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Body: Cane Creek Friends Meeting 10/13/25. In this life we are all "under construction." When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we begin the lifelong process of spiritual growth. The Holy Spirit works in us to remove our selfishness (**Philippians 2:4**), to renew our thinking (**Romans 12:2**), and to develop qualities in us that are like Christ (Col. 3:5-14). Paul described this process as a work of God. He said, " Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Phip. 1:6. The GROWTH acronym: G-----------------Go to God in prayer daily. (John15.7) R-----------------Read God’s Word daily. (Acts17.11) O-----------------Obey the Holy Spirit, moment by moment. (John14.21) W----------------Witness for Christ through your life and words. (**Matt 4**.19) T -----------------Trust God for every detail of your life. (1Pet 5.7) H-----------------Honor God through your life. (1Cor. 6.20) SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS NOT AUTOMATIC ONCE YOU’RE BORN AGAIN “OLDER DOESN’T MAKE YOU AN ELDER” Just because a person has been a Christian a long time doesn’t mean they’re mature. The same is true of people who ‘sort-of’ become Christians, but who’ve never fully surrendered their lives to Christ. “They have a form of godliness but deny its power over their lives.” I heard a story once about a teacher who applied for a job as a principal and didn’t get the position and so he was lamenting to a friend and said, “I don’t understand it; after all, I have twenty years’ experience.” To which his friend replied, “Do you? Or do you have one year of experience twenty times?” Some people’s Christian experience has gotten stuck just after salvation. They’ve never gone on to experience Christian maturity. They think that they have twenty years’ experience, but what they really have is one year of experience twenty times. They have the same habits, lack of self-control, priorities, don’t obey the commandments, and haven’t conformed to Christ’s image. Are you a “one-year” Christian, 20 times, or are you a 20-year-old Christian? DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING & BECOMING Human babies automatically grow up into adult humans. But just because you’re “born again” doesn’t mean you automatically grow up into the image of Jesus! And being “born again” is not the end, but the beginning of the spiritual journey. The “New Birth” is the BEING; growing in God’s grace is the BECOMING. Col. 3:1-10 (NLT) “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power. 2 Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. 3 For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. 5 ¶ So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry. 6 God’s terrible anger will come upon those who do such things. 7 You used to do them when your life was still part of this world. 8 ¶ But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.” Paul clearly shows us that being “Born Again” is only the beginning, the start of eternal life! A lot of change must follow – the transformation of our inner selves. SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS NOT ALWAYS OBVIOUS FREQUENTLY WE FEEL LESS MATURE AS WE GROW Often, from the outward perspective, God’s work in us looks messy. When construction crews start working on a large building, they usually begin by making a BIGGER MESS than was there before. The closer we get to God, the more exposed are our weaknesses and sins. Many good Christians feel like they’re going backwards in their holiness because God is exposing their inner sinfulness in order to get rid of it. I was talking with a woman the other day who had been dealing with a stressful situation and she said, “I used to think I was a good Christian, but since dealing with this situation, a lot of impatience and anger has surfaced. I now feel I’m not a very good Christian!” QUESTION: IS SHE REALLY GOING BACKWARD? No! Even though she feels worse, she is actually growing MORE, because she’s making progress in her sanctification and personal holiness. Isaiah had been a prophet of God for years, but when he actually came into direct contact with God (Isa. 6), he suddenly realized how sinful he was. That’s a good thing! So be encouraged! YOUR LIFE MAY BE A MESS Just because things are NOT working out for you doesn’t mean you’re not in the will of God and growing. Daniel was thrown in a lion’s den; Paul and Silas were beaten at Philippi; Joseph was betrayed by Potiphar’s wife; Elijah had to ask a starving widow for aid – on and on are the examples. What do these have in common? They were all growing in grace, but you couldn’t tell it from the outside. So, if your life doesn’t look prosperous now, don’t let the enemy tell you you’re out of the will of God or God’s favor! SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS NOT LESSENED BY PROBLEMS AND ADVERSITY PROBLEMS ARE GOOD FOR YOU Many people believe that Christianity should offer a problem free life. But problems and difficulties are opportunities for growth. There’s no triumph without a trial; you can’t be an overcomer without something to overcome! It's normal when we have problems, to feel like God has failed us. A dark cloud seems to be hanging over us. But the opposite may be true! “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” **James 1:2-4**. God intends for our trials and tests to have a positive outcome; so, OUR TRIALS ARE WORKING FOR US! “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is WORKING FOR US a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” 2 Cor. 4:17. THE ADVERSITY PRINCIPLE Biologists recognize a principle at work among plants and animals. This natural wonder is called "the adversity principle." As strange as it seems, habitual well-being is not advantageous to a species. An existence without challenge takes its toll on virtually every living thing. We’re forced closer to God by problems, because only if we turn to him and appropriate his grace will we be able to overcome. A life untested by positive and negative experiences, becomes static and stagnant. Trials and suffering bring a dynamic quality to life. Just as drought drives the roots of a tree deeper to find water, so trials and suffering can drive us beyond superficial acceptance to dependence on God. SPIRITUAL GROWTH REQUIRES VISION It is a well-known fact that if you take a shark that normally grows to 16 feet in length and place it in an aquarium that is five foot in length, it will never grow to its normal size, but it will adjust itself to remain maneuverable in the small tank. Trees (Bonsai) that are placed in pots cannot achieve their size until they are planted in the ground. Until then they will remain stunted. In all of life, “Growth is in proportion to its environment.” For us, that’s our faith and vision. **Proverbs 29:18** tells us that “Without a vision the people perish” and **Proverbs 23:7** says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he”. Unless we believe that we can grow; and, more importantly, believe we can do GREAT THINGS for God, we won’t ever achieve that caliber of growth. May God help us see that we can be Elijahs, Pauls, Peters, Deborahs, Esthers; “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength”. “These things and greater things shall you do, because I go unto My Father”. YOU CAN GROW! You can do great things! SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS NOT ONLY ACHIEVED BY SELF-IMPROVEMENT IT IS A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS WHICH BRINGS GROWTH Why is it, that as people spent time with Jesus, they were transformed? Examples: Stephen, the early church’s first martyr, is described in **Acts 6:15**, “All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” The Apostles: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus”(**Acts 4:13**). Growing in grace isn’t a matter of your becoming bigger and stronger in and of yourselves but getting yourself out of the way and allowing Christ to live His life in and through you. Growing in grace is not learning the “10 steps to spirituality” or not simply the mastering of certain “principles.” Too often we have approached the Christian life as a subject to be learned rather than as a life to be lived. You can’t grow in grace in a classroom, through a seminar, or during a “quiet time,” as good as those things may be. You can only grow in Jesus as you listen and walk with Him in obedience each day. But Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. If a person abides in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” This means that we are to allow Jesus to live in us every day. The Christian life isn’t merely hard, but it’s impossible without Christ living inside us! Only the life of Jesus put inside us can drive out the sin and contagion of the world. This work does not happen overnight, but gradually, over a lifetime. Once implanted, the nature of Christ begins to work irresistibly like yeast, until its influence spreads through the whole batch of dough. IT’S A RESULT OF GRACE AND LOVE OF GOD You do not belong to Him today because of chance, or accident, or a stroke of fate; You are His because He never gave up His search until He found You. In **Luke 15**, God tells how He searched for us – as a lost Sheep, a lost Son, and a lost Coin. God did this because He loves you! CONCLUSION ILLUSTRATION Once a farmer purchased squash seeds for his farm and accidentally dropped one on the ground. A few feet another seed of a different type fell into the earth. About a week later the squash seed began to grow; the second seed didn’t. After 2 weeks the squash began to sprout leaves. The second seed showed none. After 7 weeks the squash had fruit and in 4 more weeks reached the end of its life bearing much fruit, but the other seed finally began to slowly grow. Many years later the squash was all but forgotten, but the other tiny seed, an acorn, had grown into a mighty oak tree. If you said to an acorn - "Do you want to be like that big oak tree? It would probably say, "yes, yes, but how?" 1- You have to be buried 2- Your hard outer shell has to come off 3- You have grow down to grow up 4- You must endure all types of weather Many people want their maturity to be in a hurry, like the squash; but God is looking for something greater, that will endure forever! THE CALL “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain Let’s make the commitment today to grow more in Christ. A little girl and a little boy were at day care. The girl approaches the boy and says, "Hey Tommy, wanna play house? "He says, "Sure! What do you want me to do?" The girl replies, "I want you to communicate your thoughts." "Communicate my thoughts?" said a bewildered Tommy. "I have no idea what that means." The little girl smirks and says, "Perfect. You can be the husband." Being a parent changes everything. But being a parent also changes with each baby. Here are some of the ways having a second and third child is different from having your first. Preparing for the Birth 1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously. 2nd baby: You don’t bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn’t do a thing. 3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month. Worries 1st baby: At the first sign of distress - a whimper, a frown-you pick up the baby. 2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn. 3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing. Pacifier 1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it. 2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby’s bottle. 3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in. Going Out 1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home 5 times. 2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached. 3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood. Children are fascinating and fun while they are children. But there comes a day when you expect them to grow up. You stop carrying them everywhere and they begin to walk on their own. You stop feeding them from a bottle, and then a spoon, and then they feed themselves. You stop giving them everything and they start to work to provide for themselves. It is a sad fact that our churches today are full of spiritual babies (infants).
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