The Key to the Growth of a
Believer
Thank God for permitting us to
experience the work of the Holy Spirit last Sunday at our Gospel Service! More
than 40 new friends attended, of which 8 converted to the Lord. Many others
that day were likely also exhorted by the words of the Lordˇ¦s servant. May the
love of the Heavenly Father come to those who submit to the Holy Spirit and
patiently follow our good shepherd Jesus Christ!
Through this sharing, the writer
hopes to encourage those friends who are new converts to continue pursuing at
our church knowledge of this Lord Jesus Christ who saved and redeemed our
souls. Those who believe in Christ (believers) should take note of the
following items:
- After receiving the grace of salvation, believers call
each other ˇ§brothers and sistersˇ¨ or ˇ§membersˇ¨ because we are all the
children of God (Mark 3:35, 1 Thessalonians 1:4). We trust and depend on
one saviour: Jesus Christ, know and turn to one true God through one Holy
Spirit, form one body of Christ (the church) through one faith and the
testimony of one baptism, and hold on to one hope in awaiting the return
of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:4-6). We do not refer to ourselves
as ˇ§church fellowsˇ¨ or ˇ§churchiansˇ¨, since these epithets do not have
biblical foundations.
- Believers must grow through the consumption of
spiritual milk. Those who have believed in Jesus Christ are those who have
received the Son of God. They have been born from above (reborn), and
through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, became the children of
God (John 1:12, 3:5). The newly converted are like infants in their
spiritual lives. They must consume milk to grow. Our spiritual lives will
only grow when we read the Bible and receive the Word of God. The Word of
God is called spiritual food. It has abundant life force in reserve (John
6:63). Infants rely daily on milk to grow. The spiritual lives of
believers also rely on the Word of God to thrive. New converts do not
fully understand the Word of God, because there are many complex and
profound parts of the Bible that require the guidance and nurturing of the
churchˇ¦s pastors and others with deeper insight. New believers can join
our ˇ§Faith-seekersˇ¦ and New Believersˇ¦ Classˇ¨ on Sunday to learn the basic
principles.
- Believers must have the determination to turn away from
sin, and no longer be slaves of transgressions and the sinful nature
(Galatians 5:1, 13). In Old Testament times, God made a covenant with
Abram, using the ritual of circumcision to signify his relationship with
the chosen people of Israel. When Christ the Son of God came to earth, He
used His own body and blood to establish an even more perfect covenant
with us, called the New Covenant. Through the relationship of this
covenant, we became true Israelites. Now, although we no longer have to
perform circumcision of the flesh, we must still rely on the help of the
Holy Spirit to rid our bodies of their corrupt behaviours, so that they
are no longer controlled by transgressions and the sinful nature. We
perform an internal circumcision through the Holy Spirit, excising sin. ˇ§In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off
of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands
of men but with the circumcision done by Christ.ˇ¨ (Colossians 2:11) Many
people claim to believe in the Lord, but they do not have the
determination to repent and turn away from transgressions. They still
revel in the pleasures of sin. How can these people truly be considered as
belonging to the Lord?
4. Believers are known
as Christians (or People of Christ) because we have the seal of the Holy
Spirit. Christians live in submission to the Holy Spirit. Christ means the
Anointed One. At the moment we converted, repented our sins and believed in the
Lord, God put the Holy Spirit into our hearts as a deposit, testifying that we
belong to the Lord (2 Corinthians 1:22). The Holy Spirit is also a deposit
guaranteeing our future inheritance from God (Ephesians 1:13-14). ˇ§Since we
live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.ˇ¨ (Galatians 5:25) If
believers neglect the touching of the Holy Spirit and make light of His
guidance, they will lose their peace, and fall into iniquity and struggle.
The writer believes that the
foregoing Biblical teachings are very important to both new converts and those
who have been believers for many years, for these are requisite attitudes in
the growth of the spiritual lives of the children of God.
By: Daniel To
Peace Evangelical Church of
Richmond Vancouver
June 25, 2006