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SPIRITUAL GROWTH+
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TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY GROUP
happy 8th year anniversary!
Lesson IV: Process of Attaining Spiritual Growth
A.Spiritual Growth is a Process
1.It is a life-long process, a journey to grow in faith in order to become Christlike.
2.God expects every Believer to grow and obey His command. (Heb 5:11-12; 2 Peter 3:18)
3.Apostle Paul described how to grow. (Col 1:9-10)
•It begins with PRAYER and Desire!
•It does not stop – your prayer and desire to grow should never cease.
•It involves asking God for spiritual wisdom to understand and do His will.
•It bears spiritual fruit that pleases God and ultimately blesses the believer.
4.Always remember, God begins the process and believer cooperates.
B.Three Key Elements to Grow Spiritually
1.Now that you have eternal life, the Holy Spirit empowers your Christian walk and cultivates these 3 important elements to grow.
•First, God’s Word – the Bible (2 Peter 1:3 “true knowledge of Him”)
•Second, God’s Grace – His grace allows you to live righteous life and cleanse all stains of life so that the Holy Spirit can empower you to grow. (Hebrews 12:15)
•Third, God’s Time – Since growth is a life-long process, it requires God’s time with your cooperation. (Philippians 1:6; 2:12-13)
C.How to Grow Spiritually
1.First – Believer possesses true spiritual life through faith in Christ. Evidence of true
salvation by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. (John 14:16-17)
2.Second– Believer shows his hunger and thirst to know God. He spends time to read,
study, understand, meditate and apply God’s Word. (2 Tim 3:16-17; Psalms 1:2-3)
3.Third – Believer develops a prayerful life; he trusts and surrenders his life to Christ.
Those who belonged to Christ have crucified themselves. (Galatians 2:20)
4.Fourth – Believer cultivates the Fruit of the Holy Spirit; He aims and pursues to walk in
the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23; 5:16-17)
5.Fifth – Believer serves God with love and joy; he is productive in promoting God’s
kingdom. (Psalms 100:2; Hebrews 5:11-14)
6.Sixth – Believer encourages and show godly examples to others; he gets involved to
Community of Believers, worshipping and fellowship with Him together.
(2 Peter 2:1-5; Ephesians 4:15-16; 1 Corinthians 11:1)
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into [a]hell and committed them to [b]pits of darkness, held for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a [c]preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
7.Seventh – Believer learns hard lessons of life through difficult situation; he takes every
opportunity to grow in faith and be fully dependent upon God. (James 1:3-4)
D.Pace of Spiritual Growth (How fast, how slow?)
1.God works in different people in different ways. Some grow rapidly, while others grow slowly, but steadily. Don’t compare your growth with others, but examine your desire.
2.The Scriptures are the mirror to show what you are like spiritually and to know areas of your life that need to experience and learn spiritual growth. (James 1:23-25)
3.The Bible says, the more you grow, the more you can enjoy its benefits. Grow More!
1.It is a life-long process, a journey to grow in faith in order to become Christlike.
2.God expects every Believer to grow and obey His command. (Heb 5:11-12; 2 Peter 3:18)
Hebrews 5:11-12
11 Concerning [a]him we have much to say, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become [b]poor listeners. 12 For though [c]by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the [d]elementary principles of the actual words of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
2 Peter 3:18
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
3.Apostle Paul described how to grow. (Col 1:9-10)
Colossians 1:9-10
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the [a]knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, [b]to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and [c]increasing in the [d]knowledge of God;
•It begins with PRAYER and Desire!
•It does not stop – your prayer and desire to grow should never cease.
•It involves asking God for spiritual wisdom to understand and do His will.
•It bears spiritual fruit that pleases God and ultimately blesses the believer.
4.Always remember, God begins the process and believer cooperates.
B.Three Key Elements to Grow Spiritually
1.Now that you have eternal life, the Holy Spirit empowers your Christian walk and cultivates these 3 important elements to grow.
•First, God’s Word – the Bible (2 Peter 1:3 “true knowledge of Him”)
2 Peter 1:3
3 for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us [a]by His own glory and [b]excellence.
Hebrews 12:15
15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
•Third, God’s Time – Since growth is a life-long process, it requires God’s time with your cooperation. (Philippians 1:6; 2:12-13)
Philippians 1:6
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work [a]among you will complete it [b]by the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:12-13
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to [a]desire and to work for His good pleasure.
C.How to Grow Spiritually
1.First – Believer possesses true spiritual life through faith in Christ. Evidence of true
salvation by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. (John 14:16-17)
John 14:16-17
16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another [a]Helper, so that He may be with you forever; 17 the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.
2.Second– Believer shows his hunger and thirst to know God. He spends time to read,
study, understand, meditate and apply God’s Word. (2 Tim 3:16-17; Psalms 1:2-3)
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is [a]inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for [b]rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man or woman of God may be [c]fully capable, equipped for every good work.
Psalm 1:2-3
2 But his delight is in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree planted by [a]streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season,
And its [b]leaf does not wither;
And [c]in whatever he does, he prospers.
Those who belonged to Christ have crucified themselves. (Galatians 2:20)
Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and [a]the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
4.Fourth – Believer cultivates the Fruit of the Holy Spirit; He aims and pursues to walk in
the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23; 5:16-17)
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:16-17
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.
5.Fifth – Believer serves God with love and joy; he is productive in promoting God’s
kingdom. (Psalms 100:2; Hebrews 5:11-14)
Psalm 100:2
2 Serve the Lord with jubilation;
Come before Him with rejoicing.
Hebrews 5:11-14
11 Concerning [a]him we have much to say, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become [b]poor listeners. 12 For though [c]by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the [d]elementary principles of the actual words of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.
6.Sixth – Believer encourages and show godly examples to others; he gets involved to
Community of Believers, worshipping and fellowship with Him together.
(2 Peter 2:1-5; Ephesians 4:15-16; 1 Corinthians 11:1)
2 Peter 2:1-5
But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
Ephesians 4:15-16
15 but [a]speaking the truth in love, [b]we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together [c]by what every joint supplies, according to the [d]proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
1 Corinthians 11:1
11 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into [a]hell and committed them to [b]pits of darkness, held for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a [c]preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
7.Seventh – Believer learns hard lessons of life through difficult situation; he takes every
opportunity to grow in faith and be fully dependent upon God. (James 1:3-4)
James 1:3-4
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces [a]endurance. 4 And let [b]endurance have its perfect [c]result, so that you may be [d]perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
1.God works in different people in different ways. Some grow rapidly, while others grow slowly, but steadily. Don’t compare your growth with others, but examine your desire.
2.The Scriptures are the mirror to show what you are like spiritually and to know areas of your life that need to experience and learn spiritual growth. (James 1:23-25)
James 1:23-25
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [a]natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, [b]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but [c]an active doer, this person will be blessed in [d]what he does.
3.The Bible says, the more you grow, the more you can enjoy its benefits. Grow More!
prayer requests?
- Please pray for Reggie Arriola for his ailments to go away. And for his family to remain strong. Pray for Reggie to have a successful shoulder ligament surgery and to have a speedy recovery.
- World peace and healing.
- Pray for family reconciliation.
- Mel: Pray for our kids, for Mark and Mico as they return back to school.
- Adolfo: Please pray for my son Javier. He hasn't been home for a couple of days.