Studies 4

Five Steps of Christian Growth - 4

STEP ONE: We must read the word of God.
The Christian who wants his life to be controlled by God must read His word.
Just as physical food is necessary for good physical health so is the word of God for our spiritual health and survival.

The word of God is our spiritual food, Luke 4:4, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”
The word of God is our daily direction, Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp
to my feet and a light to my path.
Jesus himself read the word, Luke 4:16, “so He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read”.
Saint Paul tells the church at Colossians 3:16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”.

Let the word of Christ dwell in your heart, the entire message of the gospel, the message of love and grace. We must allow it to dwell always in our hearts so that we can grow more and more like Jesus. It is important to give and receive help by teaching and admonishing (correcting) one another in building up a joyful worship.

Jesus questioned the chief priests and the elders, Matthew 21:42,” have you not read the scriptures”? In the same way the Lord is expecting us to read the scriptures.

STEP TWO: We must pray.
The life which is controlled by God (Christ) has been instructed and commanded to pray, Luke 18:1 “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart”.

Every believer may not be called to preach, but every Christian is called to pray.
Prayer is conversation between God and His people, for example,
Genesis 18:16-33 (Amos 3:7)
Prayer is the demonstration of our trust in God, Acts 12:1-10, 16:16-34
Prayer is our privilege to enter the Holiest presence of God, Hebrews 10:19
Prayer is having an intimate relationship with God
Prayer is the foundation of every successful Christian.
Prayer is a door to God
Prayer is a victory channel
Prayer directs the hand of God to change things
Prayer puts a stop to the plans of the Devil and establishes the plans of God

When praying, remember these things: -

1) Pray about everything, Philippians 4:6-7, “If we talk to God about everything the burden or pressure which is upon our souls will be lighter, the worry will go and we will have peace of God in our hearts”.

2) Pray specifically or exactly what you want, John 14:14, John 16:24, it is important to pray specifically and say exactly what you want from God.

3) Pray continually, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (16-18)

What does the Bible mean when it says pray continually? It means talk to God about everything through out the day.
Praying without ceasing involves talking to our Heavenly Father in a simple and free way throughout the day just as we would talk to our earthly father and friends.
Our prayer life should help us not only to know Jesus but also to have full confidence in Him.

STEP THREE: We must fellowship with other Christians, Hebrews 10:25, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.
Fellowship is spending time and socialising with other believers who love the Lord Jesus. What do we find in the fellowship? The answer is Jesus.

In a coal fire several coals are burning brightly together, but take one out and place it on the cold ground, the fire from that coal will go out. In a similar way the Christians need to work together, pray together, worship together and have fellowship together or the fire of God, the Holy Spirit will go out. Fellowship is very important for Christian growth and that is why our coming to church is very, very important.

STEP FOUR: We must witness, Acts 1:8, “but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
One of the signs of obedience to the Lord is to share Christ with others in the power of the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus came to seek the lost, Luke 19:10
He has commissioned us to witness for Him, Matthew 28:19. Just as the father sent Jesus to save the lost, Jesus also sends us out into the world to save His people, John 20:21. Nothing would please Him more if you were to make witnessing for Him a way of life, as you walk in the Spirit of God, simply take the initiative to share Christ with others and leave the rest with the Holy Spirit.

STEP FIVE: We must obey God, Acts 5:29, Jeremiah 7:23,the key to rapid (fast) growth in the Christian life is obedience to the will of God.
Acts 5:29, but Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “we ought to obey God rather than men”.
Jeremiah 7:23, “but this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you”.