How can I grow my faith? Three keys for Spiritual Maturity

How can I become a strong Christian - How can I grow my faith? Here’s three keys for spiritual maturity.

1. GROW UP

Some people stay in spiritual babyhood. God says, be no more children - stop being childish. God wants you to grow.

It’s sad to see a baby stop growing. That can happen spiritually.

How can we grow spiritually?

We need spiritual food. The word of God feeds us and sustains us. …as newborn babies desire the sincere milk of the word.

Get this milk – unadulterated and pure. It’s food to our soul. …blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly …but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

There’s a flourishing there, with leaves green and fruit flourishing. Like a healthy tree, God wants you to grow.

2. WISE UP

Be wise …be no more tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness …There's contrary winds that threaten to blow us of course.

Paul calls the Corinthians “babes in Christ”, still on baby food. They’re “carnal” - full of their own fleshly and selfish ways. They’re like big spiritual babies – still in nappies - still in their spiritual babyhood.

Our growth as a believer can be stunted. It's the Word that we need – and it’s practical. We apply it when the rubber hits the road. We're meant to be “doers of the Word”, not just hearing it, but applying it. Let’s put the Word of God into action in our daily lives, in our practical living, in our relationships.

Children can get caught easily up in crazy fads. They’ve just got to have this or that toy. Christians can get caught up in teachings that change like the wind. They run after whatever the latest band wagon is. Many are gullible and get tricked by deceivers and fakes.

The Word warns us against “false apostles, deceitful workers”; they try and sell some sensual, sensational experience. Many churches get conned with the latest shallow, spiritual craze, even witchcraft and mind control. Rather, be a lover of the truth old-fashioned truth. Ask, is it biblical? Is it sound doctrine? Is it the truth - that will save Hellbound sinners and spur the sleeping Christians to action?

Beware of a compromised, counterfeit, watered down gospel. There is a distinction between truth and error. There shall be false teachers among you who shall bring in damnable heresies… they shall make merchandise of you.

Paul says, Brethren, be not children in understanding …but in understanding be men.

Beware of the slick tricksters, the convincing smooth talkers. Paul; warns of savage wolves. There’s wolves in sheep's clothing. Look out for them! There's many flaky preachers.

3. JOIN UP
In Ephesians 4 Paul's talking how Christ is “the head, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love”.

The church is “the body of Christ”. We do the growing when we're together. When we get together we can encourage one another there's a mutual growing.

To be an effective, growing Christian we need to join up – in union with him; in our relationship with him. And, attached to the body – to one another. Spiritual maturity grows as we join up together.

With Christ as the head – He gives us direction and has authority. We draw our strength from Him. And He fits us all together and makes all the different parts work right.

Join up - as joined up Christians we've got a wonderful connection with the head, our Lord Jesus, and with each other. That's how we're going to grow. We're interdependent. He knits us together. We're connected.

As every separate part works properly - works like it should - it's a picture of a healthy body. We grow and function together. We can be more effective in our faith together.

Paul talks with the Colossians about how the Body of Christ functions, “with joints and bands, having nourishment ministered, and knit together” and there’s an “increase of God. Here’s when the body is going to grow.

We've got to be joined together.

Be where the Word is, so you can grow. We don't fly solo as believers - we're here for one another.
Be a constructive part of the body. There's a mutual benefit.

Move out of spiritual babyhood.

Be like that tree, that's planted by the rivers of water. There's going to be fruit and freshness there.
See the value of being joined - together - with your brothers and sisters. Let’s aim to help one another to grow.

Be a healthy, growing believer as part of a healthy, growing church, to the glory of God!