Category: Growth

The Greenhouse

“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’” Mark 1:17 (NIV) Where there is health, there is growth. Jesus invites us into a relationship that is progressive. We move from just believing that Jesus is God’s Son and the Savior of the world to following Him as Lord. We follow Jesus in order to do what He did. Our belief determines where we will spend eternity. Our behavior determines the level of spiritual maturity we attain before going to heaven. Think about the spiritual environments you are in on a daily and weekly basis. The greenhouse for spiritual maturity is found in private devotion and small group connection. You grow spiritually as you engage in daily communion with the Lord through a daily quiet time. Reading God’s Word, meditating on God’s Word, praying, listening to God’s voice, journaling, and obeying God’s directives form a greenhouse for maturation. Are you making room for unhurried time alone with God? Are you guarding your daily intimacy with God? A healthy relationship with God and with other believers will produce growth. Are you in a small group with other believers? Are you doing life with a small group of followers of Christ? That small group is made up of vital members of your spiritual family who impact your spiritual development. The environment of small group interaction allows you the opportunity to love and be loved, to know and to be known, to care and to be cared for. Jesus modeled the value of having a small group as He did life with His disciples. What condition is your greenhouse in? Are you connecting with God daily through private devotion? Are you connecting with a small group of believers weekly in order to inspire and to experience life transformation? Nurture your relationship with Jesus and your relationships with other believers for the glory of God. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Adversity Growth

Growing Through Adversity

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV) Adversity is as normal in this life as the rising and setting of the sun. Living in a fallen world accentuates the instability of morality. Selfishness and sinfulness permeate the global landscape. Since the Fall of man, we have combated our three enemies: Satan, our flesh, and the world. Eliminate Satan and you still have to contend with the cravings of the sin nature and the gravitational pull of the world. Yet, all three enemies are alive and well. Jesus prayed that God would protect us from the evil one (John 15:17). The enemy is at work seeking to destroy the work of God in us and the work of God through us. In the midst of the battle, God converts what the enemy meant for evil into good (Gen. 50:20). Remember, if God allows adversity into your life, He will use it for your good and His glory. Will you grow through adversity as you go through adversity? Will you allow God to build your character and develop your faith through the assembly line of adversity? Your faith is of greater worth than gold to God. God’s goal is that your faith be proved genuine so that it may bring glory to God when Jesus Christ is revealed. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Bearing Fruit Growth Worthy

The Comfortable Life (5)

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” Col 1:10-12 (NIV) As you invest your time, energy, and resources, consider what matters most. Does it matter how much you acquire during your brief stay on the earth? Does it matter how many trips you make to distant lands? Does it matter how many accolades you receive from others? If not, then what really matters? The answer is: living a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him. That’s what matters most! Now you can give your life to that. You can wisely invest your time, resources, and energy to that ultimate pursuit. What does that look like? That kind of life involves bearing fruit, growing spiritually, operating in His power, enduring patiently, and giving thanks joyfully. Take personal inventory. What are you giving your life to? Are you living a life worthy of the Lord? Is your life laser focused on pleasing God? If not, why not? Begin making adjustments in your time allocation, your energy allocation, and your allocation of resources to bring your life into alignment with God’s priorities. It’s not about comfort; it’s all about life change! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Growth

Where there is health there is growth. A healthy body will grow. A healthy believer will grow spiritually. A healthy church will grow both numerically and spiritually. You determine the level of participation in the process of maturation. God honors your devotion to daily spiritual disciplines. You also have the wonderful opportunity to assist in the maturation process in others. “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” 1 Cor 3:6 (NIV) God is the source of growth. You have the privilege of participating and cooperating in the growth process. You join God in your personal spiritual development. You also join God in investing in the spiritual development of other Christ followers. “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” 2 Tim 2:2 (NIV) Maturation results in multiplication. As you grow, you assist others in their growth. Moses mentored Joshua. Elijah mentored Elisha. Naomi mentored Ruth. Daniel mentored Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Paul mentored Timothy. “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Eph 4:15-16 (NIV) Does your life evidence spiritual health? Are you growing? How have you invested in another believer’s maturation? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care