Spiritual Growth

We are all familiar with the contemporary church. I know there are those who think that we, old-fashioned Fundamentalists who preach against it, are merely jealous of its success. They think we are high-bound traditionalists who are unwilling to change and unable to keep up with the times.

The Bible is the most powerful book ever written. It is the very voice of God for us to hear; the very words of God for us to learn. Consider the magnificent description of the Bible in Hebrews 4:12.

The fifth book in our New Testament records for us the powerful and amazing Acts of the Apostles. Many of the chapters read like an ancient book of Ripley’s Believe it or Not! In Acts 2:41, we read of three thousand being saved, baptized, and added to the church. In Acts 4:4, another five thousand men are wonderfully converted.

There is a tremendous attack against standards today. Those who have standards are called legalists. Even some of our fundamental brethren are telling us that we cannot forbid any behavior among our people unless it is expressly forbidden in Scripture.

If you look around you will find plenty of reasons to worry. The trouble with worry is that it doesn’t seem all that harmful. The sun blasts cancer-causing rays. Air vents blow lung-clotting molds. Potato chips have too many carbs. Vegetables have too many toxins.

Our generation is relationship-conscious but not relationship-wise. In every heart there is a legitimate hunger to be close to someone—to love and be loved, to know and be known. People search online, in social groups, and too often in wrong places to find that one deep, personal and fulfilling connection.

Leadership is never static. It requires intentional personal growth. Below are five quick thoughts I shared during our recent Spiritual Leadership Conference on steps to personal growth as a leader:

President Theodore Roosevelt delivered a speech in 1906 at the dedication of the office building for the House of Representatives in which he stated: “You may recall the description of the Man with the Muck-rake, the man who could look no way but downward with the muck-rake in his hands; who was offered a celestial crown for his muck-rake, but who would neither look up nor regard the crown he was offered, but continued to rake to himself the filth of the floor.”

I once read a sign in the lobby of a church that said: “When God speaks, He will not call your cell phone, so please turn yours off as you enter the auditorium.” I enjoyed that immensely but have also been convicted by its message. With all of the modern technology today ringing in our ears, I wonder if we would even recognize God’s voice if He did “call.”

You couldn’t be any more loved by God than you are right now. Does that statement strike a nerve of unrest with you? It’s absolutely true. We all love affirmation. We all desire significance and recognition. We all benefit from being encouraged by others. And yet, this silent struggle for approval can often become an over-riding motivation that keeps us on an unpredictable roller coaster of insecurity and instability.

When I was a teenager, our school participated in the presidential fitness test program. We did sit-ups and pull-ups, ran the fifty-yard dash, stretched our fingers past our toes, and accomplished a whole list of other exercises.

In Philippians 1:20, Paul shared that his desire was to magnify Christ in his body whether by life or death. He wanted to live as Christ desired him to live, and if he had to die for Christ, then so be it. Either way, Paul wanted to live so people could see Christ in his life.

If you were to ask the average Christian which book means the most to him out of every book he has ever read or owned, I believe most would say the Bible. But I wonder how many Christians are actually benefiting from it in a real and practical way on a regular basis. We don’t get the benefits of God’s Word by setting a Bible on the coffee table or carrying a Bible to church.

We often speak of waiting on God to do certain things in our lives. Yet, there are times when God is waiting on us to do certain things. He wants us to:

I have been encouraged recently by some signs of spiritual maturity in a few of our church members. I have seen people who a few years ago were like fragile, young plants needing lots of spiritual attention and investment, now exhibiting the strength and stability of a mighty tree.

Before transferring a caller to her boss, a secretary will often say, “May I ask, who’s calling?” The importance of a message is often determined not only by the content of the message, but the communicator of that message. In Acts chapter nine and verse four, Saul, the persecutor of Christians, hears a voice as he travels to Damascus.

Most of us are not interested in spending money on something that is broken. We are reluctant to buy a used car until we have done a thorough check with Carfax to ensure ourselves that we are not getting stuck with someone else’s junk.

Most of you can remember what life was like in America before what has simply come to be called 9/11. And while we have become accustomed to living under a constant threat of terrorism, our lives are different since that infamous day. Nowhere is this more evident than at an airport.

For years the Israelites had observed fasts for special days in their history that God had not commanded them to observe. Though commendable, they were to be willing to adjust their disciplines to make sure they were doing what God had commanded with the right heart attitude.

One of the side effects of growth is discomfort. I’m challenging our church this year to be “Rooted in Christ” to experience growth in Him. But I’m also challenging myself. I want 2012 to be a year of growth in every area of my life.