Stages of Growth

by | Jan 16, 2022 | Grow Up, Sermon

While salvation is instantaneous, spiritual maturity involves a process. It’s one filled with twists and turns and failures and successes. And each stage of our growth requires an awareness of whether we’re a spiritual baby, a young person in the faith or a mature believer. God desires believers to grow. That requires diligent cooperation on our part to grow through all the stages of spiritual development. No matter where you are now, the goal is to grow up.

1. What similarities can you observe between growing physically—from childhood to adulthood—and growing spiritually? Describe your current stage of spiritual growth.

2. God wants us to make progress as Christians. Read 2 Peter 1:5-8. How does this passage point to a progression? How do each of these qualities build on the previous one?

3. Your spiritual progress can become stunted. Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. What is a carnal Christian? As a believer, have you experienced seasons of carnality? What helped you grow beyond that behavior?

4. John seems to appeal to his readers at various stages. Read 1 John 2:12-14. In what sense are all believers “little children?”

5. Considering the Reveal study, what category of growth do you most align with? 1) Exploring Christ, 2) Growing in Christ, 3) Close to Christ, 4) Christ-centered. How is your progress evident to those around you (1 Timothy 4:15)?

Further Reading

Searching for Reconciliation

Confronting others concerning biblical/theological compromise is never easy or pleasant. Such encounters must be handled with sensitivity to the needs of others, directed by spiritual wisdom and the Scriptures, and guided by the Holy Spirit. Paul closed chapter two of...

Searching for Courage

On the surface, hearing God and following His commands seems straightforward. However, when God calls us to do something that generates fear in us and feels daunting, second-guessing His call becomes reasonable. Finding the courage to obey such a call is overwhelming....

Searching for the Abundant Life

Jesus explicitly explained his purpose when He said “…I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). He said similar things many times, and these ideas are repeated, over and over again, by those who wrote the New Testament. Yet many people,...

Searching for Real Friendship

Some relationships may imitate friendship, but there’s no substitute for the real thing. Exploring the relationship between David and Jonathan in the Bible, we’ll identify some distinguishing features of friendship that are often overlooked and discover how to infuse...