Assessing Your Spiritual Growth 2 Corinthians 13 2

Assessing Your Spiritual Growth 2 Corinthians 13: 2 -8

Assessing Your Spiritual Growth 2 Corinthians 13: 2 -8 How does someone assess their own spiritual health? What evidence exists that demonstrates spiritual growth?

DEFINING TERMS

DEFINING TERMS I’m connecting Spiritual health with spiritual growth A spiritually healthy follower of Jesus is a follower who is growing as a disciple, a student and a practitioner of the teachings of Jesus!

“put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 And, like newborn infants, you long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to Jesus, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious” 2 Peter 2: 1 -4 esv

Spiritual growth is a divinely ordained maturation that takes place in the life of every true disciples of Jesus Christ.

2. HOW DO WE GROW SPIRITUALLY?

7 While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. 8 Though he was God's Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. 9 Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, 10 he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him. Hebrews 5: 7 -10 (MSG)

7 Endure � suffering� as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline— which all receive—then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Hebrews 12: 7 -8 (HCSB)

Secondly… We grow the most when we are helping others study the Word of God, the teachings of Jesus.

11 There is much more I would like to say along these lines, but you don’t seem to listen, so it’s hard to make you understand. 12 You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others, but instead you have dropped back to the place where you need someone to teach you all over again the very first principles in God’s Word. Hebrews 5: 11 -14 (TLB)

You are like babies who can drink only milk, not old enough for solid food. 13 And when a person is still living on milk it shows he isn’t very far along in the Christian life, and doesn’t know much about the difference between right and wrong. He is still a baby Christian! Hebrews 5: 11 -14 (TLB)

14 You will never be able to eat solid spiritual food and understand the deeper things of God’s Word until you learn right from wrong and become more mature Christians, by practicing doing right. Hebrews 5: 11 -14 (TLB)

11 And He Himself (Jesus) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

MATURITY MEANS WE ARE EACH DOING THE MINISTRY GOD GAVE US TO DO. THE WORK OF EDIFYING THE BODY OF CHRIST. Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

MATURITY MEANS WE ARE EACH DOING THE MINISTRY GOD GAVE US TO DO. THE WORK OF EDIFYING THE BODY OF CHRIST. WE ARE MATURING WHEN WE MAKE IT OUR AIM TO BE UNIFIED IN OUR FAITH Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

WE DO NOT MEASURE OUR SPIRITUAL MATURITY BY COMPARING OURSELVES TO OTHERS. Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

CHRIST IS THE ONLY STANDARD BY WHICH OUR SPIRUTAL MATURITY IS TO BE MEASURED. Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

WE ARE MATURING WHEN WE ARE NO LONGER LITTLE CHILDREN JUMPING FROM ONE CHURCH TO ANOTHER, ONE TEACHER TO ANOTHER. Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

MATURITY IS BEING GROUNDED Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

MATURITY IS ABOUT CARRYING OUR SHARE OF THE LOAD. “EVERY PART DOES IT’S SHARE” HELPING OTHERS GROW! Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

MATURITY IS ABOUT SHARING THE TRUTH IN LOVE. Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

MATURITY IS ABOUT JOINING AND BEING “KNIT TOGETHER” WITH OTHER BELIEVERS. Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

MATURING MEANS WE HAVE A FUNCTIONAL ROLE IN CHRIST’S MINISTRY TO HIS BODY THE CHURCH. Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

MATURING MEANS WE HAVE A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW WE SEE THE WORLD AND OTHERS THROUGH THE LENS OF SCRIPTURE. Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

MATURING MEANS WE HAVE AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE WE DON’T JUST LIVE FOR THE PRESENT WE LIVE FOR THE GREAT TOMORROW. Ephesians 4: 11 -16 (NKJV)

Matthew 24: 14 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

11 Be happy. Grow in Christ. Pay attention to what I have said. Live in harmony and peace. And may the God of love and peace be with you. 2 Corinthians 13: 11 (TLB)