Today I’ve entitled our message “Three Secrets for Spiritual Growth.” What is spiritual growth all about? Spiritual growth begins when a person is born again, when they commit their lives to Jesus. A person who is not born again or saved, cannot grow spiritually because they are not alive spiritually.
When a person is born again, the are born as a spiritual baby. God’s plan and desire is for every spiritual baby to grow spiritually. Spiritual growth will then cause that spiritual baby to grow to spiritual maturity. To understand these spiritual principles, let’s think about the difference between a baby and a mature adult. A baby is helpless, they can’t meet their own needs and so are dependent on their parents. Nothing wrong with being a baby, it’s how God designed us to get started. But if a baby doesn’t grow physically, we know that something is wrong. The same is true for spiritual babies, they also need to grow up.
Ephesians 4:11-12 (ESV) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
God made provisions for spiritual babies to grow by placing them in the church, the body of Christ. In the church, there are those who can help and parent spiritual infants to grow or be built up.
Ephesians 4:13 (ESV) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
God’s goal is that every believer grow to mature adulthood. That goal of maturity, the standard by which we measure maturity is Jesus Christ. So, we are to continue to grow throughout our lives.
Ephesians 4:14 (ESV) so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
God doesn’t want us to remain infants or even children who are easily deceived.
Ephesians 4:15 (ESV) Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
We are to grow up, to grow spiritually, becoming more and more like Jesus. Physical development of a baby is automatic if the baby is fed and cared for. So many people think that spiritual growth is automatic. The longer you’ve been a believer, the more mature you must be. That is not true. A person can be a believer for 20 years and still be a spiritual infant.
How can that happen? That can happen if a person does not follow Jesus’ directions for their lives. Why does every believer need to grow spiritually? God desires and commands us to grow spiritually. If you’re not growing, you may on your way to dying spiritually. Spiritual growth draws a person closer to God and brings blessing into their lives. That blessing then enables you to be a blessing to others and help them grow as well. So, let’s begin today by looking at the first secret for spiritual growth.