Growing in the Lord...

We introduced the "fathers" today in our study. These are mature believers who have intimate knowledge of God and because they know God, they know the dangers of the world. These are "spiritual saints" in our life and are ones that the "young men" and "children" can go to in time of need. As mature believers, they still have room to learn and ought to not be boastful about their knowledge but be humble to continue to strive and learn. These mature believers also should invest their lives into those who are younger than them. As you seek to apply these truths to your life, ask yourself: Am I investing my life in a younger believer? Am I seeking out a more mature believer who could help me grow more like Christ?

Spiritual Growth in New Believers

As new believers are discipled, we need to understand that there may be struggles in their new walk with Christ. What are some of these struggles? Some that we talked about are doubting of salvation, putting off old habits and putting on the new, understanding Scripture and the will of God, taking criticism from others, dealing with suffering and learning discernment. If you are a new believer, we want to encourage you to seek out another older believer to help you find from Scripture the answer to these struggles. If you are an older believer, please take advantage of opportunities to train new believers. Don't just assume that they will grow with out help. It is vital that new believers have someone to point them to Scripture as they grow! What do you think? Or what are some other areas where a new believer may struggle?

Spiritual Growth

As we look to the next section of 1 John 2:12-14 we can see a picture of spiritual growth: "little children," "young men," and "fathers." This section of Scripture helps us to see that regardless of where we are at in our spiritual growth that we can take encouragement and challenges from Scripture. We have a goal to shoot for in our spiritual growth - maturity in Christ. In our churches, we have members of our body that are in different stages of their spiritual life. The older can always be teaching the younger and every Christian, regardless of their stage can learn more about Christ to be conformed to Him. Begin thinking through the term "little children" as we discuss the message to them over the next few days.

Loving Others

1 John 2:7-11 is a section of Scripture that helps us to understand the importance of loving others. We are asking YOU - What do you find to be a barrier to loving others and what Scripture can you use to combat those barriers? Sometimes loving others doesn't come easy and so it is important to understand what might be hindering you from loving others. We would love to hear from you. We pray that through these broadcasts we are helping you to apply the Word of God to your life.