Spiritual Giants ...How to Grow Spiritually

I suppose few people would choose to be dwarfed. There is a race of people called pygmies in the South Pacific whose physical stature does not exceed 5 ft. In Central Africa in countries like Zaire & Rwanda there are also pygmies, whose stature does not exceed 4 ft. to 4 ft. 8 in. in height. There are only 200,000 in the world. It seems that every little school-age child dreams of growing up to be big & strong. Likewise, each individual who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior desires to grow to become a strong, tall Christian. Unfortunately, however many people have a dwarfed experience with God. They’re Christian pygmies, as it were. In fact, some churches contain so many spiritual pygmies that the occasional “normal” Christian, who is growing daily in his religious experience, is looked upon as something of an oddity!

How can we grow spiritually to become strong, beautiful believers-giants among the pygmies? First of all, a most basic step must take place. There must be a birth! In order to “grow up” spiritually, a person must be born again.

Experiencing the New Birth

The new birth involves two simple yet essential steps. Jesus Himself outlined them for us in a night interview with a Pharisee name Nicodemus. Jesus said in John 3:3-5, “Verily, verily, I say unto Thee, Except a man be born of water & of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

These are the two steps. The Lord declared that we must all be born of water & of the Spirit. To be born of water represents baptism, & to be born of the Spirit represents conversion - accepting Jesus as our personal Saviour. These two simple steps are also given in the gospel of Mark, where Jesus declares, “He that believeth & is baptized shall be save.” Mark 16:16. In order to enter heaven, we must take these dual steps.

After Christ enters our lives, a dramatic change takes place. Paul states, “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10. The old man of sin dies; and as with any death, it is appropriate to have a funeral & bury the corpse. Spiritually this is represented by the baptismal service. In Romans 6:3, 4, Paul says: “Don’t you know that those of us who were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ have openly said that we believe He came to die for us & that our past lives died with Him? Therefor, if by our baptism we died with Him, then, just as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of God, we also should live to the glory of God.”

A baptismal service is the happiest funeral you could ever attend! That’s because it combines the symbolism of a funeral, a resurrection, & a wedding all together in one service. Baptism celebrates the new birth & represents a new beginning. In baptism we unit with Christ & with His body-His church. The baptismal service is NOT an indication that an individual is perfect. Rather, it is a public testimony of a person’s love, commitment, & union to Christ.

Five Steps to Spiritual Growth

Physical birth is just the beginning of a long & perilous journey, & the “new birth” is no different. Growth must begin instantly after spiritual birth, or else the individual will soon fall prey to a spiritual grave. Jesus says, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matt. 24:13.

To discover how we can grow spiritually after we’ve been born again, let’s consider for a moment how children grow. There are at least five basic things they do (either consciously or unconsciously) in order to grow. They eat, they drink, they sleep, they breath, & they exercise (play & work). Those same five things apply to spiritual growth, as well. Let’s consider each step.

Step #1--Spiritual Food

What do babies need in order to grow & develop? Milk & love. W/O these two things, infants will not even survive, much less grow. A spiritual newborn is no different. The church family is to provide the loving support for the newborn Christian. But what is to be our spiritual milk, & where do we get it? The answer is found in Peter’s epistle, 1 Peter 2:2, “Feed on the word of God as newborn babies feed on milk so you can grow spiritually strong.” Milk makes babies grow, & our spiritual milk is God’s Word.

In reference to spiritual food, Jeremiah says, “When your words came to me, I ate them with joy. They were the delight of my heart. I accepted them because I wanted to bear your name & be know as yours.” Jeremiah 15:16. In Job 23:12, Job had his priorities right when he said; “I have always tried to keep His commandments & have treasured His word more than my daily bread.” Then Jesus Himself who said in Matt. 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” To live “by every word” means not only that the Scriptures sustain our spiritual life, but more importantly that we live in harmony with the instructions & principles given in the Bible.

Jesus told us how to feed on the Word when He said in John 5:39, “You’re constantly studying the Scriptures, & you think that by doing so you have eternal life, but these same Scriptures talk about me.” The prophet Isaiah spoke of comparing Scripture with Scripture (Isaiah 28:10), & Paul stressed the importance of “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

There is no benefit in sitting at table filled with food & simply viewing it. You must put the food into your mouth (one bite at a time), chew, & then swallow. But does the process end there? Oh no! Your body still must digest the food (which is automatic if you’ve done the first three steps correctly). In the same way, to receive nourishment from the written Word, we need to take bite-sized portions of it, chew on them, swallow, & then digest them. This all takes time, of course, just as with eating a decent meal. Don’t try the fast-food, drive-thru approach to Bible study!

“When” we eat can be just as important as “what” we eat. If you fast all week long, hoping to thrive on the nourishment gained from a spiritual potluck in church on the seventh day, your soul will be stunted & starved! You need at least one good spiritual “feast” each day. Write out a Bible promise on a card & stick it in your pocket or purse. That way you can pull out a spiritual “snack” several time throughout the day! The best time to eat spiritual foods is in the morning. And just as we thank God in prayer for physical food & ask for His blessing upon it, so we should as God to guide, instruct, & help us understand the Bible before beginning each spiritual meal.

Step #2--Spiritual Drink

A person can survive several weeks without food, but only a matter of days without water. What is to be our spiritual water, & where do we go for a drink? Jesus gives us the answer. He says, “If any may thirst, let him come unto me, & drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit),”

John 7:37-39. The water Jesus promises to give us is the Holy Spirit.

Notice Jesus’ promise: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:13, To receive this spiritual water (the Holy Sprit), all we have to do is ask for it! God promises that if we come to Jesus just as we are & ask for living water, we will receive a spiritual drink.

Then , just as water cleanses, purifies, & refreshes every cell in our physical bodies, so the Holy Spirit cleanses, purifies, & refreshes our souls. However, when the Holy Spirit is convicting us of something we should do or quit doing, if we refuse to surrender & to accept the purifying work of the Spirit, we can hardly expect to receive another portion of this blessing. It is the Holy Spirit’s work to convict us of sin (John 16:8) & to guide us to all truth (John 16:13). Then, as we respond to the leading of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives. He becomes our Comforter. Of this life-giving water we may partake freely (Rev. 22:17).

Step #3--Spiritual Rest

Most growth in children takes place during sleep. They grow the most when they are thinking about it the least!

The secret of experiencing spiritual rest is contained in one of the most encouraging promises Christ ever spoke. He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, & learn of me; for I am meek & lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matt. 11: 28, 29. Our souls can find rest only as we come to Jesus & place our trust in Him. When we learn to trust God in all situations, we experience a blessed peace that no psychologist can simulate.

In the New Testament, Paul tells us that God has a sign of this spiritual rest-a sign of our trust in Him. Heb. 4:3,4 says: “Way back, when God created this world He said, “Only those whose faith leads to obedience will enter into my rest.” So if we have faith in God & obey Him, then we’ll receive the rest that He promised, which He alone can give. That’s why at creation He gave man the seventh-day Sabbath, not only as a reminder of creation week, but also as a symbol of spiritual rest. According to the Scriptures, God Himself rested on the seventh-day & enjoyed this special time with man.” The rest to which God is referring, which is only for us “which have believed: or trusted in Him, is clearly the Sabbath rest. God rested: the seventh day” after completing the work of Creation. We mark this day on our calendar as the time between sunset Friday & sunset Saturday-the same way God did.

Paul makes it crystal clear in the New Testament that the Sabbath hasn’t changed. God didn’t change it; the apostles didn’t change it, & Paul didn’t change it. The Sabbath still remains as a sign of rest-not only physically, but also spiritually. Thousands of Christians today are lying dead or dying along the route to the celestial city, their spiritual energies wasted because they have willfully refused to enter into God’s rest, embodied in the Sabbath.

Step #4-Spiritual Breath

Life can be sustained only a few brief moments without breath. One of my favorite authors wrote, “Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. ...Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now & then, as seems convenient, & you lose your hold on God. The spiritual faculties lose their vitality, the religious experience lacks health & vigor.” Gospel Workers PP 254-255.

The Scriptures tell us that “Jesus: spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, & not to faint.” Luke 18:1. If you would hold your breath long enough, you would pass out. The same goes for your spiritual experience. Neglect to pray, & you risk spiritual fainting or even death.

There are three conditions to having our prayers answered:

1. We must recognize our need of God’s help.

2. We must have faith that God will hear & answer as He sees best (Hebrews 11:6, “It’s impossible to please God w/o having faith. In fact, even our confidence that God exists is based on faith. To have faith means to believe that God exists & that He rewards those who seek Him”).

3. We must forsake our sins (Proverbs 28:9,13, “If anyone deliberately turns away from hearing the law, even his prayers will seem disgusting. He who conceals his sins will never prosper, but he who confesses & makes things right will receive mercy.”).

The good news is that in prayer we can ask God to help us fulfill each one of these conditions.

Step #5-Spiritual Exercise

The final step to becoming a spiritual giant demands the most action. If you’re a parent, you’ve probably noticed that it’s almost impossible to keep a child still. Children are so full of energy & enthusiasm; they have to be active. Likewise, a child of God cannot be kept from spiritual activity.

If all you did was eat, drink, sleep, & breathe, what would happen to you? Well, in a spiritual sense, your veins would soon clog up with the cholesterol of selfishness & self-pity. You’d have a spiritual heart attack & die! Literally thousands of churches today have become like morgues, filled with the corpses of Christians who have long ago died for lack of spiritual exercise.

The following exercise program was prescribed by Jesus for His followers: “Go ye therefore, & teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, & of the Son, & of the Holy Ghost.” Matt. 28:19. “Go” is an action verb, as well as a command.

Jesus went on to state, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, & in all Judaea, & in Samaria, & unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8. We are not called to be the judge! Neither are we called to be the prosecuting or defense attorneys. Instead, God has called us to be witnesses. In a court setting, witnesses simply tell what they have seen & heard. For Christians, that means telling other about our experiences with Jesus.

The first missionaries sent out personally by Jesus were two men who had been dwelling in filth among the tombs on the eastern shores of Galilee. Before encountering Jesus, they had been controlled by a legion of demons. After the Saviour delivered them from a living death, these two men wanted more than anything else just to accompany Jesus.

Had either of those men attended a prophecy seminar? Had they been through a Bible-study course? What, then, did they have to share? They had a testimony of deliverance, the power of Christ to rescue humans from the lowest depths of hell. Possessed now with a burning desire to tell others of the blessed Saviour, they went out as missionaries to witness for the Master.

Has Jesus done anything for you? If so, then you are a key witness for your Saviour! You have a testimony that no other person can share.

Believe it or not, witnessing is probably the most important of the five steps. Spiritual exercise is what triggers your spiritual appetite. It will make you hungry for the Word & thirsty for more of that Living Water--the Holy Spirit’s presence & power in your life. Exercise also enables you to sleep better. Your spiritual rest (trust in God) will be more sweet, more secure, more refreshing! Spiritual exercise will cause you to breath deeply, too. You’ll have a richer, deeper prayer experience.

In a nutshell, witnessing is what keeps you spiritually healthy. Your spiritual muscles will grow strong through exercise. Just as athletes are known to have bigger hearts because of rigorous workouts, so you will become “large-hearted” through continuous spiritual activity.

There you have it--five simple steps to becoming a spiritual giant. We must take them ourselves every day. God is not going to send an angel from heaven each morning to read the Bible to you, pray for you, or do any of those other steps, for that matter. These things we must do in cooperation with God; & by so doing, we will become little in our own eyes, but great in the eyes of the Lord.

Ask the Lord just now to help you take five simple steps each day & become a spiritual giant for Him!