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HOW TO GROW SPIRITUALLY

HOW TO GROW SPIRITUALLY. FANNING THE FLAME YOU GOT WHEN YOU WERE SAVED. STARTING THE JOURNEY. Every child has to be conceived When the sperm enters an ovum a process is started that in time will result in a mature man or woman of worth

iliana-herring
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HOW TO GROW SPIRITUALLY

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  1. HOW TO GROW SPIRITUALLY FANNING THE FLAME YOU GOT WHEN YOU WERE SAVED

  2. STARTING THE JOURNEY • Every child has to be conceived • When the sperm enters an ovum a process is started that in time will result in a mature man or woman of worth • The only way this is accomplished is for the mother and father to nurture the child i.e. to feed his body soul and spirit after he/she is born

  3. Nurturance • In the womb the child receives his bodily needs from the mother through the placenta and the umbilical cord. This is a passive process • This continues until he comes into the world. It then become necessary for the child to continue to get his needs met though his mother, but this is an active process.

  4. Nurturance • You are all familiar with the changes that take place in the physical nourishment of the child as he/she matures. • What most people do not know is that a child begins its emotional nourishment in the womb.

  5. Nurturance • Talking to the child in the womb with loving words will begin the process of bonding • After birth the child has to have love if it is to thrive • This will be true for the rest of their lives

  6. Nurturance • In the same way the child has to have intellectual nurturance • They have to be taught to crawl, walk and run as well as to talk and amass knowledge so as to be able to deal with the vicissitudes of life • They learn at home, at school and in the community they live in • They do not stop learning until death

  7. Nurturance • The Christian life begins with God’s loving the individual before he or she is born again • This is called prevenient grace • When they are born again they will experience the width, depth, height, and length of God’s love.

  8. Salvation • One cannot be born again and grow without making Jesus the Lord and Master of their lives • If they know him and have not grown they should rededicate their lives and resolve to grow in their faith • It is a simple act, all one has to do is to confess with their lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that he was resurrected from the dead and they will be saved. Romans 10:9,10

  9. Spiritual Growth • Just as a newborn child is incorporated into the family the newborn Christian is incorporated into the family of God • They seek other members of the family (the church) • And just as the family of a child cooperates in the nurturance of the newborn, so the church family should nurture the new Christian

  10. Spiritual Growth • Sadly in this day an age it rarely happens • Only 5% of born again Christians have ever been discipled • All need to be!!!!

  11. Spiritual Growth • What should the church do? They should do exactly as the family does for the newborn. They should feed them and teach them. • The process of nurturing the newborn Christian is called discipleship • It will cause them to grow

  12. Discipleship • The Bible tells us that we should teach our children God’s laws. Deuteronomy 6:7-9 • These laws and other scriptures are guides to right living and we are told to study the scriptures that we might know how to live rightly

  13. Discipleship • When a Christian is born again they receive the Holy Spirit • The Holy Spirit’s presence in their life makes them a new person • They have a happy mood • They perceive truths that that they have not perceived before • They feel clean inside and out • And their behavior is changed, often dramatically

  14. Discipleship • They may receive supernatural gifts although they may not be manifest immediately • Above all they receive the power to change their lives, and to do great things for God • Even so they have to be taught what a Christian life is about and how to live it • They also need to know God’s truth

  15. Discipleship • What is Discipleship • Jesus made it plain that it is training in spirituality • For those of us who adhere to the Lord's meaning, we can expand that concept and say it is the provision of training that corrects, molds or perfects the mental faculties or moral character

  16. True Discipleship • True discipleship will begin when a person absolutely surrenders to God • Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters---yes even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

  17. Carrying Your Cross • This statement is for most people difficult to interpret • Carrying a cross has had different meanings to many people • For me it means being obedient to Christ’s commandments Philippians 2:8

  18. Christ’s Commandments • Love God with all of your being • Love your neighbor • Love yourself • Love one another as Christ has loved you • Do love by feeing the hungry giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and prisoners and taking strangers into your home

  19. Absolute Surrender • When this happens the person will really come to know God and • They will have great energy for God Daniel 11:32 • They will think great thoughts about God Daniel 5:18-21 • They will have great boldness for God Daniel 3:16-18 • They will have great contentment in God Daniel 3:16-18

  20. Baptism in the Holy Spirit • If we absolutely surrender we will most often be baptized in the Holy Spirit • This can occur at the time of our regeneration or later • One gets a gift or gifts with the infilling that has taken place • All of the fruits of the Spirit are enhanced with this event

  21. Baptism in the Holy Spirit • Everyone needs the Spirit • You cannot get it from someone who does not have it • It is available • In the Bible it was received from the elders by the laying on of hands and anointing with oil • It is available today

  22. Discipleship • The Holy Spirit will motivate a person to know more about their faith • Only if they are motivated will their faith grow!! • They have a desire to glorify God so they hunger and thirst after righteousness

  23. Discipleship • How do we do this? • We begin with the greatest Commandment. We love God! • To do this we have to get to know him • We can know him if we know Jesus. He is the visible evidence of the invisible God • We have to develop a Christology to truly know God

  24. Discipleship • The Holy Spirit will Begin the process of revealing all truth to us (John 16:13) • The first step in our spiritual growth is that we learn how to communicate with God to enhance our relationship

  25. Discipleship • We communicate with him and he with us in four ways and encounter him in each • Prayer • Bible study • The Eucharist and • Worship • These are the MEANS OF GRACE

  26. Prayer • The definition of prayer that I like best is that it is a conversation between two people who love one another • It has two aspects • Speaking and • Listening

  27. Prayer • I know of no one aspect of spiritual Growth that is more important as prayer and ONE THAT IS MORE NEGELCTED • The average Christian prays only one minute a day • The average pastor prays only 3 minutes a day. • Turn to your spouse or a person next to you and in one minute tell them all that has gone on in your life today. I will time you. --------- Now reverse your roles

  28. Prayer • I think you can see that you were unable to tell them much, and that it barely enhanced your relationship • If you want to grow spiritually you will only do so if you pray much • John Wesley wanted his ministers to pray and read the Bible four hours a day. • He said that everything happens with prayer and nothing without it

  29. Prayer • Who are we to pray for? The answer is: • Our spouse, children and extended family • Our friends • Our church • Our pastor • Our Missionaries • Our community • Our president • The Congress

  30. Prayer • More who and what to pray for • The supreme court • The peace of Jerusalem • For our soldiers, sailors, policemen and firemen • And for the lost especially those of our friends who fall in that category • Finally for ourselves with prayers of confession, repentance and personal requests

  31. Prayer • When should we pray? • On all occasions • Unceasingly • How should we pray • In the Spirit, i.e. guided, directed and anointed by the Holy Spirit • We have to remember that prayer has many forms

  32. Forms of Prayer • Forms of prayer • Singing psalms and other Christian music Ephesians 5:9 • Praise-Psalm 67:3 • Thanksgiving Ephesians 5:20 • Confession James 5:16 • Repentance Psalm 51 • Offering forgiveness John 20:23 • Making intercession 1 Timothy 2:1-6

  33. Why Pray? • Why should we pray? • To fellowship with God, to come to know him Mark 9:37, John 14:21, Ephesians 3:14-21 • To obtain results Matthew 7:7-12, John 16:14 • To glorify God John 14:13, Jeremiah 33:3

  34. How should we pray? • We should pray guided and directed by the Holy Spirit • Praying in the Spirit is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because he anoints it • Praying in the Spirit is not praying in tongues. When we pray in tongues we pray with OUR spirit

  35. Praying in Tongues • Are “tongues” a legitimate way of praying • Yes! They have been present in Christianity since Pentecost • They may be a foreign language • Most of them are polysyllabic utterances without syntax or grammatical construction

  36. Praying with the Spirit • Is it demonic? No! but it can be • The belief of dispensationalists that tongues went out after the apostolic era was perpetrated by Calvin and Barclay and is wrong. They have never ceased (1 Corinthians 13:8) and the gift is still being given today • Unknown tongues are a legitimate way to pray if you have the gift

  37. Praying with Confidence • These are the prerequisites for praying with confidence • Abiding in Christ John 15:7 • We are to boldly ask (James 4:2) • We are to believe that he will answer • We are to be prepared to receive an answer

  38. Prerequisites • Personally we need • A right relationship with God 1 John 3:22 • A right relationship with our family 1 Peter 3:6,7 • A right relationship with others Matthew 5:23,24 • A Right attitude toward our self James 4:3 • A right attitude toward sin Ps 66:18

  39. Techniques of Prayer • We should address our prayers personally • Father • Son • Holy Spirit • I address my prayers to the Lord Jesus since he is my intercessor with the Father

  40. Techniques • We pray according to his will 1 John 5:14,15 • Pray in the Spirit Jude 20 • In faith James 1:5-7 • With thanksgiving Colossians 4:2, Philippians 4:6 • In Jesus name John 14:13,14

  41. Listening to God • I know of no form of prayer that is more neglected than listening to him • Throughout our lives we have to listen to learn. It is not surprising then that we have to listen to him to learn of him • No one teaches you to listen to God or even tells you to do it

  42. Listening to God • God speaks to me regularly • When I say that God told me something, people will want know how I know he spoke to me. • The answer is that he supernaturally illuminates • My thoughts • His Word • The words of others • And he speaks to me through dreams and visions

  43. Listening to God • There is one other way we can listen to God • It is through scripture meditation. How does one do this? • Begin by memorizing a verse • Quote the verse as a personal prayer • Repeat the verse • Ask God to give you new insights about the verse and bring it to mind when you are making decisions

  44. Growing Through Bible Study • Bible study is our second means of Grace, and a growth facilitator • In the Bible we encounter God • God speaks to us through his word • It also reveals God’s and Christ’s attributes to us

  45. Bible Study • It instructs us for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ • It is also inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness 2 Timothy 3:16,17

  46. Bible Study • One should consistently read the Bible • If one reads three chapters a day they can read through it in one year • In addition a person who has questions concerning some aspect of their faith can do topical studies

  47. Tools for Bible Study • A study Bible and several translations • A concordance • A topical Bible • A Bible computer program • Commentaries • A bible dictionary and The Daily Light • And any other tools that your might like

  48. How to study the Bible • Make time to do it • Study consistently. Don’t just read devotionals! • Have a plan • Pray that God will illuminate his word for you as you read • For me the best plan has been to read three chapters a day • And to do topical studies as I need to do them for my writing and teaching

  49. What does the Bible teach us? • It reveals God and his will for our lives • It also reveals his attributes as manifested in Jesus Christ • The Work and person of the Holy Spirit • And gives us a futurology. We have eternal life

  50. Worship • Worship is the fourth means of Grace • It means to regard with respect, honor and devotion---to adore • It can be done individually or in a congregational setting • In the Bible the word in Hebrew means to bow down, in Greek to kiss toward

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