Growing Spiritually

Once we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord we are born again as children of God. As His children God expects us to grow. The instructions for our spiritual growth are provided in the Word of God, the Bible, which contains everything we should know in order to live a Godly life. 

(2 Peter 1:3), (1 Peter 2:2), (2Tim.3:16-17) 

It is important that we develop a spiritual discipline.

1.Study God’s Word daily

God speaks to us primarily through His written Word. We need to read it with the desire to listen to His voice. God wants us to study it diligently and meditate on it frequently (Deu. 6:6-7). We are commanded to desire the pure spiritual food of God’s Word (1Pet.2:2).

God’s Word does a lot of things in the life of a believer.

*It restrains us from sinning against God (Psa.119:11,133).

*It shows us the way in the dark (Psa.119:105).

*It equips us to stand against the enemy (Eph.6:13,17).

*It heals us (Psa.107:20).

*It gives us understanding (Psa.119:130)

*It reveals what is wrong in us (James 1:23)

*It exposes our thoughts (Heb.4:12)

Take time to read all references. Develop a habit of listening to God by studying God’s Word daily.

2.Talk to God in prayer daily

God speaks to us through His Word, we talk to Him through prayer.

Prayer is not a religious ritual done in a certain place, in a certain posture and repeating certain vocabulary. It is just talking to God your Father in heaven. As His dear child you have free access into His throne room any time. You don’t have to go through any mediator. In fact, He is longing to hear from you.

You may follow the pattern of the prayer our Lord taught His disciples in Mat.6:9-13.

Praise and Adore Him

You should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, help us to honor your name. (Mt.6:9 CEV)

Only His children have the legitimate right to call God “Father” (John 1:12). Realize that you are talking to your loving father. Glorify His holy name as you come to Him. You can praise God repeating what God’s Word says about the person of God, His character, His works etc. (Eg. Ps.95; Ps.100; Ps.103)

Submit to His authority

May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. (Mat.6:10 NLT)

God’s rule will ultimately come whether we like it or not but as children we must yield to His authority willingly and follow His desire. We must desire that His will be done in our lives.

Ask for your needs

Give us today the food we need
(Mat. 6:11 NLT)

Ask for your needs and for others’. Remember the conditions.

*Ask according to God’s will (1Jn.5:14)
*Ask in Jesus’ name (Jn.14:14)
*Have no unconfessed sin
(Ps.66:18); (Jn.9:31)
*Ask without doubting (James 1:6-7)
*Ask with right motive (Jam.4:3)

Thank Him for everything He does. (Phil.4:6)

Confess your sins

…and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
(Mat. 6:12 NLT)

If you are truly a child of God the Holy Spirit will lead you, and guide you. This is proof that you are a child of God (Rom.8:14). As we read God’s Word He will show us things in our lives that are displeasing to Him. Confess to Him and ask forgiveness. (1Jn.1:9) You don’t need to do it before the clergy in a church, you can do it from where you are.

Confession involves, first, agreeing with God that we have sinned and grieved Him. Second, thanking God that Jesus paid for these sins too, when He died on the cross. Third, repenting, which means turning back and not repeating those sins.

Remember to ask forgiveness from anyone whom you have hurt. Also, forgive anyone who has offended you. If we don’t forgive others, we are still guilty.

Take refuge in God

And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
(Mat. 6:13 NLT)

Ask Him to help you resist temptation. Intercede for your family, relatives and friends also to be protected from the evil one.

3.Fellowship with believers frequently

The born again children of God around the world together make the true Church which is the body of Christ. The gathering together of a group of born again believers in a locality is called a local church. This gathering is important for the edification and growth of every believer. This is God’s way of equipping His Church to fulfill His mission.

Unfortunately, most of our traditional church gatherings don’t edify or equip us for God’s mission. We need to find places where Christ alone is glorified and worshiped, and His Word is taught. Otherwise they are just social gatherings or “charitable societies”, at their best. I know this is a bit controversial and some of you may get angry with me. But we cannot escape reality. It’s a choice between Jesus and other people. Followers of Jesus in every generation had to make this choice. May the Holy Spirit guide you.

In the gathering of born again believers:

*His presence is promised
(Mt.18:20)
*Spiritual gifts are endowed
(1Cor.12:7-11)
*Mutual edification is focused
(1Cor.14:12,26)
That is why we are asked to assemble together as members of the body of Christ. (Heb.10:24-25)

4. Bear witness through your life and words

Before ascending to heaven Jesus gave a last command to His followers. It is known as the Great Commission. He wanted the message of salvation to go to the entire world. The Church was to be His channel to fulfill this command. Thus, we have been entrusted with this great responsibility and we are privileged to bear witness to the transforming power of the gospel. How do we do it?

Live as true followers of Jesus.

*Be obedient
(Luke 11:28; Mat.7:26)
Obey His instructions in the Word of God.

*Be an influencer
(Mat 5:13‭-‬14‭,16)
Be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Let the world see the transformation God has brought in your life.

*Involve in acts of kindness

Love and serve others

*Be willing to suffer
(Phil.1:29; 1Pet.4:12-19)

*Share a testimony
Tell others what God is doing in your life. Share your experience of following Jesus.

*Share the Gospel
Tell others how they can experience God’s forgiveness.

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.
(Luke 9:23‭, ‬25‭-‬26 NLT)

Why should God let us into heaven?

Have you ever thought of it? Maybe you don’t believe in heaven or hell but the Bible points to these two as the ultimate destinations for us human beings. Ultimately, we are responsible for our beliefs.

God is absolutely holy and we are sinful. The Bible says all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard of holiness (Rom.3:23). We try to cover up with our good works, religion and charity, but the Bible says that our best deeds are like dirty stained clothes (Isa.64:6). The end result is eternal death as Rom.6:23 says. There is no second chance because Heb.9:27 reminds us that after death only judgment remains. This means, whatever has to be done to escape judgment has to be done before death.

God knows our inability to save ourselves. That is exactly why Jesus came, took upon Himself our punishment, died on the cross and rose again. Rom.10:9 says, If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

It means: I must accept that I am a sinner, I cannot save myself and so I am condemned to eternal death.
I must believe that Jesus was nailed to the cross and He died in my place taking my punishment upon Himself. I must repent of my sins and in faith ask Him to come into my life as my Savior and Master. I must confess that Jesus alone is my Savior and Lord and surrender my life totally to Him.

This is my own choice and decision. Nobody else, living or dead, can do it for me. Delaying this decision will be playing with my destiny, for who knows whether I will see tomorrow.

We can express our decision through prayer, saying,

“Almighty God, I agree that I am a sinner worthy of hell. I repent of my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus to take my punishment and die in my place. I believe He rose again defeating sin and death. I now accept Jesus as my only Savior and invite Him to be the Lord and Master of my life. I surrender totally to Him so He can have His way in my life. I ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

If we are sincere in our decision Jesus will come into our lives as He promised (Rev.3:20) and give us a new birth.
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
(John 1:12 NLT)

The Reunion – for Believers only!

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.
(1Thessalonians 4:13‭-‬18 NLT)

Death is painful. The absence of a loved one from the routines of daily life is very hurting. Certain objects and spaces in the house will bring vivid memories and tears. They say time will heal. But until then it is agonizing.

The Resurrection

Yet, there is hope for a child of God. Death is the end for an unbeliever, but it’s the beginning of real life for a true believer in Christ. The scriptures say that the dead in Christ will rise from their graves when Christ comes down from heaven in mid air to snatch away His bride the Church. This is a mystery event that is not marked on the church calendar. In fact most churches don’t even talk about it, let alone preach or teach about it. One of the important facts to note about this mystery event is that it is a  “Bride snatching” ceremony, similar to one that happens in a Jewish wedding. The bride of Christ will disappear into the bridal chamber which was prepared for her by her groom. Remember what Jesus said in John 14:2-3?

“There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I wouldn’t tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together.”
(Jn 14:2‭-‬3 CEV)

The Rapture

This mystery is called the Rapture. The Church the bride of Christ will be raptured from this world. The dead believers rising first and the living ones being transformed and snatched away into the place prepared for them by the Lord. The bride will be with her groom in that chamber for seven days after which they will appear before people for the banquet. Exactly like this, the Church will be with Christ for seven years while the world will go through the great tribulation under the Antichrist. After the seven years we will come down to the earth with Christ for the great banquet in the millennial Kingdom.

The Return

When Christ returns to the earth with his Church He will reign as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Satan will be bound for a thousand years and under the reign of Christ the whole creation will experience the joy and freedom it had been longing for (Rom.8:18-25)

So, if you are a born again believer grieving at the loss of a loved one who had made a commitment to trust Jesus as Lord and Saviour, I would like to remind you from God’s Word that you will be reunited with that person very soon. There is going to be a grand reunion in the mid air where we will meet our Saviour along with our loved ones. God’s Word reminds us to encourage one another with these words of hope. (1Thess.4:13-18)

Glorious Return of Christ

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lk.21:25-28)

The Bible talks very clearly about the second coming of Jesus Christ. At the first coming He came as a gentle baby but at His second coming He will come as the King. First He came as the lamb of God and now He will come as the lion of Judah. First coming was as the gentle Saviour but the second will be as the righteous judge. At the first coming only very few people recognised Him but at the second the whole world will see His glory.

At His birth the wise men came searching for the one who was born the king of the Jews. He was not born in the palace nor was He seated on a throne. He lived as a humble servant, meek and lowly. But the Jews had the promise of a Messiah, their Saviour and King.

When Jesus was offered to them as their Messiah they did not accept Him. So the non Jews had the privilege of receiving a share of the blessings promised to the Jews. Those who believed and accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Lord were brought into the family of God. Thus the Church was born.

Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead. But the Church has escaped this judgement for sin. So seven years before Jesus comes back to the earth as King, He would come in mid air to take away the true believers with Him. This is the rapture of the Church. And the seven years after the rapture will be a period of great trouble. There will be a ‘one-world-government’ under the anti Christ who will rule the world. He will digitally tag everyone so no one will be able to buy or sell without this digital ID.

The scripture mentioned above describes the situation just before the return of Jesus Christ in His glory and power. The whole world would see Him. He would defeat His enemies and reign as King for a thousand years.

Those who miss the rapture will go through the seven years of unimaginable trouble as recorded in the book of Revelation.