Spiritual Growth

Spiritual growth begins when one accepts Jesus Christ as the true Son of God. From there on true spirituality becomes the process of sanctification being done in us. The work of Francis A. Schaeffer has been extremely helpful in explaining the ways this process can take place in each of us.

1. WE NEED TO NOT ONLY READ THE BIBLE BUT STUDY IT. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. 1 Peter 2;2 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
2. WE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PRAY. Schaeffer tells us that there are two types of prayer. 1. Pray morning, noon, and night. 2. Live in a state of prayer as we live throughout our days.
3. WE MUST LEARN TO WITNESS FOR CHRIST. This means to tell others about who Christ has become in your life wherever you are.
4. WE NEED TO ATTEND A BIBLE-BELIEVING CHURCH. As someone has written, “the sign of a Bible-believing church is not indicated by a full parking lot. Do not trust your eyes but rather listen to what comes from the pulpit.” The preaching must come directly from the Scriptures, verse by verse and text by text in a language that engages the listener. 
5. WE NEED TO MORE FULLY UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THE LORD’S SUPPER. John Piper has written an excellent blog on this and I share some of the highlights of that blog with you. He writes “The Lord’s Supper is a stark reminder, time after time, that Christianity is not new-age spirituality.”    It is an historical event commemorating Christ offering His life that through the eating of His body and the drinking of His blood we might eat the bread and drink the wine unto everlasting life in Him. When I see the chaos that often takes place at the time of The Lord’s Supper, it indicates that the leaders of that church do not take the sacred offering of Christ, seriously.