Very briefly, I want to share something with us which I believe we all must be mindful of at such a time as this. The title is: Taking Responsibility For Your Spiritual Growth. Even though it looks like certain activities are beginning to return to normal as a result of the ease in the Covid-19 lockdown, it appears our places of worship will not be reopened anytime soon. So, let me ask you this simple question: How well are you doing in the area of your Spiritual Growth? Although it is true that there are certain people that God has given the responsibility that they ensure that you grow spiritually, now that you have not been able to have physical contacts with them in weeks now, other than connecting with them online every week; how well are you taking up the responsibility of your Spiritual Growth? I believe you have not left it to chance.

 

Listen To Podcast: TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

 

One of the things that you must realize is that Spiritual Growth is not something that you can live to chance. It does not happen over night by itself. Nobody sleeps and wakes up to become spiritually matured. Spiritual Growth requires spiritual efforts, and that effort is your responsibility. Your pastors and every other person can only try their best in ensuring that they put you on the proper track so that you can grow. It is actually your responsibility whether you will remain on that track or you will deviate from it. So this evening, I want to expose to us how we can take responsibility for our Spiritual Growth in this season so that the devil does not take advantage of what is happening to ground our spiritual life before we realize it.

 

 

Biblical Basis for Spiritual Growth!

 

2 Peter 1:3-8

"His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.⁵ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

 

In this Bible passage, we were meant to see that there is a kind of knowledge that brings us into the fullness of God. This knowledge is not any kind of knowledge. It is rather, a specific knowledge which is the knowledge of Christ who called us by glory and virtue. 2Peter 3:18 says: "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." Also, talking further about this knowledge, Colossians 1:9-10 tells us: "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

 

Therefore to be able to grow spiritually, the knowledge of Christ is absolutely required. You see, the knowledge of mathematics is good. Acquiring knowledge in Biology, Physics, Economics, Chemistry, et cetera, is good, but as good as they may be, they cannot bring us into the place of Spiritual Growth. Verse 3 of that Scripture says "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue." So, the knowledge of Christ brings us into Spiritual Growth and nothing else.

 

When you read further from verse 5, it says: "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love." You see, Spiritual Growth takes place in collaboration with a number of factors which are: Diligence, Faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. And when all these factors are perfectly in sync, verse 8 shows us what will become the outcome. It says: "For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

 

 

Colossians 2:6-7

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, ⁷ rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."

 

From this passage above, the first question we can ask ourselves is this: How did you receive Christ? Ephesians 2:8-9 shows us. It says; "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast." So, that means that you became saved by grace through faith. So then, how then can you walk in Christ? The answer is simple; the same way that you have received Him, which is through faith. You see, as much as knowledge is important in Spiritual Growth, faith is also very, very important because without faith, nobody can please God.

 

Hebrews 4:1-2 tells us: "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. ² For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." You cannot grow spiritually outside of faith. For the word of God to be able to profit you and come to all the fullness of it, that word of God must be mixed with faith in your heart. Colossians 2:7 shows us the process, it says:  "rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving." You see, you have been taught the word of God, how well is this word mixing with faith in your heart?

 

Being taught the word alone is not the end in itself, it is only part of the process. You must also, according to that Scripture, be established in the faith and also abounding in it (what you have been taught) with thanksgiving. I hope it is not difficult, because it is important that you understand and come to terms with the process of Spiritual Growth. And this is why it is your responsibility, and not anyone's responsibility. Your pastor can only show you the process, the same way I am showing you the process right now, it is your duty to now walk in that process which will eventually take you into that spiritual maturity. Nobody can grow spiritually on your behalf, only you can do the growth.

 

 

Hebrews 6:1 (NLT)

"So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God."

 

Now, the only reason why the writer of Hebrews, I believe apostle Paul, would say this is because he knew that the basic teachings have been taught already. For instance, no university will ask you to proceed to 200 level when you have not even gone through the basics 100 level foundational courses. So apostle Paul believed here that the basics had been taught, faith toward God had been taught, salvation had been taught, repentance from evil deeds and everything that brings the people to the understanding of the knowledge of God had already been taught. So he said "Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding."

 

So, whose responsibility it is to become mature in understanding? It is the responsibility of those that had been taught, and not the teachers. In other words, apostle Paul was saying to them, "grow up" so that you can proceed to the next level. You cannot afford to remain a babe, you cannot afford to remain at the level where you are being spoon-fed, you cannot continue to remain at that level where if you have not seen your pastor, you cannot fight your spiritual battles. So apostle Paul was telling them, grow up and be matured in your understanding so that we can all move on to the next level.

 

As a child of God, you cannot afford to remain where you are. You need to continue to grow in the Spirit, irrespective of whether our churches are opened or not. You cannot afford to be lackadaisical with your Spiritual Growth simply because your pastor is not there, your Bible study coordinator is not there, or there is nobody there who can place a tab on your current Spiritual Growth. If after this lockdown, not so much have been added to your Spiritual Growth, then I tell you, something fundamental is faulty with your knowledge base and with your faith base. You must come out of this Covid-19 lockdown with so much power and vigor in the things of the Spirit. It was said concerning Jesus in Luke 2:40. The Bible says: "And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him."

 

This also I believe should be your experience in this period of lockdown. People should be able to see in your life that truly, you have been with the Lord when they see you after this lockdown. I believe you got that!.

 

How Then Can You Take Responsibility For Your Spiritual Growth?

 

1. Be accountable! Be accountable to God. Romans 14:12 says "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." Also, be accountable to people that God has placed in your life to help you grow spiritually.

 

"Obey your spiritual leaders and submit to them [continually recognizing their authority over you], for they are constantly keeping watch over your souls and guarding your spiritual welfare, as men who will have to render an account [of their trust]. [Do your part to] let them do this with gladness and not with sighing and groaning, for that would not be profitable to you [either]."

Hebrews 13:17 (AMPC)

 

Even though you cannot see them because there is a lockdown, you can still find a way to reach them. When you don't have that sense of accountability, you may feel that you are all alone and then the devil can take advantage of that to hinder your Spiritual Growth.

 

2. Don't give room for any spiritual vacuum! The devil always take advantage of this each time he sees such opportunity. Luke 11:24-26 shows us a picture of what happens when there is a spiritual vacuum. The Bible says: “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

 

How then can you prevent spiritual vacuum? Study the word of God, listen to tapes/messages, pray always. Don't allow the devil to take advantage of the fact that you are alone or not having access to your spiritual mentors and therefore, use that opportunity to wreck your spiritual life. Remember, Eve became a victim of the devil's temptation because she was all alone by herself. Don't give room for the devil to take advantage of you.

 

I believe you have been blessed!

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!