Grow: The Race To Maturity

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen - 2 Peter 3:18

Different plants have different strategies for growth. Some are lean and tall; racing towards the sun. Others dig deep for water. Others spread broad leaves to catch each bit of sun that reaches them. Still others spread their roots wide. But all of them attempt to harness the resources of God to grow. That growth has a goal: maturity, the point at which a plant can begin to fruit and seed.

Peter reminds us to grow in both grace and knowledge. Paul describes this as a part of the development of every believer. 

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth - Colossians 1:6

In both cases there is this idea that growth is spurred on by access to two things: the grace of God and the truth of God. You can speed up the acquisition of information, but the speed of spiritual development is not in your hands. In many cases, it requires that truth and grace be experienced through different seasons of life. Just as some plants are ready to fruit in mere days (like grasses), others may require several years. As Paul wisely noted elsewhere, it is God who causes the growth. Much of that is built into the spiritual DNA which differs for each one of us.

The Truth Of God
We must admit that there is and always will be a gap between our understanding and God's. We are always the learner; He is always the teacher. Growing in this area means learning, through experience, what we have already been taught. Peter is a good example of this. At one point in Jesus' ministry, he began to tell his students that he was going to get in trouble with the authorities and die. Peter didn't like this and "...took him aside and began to rebuke him. 'Never, Lord!' he said. 'This shall never happen to you!'" (Matt. 16:22)

Peter had the knowledge in his heart that Jesus was rabbi and that he was the disciple. But he also felt he knew what was going on, well enough to rebuke Jesus based his understanding of what was going on.  In turn, Jesus uses the strongest language he will ever use on any disciple except Judas, saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns" (vs. 23) Notice the gap both motive ("Satan") and the will of God ("concerns of God').

We want to take in copious quantities of the Word of God, from the Bible. Then we want the Spirit to take the Word of God through us, from life. Doing one without the other leaves us either shallow (from lack of the experience) or foolish (from lack of the Word).  Truth guides growth, and love fuels it.

The Grace of God

We must come to grips with how much God loves us and has give us that we don't deserve. We don't have any claim on God's affections other than His own promises (because he cannot lie). If we are sure of this, then a great many mountains can be climbed and difficult tasks ventured, because his opinion is secure. A healthy believer sinks his or her roots into the love of God to fuel growth.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. - Ephesians 3:17b-19

Paul wants his "rooted" believers to take the next step: to discover the full extent of God's love and then experience that personally. Truth guides the growth, but love fuels it.

Growth Together

It is important to note that this growth is not designed to happen alone. Trees grow in groves. Grasses grow in fields and meadows. While each plant bears within it the full plan of God for the next generation, it does not mean that it was designed to do this alone, only that it can if absolutely necessary. We are better together with other believers. There is a nurturing environment created when those sharing the same spiritual DNA come together. That is why Paul says "together with all the Lord's holy people". It is a joint pilgrimage. A joint growth path.

Experience the truth by learning and teaching. You can learn from God. You can learn from others. But having to explain the truth yourself (to 'witness') from your own learning and experiences will cement it.

Experience grace by serving and being served.  Peter had that there is a grace in both receiving service from others (John 13:8) and giving that service to others (John 13:15). Experience growth. Foster thriving relationships with others in the church.

Jeremiah 17:9: Can You Trust Your Feelings?

This past Sunday I went to church here in Taipei at the Tagalog Fellowship of the Taipei International Church. There, Pastor Paul Ko asked us "Can you trust your feelings?" He pointed to this verse in the Bible:

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? - Jeremiah 17:9

I am proficient at self-deception. My judgement is not just ill-informed, but deliberately misdirected. The sad part is that I do this to myself, for lots of different reasons. Sometimes I want to believe that the way I am now is adequate. Sometimes I want to believe where I am headed is the way I should go. Sometimes I want to be comfortable and avoid choices that would conflict with that comfort. In all cases, my heart is not a reliable guide for direction. As Pastor Paul says, truth is the only basis for choice, not feelings. Feelings are not right or wrong, he says, but our choices can be.

2 Samuel 11. The story of David and Bathsheba is a famous one. It starts with David convincing himself that he doesn't need to be out with the army (vs. 1), then follows with lust after the wife of one of his best soldiers who is doing his job with the army (vs. 2-3), then taking that wife and using the army to kill her husband (vs. 15). But it is clear by the end of the story, when the prophet Nathan confronts him (12:13), that David had, up to that point, come to some measure of self-deception which allowed him to avoid the extent of his guilt or his role in the matter. How many times must God use drastic means to introduce us to our own failings?

Acts 24:24-25. In this case, Felix listens to Paul's defense against the charges brought by those Jews angry with his ministry. During his defense, Paul describes the gospel, including the judgment to come and it says that Felix was afraid. Rather than responding to the truth, he sends Paul away, promising to listen again to Paul when there is a convenient time. Well, it turns out there is never a convenient time and, after two years, Felix is replaced with another official. Felix's fear (perhaps of judgment) leads him to deliberately avoid hearing the truth.  How many times have we avoided people so that we could avoid the unpleasant truth?

But then, in Acts 2, we see a different response to feelings. Here the crowds have just witnessed a miracle of God (the tongues of fire and the speaking in many languages) and Peter speaks. It says that they were "cut to the heart". What was the crowds response? Did they leave? Did they attack Peter? No, it says they wanted to know what to do? When Peter told them, they did it and the thousands came into the church. Their feelings prompted them to act, but truth gave them their direction.

Feelings prompt you to act. Truth gives you direction. Anger. Bitterness. Disappointment. Attraction. Excitement. Amazement. All feelings. All can be deceptive. Choices must be made on something more reliable. The Bible provides a consistent vision of God's truth to use when making choices. What will you choose.

(from notes on a sermon by Pastor Paul Ko, 16 January 2011)

The Four Churches (Internal vs. External Focus)

In the book "The Externally Focused Church" (Group, 2004), authors Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson show a diagram similar to this one to evaluate whether your church is internally focused or externally focused. They list some interesting qualities about how we normally go about church and the underlying assumptions we are making.

Internally Focus (Lower Left) - These churches are good at preaching and teahing, worship and serving the needs of those inside the church. These churches are "come to" churches.

Serving Churches (Upper Left) - These churches are really good at demonstrating love for their communities. These churches have been at the forefront of bringing change to their communities, but are weak in proclaiming the gospel.

Evangelistic Churches (Lower Right) - In these churches it's all about going after the lost. But they do little or nothing to serve or be a blessing to their community apart from evangelism.

Externally Focused Churches (Upper Right) - These churches are effective in proclaiming good news and showing good news to their communities, both "show" and "tell".

Take a look at your own church. Which category does it fit in now? Which category do you think it belongs in? How can you both "show" and "tell" the gospel where God has placed you?
Externally Focused Churches