Day 120: What Is The Process Of Spiritual Growth?
Everyone on Planet Earth is being spiritually formed. The only question is, “Who is doing the forming?” Although there is no “formula” for spiritual growth, it does help us to understand the resources and the means that God uses to grow us toward Christlikeness.
If you will remember from our earlier studies, we know that we all have human spirits and these are being shaped and formed. They are either being formed by the Holy Spirit or by the “spirit of the World.” Since we have been discussing the Holy Spirit’s ministry to us and in us and through us, it is important for us to see how His work fits with other aspects of our lives.
When we talk about spiritual growth and formation, we are talking about the process in which Father God is shaping us to be like Christ through the work of His Spirit. It is important for us to see the “process” that God is using to move us toward this goal. Consider the following chart:
This is not a “formula” for spiritual “success.” There is no such thing. This is more of a “recipe.” The process of spiritual growth cannot be reduced to an equation because each student/disciple/apprentice will be different. These three key elements or ingredients, however, are the foundational pieces in any plan that seeks to cultivate spiritual growth.
You should read the chart as “The ministries of the Holy Spirit worked out in Time spent in fellowship with other disciples in the trials of life, cultivated through spiritual exercises produces spiritual growth.” We are going to spend the rest of this study considering how all of these things work together. Let’s unpack the chart for a few minutes here.
Ingredient 1: The Holy Spirit
As you should see by now, the Holy Spirit is the greatest gift that the Lord has given to us to direct, empower and realize our spiritual growth toward Christlikeness. His ministries for us and in us accomplish what we cannot do for ourselves. As we learn to hear Him, follow Him, and submit to Him as He leads us into deeper relationship with Christ, we will discover that His work is powerfully effective.
Ingredient 2: Time
Everything that lives takes time to grow. Spiritual maturity cannot be attained overnight. TIME alone will not help us grow spiritually; we need a certain kind of time. In our chart we talk about two kinds of time: 1) time spent in fellowship with other believers and 2) time spent in the “trials of life.” When it comes to spiritual growth, you cannot “go it alone.” You need your other brothers and sisters in Christ. It would be good to study all the “one another” passages in the New Testament to get a good sense of what we are called to do with “one another.” Just as the Father, Son and Spirit are bound together in eternal fellowship, pursuing a common mission, so also we should be bound together, spending time together encouraging one another and “stimulating one another to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
But there is also another type of time (not nearly as popular) which helps us to grow: time spent in the trials of life. These “trials” may be little or they may be large. Whatever the case, they are given to us to shape Christ in us:
James 1:2–4
My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, 1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.
Romans 5:3–5
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 5:4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5:5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (ESV)
Ingredient 3: Spiritual Exercises
Finally, this whole process is cultivated in the SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. Hearing, Praying, and Serving are key actions that we use to exercise spiritually and cultivate our spiritual growth. We will develop these over the course of this study.
Result: Spiritual Growth and Maturity.
Ultimately, it is our Heavenly Father who takes the final responsibility in our growth. Remember this:
1 Thessalonians 5:23–24
Now may the God of peace Himself make you completely holy and may your spirit and soul and body be kept entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 5:24 He who calls you is trustworthy, and He will in fact do this.
In all that we are talking about here, all we are doing is cooperating in the work that Father God is doing in Christ through the Holy Spirit in us. In all of this, we are quieting our souls, listening to Him, trusting Him and allowing Him to fill us with the reality of His glorious life.
This is a good point to lay out the key growth stage that we are exploring in this workbook. As we have moved through this larger study, we have already touched on the concepts of being 1) Aware, 2) Alive, 3) Awake, and 4) Free. As Father God establishes these realities in our hearts and minds, He leads us to be FAITHFUL:
KEY Growth Stage: Becoming FAITHFUL.
As we grow spiritually, we should become more faithful to our deeper commitment to Father God in Christ. Another way to think of this is becoming “Faith-Full” – we want our faith in Christ to fill and shape every aspect of our lives. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:2 “Now what is sought in stewards is that one be found faithful.” A steward is someone who has been entrusted with someone else’s possessions or property. Father God has entrusted us with His grace and power. Now, He desires that we be faith-full to Him in the way we use both.
As you think about today’s reading, is there anything new to you here? Can you see the simplicity of this growth process? What would you like to know more about?
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
