“Four Areas for Spiritual Growth”
September 24, 2017
Luke 13:6-9
“Then he (Jesus) told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
“‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Do you know what the oldest living thing on earth is? It is a Great Basin bristlecone pine. It was measured by ring count to be 5067 years old. This is the oldest known tree in North America, and the oldest known living individual nonclonal tree in the world, meaning that the trunk itself is the same age as the root system. I have had the privilege of seeing this tree, and I have seen many others like it that were near its age. They are located in the White Mountains overlooking Owen Valley near the town of Big Pine, California in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine forest at Schulman Grove.
Bristlecones are hardly worth a glance and you probably wouldn’t give them a thought if you came across one. They aren’t large and green and beautiful in the sense we normally think of trees. They are stunted and warped and gnarled and look half dead – and they are! They have their own unique kind of beauty – like a gnarled up old man or women. Their claim to fame is not size or how much fruit they produce or their magnificent beauty; it is longevity. They reach the age they do by clinging to life in drought or flood, fire or famine, in the harshest of conditions. They adapt by dying a little. As the tree ages, much of its bark may die. Very old specimens often leave only a narrow strip of living tissue to connect the roots to the handful of live branches. It prunes itself, so to speak, and rids itself of all unnecessary branches that would sap its strength and make it unfruitful.
It kind of reminds me of Jesus’ parable when He says “He cuts off every branch that is unfruitful.” The bristlecone pine continues to be fruitful and is able to reproduce itself even though it is gnarled and old. Being fruitful and growth is expected in a bristlecone pine - and in the Christian, as well. We are to keep growing; keep striving; keep living spiritually in spite of our external circumstances. The winds of life may be harsh; the soil may be lacking; our experiences may be devastating – but we are to endure anyway. Jesus said, “They that endure to the end will be saved.” We need to, not just hang on, but grow and thrive.
Last week I mentioned four things that help us grow spiritually. These four things help us to continue to keep spiritually alive. This morning I want to revisit those four important things and expound on them a little more. God said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
Whenever you learn or grow – attitude is key. I know that personally. When I was in high school I was a very poor student. My attitude and purpose was to go to school so I wouldn’t have to go work in the woods – like my Dad and big brother. I did just enough to get by. And I did graduate from Grand Rapids High, certainly not one of their best students.
After graduation I ended up joining the Army for three years, getting saved, getting called to preach and enrolling in Nazarene Bible College. I did pretty well there. In three years I got two 'C's’ (in music classes) and the rest were “A’s” and “B’s”. Did I suddenly get smarter? Maybe a little. That happens when you begin to follow Jesus – but mostly it was attitude. I was called to do something I wasn’t qualified to do. I knew I didn’t know anything and I wanted to learn – I knew I HAD to learn. And with that attitude I did.
You are not going to grow unless you set your mind to it. You are not going to mature unless you die out to certain things and keep certain things alive. The Word says,
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:22-24; 29-32
Do you understand, like the bristlecone pine, we need to let some things in our life die out- no- we need to KILL some habits and attitudes and actions - and some things we need to grow? To do nothing is to get weaker and eventually die. Our attitude needs to be to seek growth with all our hearts.
The first way we can do that is to be a regular Church attender. The Word says,
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10:24-25
Let me ask you a question. Is attending Church a chore? Is attending Church a convenience if nothing else is going on? Through the years, in the four churches I have pastored, in every church there were people you knew were going to be there. Some never missed a Sunday in decades. Why? Because it was a priority. It was a commitment. Pastors love those kind of faithful people. You can count on them. Most people miss if they don’t feel well or if they have work to do or if company comes or if they have a bad hair day – but some make Sunday Worship a priority. What a blessing they are!
Maybe some didn’t have that commitment because the Church didn’t have the right attitude or atmosphere. It is important to have a climate of joy and encouragement in a church. We are to encourage and spur one another on toward love and good deeds – and it is not hard to be a regular attender at such a place. But Jesus went to Church or Temple or Synagogue that had demon possessed people in it. It had greedy and worldly people in it. It didn’t keep Him away. Why? Because He came to worship. We need to come to offer up our sacrifice of praise and worship, too. It is about Him – not us. We are blessed to have a church of wonderful loving people, excellent music, and inspiring messages (well, when Michael is preaching anyway) but even if things weren’t so great – the command is remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. The command is not to neglect meeting together. We need each other. We need the encouragement and support.
Secondly, Jesus gave us the example of personal, daily devotions. The Scripture says, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16) It even tells us when.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Mark 1:35
Just before Jesus was to go to the cross he prepared Himself spiritually. He had supper with His disciples, instituted the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper and then He got up and went to the beautiful Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He withdrew with a select few for a prayer meeting and they kept falling asleep. Let’s read about it again.
“36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” Matthew 26:36-46
We have such a hard time praying, don’t we? I used to do my daily devotions before I went to bed. The good thing about it was the last thing on my mind was God and praying and the Scriptures I just read. The bad thing is that I often fell asleep in the middle of my prayers.
How often, when we need to pray the most (when we are stressed out or worried or angry) do we forget to pray? We need to get in a habit of prayer. How often? Listen.
“16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2
The instruction is to pray continually. But we are to do it with the right attitude. Always rejoicing and with an attitude of gratitude.
Devote yourself to prayer. We all do so poorly at it. But try. Make a commitment to pray and read your Bible every morning. You will find you will begin to grow spiritually and life will be so much easier. The trials may come – but you will have the strength and wisdom to deal with them.
Thirdly, we need to belong to a small group of seekers. Did you notice that Jesus went to the Garden with His twelve Disciples and then asked his core three to join Him? He then went a little further to be alone. Let’s look at it again.
“36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed…”
Matthew 26:36-39
We find, in the Acts of the Apostles, the Disciples often meeting for prayer. The Book begins with Jesus ascending to heaven. Watch what happened then.
“Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” Acts 1:12-14
Small groups were a normal part of New Testament Christianity. It was assumed. There were no Lone Ranger Christians. We were created to be part of a whole. God exampled it in the Trinity. It is in a group that we mature and get focus and direction. It is where we receive encouragement and strength. Life is hard when you neglect your small group. Find a Peter, James and John like Jesus did, to meet regularly to share and study.
The fourth area God gave us for spiritual growth is Mentorship. You and I need to have a mentor or be a mentor – or both. Paul had Timothy; Peter had Silas; Elijah had Elisha. You and I need to find a soul friend that we can learn from and we need a soul friend we can help grow in the Lord. Check this out.
“Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.” Mark 6:7
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.” Luke 10:1
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:19
Do you see that the normal way of doing God’s will was with another? Notice also that there was more power together than alone. The proverb says,
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
You may be saying to yourself, “No one ever mentored me.” We need to change that. Find an older mature Christian that you respect spiritually and ask them if you could get together with them to talk and share. If you are an older Christian who is qualified to teach others, find a plan you can use to share. I would suggest our Articles of Faith to start. It would be good to read them together and talk about them. If you need ideas – talk to me. I would be glad to help.
“Why do the trades have apprenticeships and medical professions require internships? Why do police officers have to spend time with an FTO (Field Training Officer) before they are allowed to be on their own? Because personal attention from experienced people helps learners master essential skills, attitudes, and knowledge. This is no surprise to Christians familiar with the mentoring relationships of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Naomi and Ruth, Paul and Timothy, and Jesus and the disciples.
What is a mentor, really? A mentor is "a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction," according to The Uncommon Individual Foundation, an organization devoted to mentoring research and training. It reports that mentoring is the third most powerful relationship for influencing human behavior, after marriage and the extended family.” - Erik Johnson, in “How to be an effective Mentor
This week would you see Spiritual Growth in your life? Do one thing better. Do one thing differently. Seek for that one person of the same sex who will meet with you and help you grow. Remember – if you aren’t growing – you’re dying!
Pray that God would guide you to a soul friend. Be prepared to initiate action. You may be the one with revelation in this area. But make it happen.
“Seek Ye First”
