GROWTH STAGES OF THE DISCIPLE #2
(Reducing in the Spirit)
At the last
writing, we explained how an individual comes to faith in Jesus Christ. Just as a kernel of corn, must die before it
can spring into life, and begin to produce fruit, so must every man die out
completely to sin before he can be brought to new life and produce fruit.
Truly,
truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it
remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24
He must be
brought to new life through the power of the Holy Spirit in order to begin a
growth process, which we call “sanctification.” It must be clearly understood
that at new birth, one receives the Holy Spirit, which is available to guide
him to a vibrant, fruitful and victorious life in this world, and eternal life
in the world to come. But still, he has
choices to make, and one of those choices will be the desire to grow in
grace.
We want to
use a diagram of circles to help understand this growth process. In some cases, a Christian at new birth may
begin to move rapidly in his journey, moving swiftly through the circles He may be given an extra special measure of
grace, and experience growth quickly. But others may not grow as fast and have
to spend more time at the first or second circle than his fellow sojourner.
Still others may think they have hit a home run, and then discover they missed
first or second base. That may be the
equivalent of falling into sin or perhaps not clearly understanding the steps
as they pass through them. If you find yourself not really understanding the
plan of salvation, you may want to slow down.
If you have fallen into sin, or feel insecure in your decision, it may
be worth your while to read carefully Luke chapter 8 verses 5-15 about the
parable of the sower and the types of soil in which the seed falls. At this level one needs strong leadership. He may want to look for a mentor, coach, or spiritual
advisor to help him along the way.
So let’s
take a look at these circles. The circle
reference used in this study is only a tool to help us try to determine where
we are in our spiritual walk. Ideally
everyone who takes a look at the circles will be able to determine where he is at
any given time in the journey. Hopefully
he will then be motivated to move on to a different circle or level.
So once an individual has
made that leap of faith, and has received Christ as his Savior, he moves into
the first big circle. We are calling
these “growth circles” or “growth rings.”
We also call this process, “reducing in the Spirit”. Reduction begins by moving into the first large
circle, then each step taken thereafter, moves us into a smaller circle by reducing. Just as one has to keep the physical body in
shape by exercise, likewise, the spiritual body has to exercise faith in order
to reduce and stay healthy spiritually.
This reducing process is letting go of all the heavy objects and sins
that have weighted us down spiritually, so that we can be healthy and grow in
the faith.
Therefore we
also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay
aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the
race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1.
To
understand this sanctification process, or spiritual growth, close your eyes
and visualize with me a huge circle or ring standing at your right side. This circle is only a couple of inches taller
than you but it will be easy for you to step right into it. That circle represents your new birth. It represents your first gift, the gift of
salvation
As we look
at the first circle, we find that apart from the Holy Spirit, there are two
other gifts we receive when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. These
two gifts are the ability to PRAY and the ability to READ THE WORD. Just as we are born in the natural world and
have received some sort of talent, likewise we receive gifts or talents when we
are born the second time. For example,
at natural birth, some people are naturally gifted to pick up a guitar and play
it easily, or sit down at a piano and play with little or no study. Some are natural singers, artists, athletes
etc. and on we could go. But assuming
that you are not handicapped physically, there are at least two things you can
do once you have achieved spiritual birth.
You can pray and read the word.
But our Lord teaches us that if we are faithful in using these two
gifts, He will give us more. We will
grow in the faith. So we begin putting
into practice, a new life of reading and prayer. If we are faithful in just those two areas,
not only will we grow, but we will grow much faster than we ever believed
possible. What does the word say about
these two gifts?
Be joyful always, pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is
God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thess.
5:18.
Notice, we
are to pray continually, and we are given the grace to do so.
If my people, who are called by my name will
humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their
land. 2nd Chron. 7:14.
We have
already prayed the prayer of forgiveness for salvation, and now He exhorts us
to pray for deliverance from our sinful ways.
In the same way, the spirit helps us in our
weakness. We do not know what we ought
to pray for, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words
cannot express. Romans 8:26
We say
prayer is a gift because the gift of the Holy Spirit intercedes when we do not
even know how to pray. When we are new
in the faith, a new believer, the Holy Spirit not only teaches us to pray but
also teaches us how to pray. The Lords
prayer or the model prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13 teaches us how to pray. Christ through the Holy Spirit will take over
and intercede for us once we have a contrite heart, even if we do not know how
to say what we think are the right words.
Along with
our prayers comes the reading of the word.
Your
word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105
Not only are we expected to begin a lifetime of prayer,
likewise we are expected to begin a life of reading the Word.
For the Word of God is living and active,
sharper than any double-edged sword. It
penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow; it judges the
thoughts and attitude of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Praying and
reading the word on a daily basis will start a flame from the spark that has
already been set off in your life. You
will desire to grow. But if your heart,
thoughts, and attitudes are in sync, as well as your motives, you will grow
spiritually in spite of yourself. You
will stand amazed at the speed in which you will grow, just by praying and
reading the word. This then will prepare
you to move into the next circle, which we will see in the following chapter. Dock Caton 11/01/12
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