GROWING ON SIX THINGS TO GROW ON
D.A.Angel
Congratulations! You have entered into a brand-new life. That’s right! You are a new person. The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). You have become “a new creature” by being filled with God’s wonderful Spirit.
Now that you are a “baby,” so to speak, you must do what all babies do if they are healthy: you must grow. Here is a guide for you to grow on now that you have made a start.
To grow, you must take the following steps:
1. Learn to Live By Faith.
“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (I John 5:4).
Your victorious Christian life is not the result of your own daily efforts alone but of learning to place your trust constantly in the Lord. It is not just trying; it is trusting. It is more than living for the Lord; it is letting the Lord, who now lives in you, have complete control of your life. Do not try to overcome temptation and solve problems merely in your own strength. Always look to the Lord for His strength and help. Jesus became your Savior when He forgave your sins and took up residency in your soul; and He continues to be your Savior as He lives in you and gives you victory over temptation and sin each day.
2. Read Your Bible Daily.
“As newborn babies, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:2).
The Bible is our spiritual food. It is necessary for your spiritual growth and maturity. Read it daily. A good place to start is the Book of Acts.
Read the Bible prayerfully. It is more than history and literature. It is the inspired Word of God, a gold mine of truth. As you dig for its gold, ask God to guide you by His Spirit. Ask Him to make it plain to you and to apply it to your own life. As God speaks to you through His Word, obey Him. Follow His instructions and believe His promises.
You can read the New Testament in three months simply by reading three chapters a day. You can read the entire Bible in one year by reading three chapters from the Old Testament and one from the New
Testament every day.
Be sure to maintain a daily devotional time with God. Read your Bible regularly, thoughtfully, devotionally, and devotedly. No other book can take the place of the Bible in the Christian’s life.
3. Pray Daily.
“Pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17).
Prayer is your means of communication with God. It is your spiritual lifeline. Meet God in prayer every day and cultivate the attitude of prayer throughout the day. When tensions and frustrations come, take a prayer break.
A well-balanced prayer life includes praise, adoration, worship, thanksgiving, supplication (asking, petitioning), intercession (intense, burdened petitioning), and times of quiet waiting on God to give Him a chance to speak to your heart (meditation).
Pray in faith and confidence. Unburden your heart to God and believe Him to answer your prayer. If the answer does not come immediately, continue to wait on God and thank Him for hearing you. God will move but in His own time and way.
If possible, have family prayer time. If that is not possible, be sure always to have your own personal prayer time.
Prayer is a command, a duty, and a privilege. In this modern age we have learned the secret of releasing energy in the atom, which is capable of destroying vast cities, but few have ever learned how to fully develop the power of prayer. Be sure you develop a life of prayer, because it will be one of the greatest sources of strength you will have. You will need this strength many times in your Christian life.
4. Unite with the Church,
Attend It Regularly, and Become Involved.
Every Christian needs a Spirit-filled, Bible believing, Bible-preaching, Bible teaching, and Bible-practicing church. Jesus loved the church enough to die for it (Ephesians 5:25). If He thought so highly of the church and if we are His children, then we should love and support the church He loved and died for. Hebrews 10:25 tells us, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together….”
This is a command from the Word of God because God knows that you need the fellowship of the church. In the services of the church you will hear the Word of God read, taught, preached, and related to your
everyday life. You will be given the gift of the pastor, ordained of God, to minister to you. When you have a problem or when something comes that you do not understand, your pastor will counsel and pray
with you. God has placed him in your life to be a help to you, because you cannot live your Christian life and grow without God-given help.
The church is your God-given opportunity for service and testimony. You need to find your place of service in the church. Remember, God will qualify you for more and more meaningful positions in His body if you show yourself to be faithful. As you grow, you will be blessed and strengthened and you will be a blessing and strength to
5. Witness Daily for the lord.
Witnessing for the Lord is simply telling someone else what the Lord has done for you. You do not have to use Bible verses to witness because a person’s most powerful witnessing tool is his or her own testimony. It does help to know some verses of Scripture to use when you are getting started. Memorize the verses of Scripture concerning the Pentecostal experience as found in Acts 2, 8, 10, and 19.
Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “Ye shall be witnesses unto [or for] me.” So, every day just simply tell someone else about what the Lord has done for you and what He can do for him. Remember, “he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30).
Witnessing every day will strengthen you and help others. Don’t miss a day!
6. Tithe Your Income.
God has a plan to support His work financially. His plan is the paying of the tithe (giving a tenth of your income) as the biblical method of supporting God’s work. The Word of God states in I Corinthians 16:2, “Upon the first day of the week [Sunday] let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him.” God says to bring “all the tithes into the storehouse” (Malachai 3:10). The storehouse today is your church. This is the place you receive spiritual food and blessings, and a place out of which you serve God.
God also wants us to give offerings. These are freewill gifts above the paying of tithes. We give them because we love God and God deserves them. By giving offerings we support the various works of the
worldwide church. This includes foreign missions, home missions, youth ministry, orphanages, and many other projects, as well as the ministry and outreach of the local church.
These are some guidelines for you to grow on. Remember, “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
THE ABOVE MATERIAL IS USED BY THE SOUTHWEST APOSTOLIC CHURCH 3161 S. ROENA ST, INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA, PH. 317-241-6486, PASTOR FLOYD E. MATTHEWS AND WAS PUBLISHED BY WORD AFLAME PRESS, 8855 DUNN ROAD, HAZELWOOD, MO 63042.
