Growing
02/25/2024
I wanted to start with a picture I think I’ve shown before. ***(Slide) This is me at 7 years old. Yeah, I was a cute lil’ fella. Back then, I couldn’t have imagined myself as the middle aged guy I am now, many years later. Back then, I could dress myself, read a little, the usual things for a 7 year old. But I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t earn any real money to pay bills, I couldn’t provide for myself – there were a lot of things I couldn’t do. At age 7, my own mother wouldn't let me run a chainsaw... Can you imagine?
Now after years of experience, and a whole lot of physical growth – I am now who you see before you. If I had stayed that same small boy, I probably wouldn’t be a very effective preacher; I wouldn’t be able to do hospital calls; I wouldn’t be able to perform weddings and funerals. I had to grow, to take many ‘next steps’ in order to become the man God wanted me to be for His purposes.
Two weeks ago, Dave Wenger gave a communion meditation using an illustration about seed corn. He talked about it growing and reproducing and how it's similar to sharing our faith with others. The idea of using a seed as an analogy for spiritual growth is a common Biblical picture and I wanted to expound on that a bit this morning. I want to look at a parable that Jesus taught that’s found in Matthew 13:31-33 (NIV)...
He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. (32) Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." (33) He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."
In both stories, things started out small, and then grew into something much larger. Jesus was teaching that God's Kingdom would start small and then grow larger than they could possibly imagine. How does that happen? - One person at a time. God can use something small and seemingly insignificant to do great things. That seems to be a favorite 'trick' of His.
God still desires that His Kingdom continues to grow. One major part of that is that each of us, personally…
I. We all need to grow
That’s part of our stated mission, GROW – grow closer to God and closer to each other in fellowship. Each one of us, whether we've been a believer for 70 years or if we’re brand new to the faith – each of us need to grow, to change. Have any of us reached perfection yet? That’s why we’re here today, because we realize just how far we each have to go.
And that's why we offer our Bible reading program, our various Bible studies and Sunday school classes - why we have the men's breakfast and the support groups - all designed to help us grow.
And when we're talking about growth in God's Kingdom - it's both individually and corporately - as a body. In the U.S., numbers for individual congregations have dropped steadily over the past few decades, and then Covid shutdowns ended up closing many Churches altogether. But God's Kingdom is greater than just this nation. God's Kingdom is global and Churches in other countries are thriving!
We see in the New Testament that God’s Kingdom started out with a very small band of followers and today the number of Christians around the world has nearly quadrupled in the last 100 years to more than 2.5 billion believers! And that’s not even counting all of those in the faith throughout history who have gone before us.
But as I said - this growth happens one person at a time. So if each of us is going to accept the challenge to grow, we have to…
A. Start somewhere
For some of us, the first steps of the journey aren’t that far behind us. For others, we might struggle to remember that long ago. Every one of us, however, had to start somewhere and take that step. Let’s look at Hebrews 5:13-14, 6:1-3 (NIV)...
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. (14) But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
(1)Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, (2) instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (3) And God permitting, we will do so.
We start out as ‘spiritual infants’. We ‘cut our teeth’ on the basics of Christianity, but then we’re expected to GROW. Just staying in the same spiritual state year after year isn’t the goal.
When we start teaching our kids in Sunday school, or in our homes, we start out with basic Bible stories and basic teachings. As we progress, the expectations of what we know and learn increase, too. If I stay at a first grade level as far as Biblical knowledge, there’s a problem. Or worse yet, what if I learn all the facts but fail to put that knowledge into action? You’ve heard me say - its one thing to know about God - It’s another to actually know God. Those who know God, grow – and continue to grow.
The call for every one of us is…
B. We need to mature
And there’s a difference between just growing up and maturing. Aging just happens whether we want it to or not - maturing, that takes real effort. That applies to a person’s walk with God, too. Just because I’ve sat in a pew for 50 some years – that doesn’t automatically make me mature as a Christian.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (NIV)
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly - mere infants in Christ. (2) I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. (3) You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
You can hear the frustration in Paul’s words as he writes to the Corinthian Church. It’s almost like he’s saying – ‘you guys should know better’. He was frustrated because they really weren’t maturing. They were acting just like those outside of the Church and fighting with one another. Paul expected them to act better than just ‘mere men’. He expected them to grow because they had God’s Holy Spirit in them – ‘mere men’ do not. Paul wanted them to grow up, to mature in their faith.
Speaking of Jesus Christ, Paul wrote...
Ephesians 4:11-15 (NIV)
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, (12) to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (13) until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
(14) Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. (15) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
The goal is to grow up, to mature and become more than we are now. We are ultimately to mature into a person who, in character, closely resembles Jesus Christ Himself. Without a ton of growth, can any of us reach that goal?
For the Kingdom of God to grow, each of us needs to grow. And the Kingdom growth that Jesus refers to in the parables isn’t just numerical in nature. Yes, the Kingdom grows by adding people, but it also depends on our personal growth. In the parable of the yeast, the yeast acts in the bread to cause growth.
II. What grows in us?
The more time we spend with Jesus, the farther we get on the journey, what grows in us is faith. The analogy that Jesus used of the yeast in the flour is the same picture of us in regard to our faith. When speaking about the kingdom, the yeast was worked through until it affected every part of the bread. It acted to stretch it and grow it.
When the yeast had done its work, you couldn’t separate it from the bread. It was just as much a part of the bread as the flour. That’s the way faith works. As we grow, our faith grows - so much so that it becomes a part of us that’s impossible to separate.
Colossians 1:21-23 (NIV)
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. (22) But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - (23) if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
We are to continue in our faith, to continue to allow it to grow in us so that, in Christ, we can stand before God – pure and holy. What an amazing hope! – But it depends on ‘if you continue in your faith’.
And why is it that there are some who have accepted Christ, who started the journey, but then just stopped growing? Why would someone start attending Church services, appear excited about the message and then choose to not continue in the faith? I can’t speak for all of those who have made that choice, but I have seen many who have given in to…
A. Outside pressure
We talk about peer pressure among kids – but it’s a very real thing with adults, too. We’re surrounded by an ever increasingly ‘non-Christian’ world. The vast majority of our entertainment, and news, and social media influences are from an obvious ‘non-Christian’ worldview. And I’m not suggesting that we only watch or listen to things that 100% agree with our values. But we need to be extremely aware that those things that are contrary to God’s values can influence us much more than we’d like to admit. And those things are actively trying to influence us – don’t think for a second that they’re not.
- That’s why many Churches have ‘updated’ or changed their theology and beliefs to fit modern expectations. - Because of popular shifts outside of the Church. Rather than being a force to stand against moral decline – many Churches have simply changed to accommodate worldly views and values. God’s Word does not change! What God values does not change!
But because society changes its mind on social values – many Christians, who don’t even acknowledge this outside pressure – they lose sight of their faith and leave the Church because the Church no longer reflects their ‘progressive’ beliefs. But God’s Word didn’t change – their values did. And as they grew, they didn’t mature in their faith.
But remember that even though we are expected to grow in our faith, our salvation isn’t so much dependant on where we are on that journey, or even how quickly we grow, but on the fact that we intentionally, actively remain on the journey. We get to Heaven based on our relationship with Jesus, not on how long we’ve known Him or how far we’ve come so far. And know, that as we live in this world, Jesus desires…
B. Every part of us
We are to be committed to growth along the way. That growth will require sacrifice. Perhaps that’s why some leave the journey. It’s not an easy path to take. If it were easy to follow Jesus, everyone would be doing it. And Jesus doesn’t want us to be ‘part way’ committed to Him, He wants all of us.
Mark 10:42-45 (NIV)
Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. (43) Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, (44) and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. (45) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Jesus set the bar pretty high. He gave ‘everything’ and He desires nothing less from us. When we read Jesus’ parables, the majority of the time He talks about the Kingdom of Heaven – He talks about our relationship to money and things. I’ve heard critics say, “The Church just wants my wallet.” I’ve said it before, Jesus doesn’t just want ‘your wallet’; He wants your wallet and everything you have – all of you.
This journey with Jesus requires everything. It’s not a token commitment, Jesus desires all of you! But the amazing thing is, Jesus doesn’t just take it all and leave us with nothing. When we surrender all we have to Him, He gives back so much more than we could ever imagine!
Luke 17:33 (NIV)
Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
This journey of growth in faith is ongoing and will require everything you have.
So What?
God has invited us to be a part of His Kingdom, personally and corporately through the Church. We've been invited to GROW closer to God and to bring others with us. It’s not about us being perfect and reaching down from the mountaintop – it’s about us being a little farther along the path and encouraging others behind us to come alongside. (And be careful who you picture 'behind you' on the journey. Out of pride, I've made that mistake before. It's amazing the lessons that God can teach us through others humility...) God called us to love Him, to GROW in our faith and to allow others to see that light in us.
The first Christians had an amazing influence on the 'non-Christian' world of their day. One critic complained that this ‘new religion’ was not being spread by proper teachers at all, but “by a community of cobblers and tailors”. One Roman emperor complained, “We Romans help nobody but ourselves. The Jews will help other Jews. But these Christians will help everybody, including Romans.”
Imagine what Deep River might look like if each of us saw it as our personal responsibility to grow in Christ? What might it look like if every one of us committed ourselves to studying God’s Word, spending more time in prayer? Do you think we’d all be growing more spiritually? Would we have more people wanting to teach or volunteer to serve in some way? Do you think attendance would be growing on a Sunday morning?
We are called to grow for our own benefit but also in order to help others grow – we are to be servants, not spectators! Ministry is not carried out mostly by preachers - but by the Body of Believers. When we recapture the passion and uniqueness of the early Church, perhaps once again men will say, “These people have turned the world upside down.”