The Dynamics Of Spiritual Growth

The Christian life is one of transformation.  It is not a static life of standing still and doing nothing.  It is a life of constant change.  Many Christians fail to respond to spiritual growth for two primary reasons:  (1) They lack the motivation, (2) they don’t know how.  Our motivation for spiritual growth and knowing “how it happens” has everything to do with our “relationship” with God.  If our relationship with the Lord is lacking, then our spiritual growth will also be lacking.  I want to share with you two keys to help initiate spiritual growth in your life and then offer some practical ways we can ensure we are growing spiritually.

Two attitudes have to be present in order for spiritual growth to occur.  The first is you have to have a “desire” to grow.  If you approach growing spiritually as something that you can’t do, or don’t want to do, then you can be certain spiritual growth will not happen.  As you desire to grow, God will use every opportunity available to change you.  Once you have a desire to grow, then you must “allow for the change” to happen, which is the second attitude you must have.  When you are open to God working in your life, that’s when you will see the greatest spiritual growth and change.

Let me share with you four practical dynamics of spiritual growth:

1.      Maintain a proper attitude towards change.  That means you welcome godly changes in your life and you reject those changes that draw you away from God.

2.      Recognize the symptoms that represent a need for change. These would include feelings of “dissatisfaction,” “uselessness,” “a lacking” in your life, or feeling like you are “out of date” with the move of God.  When these feelings are present, it may be God’s way of alerting you to a need for change.

3.      Seek to walk in the Spirit.  This includes seeking to know God more and more.  Striving for a deeper relationship with Him through prayer, Bible study, and spiritual conversation with other mature Christians.

4.      Understand how habits and life patterns work.  Recognize the habits that are beneficial to spiritual growth and those which are detrimental to your growth.  Practice the habits that help spiritual growth and release those that don’t.

Spiritual change will not take place automatically; it must be desired and allowed in your life.  Plan today to start growing spiritually.  Don’t just rely on “accidental” growth; make it intentional.  What will you do this week that will help you to grow spiritually?

The Rapture Of The Church (Part 1)

I am convinced the rapture, or “catching away of the saints”, is the next great thing to take place on God’s calendar of events.  I can remember 10-20 years ago, the rapture was something that people talked much more about than they do today.  It reason for this could be that so many people have become use to the major catastrophes in our world that they don’t give the rapture much thought anymore.  But I am convinced the Bible clearly teaches that the rapture is a distinct coming of Christ where he meets the saints in the air to take them to heaven (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) and that this event could take place any day.

REASONS FOR THE RAPTURE

There are many reasons “why” we expect a rapture and “why” God has chosen it as part of His plan for the end times.  Some of them include:

• So Jesus can receive the saints to Himself – John 14:1-3.
• To resurrect the dead “in Christ” – 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
• To take the saints to heaven where they will be judged and receive their rewards and partake in the marriage supper – 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 19:9.
• To change the bodies of the saints to immortality – 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Philippians 3:20-21.
• To cause the saints to escape the tribulation – Luke 21:34-36; 1 Thessalonians 5:9.
• To permit the revelation of the Antichrist – 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8.

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR A PERSON TO GO IN THE RAPTURE

This is a critical question.  Contrary to what many may think, or want to believe, God has set certain requirements in order for a person to be in the rapture of the saints.  These include:

• To be in Christ, which means to be a new creature – 2 Corinthians 5:17.
• To be saved, having ask Jesus to come into your heart – Romans 10:9-10.
• To repent and change directions and make Jesus your Lord.

In my next post I will outline some of the signs of His coming and what will happen after the rapture.  Until then, continue to “look for his coming!”

Pastor Temple

The Rapture Of The Church (Part 2)

In my last post I covered some of the reasons God has chosen the rapture as part of His plan for the end times and what is required of a person to go in the rapture.  In this post I want to talk about some of the signs of His coming and what will happen after the rapture.

THE SIGNS OF HIS COMING

Over the years there has been much speculation as to whether or not we can know when the Lord will return.  Although no one knows the “day” or the “hour,” there are signs that would indicate His soon return.  Signs such as earthquakes, famine, pestilences, distress of nations, and men’s hearts failing them for fear (Luke 21:11, 25-26).  Other signs include the increase of travel and knowledge (Daniel 12:4), perilous times and people being lovers of themselves (2 Timothy 3:1-5), and scoffers or those who say where is his coming (2 Peter 3:3-4).  Although none of these in and of itself would indicate the Lord's return, we can be assured that the proliferation of all these certainly indicate Jesus will return and it could be at any time.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER THE RAPTURE

After the rapture takes place there will be many disturbing and tumultuous events take place here on earth.  Some them include:

•  A figure, whom the Bible refers to as the "antichrist," will present himself as Christ and the Jews will sign a seven year covenant with him.
• It's during this time that a seven year "tribulation" will occur on the earth.  It will be a severe time of judgments and it will be like nothing anyone could imagine.

You must be ready for the rapture.   The greatest day that this world will ever see will be that day when Gabriel presses heaven's golden trumpet to his lips and he sounds that mighty blast that shatters the cemeteries and the dead in Christ will rise and then we which are alive and remain will join them in the air.

Any day, Jesus is all of a sudden going to split the atmosphere and suddenly the gravitational pull of this  world will let go of us and we will all rise to meet the Lord in the air, where we will have a great reunion with all the saints that have already died and gone on before us.  You don't want to miss that day!  I pray you are ready to meet Jesus when He comes, no matter the day or the hour.  But if you're not, today is the day for you to come to him and ask forgiveness and start a new relationship with the Savior of the world.  He's ready if you are.

Pastor Temple   

Satan's Distractions (Part 2)

What are your distractions?  I’m sure you have them, everyone does.  What is important though is how we handle these distractions and keep our focus on God.  Remember, distractions are designed by Satan to captivate your time, energy, and resources.  When it comes to your spiritual walk, a distraction is anything that draws your attention away from God, His Word, and His plan and purpose for your life.

Just a reminder about the dangers of distractions:

•    A distraction’s “spiritual destruction” is gradual.  It happens over time not over night.
•    Distractions will delay or even abort God’s plan for your life.
•    They can cause you to miss God’s timing concerning people, things, and events.
•    They rob you of your time and energy.
•    Distractions will keep you from being as close to God as He desires you to be.
•    They damage and choke a proper relationship with God.

The church as a whole is not “immune” to Satan’s distractions.  The Church has become distracted by many of the “cares” of the world.  When the Church begins to focus more on the deceitfulness of riches and a love for the things of the world rather than the people of the world, it has become distracted from its mission to save the lost.  It’s time for the Church to awaken!  It’s time for the Church to become what God intended it to be…a light to a world of darkness.

You can avoid distractions by learning to recognize them quickly.  The longer we “tolerate” the distraction, the more entrenched and dangerous it becomes.  Ask God to reveal to you, through the Holy Spirit, exactly what is distracting you from God’s priorities.  Discipline yourself to stay focused on God and evaluate on a daily basis what you are doing to ensure it lines up with God’s plan.

To conquer distractions your must:

•    Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus
•    Know God’s purpose for your life
•    Keep your relationship with God fresh and growing
•    Devote your attention to God and the things of God
•    Set aside the weights and sins that so easily “beset” you.

This week, be aware of the distractions Satan is trying to weigh you down and cloud your mind and thinking with.  Serve the Lord diligently.  “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.  Whom resist stedfast in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:8).

Satan's Distractions

Do you ever stop to realize how easy it is to get distracted?  We see a growing occurrence of this with people texting and driving.  It only takes a split second to get distracted from the road and the result is often tragic.  If we aren't careful, the same thing can happen in our "spiritual" lives.  The world is full of distractions.  So much has changed that we have allowed our priorities to change too.  Satan’s desire, more than ever, is to keep us distracted so that we take our eyes and attention off of the Lord.  We need to be aware of the dangers of distractions and what impact they have on our spiritual life.

Distractions Defined

Distractions means to "draw away in another direction; to divert; to draw the thoughts in conflicting directions, to harass and confuse."  From a Biblical standpoint a distraction would be anything that draws your attention away from God, His Word, and His plan and purpose for your life.  It's important to not that distractions do not have to pertain directly to sin.  In other words, a distraction may not be a sin, but it could lead to that.

The Bible has a lot to say about distractions.  In Jesus' parable of the sower (Mark 4:14-19) he points out that the seed that was sown among thorns becomes choked out by the cares and worries of this life and the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things to distract us from God.  Satan is the main source for all of these distractions, but we must be aware of them so that we can combat his devices.

Distractions We Face

There are many distractions we face in this life.  Some of them include:

• Doubt -- Satan will bring doubt into the minds of people to make them doubt that God's Word is true.  This doubt even extends to doubting ourselves that we will ever reach the potential God has for us.
• Discouragement -- Satan does his best to keep you discouraged.  Everyone goes through hard times, but remember to keep your eyes and focus on God and not your circumstances.
• Defeat -- Never allow defeat to distract you from God.  When you suffer defeat, don't allow it to destroy you.  You have to get back up and continue your journey with God.
• Recreation/Amusement/Entertainment -- This distraction is one that is easy to see; television, shopping, video games, internet, cars, games, hobbies, the list could go on and on.  There is nothing wrong with any of them, but when they become a distraction from God, that's the point it is damaging.
• Procrastination -- Procrastination is a distraction because we often "put off" reading God's Word, going to church, praying, or anything spiritual that draws us near to God.

Distractions are easily recognized by "how much time, energy, and resources they occupy and how much they affect us spiritually.  What happens is that Satan uses these distractions to divert our attention away from God and to change our interests, desires and priorities away from spiritual things.

Just as you would pay close attention as you drive down the road, it also important to pay close attention to your spiritual life.  Don't let Satan distract you from God.  Be aware of his devices.  What are you doing to keep your attention focused on God?