Spiritual Growth

Spiritual growth is a big deal.  It’s emphasized by the church.  It’s emphasized by our pastors.  It’s emphasized in their books. 

One common denominator you will hear, read, or see in motivating congregations to grow in Christ Jesus their Savior is fear and guilt.  This is not necessary. 

The only people who are able to grow are those who have received the free gift of Jesus’s grace and have now become brand new creations.  People with new identities.  Identities fused with Jesus.  Identities that can not only grow, but desire to grow also.  Identities that are indeed growing at the rate they join with God’s process in them.  I call them opportunities. 

Anybody else, no matter how involved in Christianity they are, cannot grow.  No amount of fear and guilt will make them do so.  But what will be provoked is behavior modification, and people will act better.  If this is what we are after then, hooray, we did it.  If behavior modification isn’t spiritual growth then we have missed the mark.

Pastors and teachers put a lot of pressure on fruit because it is indeed the proof of our new identity to the world.  The fear and guilt type pressure actually deter as many people as it spurs.  So I see guilt as a different means to the desired end.  We all want to grow in Christ. I believe that encouragement and freedom is the way to motivate in love.

We feel the urgency to grow.  Meanwhile the Bible shares with us urgency for the Gospel to be shared.  Certainly our growth will aid in that mission.  But feeling urgency in your personal growth to the image of God’s Son is going to be a frustrating wait.

In our churches and Christian schools we want to see people grow.  We feel it’s our purpose.  However, we can only facilitate growth we cannot cause it.  We can prod people into good works and they will look impressive but it will oftentimes be false fruit.  At this point we have fanned the flames of hypocrisy.

At my high school we talk about student growth a lot.  We want to see fruit.  There is nothing wrong with that, we join God in that desire.  We must consider that many of the students have not been made new and that those who have also have teenage flesh waging war against their new self.  That is the most difficult flesh to be fruitful with. 

We also must consider that Jesus met thousands of people and only 11 were sold out disciples (and they weren't sold out for life, they were spotty).  Surely the thousands could be saved too!  Losing your life for Jesus is precious but optional in the scope of salvation.  And those who chose to deny themselves can only do it partially.  This is why Jesus was required!  We can never surrender to God enough to be good enough.

Some would use powerful tactics of fear and guilt to harness our shame and convince us into believing a lie= that more effort is the answer.  If we could just read more Scripture, pray more often, dedicate to discipleship, and never stop…we will mature…nope. 

Those are all great things to help you mature but only when your new self is thirsting for it.  Otherwise it’s just busy work.  It’s not sustainable.  But the new you wants to do the things of God and wants to grow.  More effort will make you disciplined but without desire to “be what the Rabbi is” it’s not discipleship.   

True spiritual growth is the slow process of making who you are (sin) into who you really are (holy).  True spiritual growth is a work of God in you when you walk by the Spirit.  True spiritual growth is a work of God when you trust His way and follow it. 

Discipleship is critical to our growth but are you going to let manipulation have a place in it?