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GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY
LESSON ONE
2 Peter 3:18, But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Eph. 4:15, But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ
Introduction:The moment you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you begin a new life. This new life you start out as a new baby - a spiritual baby in Christ. The baby - the new Christian is expected to grow up spiritually.
1. Need for spiritual growth
Tom Westwood, Radio Bible Teacher, commenting on 2 Peter 3:18, writes, "There is no such thing as standing still for the Christian. If you stand still you will be caught with the tide of worldliness, and carried in the stream of life away from the Lord, until you no longer enjoy communion with Him. There must be constant progress."
The need for spiritual growth into maturity and perfection for a Christian cannot be overemphasised.No Christian has grown to such a stage that he needs not to grow again. There is always room for advancement and growth in Christ. When growth stops, decay begins.
2. How to grow up spiritually
2.1. Take the food of the Spirit regularly
The Apostle Peter describes the Word of God as milk (liquid food)(1 Peter 2:2, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby).The apostle Paul likens the Word of God to meat (solid food)(1 Corinthians 3:2,I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able).The Word of God, according to these scriptures is the food of the Spirit and soul.The word does for the Spirit and soul of man what food does for the body of man.
A child needs lots of nutritious food to grow well and stay healthy. He becomes malnourished if he eats not enough good food. Poor nutrition is the most common cause of the failure of a child to grow or gain weight normally. Similarly, a child of God who does not feed regualrly on the word of God will suffer spirittual malnutrition and will not be able to grow up spiritually as he should be.
As soon as you get born again, get a Bible. With a great desire and affection for the word of God, begin to study it regularly. Go to the church regularly to listen to the true word of God being preached and taught by anointed men of God. Read good Christian books, and if you have the means, listen to cassettes and watch films containg true inspiring Christian messages.
Not must you be only a hearer of the word, you must also be a doer of the word. James 1:22-24 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
The most attention and the most frequent hearing of the word of God will not avail you unless you be a doer of the Word.
2.1.1.Beware of poisonous food. 2 Timothy 3-4, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Just like there are physical poisonous food there are spiritual poisonous food. Spiritual poisonous food is false teachings and doctrine peddled by cults, false teachers and fake prophets. Spiritual poisonous food also include anti-Christ worldly philosophies disguised at times as scriptural truth. You must shun all these just as you take great care to avoid worldly poisonous food.
2.1.2.Beware of junk food. You cannot grow on junk food. Spiritual junk food is the half-truth teachings you hear often, especially from modern preachers. They emphasize worldly things that have no eternal value and give their listeners the impression that the things that really matter in eternity are of little importance.
TO BE COMPLETED
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SPIRITUAL DECEPTION
DON'T BE A VICTIM OF SPIRITUAL DECEPTION
Lesson One
2. WHAT DECEPTION IS
2.1. Dictionary Meaning: According to Merriam-Webster, there are three meanings of the word ‘deception’ the act of deceiving; the fact or condition of being deceived; something that deceives : trick. For the purpose of this study, the second is what we are going to focus our attention on: the fact or condition of being deceived.
2.2. A person who is deceived opposes the truth – Acts 13:10, 8But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10"You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? (NIV) Elymas was suffering from demonic deception. That’s why he was opposing the truth. A spiritually deceived person is an opposser of the truth of the Word of God.
2.3. A person who is deceived refuses to welcome or believe the truth, but lies – 2 Thes. 2:10-11, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie (KJV) 10He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them. 11So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies. (NLT) When you see a Christian who is ready to believe evil reporters and rumor-mongers against the people of God and the Church of God, you can be sure the person is suffering from demonic delusion, however high his or her post in the church or Ministry.
2.4. A person who is suffering from deception reasons contrary to the truth because he or she is suffering from demonic delusion. Delusion is the state of being deluded (to delude means ‘to deceive the mind or judgment of’). They interpret every rebuke of their spiritual leaders in a wrong, negative way. They see every advice of godly people stupid statements. In Jeremiah. 42 and 43, we see a good example of this. All the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah[a] son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, came Jeremiah the prophet with a request to find out from God whether they should flee to Egypt or not. They assured him that they would do all he asked them to do. Jeremiah listened to them and sought the Lord on their behalf. The Lord told them not to go. But the deluded people reasoned that the land of Israel was not save for them and so flee to Egypt (Read chapters 42 and 43). A person who is suffering from deception rebels against right teaching . Like in the above example.
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