Continuing To Grow
INTRODUCTION
1. Growth is necessary
in all areas of life
2. This is especially
true in our lives as Christians - Ep 4:14-15;
3. But spiritual growth
must be well-rounded, balanced growth
a. The Christian must grow in knowledge, in
zeal, in faith, in
Christ-like character, in good works
b. The Christian must not be full of
knowledge while his disposition
remains un-Christlike
4. This final lesson is
intended to help us continue growing ever
closer to God and more productive in our
service to Jesus Christ
[It is beneficial to be
aware of those things which act as...]
I. HINDRANCES TO
GROWTH
A. LACK OF EFFORT...
1. Growing in Christ is not automatic
2. One may still be a "babe"
after many years - cf. He 5:13;
3. Growth requires effort, but those who
are spiritually lazy
will simply follow the course of least
resistance; such will
forever remain "babes" , if
they do not fall away altogether
B. DISCOURAGEMENT...
1. Some people make a good beginning, but
get discouraged and
quit
2. Reasons may vary: church troubles, personal problems, lack of
encouragement from others, etc.
3. But consider the example of the
apostle Paul:
a. Few of us would ever have the
problems he had
b. Yet he did not "lose
heart" (become discouraged)
c. Why? Because he knew his labor was not in vain
4. And so he encourages us not to grow
weary in doing good
C. THE LAW OF DISUSE...
1. A knife stays bright when used, but
unused it becomes rusty
2. So it is with Christians, we lose what
knowledge, ability, and
opportunity we have when we do not use
them!
3. To use another metaphor, unless we are
earnest in our
endeavor, we will simply "drift
away" from the Lord - He 2:1
D. THE LAW OF INTERFERENCE...
1. Crops, trees and flowers do not grow
well when crowded
2. So our spiritual growth will be
hindered if we allow others to
crowd out our spiritual life
a. Businessmen may become too busy to
attend to God's business
b. A woman may get so occupied with
housekeeping that she has
little time for God
c. Young people may be so busy with
school activities that
prayer, worship, good works and
Bible study are crowded out
d. Preachers might get so tied down
with meetings,
administrative duties, etc., that
they too do not have time
to spend alone with God
3. Jesus warned about the danger of
interference - Mk 4:18-19
[In an effort to prevent
succumbing to these hindrances, here are
some...]
II. SUGGESTIONS FOR
CONTINUING YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
A. BECOME ACTIVE IN THE WORK OF THE
CONGREGATION...
1. Begin immediately!
a. It is important not to delay
(remember the "hindrances")
b. There is work for everyone, and it
is best to start with
something you are able to handle
c. Even the most humble service can be
a source of joy for
those who are doing it to please
God - cf. Ps 84:10;
2. Offer your services to the elders!
a. These men will be glad to find work
for you to do in
keeping with your ability
b. Sometimes they hesitate to call on
people for work if they
are not sure the people are willing
c. But let them know that you have the
attitude of Isaiah:
"Here am I! Send me." - Isa 6:8
3. Look for work needing to be done!
a. The best servant is one who can see
things to be done and
does them without having to be told
every step to take
b. Most of us are good critics; here
is how we can put that
ability to good use:
1) Whenever we see something we
want to criticize, take
that as an opportunity to SHOW
(not tell) how it should
be done
2) Someone else's failure is often
our opportunity to be of
service
3) In other words, "Don't
criticize, energize!"
B. START A PROGRAM OF REGULAR PRIVATE DEVOTIONS...
1. Spend time each day alone with God,
engaged in prayer, Bible
study, singing praises
2. Such time consistently spent will
supply the spiritual
nourishment necessary for spiritual
growth
3. Many Christians do not grow because
they try to exist on a
"spiritual starvation diet"!
C. PARTICIPATE IN AN INFORMAL BIBLE STUDY
GROUP...
1. Meet weekly with other Christians in
an informal setting to
study the Bible together
2. This provides opportunity for mutual
sharing and encouragement
which leads to even more knowledge and
spiritual growth
D. BECOME INVOLVED IN LEADING PEOPLE TO
CHRIST...
1. Begin implementing the suggestions in
the lesson on increasing
opportunities to share the gospel
2. Even if you don't do the actual
teaching, you can do what
Andrew and Philip did: lead a friend to Christ! - Jn 1:40-46
3. Those involved in leading others to
Christ rarely ever stop
growing in Christ themselves!
E. PRACTICE CONSTANT SELF-EXAMINATION...
1. The Scriptures call us to examine
ourselves in our relation to
Christ - 2Co 13:5
2. Here are some questions we should
often ask ourselves:
a. Do I have a better Bible knowledge
than one year ago?
b. Am I as interested in Jesus Christ
today as when I was
baptized?
c. Have I helped someone else to
become a Christian?
d. Am I enjoying life as a child of
God?
e. Am I improving my life, my
disposition, and becoming more
like Christ?
f. Do I set a good example for other
Christians?
g. Am I growing in such activities as
Bible study, prayer,
worship?
3. Self-examination is not an easy
process, but true spiritual
growth is impossible without it!
CONCLUSION
1. If we implement the suggestions in this lesson and
those preceding, we
will successfully embark on a spiritual
journey with Christ that
will last through eternity!
2. It is sad, but true,
that many Christians are often just religious
enough to be miserable; but the life of the
Christian is intended to
be one filled with love, joy, peace, and so
much more! - Ga 5:22-23
3. It is my prayer that
these lessons may be useful in helping you to
truly experience the ABUNDANT LIFE that
Jesus provides! - Jn 10:10
"Now may the God of peace Himself
sanctify you completely, and may
your whole spirit, soul, and body be
preserved blameless at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful,
who also will do it." (1Th 5:23-24)
May God truly bless your journey with
the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Rolando Ramos
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