Title: Joy Through Spiritual Growth (6)
Series: Philippians
Author: Josh Malone
Text: Philippians 3:12-4:1
- Illus.- Grow Up- Have you ever known someone to be less mature than their age indicated? People say things like "act your age, not your shoe size." Maturity is something we value as is personal growth. As we get older its expected that we will "grow up" and stop being immature and that we will continue to grow as people at home, in the workplace etc. -- Most important growing up we do is spiritually.
- Joyful Christians are growing Christians. The Christian life is not meant to simply about making a decision and then waiting to die.
- WE TALK ABOUT GROWTH, DO WE PURSUE IT? "I want to grow spiritually." "I don't feel like I'm growing spiritually." Someone may leave a church and they get asked why did you leave, "I didn't feel like I was really growing spiritually."
- What does it mean to grow spiritually? Before we can talk about it we need to define it.
- Is it about knowing more? Knowing the most Bible verses, Understanding difficult Bible passages, Having your end times theology all worked out.
- Is it about doing more? Lots of Bible studies, committees, service teams.
- You can know and do a lot and not be a Christian. You can grow in Bible knowledge but not experience spiritual growth. You can do a lot of Christian things and not experience growth.
- Spiritual growth is about becoming more and more like Christ. (Christlikeness)
- You don't just learn the Bible ... you learn it and live it. You don't just do stuff ... you do it with the right motive. You don't just go to church ... you are the church.
- We discussed last week that the root cause of Paul's joy was his relationship with Christ. He had left behind a religion of works righteousness so that He could know Christ. Paul trusted and treasured Christ above all. This week we see he was striving to become more and more like Christ.
READ TEXT
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Series: Philippians
Author: Josh Malone
Text: Philippians 3:12-4:1
- Illus.- Grow Up- Have you ever known someone to be less mature than their age indicated? People say things like "act your age, not your shoe size." Maturity is something we value as is personal growth. As we get older its expected that we will "grow up" and stop being immature and that we will continue to grow as people at home, in the workplace etc. -- Most important growing up we do is spiritually.
- Joyful Christians are growing Christians. The Christian life is not meant to simply about making a decision and then waiting to die.
- WE TALK ABOUT GROWTH, DO WE PURSUE IT? "I want to grow spiritually." "I don't feel like I'm growing spiritually." Someone may leave a church and they get asked why did you leave, "I didn't feel like I was really growing spiritually."
- What does it mean to grow spiritually? Before we can talk about it we need to define it.
- Is it about knowing more? Knowing the most Bible verses, Understanding difficult Bible passages, Having your end times theology all worked out.
- Is it about doing more? Lots of Bible studies, committees, service teams.
- You can know and do a lot and not be a Christian. You can grow in Bible knowledge but not experience spiritual growth. You can do a lot of Christian things and not experience growth.
- Spiritual growth is about becoming more and more like Christ. (Christlikeness)
- You don't just learn the Bible ... you learn it and live it. You don't just do stuff ... you do it with the right motive. You don't just go to church ... you are the church.
- We discussed last week that the root cause of Paul's joy was his relationship with Christ. He had left behind a religion of works righteousness so that He could know Christ. Paul trusted and treasured Christ above all. This week we see he was striving to become more and more like Christ.
READ TEXT
- If anyone ...
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