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August 2001
What is Spiritual Growth?
By Dr. John Williams

Spiritual growth is the growth of the spirit of man or the inner man, who has been created in the image and the likeness of God. The spirit is the real person who lives in the human body. People are so much concerned about their physical and intellectual growth that they tend to ignore or overlook the importance of their spiritual growth. Many Christians are like babies, spiritually speaking. In Galatians 4:19 Paul says, my little children I travail in birth again that Christ be formed in you. Paul was not really talking to children. He was concerned very much about the lack of spiritual growth of Christians in his time. He knew they were Christians and that Christ was in them. But at the same time, he felt that Christ in them was not fully grown, developed or formed. Therefore, spiritual growth is nothing but Christ within us growing or being fully formed or developed, or we may say that spiritual growth is becoming Christ like or attaining the stature and the fullness of Him.

A. Becoming Christ Like  
Spiritual growth is becoming more and more Christ like. It is to put off the old man and to put on Christ. As John the Baptist said we must decrease and He must increase. Christ within us must grow and the self must decrease and die. Spiritual growth is becoming more and more spiritual or godly and becoming less and less worldly. Spiritual growth is being conformed to the image of Jesus. It is attaining the stature and the fullness of God. Spiritual growth is growing in the nature and characteristics of God. Because God has created man in His own image and after His likeness, he has the ability and the potential to become like Him. This is God's desire and plan for man.

God has created man above all the other living creatures, as a spiritual being. Man has been created in the order of God, with His nature, so that he can become like Him. Men have been created equal, spiritually speaking. In the physical and intellectual dimensions, there may be significant differences, Perhaps not every one can grow six feet tall regardless of what kind of diet he has. By the same token, not every one can become a doctor, an engineer or a lawyer regardless of what school they go to and how hard they study. But every one has the ability or the potential to grow spiritually to become like Jesus. We can become like Christ as follows: 
    1. In Authority and Power  
    2. In Wisdom and Knowledge  
    3. In Character and Nature  
    4. In Works and Deeds

1. In Authority And Power  
Jesus said in Mathew 28:18 that He was given all power in heaven and in earth. Jesus exercised and demonstrated this supernatural power and authority that He had, in a variety of ways, throughout His ministry. No one has any doubt or question about the power that Jesus had. But what is important is, that we believers, should not only know and believe that we can have the same kind of power, but also seek, receive and use it for God's glory. The following scriptures make it very clear that God has assured that this power of Jesus will be transmitted to every believer in a variety of ways, and that we all need this power as never before to fulfill the great commission of God in a short time that is still available to us in these last days.

Mathew 10:1 He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.

Mark 16:17-18 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Mathew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; Freely you have received, freely give

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

II Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Romans 8:11 But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you.

I Corinthians 2:4 Paul said that his speech and his preaching was not in the wisdom of men, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power.

I Corinthians 12:9-10 to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles.

Mathew 16:18-19 Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

2. In Wisdom And In Knowledge  
It is God's will and desire that we should become like Jesus in wisdom and knowledge, so that we can have his mind and know his secret truths and the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. The same spirit of wisdom and knowledge, understanding and counsel which rested upon Jesus will also come upon us and fill us so that we can think his thoughts, know the truths, walk in his ways, understand the mysteries, interpret visions and dreams, make right decisions, do things wisely, use discretion or be discreet in all things, and do everything with authority and power. God gave Moses a mouth of wisdom. Pharaoh said that he had never seen a man so discreet as Joseph in all of Israel. God gave Daniel ten times more wisdom than all the other magicians. Some of the scriptures which bear witness to these truths are listed below:

Psalm 25:14 : The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him.

John 8:32 : And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Mathew 13:11 :.....it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven

I Corinthians 2:16: For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him ? But we have the mind of Christ.

Philippians 2:5 : Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:18-19: May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

James 3:17 : But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Colossians 1:9-10 : ......ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

3. In Character And In Nature  
It is God's will and desire that we all should become like Jesus in his character and in his nature. Even after God created man from the dust, when He breathed into his nostrils His spirit He imparted His nature to him. The Bible says in Genesis 1:26 that God has created man in His own nature and after His likeness. That means man has the potential to grow in all of the qualities, attributes and characteristics of God. A certain measure of God's nature is imparted within man, which means that man has the potential to grow to become like Jesus.

Romans 12:3 says that God has dealt to every man a measure of faith. Romans 5:5 says that the Love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

It is God's desire that we become like Jesus by growing in all the dimensions or qualities of God referred to in Galatians 5:22-23 as the fruits of the spirit which is comprises love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.

4. In Works And Deeds  
The reason why God wants us to grow in his power, wisdom and knowledge is to do his works and deeds. Jesus went about doing good everywhere healing all manner of sicknesses and diseases (Acts 10:38). Jesus said in Luke 4:18 that he was sent to preach the gospel, to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives to recover sight to the blind and to set at liberty them that are bruised.

B. Becoming Sons Of God  
When a person grows spiritually to the fullest extent, he becomes a son of God. The Bible says that as many as received him (Jesus) to them gave he power to become the sons of God (John 1:12). Jesus, the son of God, became a son of man so that the sons of men could become the sons of God. This requires a total and a great change. Growth is the result of a series of changes that takes place in a person. God has created man even above the angels. He can, therefore, rise above the level of angels and become almost equal to Jesus. Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Father, but we have been adopted into his family. The Bible says that we are the heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. The Bible says that we are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. When Christ returns, we are going to reign with Christ for a thousand years during the millennium and for eternity in heaven. Spiritual growth is the process through which the sons of men become the sons of God. Spiritual growth is a process of sanctification. The Bible says in II Corinthians 5:17, that when we are in Christ, old things shall pass away and all things shall become new. The selfishness and sinfulness will change into unselfishness and true holiness. The hatred will turn into love; sorrow will turn into joy; worry will turn into peace; the bad nature will turn into goodness; doubt will turn into faith; impatience will turn into long suffering. Spiritual growth is a process of transformation. It is becoming more and more godly and becoming less and less worldly. The greatest thing that can happen to any man is to become a son of God. This is what we are referring to as realizing one's full potential. This is the fulfillment of God's plan for man. One can have real fulfillment in life only when he changes into a son of God and begins to live like a son of God. We can become sons of God as follows:

1. By having father-son relationship with God  
2. By becoming the heirs of God  
3. By reigning and ruling with God  
4. By enjoying the fellowship with God  

C. Bearing The Fruit Of The Spirit
When we grow spiritually and become mature, we will begin to bear the fruits of the spirit, which are love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23). Fruit bearing is a sign of growth. That a Christian does not bear these fruits in his life, the fact does not mean that he is not a Christian. But it only means that he has not grown enough spiritually to bear such fruits. Fruit bearing is essential in the life of a Christian. Even in the worldly sense, it is important for every tree to bear fruits. The Bible says that the trees that do not bear fruits will be cut and cast into the fire. God expects us to bear the fruits of the spirit. It will be a good witness or testimony for God. The Bible says that the people in this world will know that we are Christians or his disciples by our love. The fruits of the spirit represent nine distinct characteristics of God. As we grow in the nature and the likeness of God, we will naturally bear these fruits of the spirit which will reflect the nature of God. Even though fruit bearing is the work of the Holy Spirit, we have to do our part. The Holy Spirit is always there to do his part.

What we need to do to bear these fruits is discussed at length under "How do we grow spiritually". We can bear the following fruits of the spirit:  
1. Love  
2. Joy  
3. Peace  
4. Long suffering  
5. Gentleness  
6. Goodness  
7. Faith  
8. Meekness  
9. Temperance  

D. Exercising the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
When a person grows spiritually through a series of spiritual experiences, he will have more power of the Holy spirit and will start operating the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some of the important spiritual experiences that a person can and must have are being born again; being baptized in water; being filled with the Holy spirit; speaking in an unknown tongue; and manifesting the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When once he is filled with the Holy Spirit, he will earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. Operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is a sign of spiritual growth and maturity. These spiritual gifts are the word of wisdom; the word of knowledge; faith; gifts of healing; working of miracles; prophecy; discerning of spirits; diverse kinds of tongues; and interpretation of tongues (I Corinthians 12:8-10). God gives us some natural gifts and he also gives us some supernatural gifts. These gifts are given from above to bless some one else. One cannot develop these gifts on his own. Exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit is another stage of spiritual growth. Generally, people desire to receive and enjoy material gifts. The Bible says that we should desire the spiritual gifts. Only as a person grows spiritually, he will be more and more spiritually minded, and will be interested in the spiritual gifts. Do you really value the gifts of the Holy Spirit more than the material gifts?  

When the gifts of the Holy Spirit begin to manifest we will become a channel of God's blessings to others. Through us some one will be healed and another will receive a word of prophecy. Many Christians are not aware of the importance of the Holy Spirit. When a Christian is not filled with the Holy Spirit, it is like living in a house without electricity. When a person does not have the gifts of the Holy Spirit after being filled with the Holy Spirit, it is like having the electricity in the house without any appliances to be used by the electricity. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the supernatural gifts which operate through persons who have grown spiritually to the extent of having the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

We can exercise the following gifts of the Holy Spirit:  
1. Word of wisdom  
2. Word of knowledge  
3. Faith  
4. Gifts of healing  
5. Working of miracles  
6. Prophecy  
7. Discerning of Spirits  
8. Diverse kinds of tongues  
9. Interpretation of tongues

E. Doing The Works Of Christ
When a person grows spiritually and becomes Christ like, he is supposed to do the works of Christ. God does not expect only the apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors and evangelists to do the works of Christ. He expects every believer to do the works of Christ. In John 14:12, it is said that he that believes in Him shall not only do the works that Jesus did, but also do greater works than what Jesus did. A fully grown and mature Christian will be able to do all the works that Jesus did. The disciples who were trained by Jesus Christ for three and a half years continued the works of Jesus. Jesus Christ preached the gospel; taught the word; healed the sick; cast-out the demons; cleansed the lepers; made the lame to walk; unstopped the deaf ears; opened the blind eyes; made the dumb speak; performed miracles; set the captives free; destroyed the works of the devil; established the kingdom of God on earth; brought peace and joy to this world; went about doing good; and did the will of the Father. Every disciple or mature and fully-grown Christian is supposed to do the works of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that we are the body of Christ. The head does not do the work, but only the body does all the work. When Jesus Christ was physically present on this earth, He did everything himself. It is God's plan to continue his works on this earth through His disciples or believers. A young believer will not be able to do the works of Jesus Christ. Only when a believer grows spiritually to a certain level he will be able to do the works of Christ.  

Jesus did the following works:  
1. Preaching the gospel  
2. Teaching the word of God  
3. Healing the sick  
4. Casting-out the devils  
5. Doing good works  
6. Destroying the works of the devil  
7. Extending the kingdom of God  
8. Doing the will of the Father  
9. Setting the captives free  
10. Performing miracles

F. Becoming Disciples Of Christ
In the first century, the disciples of Jesus Christ were called Christians. But today, we have to make disciples out of Christians. The term disciple means, a learner, an apprentice, a follower, etc. The best meaning of the word disciple is 'one who imitates'. The greatest desire of any disciple is to become like his master whom he hero worships. He is willing to pay any price to learn every thing from his master so that one day he can become like him, and do what he does. There are four dimensions in which he should grow to become like his master. The disciple of Jesus Christ has to become like Him in power and authority; in wisdom and knowledge; in character and nature; and in works and deeds. If he grows in these dimensions, ultimately he will be able to do what Jesus did. In other words, he will be able to imitate Him. Every one that Jesus discipled turned out to be like Him. It is very important that we disciple young Christians in a systematic way so that they become Christ-like. Jesus took special interest in choosing and training twelve disciples. Jesus commanded His disciples to go and make more disciples for Him. Discipleship is a process of training and developing young Christians into more mature Christians. Discipleship training is the greatest training program that is there in this world. The first discipleship training program was conducted by Jesus Christ Himself for three and a half years. The purpose of this program is to cause the young Christians to grow spiritually to become like Jesus so that they can do the works that Jesus did. Therefore discipleship is a process of spiritual growth.  

We can become the disciples of Jesus Christ by doing the following:  
1. Having a role model on this earth  
2. Submitting to the spiritual authority of a leader  
3. Being willing to pay price to become a disciple  
4. Making a commitment to undergo training for a period of time  
5. Giving top priority in life for the discipleship training program  
6. Carrying out unconditionally any assignment given by the trainer  
7. Having a great desire to become like Jesus  
8. Being open for reproof, correction and rebuke

Making Disciples  
After a disciple becomes Christ-like and begins to do the very works that Jesus did, his desire will be to make more disciples for Jesus Christ. Only when a disciple reproduces himself, the works of Jesus can be continued and multiplied. Because Jesus made twelve disciples, not only His works were carried out all over the world by them, but also they made more disciples to perpetuate His work indefinitely. Jesus not only made disciples, but also told them to make disciples for him. Discipleship is a very powerful concept which Jesus came up with. Through this concept his works are continued even today. If twelve evangelists win 100,000 souls every three months, in seven and a half years, 36 million souls could be won. On the other hand if twelve disciples make just one disciple each every three months, at the end of seven and a half years there will be 6 billion disciples, which will be more than the population of the entire world. It is, therefore, very important that we follow the concept of discipleship in spreading Christianity. Some of the most successful companies in America use this principle in marketing their products.

When a Christian grows spiritually he will reach a stage at which he will be making disciples for Jesus Christ, rather than just winning souls. It takes a lot of experience and maturity to make disciples for Jesus. In the process of making disciples one has to literally empty himself into others. They have to share with others all that they have learned and received.

Normally, a person would like to receive and keep everything to himself. In order to share with others what they have received, they should have attained a certain level of spiritual growth and maturity. Jesus shared all of His knowledge, wisdom, power, authority, love and compassion with His disciples one hundred percent. He did not hold anything back to Himself. He invested everything He had in those first twelve disciples. He emptied Himself literally and even shed the last drop of His blood. He took interest in developing those disciples. Developing the subordinates to his level is one of the qualities of a good leader. In order to accomplish this task, the leader has to be a role model to his disciples. People, who are selfish, will not take interest in developing others. Therefore, it takes a lot of spiritual growth to reach a stage in which one will be interested in making disciples of Christ, as an act of obedience and sacrifice.

In order to make disciples one should do the following:  
1. Believe in making disciples  
2. Have a desire to make disciples for Christ  
3. Know that this a commandment of God  
4. Recruit actively some candidates to make disciples  
5. Do the works of Jesus  
6. Love the disciple and be patient with them  
7. Live a transparent life before the disciples  
8. Be willing to empty yourself to enrich the disciples  
9. Set a goal to make the disciples like yourself  

G. Becoming Fishers Of Men
When Jesus called the disciples He did not tell them that He will simply make them His followers, but said that He will make them fishers of men. When a Christian grows spiritually and reaches a stage of maturity, he will start winning souls for Christ. The Bible says that he that winneth souls is wise (Proverbs 11:29). Spiritual growth also includes growing in the wisdom of God. Jesus said that he will teach them the art of fishing men or catching men for Him. In other words, He said that He will teach and train them to be soul winners. If you are not winning souls that means you have not grown much spiritually. The disciples that Jesus trained became fishers of men. The training to fish or catch men or win souls should be a part of the discipleship training program. One should be really strong spiritually to influence others. Therefore, when a person reaches the stage of winning souls, it means that he has grown spiritually to a high level.

We must meet the following conditions to become fishers of men:
1. To have a desire to become a soul winners
2. To have true love and burden for the souls
3. To believe that this is the duty of every Christian
4. To grow in the wisdom of God
5. To be trained by those who are good soul winners  
6. To set a goal to witness to a certain number of people every day or every 
    week
7. To be equipped properly for distribution of some Christian literature  
8. To be able to do the works of Christ

H. Operating On The Supernatural Power Of God
There are different levels in the spiritual life. When a person reaches the highest level, he will rely more on the supernatural power of God, for his health, safety, provisions, etc. I Corinthians 2:5 says, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of man but in the power of God. In the world, there are different kinds of power such as political power, organizational power, oil power, dollar power, hydraulic power, nuclear power and chemical power. In God's kingdom, which is spiritual, there is supernatural power. God is a Spirit and He is in control of every thing. He can overpower or supersede any natural law. The spiritual can transcend the intellectual and the physical. The spiritual things are much superior to the intellectual and physical things. The spiritual which is unseen, created all the physical things which are seen.

As a person grows spiritually, he will learn to rely on and use the supernatural power of God more than the power that is available in this world. He will expect many supernatural things to happen in his life. He will identify and tap the power that is available in the spiritual realm. The following are some of the sources of the supernatural power of God: prayer, fasting, praise, name of Jesus, blood of Jesus, the Word of God, Holy Spirit, gifts of the Holy Spirit, love and faith agreement. A person who has grown spiritually will be able to get everything done by using the spiritual power which can be released through these spiritual things. Jesus said He had all power and authority given in heaven and in earth. He did not hold any political office. He did not use any other power that was available on this earth. He used only spiritual power in His life. He had complete control over all circumstances of His life. He did not worry about any thing. He was able to do whatever He wanted to do, and no one could stop Him. Everything He did was a miracle. He healed the sick, opened the blind eyes, unstopped the deaf ears, made the dumb speak, made the lame walk, cleansed the lepers, cast-out the demons, raised the dead, walked on water, cursed the fig tree, rebuked the wind, turned the water into wine, multiplied two fishes and five loaves of bread and fed a multitude. Jesus was naturally supernatural and supernaturally natural. He was a healer, a savior, a deliverer and a miracle worker. When Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days, angels ascended, and descended upon Him and ministered to Him. Even when He was hanging on the cross, He could have called ten thousand angels to His rescue but He did not. He gave his life voluntarily as a ransom to save the mankind from sin. Since He had even power over death, He overcame death and rose from the grave on the third day after His death, He also appeared to many in His glorified body. Finally, He ascended into heaven as His disciples were watching Him.

A spiritually grown person will live a supernatural life while he is still in his physical body. He will value spiritual gifts; desire them; receive them; and use them. The nine spiritual gifts are listed in I Corinthians 12:8- 10. He will learn to use the power of the Word of God. He will use the Word as a weapon against the devil. Through faith, he will make the impossible things possible. He will overcome the enemy by love. He will multiply his power by working together with others. He will plead the blood of Jesus Christ to over power the enemy. He will always do things in the name of Jesus. He will fast and pray to get results and answers for his problems. He will always rely on the anointing of the Holy Spirit for supernatural power to operate in his life.

A spiritually grown person will put on the whole Armour of God. He will put on the helmet of salvation; the breast plate of righteousness; and the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of Jesus Christ; take the shield of faith and use the sword of the Word of God.

As a person grows spiritually, his spiritual faculties will be sharpened. He will be able to see with his spiritual eyes the unseen things. He will be able to hear the voice of God which the natural ears cannot hear. His spiritual understanding will be enlightened and he will be able to discern and understand what the natural mind cannot comprehend. As he grows in faith, he will be able to believe everything the Word of God says. He will grow in the likeness and image of Jesus. His capacity to love will increase. As he feeds his spirit with the Word of God, he will grow spiritually and live a spiritual life. He will be strong spiritually and deal with all problems spiritually. He will be able to see things differently. The spirit will take control of the body and the mind, and his life will be ruled and controlled by the spirit, and not by the body or the mind. The Bible says in John 8:32 that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free. As the spiritual mind begins to function, he will know the truth, which is the spiritual law, and as he begins to follow these spiritual laws everything will go well, because the spiritual laws control all the natural laws. The Bible says that it is given unto us to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Only when the spiritual faculties begin to function, one can receive divine revelations from above and understand the mysteries of life and follow the principles of the Kingdom of God, which controls the whole universe. The Bible says many are dead (spiritually) in sins and trespasses. Therefore, their spiritual faculties are not functioning. Only when a person becomes alive spiritually or born again, he is able to discern the spiritual things. The Bible says that spiritual things can be discerned only spiritually and the natural man cannot understand it. Many people are trying to understand God and spiritual things intellectually or physically, and they are not able to do so. Only when a person is born again or has his spiritual birth, he experiences in his life for the first time the spiritual hunger and thirst for God, the Word of God, the Holy Spirit and the righteousness of God. As he grows spiritually through the spiritual food and spiritual exercises, he is able to function fully with all of his spiritual faculties operating at full capacity.

We must do the following to operate on the supernatural power of God:  
1. Have a revelation about the supernatural power of God  
2. Desire the supernatural power of God  
3. Seek the supernatural power of God  
4. Know and believe that God wants us to receive and use his supernatural
    power  
5. Be willing to pay any price to receive the power of God  
6. Receive the power of God  
7. Grow in the power of God  
8. Retain the power of God  
9. Use the power of God  
10. Transfer the power of God to others

- End -