Growing Up Spiritually in the Church
September 23, 2020 · 1:44:43 · Watch on YouTube ↗
These notes - summary, key points, and highlighted thoughts - were generated by AI from the recording and are not the preacher’s exact words.
Summary
The service opened with an invitation to a large gathering of believers in Washington DC, where people from across America would come together for twelve hours of prayer for the nation's return to God. The preacher then turned to a central question: what is the church? At its heart, the church is the place where believers grow - in faith, in love, and in the knowledge of the Lord (Ephesians 4:11-15).
Drawing from 1 Corinthians, the message described three kinds of people. The natural person has not been born again and treats the things of God as foolishness; like new wine that cannot be poured into old wineskins (Mark 2:21-22), such a person needs one thing - to repent and be made new. The carnal believer is genuinely God's child but still immature, marked by envy, quarrels, and rivalry, able to receive only milk and not solid food. The spiritual believer has matured, is filled with the Holy Spirit, and shares the mind of Christ.
Spiritual leaders, the preacher said, are called to feed and patiently bear with the immature, just as parents care for children, because growth means Christ increasing while self decreases (John 3:30). The truest reward is not the applause of the world but the welcome of the Master - well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21). Our full potential is found only in Christ; apart from Him we have nothing, but in Him we have everything.
Key Points
- The church exists so that believers grow in faith, love, and the knowledge of God (Ephesians 4).
- The natural person cannot receive the things of the Spirit and must first be born again.
- New life cannot be patched onto the old; it is new wine that needs new wineskins.
- Even genuine believers can stay carnal - immature, quarrelsome, and fed only on milk.
- Spiritual maturity means being filled with the Spirit and sharing the mind of Christ.
- Leaders are called to feed and gently bear with those who are still growing.
- Real reward comes from God in heaven, not from the recognition of people on earth.
Devotional
Ask yourself honestly today: am I still living on milk, or am I growing into solid food? Spiritual maturity is not measured by how long we have believed, but by how much of Christ is increasing in us while our own pride decreases. Lay aside envy, quarrels, and self-importance, and long for the pure word of God like a newborn longs for milk. Remember that your truest reward is not the applause of this world but the welcome of your Master. Be faithful in the small things, and let Christ become everything in you.
The church is the place where we grow - in faith, in love, and in the knowledge of the Lord.
He must increase, and I must decrease - that is what spiritual growth truly means.
Your orchestra is not waiting here on earth; it is waiting for you in heaven.
