GROWTH

But speaking the truth in love, may GROW up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ – Ephesians 4:15

If you have been born in the Spirit, you must GROW in the Spirit! Growth is the visible sign of life, not only in the physical, but also in the spiritual realm. Every living thing grows. Growth is a convincing characteristic of life. Whatever cannot grow is not alive. It is God’s will for the believer to grow up spiritually. At New Birth, we are born again in Christ: “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Pet.2:2). Milk is for babies. Those tender bundles of joy do not begin to chew bread or meat early in life. As newborn babes in the spirit, we are enjoined to desire the unadulterated milk of God’s Word in order to be nourished and to grow into maturity. This refers to the basic principles of Christian living (1Cor 3:2). Just as your body needs nourishment in order to develop, your spirit-man also needs to be nourished with God’s Word in order for you to grow and prosper in your spiritual life and walk with God.

Spiritual maturity is God’s will for the believer and spiritual growth is the defined path to it. Spiritual Growth implies that God wants you to continuously grow closer to Him and enjoy a personal relationship with Him throughout your life. His Word makes it abundantly clear that if you are to be the kind of Christian He wants you to be, then you need to continuously grow in your relationship with Him. The apostle Peter exhorts us to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ” (2Pet. 3:18). Peter contrasts this growth with “being led away with the error of the wicked” and falling from our steadfastness (2Pet.3:17). The reality is that every believer is either growing closer to God or wandering farther away from Him. We are never stagnant or neutral in the Christian life. If we fail to grow spiritually, then we are actually regressing.

The Word of God articulates the need and requirements for spiritual growth, as well as the primary goal:

The Need: we must grow spiritually because that is God’s Will. He commands us to “put off” the old man, to “put on” the new man and to be “renewed” in the spirit of our mind (Eph.4:17-24). We must grow from being an unlearned unbeliever who walks according to the ways of the world into a mature believer who abides in fellowship with Christ through obedience to His Word. Moreover, spiritual growth is a lifetime endeavour. It is a daily battle. We are on a progressive process of maturing into the image of Christ. We need to continually grow because we are engaged in daily battles against the world, the flesh and the devil. Yet we must never give up. Our inward man should be renewed daily (2Cor. 4:16) and should never cease from growing into the image of our Saviour (Col 3:10).

What are the key requirements? Although all Growth comes from God, growing spiritually involves certain acts of your will. Even in the natural, one must decide to eat in order to grow. Similarly, you must be willing to grow as you yield yourself to the instructions of God’s Word and the leadings of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Renewal is an act of the will (Eph.4:23). Then, you must add actions to your willingness to grow. To passively sit back and contemplate the need for spiritual growth, to be willing to grow or even to purpose to grow is not enough. You must “put of the old man”, “put on the new man”, and “be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Eph.4: 22-24; Col.3:5-9). Moreover, you must “yield” your body to God (Rom.6:11-13).

The goal of the lifelong process of spiritual growth is to be like our Saviour, Jesus Christ (Phil 3:10-15). But we must purpose to grow in Him each day; to become stronger in grace, faith and in His knowledge, for fulfilled lives and destinies. Growth is a Must!