Morning Y'all! I pray this post encourages you and gives God glory! Got suggested topics you want me to write about? Please comment below or email me at info@mocatoday.com.
Last blog post, we covered these five themes:
Reminded that Jesus commands followers of Him to go out and make Christ disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them to obey all His commands (Matthew 28:19-20).
Reviewed 14 differences between church membership and Christ discipleship.
Christ disciples were defined as believers in and followers of Jesus Christ who grow to think, act, and feel like Jesus Christ in all matters of their private and public lives.
Maturing disciples of Jesus Christ bear much good fruit (Matthew 7) and can positively impact their homes, personal relationships, local church, overall church body, surrounding communities, and the world.
Confirmed the Church and the world need more active, authentic, courageous, committed, agape-loving, God-fearing, Christ disciples that speak godly eternal truths, demonstrate Christlike character and bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit to help save souls, and turn away from evil and sin.
Christ discipleship is an active, growing, unique lifelong journey with Jesus.
From the Membership to Discipleship workbook, Dr. Phil Maynard identifies six lifestyle traits of a maturing Christ disciple:
A life of worship. I honor God in the ways I work, play, and engage with others in relationships. (Romans 12:1)
A life of hospitality. I intentionally seek to build relationships with "unchurched" people to share God’s love. (John 15:12)
A life open to Jesus. I am taking responsibility for my own growth through the daily practice of spiritual disciplines. (Galatians 2:20)
A life obeying Jesus. I am partnering with God to help others grow in openness and obedience to Christ. (Ephesians 4:14-15, Matthew 4:19)
A life of service. I join Jesus in mission to others using my God-given gifts, talents, and passion. (Matthew 25:44-45)
A life of generosity. I am tithing and consciously reordering my life to free up more resources to honor God and bless others. (Proverbs 22:9, Acts 20:35)
So, if above is our ultimate target, how do we grow spiritually to get there?
In a helpful article, author Debbie McDaniel lists 10 Things Every Believer Must Do To Grow Spiritually and become a mature Christ disciple:
Choose to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives. Without first acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord of our lives and making the choice to follow Him and put Him first, we will never be able to grow spiritually. We must receive His forgiveness and love and recognize the authority that He is in our lives. Learning to “abide in Him,” and dwell in His Presence every day will lead us towards deeper spiritual growth as we seek to know Him more. Without these first steps in place, the rest would seem impossible. (John 15:4-5, Romans 10:9-10)
Pray without ceasing. God reminds us in His word the incredible importance it is to pray, to talk to Him and spend time in His Presence. Jesus, Himself, spent hours praying and coming before His Father. He reminds us to pray continually, to develop an attitude of constant communication with God. And if it was important for Jesus, it is crucial for our own spiritual journey. God desires our fellowship. He longs for us to talk to Him and listen for His voice. Sometimes, we don’t even know how to pray. Maybe we’re at a loss for words, or our hearts are broken, but we can find strength in knowing that Christ, Himself, intercedes for us when we don’t know what to pray. Just opening God’s word and praying His truths back to Him is so powerful and effective. We’re speaking out living words straight into the darkness we might find ourselves in. It renews our minds, it comforts our hearts, it brings peace to our spirits. (2 Thessalonians 5:17)
Read and study God's Word. Read it, meditate on it, study it, learn from it, write it out, speak it out loud, teach it to your children, pray God’s words back Him… this is an absolute necessity for spiritual growth. We need His Word every day, living and breathing through us. It’s our guide in this life, it’s alive and active, it’s powerful and true, it’s our only offensive weapon against the enemy. Jesus is the Word. And without knowing what is within these beautiful, amazing pages, we will never fully know our Lord. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Worship and praise Jesus. Worshipping and praising our King are a powerful force in pushing back the forces of darkness and building faith within our own hearts. As we make the choice to give Him the honor due His name, even when it feels more like a sacrifice to offer praise, it will strengthen our spirits and open up the door for God to do amazing things. Scripture reminds of that over and over. Maybe we’re hurting or carrying huge burdens, but God hears, He knows, and He understands our pain. He reminds us that He encircles our praises, His Presence is close to us as He as He comforts the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He will never turn away. We can make the choice every day, to lift our hands and voices to our Mighty Savior and Lord. (Colossians 3:16)
Fellowship with other believers. People are so important in this journey of life, friends and family who will stick with us no matter what we face, who will cover us in prayers and offer wise counsel and help. Find a church that teaches the Word where you can grow and serve. Show up and keep showing up. Often, it’s a choice to keep seeking community when business or life struggles will seek to draw us away. We were never meant to journey alone. Never feel ashamed that you’re reaching out for help, that you have questions--we’re all in a continual state of growth. And no matter what we’ve walked through, God will use our stories to help others in the years still to come. It’s often through our own pain, grief, or hardship that we can have a fuller understanding of what others walk through as well. There’s great comfort in knowing that God will use what we have experienced, no matter how difficult, to help someone else. Christ, Himself, suffered and was tempted in “all things,” reminding us that He truly understands “all” that we walk through in this life. (Acts 2:42-47)
Serve others. Serving and giving to God and others around us helps us to take our eyes off ourselves and see the bigness of God in this world around us. We’re never meant to do life all on our own. He desires we use the gifts, abilities, and blessings that He’s given to us to help those around us and bring glory to Him through our lives. God reminds us in His word that it’s truly “more blessed to give than to receive…” and the life and servanthood of Jesus is our ultimate example to follow. (1 Peter 4:10)
Be ruthless with sin. Sin will always take us farther than we ever intended to go. It’s been proven over and over again. Don’t be fooled. Don’t mess around with thinking you’re strong enough to withstand it all on your own or that you can play with fire and not get burned. God calls us to strive to live holy as He is holy, He reminds us to set our minds on the things above, not on the things in this world. He invites us to ask forgiveness when we get off course and assures us of His faithfulness to forgive and wash us clean. Unconfessed sin will lead to greater difficulties down the road, increased pressure, anxiety, and even despair. But God calls us to live differently. He promises He will make all things new and bring restoration, freedom, and grace. (1 John 1:9)
Walk in the Holy Spirit. Learning to walk in the Spirit is learning to say no to the flesh and yes to God. It’s the willingness to put God in the driver’s seat of our lives and to choose to deny our own fleshly nature. And, it’s not always easy. In fact, it can be really, really hard, every single day. The enemy will bring temptation and fear. He will do everything He can to lead us away from choosing to live fully for God. But once we determine in our hearts that we will walk in God’s ways and pray for the filling of His Spirit in our lives, He is faithful to fill us afresh with His power. He is mighty within us. We never walk alone; God equips us to learn to walk in the fruits of His Spirit and will turn our lives around for great purpose and blessing. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Believe that the hard times will bring greater good. Though this can be one of the most difficult truths of deep spiritual growth, those of us who have experienced difficult trials know the power that can come from these times. God will often use, not the easiest times of life, but the hardest seasons to bring the greatest depths of growth in our lives. It’s in those times that we learn perseverance, deeper faith, and the awareness that God is with us no matter what we face. We come to understand, through humility and pain, that it’s in our weakest moments that God becomes strong. We may not ever wish for struggles and storms in this life, but we can trust God to use them all for good, somehow, in us and through us. He is faithful and we truly can “count it all joy” when we experience hard things, because we know He’s at work on our behalf. (James 1:2-4)
Put on the armor of God. We will face battles in this life- Hard, spiritual battles. Enemy attacks. Difficulties and temptations. Without the armor of God protecting us day by day, we cannot stand. God has given us everything we need in this life to stand strong against the devil’s schemes and the struggles we’ll face. He desires that we live aware and follow the truths in His Word. Put on His armor, every day, be fully prepared to face whatever is up ahead, and know that you are held secure by a Mighty God. (Ephesians 6:10-17)
Now that you know what a maturing Christ disciple looks like, along with at least 10 ways to grow spiritually, where are you in your Christ discipleship journey?
Share your thoughts on this post in the comments below.
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Remember, it's all about progression, not perfection! God loves you! With Him, you got this! Until next post, may God give you His peace and blessings!
-Natasha
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