Spiritual Growth: Apostle Paul’s Example

Welcome to Courage Today, my online ministry. Many people view the Bible as their personal vault of positivity rather than the whole counsel of God. And I firmly acknowledge that all God’s promises are mine to maintain my citizenship in His kingdom, a member of His family, a part of His building, and a saint in His holy temple

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Many people naturally resist the concept of rules and restraints, especially those of a libertarian bent. And they abuse 2Corinthians 3:17 where Apostle Paul wrote, “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty” thinking they can choose what is liberty in Christ. And they choose to ignore Paul’s context of Christ liberating us from the constraints of the Mosaic law. Yet, the New Testament is full of Christ-commanded constraints for His disciples. And when we are born again, we are spiritually transformed from the “old person” we were into “a new creation in Christ” who walks by faith in unrestrained obedience to all that He has commanded.  

In addition, Apostle Paul wrote in 2Corinthians 2:17, “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ” (ESV). It seems that even in the first century, many preachers peddled God’s word for their own purposes and gain. Yet, Paul is clear that God’s servants are to be sincere individuals, commissioned by God Himself, and are to speak in Christ remembering we do so in the presence of God. We can use biblical examples to direct our lives and ministries, but biblical principles extend to all areas of life. And Apostle Paul give us his personal example for persevering in faith and obedience.

Rule 1: I have not yet achieved my potential in Christ (Philippians 3:12). This is first and foremost a clear understanding of human weakness and the need for continual growth. It can only be tracked in communion with the Holy Spirit. Because it is a work of the Spirit, it is impossible to set a time-frame for achieving it. A measurable metric is Romans 8:4-8. Monitor whether or not you are daily attempting to follow and walk in the Spirit. Be certain that you control both your mind and actions to live according to the Spirit’s guidance. And carefully study biblical texts that deal with your personal, spiritual issues. Healthy spiritual growth won’t occur without correct biblical nourishment. 

Rule 2: I forget what is behind and focus forward (Philippians 3:13). In Luke 9:62 Jesus said, “no one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” The idea being that continually looking back keeps you from plowing straight furrows (i.e., following Christ accurately). And the implication is that if you continually look back, you’ll long to go back or be tempted to return to your old life. Hence, Paul teaches us to forget the past and focus on our future. This may require some patience with yourself, daily reminding yourself that you are not who you used to be. A good rule of thumb is Romans 6:11 because Christ died to sin and lives to God, “so you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Stop listening to voices that say you are not really dead to sin. You are dead to sin because Christ crucified your sin in His death and buried your sin in His tomb. And you are alive to God because Christ resurrected you in His resurrection from the grave! And through water baptism you have spiritually died with Christ, have been buried with Christ, and have been raised from the dead with Christ. Just let go of your past sins, mistakes, failures, and lifestyle, then focus on where God is leading you. He has a future for you.

Rule 3: I press toward the goal and the prize (Philippians 3:14). This may sound like philosophical self-help but your spiritual growth and safety depends on your pressing toward the goal of “conforming to the image of the Son of God” (Romans 8:29); and keeping your spiritual eye on the prize of the heavenly crown of life. It may require you to regularly remind yourself about why you surrendered to Christ. Most of us didn’t like the lifestyle we were living. The Holy Spirit convicted our hearts and we heard that Jesus would save us from our sins. Some heard about the wrath of God and was convicted by the danger of living under the judgment of God’s wrath. They wanted to escape His wrath and heard that Jesus was the escape route. It isn’t really necessary  to answer why you became a Christian. Yet, whatever the reason, or even if you don’t remember the reason, you came to Christ, I urge you to press forward toward the goal God has set for all of us. Remember the prize. Eternal life awaits all who endure to the end. 

Biblical training in faith and obedience should involve multiple spiritual exercises to become a disciple of Christ. Regular, multiple worship services with a group of Bible-believing, spirit-filled Christians will most often work. Christian living is not complicated, but trying to live it by yourself is not a New Testament principle. Join a strong Bible-believing, Spirit-filled church family. We are born into the family of God. And the family members are our prayer partners and support group. They’ll nurture us in difficulty and tribulations. They’ll fellowship with us and encourage us. In addition, we must fellowship with God through daily Bible reading and prayer. You are a unique individual, so you determine the schedule for these practices according to your own biorhythms. Memorizing and meditating on Scripture are also great spiritual exercises to enhance your spiritual growth. And you should enroll in your church’s small group program where you can learn biblical truth through small group Bible Study. It will give you a safe place to ask questions and confess your personal spiritual needs. So, you can see that spiritual growth depends on both public, congregational worship as well as private, personal worship.

At Courage Today, walking through the Bible with the people we support is foundational to our ministry. Our goal is to help people develop as disciples of Christ and empower them with the hope of His return.  

At least twice a year, we offer conferences, with a team of experienced pastoral leaders, where novice ministers and emerging pastoral leaders are invited to learn and develop their ministry skills. There are three classes: Pastoral Theology; Pastoral Preaching; Pastoral Practice. These are biblically based subjects, prayerfully assigned to the instructors. Learning from the Bible allows a person to not only survive spiritually, but to grow and mature. 

Biblical truth can be applied to everyone, including you. Jesus said, “you must be born again, and you can’t enter the kingdom of God unless you are born again.” Do not be amazed by that. It is a spiritual work, which can’t be done by human effort. It requires an individual to believe in Jesus, the Son of God. “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son to be sacrificed on the Cross that everyone who believes in Him will not perish in eternal death but will receive eternal life.” 

We hope this blog is helpful to you! Our blogging team at Courage Today is experienced in teaching biblical truth. We primarily support people with a desire for the rightly-divided word of truth. It is our desire to help those who want to faithfully obey Christ’s commands and persevere in their spiritual growth. If you’d like to give and help make valuable resources like this possible, you can give online. 

Contact: https://www.drsysmith.com/contact

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