of the truth and the job of the local church is to help believers get conformed to Christ's image once that's not being prioritized such a church must have been distracted into something else. The ultimate goal of preaching, teaching, worship, service, fellowship and any other activity in church is to present each person perfect before God.

[My Offline Bible] Colossians 1
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Notice, the emphasis on 'every man'. Spiritual growth investment must focus 'every man', it can't be successful with a faceless crowd control because it requires the presentation of every man in Christ Jesus.

This is the reason why we don't neglect our assembling together if the essence is to help us get conformed to Christ's image.
[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 10
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

The spiritual environment we have around must trigger the nature of God within us towards growth and conformity to Christ's image. The church we go to must provide both the ingrafted word of God and exemplary character good enough for people to grow by.

Lastly, we must be committed to practicing what we desire to become. A child may be endowed with the best of speed genes and fed with the best of nutrition in an environment of great athletic race champions, if such is trapped for life in His mother's baby carrier he'll never walk not to talk of running.
We must daily practice the word of God to grow up to be like Him. With a good environment that offers fellowship with those who are matured in Christ it becomes easy to see how what we want to become looks like. We emulate Christ and mimic Him and we grow to become like Him and as we do others too mimic us.
Ephesians 5:1 says we should be imitators of God as dear children. Children imitates their parents to develop innate abilities. We have to do that daily.

We can't afford to be conformed to the world. We can't afford to remain carnal and body ruled when we have the potential of being like Christ. We can't afford to leave our spiritual senses untrained to know what's good from what's evil. We must grow to be Christs to our world. In this lies our difference.

Good morning!

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 5
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 3
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?