Steps of Growth and Maturity ...

Monday, May 5, 2014. What are the steps of spiritual growth, which we should go next? We had this question recently in the group of the cell group leaders of our church. And we quickly realized, how diverse our groups are, how different the individual people, and that “steps of growth” might be highly individual!

A range of possibilities …

For some it might be a step of spiritual growth, if they get engaged in some of the church activities. Some start to work with some mission organization, or become supporter of a poor child in some remote country. Some start to help in youth services, or start to help with the Sunday morning coffee. Activity CAN be a step of spiritual growth.

For some others, the main step of spiritual growth which is important for them is to stop some bad habit. For example, to step talking bad things about other people can be an important step of spiritual growth. To start to stop to smoke, or to spend money for useless things, or to stop watching too much television or films. Building habits is an important part of faith, and working on our bad habits is a part of this as well.

For someone else, it can be an important step of faith to STOP some activity. When we act as if our faith depends on our activity, or God's favour depends on our activity, or the church depends on our activity, then it might be an important step to STOP some activity! God loves us, what ever we do. He is there to help us and to be with us, even if we are infants and if we seem to be pretty useless for everyone else. Come from activity to grace! It can be a very crucial step of spirital growth, to reach and touch the heart of God, his love and his mercy!

Build on his values …

Spiritual growth is a very exciting topic. In our church, it is an important part of our current agenda to move forward. Many members have expressed the desire to grow, to make personal progress and to get out of a mode of spiritual laziness. They do not necessarily want more activity (most are pretty full with activities in and outside of the church), but they somehow search change which renews their love, and their freshness, and their excitement, and their grace.

So looking into this, I also realize that it is an even wider topic - and even more important. Spiritual growth also includes our daily work, our daily activities, our mornings, our lunchtime, our evenings, our nights. Do we fully grasp the amazing presence of the Lord in his creation? Do we realize how active God is and wants to be in our life?

Spiritual growth does not mean, that there would not be resistence. Some Gideons have distributed bibles on the road before a school in one of our neighbor town - and the teachers collected all the bibles from the kids, telling them that due to religious freedom it is not allowed to distribute bibles in the school, since the Moslems could feel discriminated. As soon as you do good things, somone will find a reason to try to hinder you. So you will need to think, and if you do well, continue! This also is a step of growth … (Roland Potthast) ... more texts