PERSONAL CHRISTIAN GROWTH.

Natural growth. For physical growth a child needs food, protection and education. A plant needs soil, water and light. Given these factors a child or a plant will grow.

Spiritual growth is as natural as physical growth. When the Holy Spirit is given a person is born again and receives the ability to communicate with God the Father. The person is adopted into the family of God. Provided the correct conditions are present, spiritual growth should occur. Salvation is only the beginning of the process. Believers are to go on being saved as they go on exercising faith and go on repenting. Jesus spoke of those who persevere to the end being saved. Paul speaks of believers working out their salvation. Spiritual growth has to be nurtured or tended.

3.   The process of birth.
The Bible outlines the normal Christian birth. If there is something wrong with a physical birth a child may grow up handicapped. A bad physical birth can affect a baby physically and psychologically for the rest of its life. Many believers are badly birthed and do not grow properly. This is the responsibility of the leadership of the Church or the evangelist. The real question facing man is this: “If you live tomorrow are you living out of your sins or in your sins?”

There are four spiritual doors to go through in the process of being born again.
First. Repentance.     Second. Faith.         Third. Baptism in water.     Fourth. Receiving the Holy Spirit.

FIRST. Repentance.
Man is not responsible for what has been done to him in his life, but he is responsible for the way in which he responds. Repentance is concerned primarily with the mind. Man changes his mind about his actions. He agrees with God about what He thinks about man’s actions.

Regret is what man feels about the consequences to himself. He regrets what he has done to another person. He is sorry about what he has done. But it focuses on himself.

Remorse is what he feels about the consequences to other people. A criminal often says that he feels remorse. He is sorry for the other person affected by the crime. The focus is on the other person.

Repentance is what man feels about the consequences to God. He has broken God’s law and spoilt His pleasure in man’s life. He has insulted and offended God. He has changed his mind and now see it as sin and not a weakness. Repentance is accepting personal responsibility for what he has done and not blaming others. Repentance is always specific. It is not enough to say " Save me God. I am a sinner." It is necessary to name the sins – “I have stolen from my employer etc.” John the Baptist called for people to repent and told them what they should do specifically. The Holy Spirit will bring to the conscience those particular sins, which have been offending God and these are the ones, which need to be repented of  by the person. Then after conversion as the believer grows and learns more about the word of God, he becomes aware of other things, which has been doing which also insult God and he realises that he needs to repent of these also.  

FAITH. Faith is given by God. It is His gift. Repentance and faith go together like the blades of a pair of scissors. One without the other is useless. Faith enables man to realise the need to repent and when he repents he is exercising faith. So they go together.

BAPTISM in water. There is much debate as to whether this is total immersion or sprinkling. Mark ch 1 v 10. Jesus was baptised by John. When Jesus came up out of the water. This implies full immersion. Baptism in water is a public step to confirm to the World that the new believer has fully committed his life to Jesus.

BAPTISM in the Holy Spirit. Without receiving the Holy Spirit there is no birth. Jesus made this clear to Nicodemus in John ch 3 v 5. He said: " Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.  Paul says in 1 Cor ch 12 v 13. “By one Spirit we were all baptised into one body.”

The Biblical teaching clearly presents a picture of all four elements being present at one time. The individual is convicted of sin and drawn to repent, believing in Jesus as Saviour and Lord, at which point he is born again and receives the Holy Spirit. The water baptism then follows as the outward and public evidence of conversion and commitment to follow Jesus and it should take place as closely in time as possible.

The consequences of birth.  When a believer is converted there should be 7 natural consequences.
1. At conversion the angels rejoice. Is there a guardian angel appointed for each person? Maybe.
Psalm 91 v 11. “God will give angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways” Hebrews ch 1 v 14. "They are sent forth for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation."
2. An awareness of sin. Man is constantly aware of the standards, which God seeks, as he studies His model - Jesus. Sins are like weeds in the ground. They must be pulled up regularly or they will choke the life out of the plants. Repentance is specific and not general.
3. A hunger for the Word of God as spiritual food. Has man a healthy appetite? Something is wrong if he has no appetite. A spiritual man does not grow unless he feeds on the word of God by regular Bible study. Sardis had a name for being alive but was dead. A Church may seem to do all the right things but there is no real spiritual life.
4. A desire for a changed life. A concern to be rid of sin, which caused his being destined for Hell. This may involve a change of work, leaving ungodly friends or destroying an idol.
5. A love for brothers and sisters in Christ, as members of the new family into which he has been born. This is as natural as a love between brothers and sisters in a natural family. “By your love for one another people will know that you are my disciples.”
6. A degree of testing in life. Jesus warned His followers to expect it. Count the cost. Royal children are expected to undergo special training and discipline, which other children escape, in order to prepare them for their high destiny. They have a special responsibility. So it is for all children of the King of kings. All man can take with him into eternity is his character or integrity. That is the number one goal in life. The great promise of Jesus in the messages to the seven Churches in Revelation is that there is a prize for those who overcome.
7. A strong desire to share the news of Christ with others. When man has good news - a job, a child on the way a grand child - he longs to share it. It is natural for the believer to tell others.

If these areas of life are not present in the life of a person who has received the gift of eternal life, it raises the question of whether or not that person has been born again. No one would give a live baby to a dead mother. Likewise a new spiritual baby should not be entrusted to a dead Church.

John ch 14 v 12. Jesus said that believers would do what He did and greater things still, but only if they live as He lived. Are believers prepared to put in the effort to grow. The purpose for any fellowship is that believers should be trained to grow in knowledge, holiness and experience as they serve the Lord.  It should be no surprise that God wants them to be useful to His business. That is just what Jesus said to His parents. " I must be about my Father's business."  Luke ch 2 v 49.

Conditions for growth.
(a) Three basic needs. To be loved. To belong. To achieve. A new believer needs a Church - with good leadership and good teaching, where their basic needs are met. Heb ch 5. They are still on milk and have never progressed to solid food. There are two dangers for believers. Some are very good on doctrine. Others are very caring. But in order to be a mature believer it is necessary to hold both doctrine and love or care together. Doctrine is to the believer what bones are to the body. A person needs to be bones and flesh. To grow they need love and the Word. Teaching of the Bible must be a balanced diet. The challenge is to teach the whole counsel of God.
(b) Encouragement. This is a command to all believers to encourage one another 1 Thes ch 5 v11.

The purpose of Growth. God wants believers to grow to be like Jesus. Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect. Paul recognised that and said that everything else was rubbish and was not to get in the road of his being like Jesus. What is God's eternal purpose? Eph ch 3 v 11.God's purpose in eternity to give everything He has to His Son as His inheritance. Jesus alone was found worthy to open the scroll - which represents the history of the World. Believers are joint heirs with Christ. As the Son of God Jesus has received His inheritance. He is ruler of the Universe. His brothers are to share that task with Him. God intends believers to share the government of the Universe with His Son. Jesus has received his inheritance. Those who are His brothers are to rule with Him. God wants mature men and women to rule the Universe.

Fruit of the Spirit. This grows naturally and quietly unless it is disturbed.
The Gifts of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is given to enable believers to become complete. The Holy Spirit wants to give gifts to do what Jesus did and to be what Jesus is. Gifts are given to build up the body.

The word " love " in Greek meant: " Whatever you do to me, and even though I am not attracted to you, I care for you so deeply that I shall always seek your good, whatever it may cost me." The word is " agape ". It is more " care " than " love ". The fruit can be defined as follows:
Love - care i.e. agape.
Joy - deep happiness. It cannot be taken away from you.
Peace or quiet harmony. Shalom. Total harmony with all.
     These three relate believers to God.
Endless patience - slow tempered. Jesus was slow to anger.
Practical kindness. A feeling for people. Mellow.
Goodness - unstinted generosity. The word goodness means generosity. Only 2 men in the Bible are called good. Joseph of Arimathea and Joseph Barnabus.
      These three relate to others.
Steady reliability. " Yours faithfully." Faithfulness.
Meekness or gentle humility. Tamed. Moses was meek because he had been tamed.
Firm self control. The ability to say " no " to ourselves.
      These three are for believers.
In mentioning these 9 fruits there is a picture of Jesus. There is only one fruit, which has 9 flavours. They will all appear simultaneously in one go, but it comes gradually.

How to grow fruit. There is no short cut. It cannot be given but has to grow. There are 2 rules.
FIRST. Abide in Christ. “Do you love the Lord Jesus as much as you did before and spend as much time with Him as you did earlier?” Man is influenced by those with whom he spends time.
SECOND. Walk in the Spirit. Every step with the Spirit swells the fruit. Be led by the Spirit. As soon as believers go against the Spirit, the fruit dries up. They must go where the Spirit leads. Step out in faith. Watch another fill out and become an all- round person - a complete person. The same believer can receive a gift and grow fruit. All have different experiences, but do not necessarily grow fruit. One person may have gifts but shows no fruit. Some may have a narrow experience but be growing fruit. All believers have to look to those who have grown fruit. Those who have grown the fruit need to look to those who have had experiences of the Lord. God wants those with experience, gifts and fruit.     

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT. Supernatural gifts are given by the Holy Spirit for two purposes (a) to enable God's children to be able to achieve something within the Church and to do the things Jesus did. Jesus did them by the power of the Holy Spirit as His followers are enabled to do and (b) to build up the body of believers. The gifts are not for showing off but to be used to help the brothers and sisters grow and to be a blessing to the non believers. It is natural to want to have a gift. When man sees others with gifts he wants one too. Paul encourages believers to seek the gifts. 1 Cor ch 14 v 1.

Men who know their God.
What is God looking for in His children? Man was created to know God. “I desire the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” Hos ch 6 v 6. There is no moment when God's eye is off His children or His attention distracted from them and no moment when His care falters.
Boys who appreciate their father usually want to imitate their father. They learn by watching.
(A) Those who know God as their Father have energy for the things of God. Dan ch 11 v 32. People who know their God shall be strong and do exploits. Their concern for the good name of God drives them to defend the honour of His name. They are sensitive to situations in which God's truth and honour are being directly attacked.
(B) Those who know their God have great thoughts about God. They know that God rules over the whole of the Universe. They long to understand John's Revelation and see into Heaven.
(C) Men who know God show great boldness for God. Many men have uttered the words." Here am I send me." They thrill to the words of Jesus when he said in John ch 14 v 12 " You will do what I have done" and long to see that come to pass.
(D) Men who know their God are content with life and are not striving for material success or praise of men.