“We are not meant to remain as children at the mercy of every chance wind of teaching . . . Instead we are meant to hold firmly to the truth in love, and to grow up in every way into Christ . . .” Ephesians 4:14 (Ph)
SIX LAWS OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
- WE GROW WHEN WE FEED ON GOD’S WORD
Jesus: “People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every Word of God.” Matthew 4:4 (NLT)
Paul: “. . . the Word of grace is able to build you up and give you all the blessings that God has for his people.” Acts 20:32
Hear . . . Read . . . Study . . . Memorize . . . Meditate . . . Apply
Action Step: A daily time with God for 40 days
Action Plan: To help get in the habit of reading your Bible every day, set a reminder alarm on your phone or put it in your calendar for the same time each day. You can also download the YouVersion Bible app and have the Bible with you wherever you go.
- WE GROW WHEN WE LEARN IN DIFFERENT WAYS
“In many different ways John preached the good news to the people.” Luke 3:18 (CEV)
By Listening (Auditory)
By Watching/Reading (Visual)
By Talking (Verbal/Oral)
By Doing it (Physical/Kinesthetic)
“God speaks in different ways, and we don’t always recognize his voice.” Job 33:14 (CEV)
- WE GROW WHEN WE DEVELOP SPIRITUAL HABITS
“Now that you know these things, you’ll be blessed if you practice them!” John 13:17
“Solid food is for mature people, whose minds have been trained by practice to know the difference between good and evil.” Hebrews 5:14 (GW)
“All good athletes train hard and practice to get better. They do it to win a prize that won’t last. But we practice to win a prize that will last forever!” 1 Corinthians 9:25
Habit of weekly large group worship
Habit of small group fellowship
Habit of a daily time alone with God (Bible & Prayer)
Habit of memorizing God’s Word
Action Plan: Take CLASS 201 this Sunday, October 1. This class teaches the importance of building spiritual habits into your life and gives you the tools to start developing them. For more information, click here.
- WE GROW WHEN WE HELP EACH OTHER GROW
“I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.” Romans 1:12 (NCV)
“Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good. Let us not give up the HABIT of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more . . .” Hebrews 10:24-25 (TEV)
Action Step: Join in a small group
Action Plan: To join or start a small group, click here.
- WE GROW WHEN WE EXPECT TO GROW
Jesus said, “According to your faith will it be done to you.” Matthew 9:29 (NIV)
- WE GROW WHEN WE COMMIT TO GROW
God: “You’ll find me when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else . . .” Jeremiah 29:13 (Message)
Action Step: Covenant with others
Nehemiah: “In view of all this, we are making a covenant together in writing, and all of us are signing our names to it . . .” See Nehemiah 9:38
“Our greatest wish and prayer is that you will become mature Christians.” 2 Corinthians 13:9 (TLB)
Doable Discipleship: Check out this week’s new episode (to be released on Tuesday) of the Doable Discipleship podcast and YouTube show. This week’s episode looks at six traps of spiritual growth. To watch or listen, click here.
