What You Need to Know About Spiritual Growth in 12 Lessons by Max Anders

Author:Max Anders
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2012-08-01T05:00:00+00:00

A Christian grows in knowledge and understanding when he becomes involved in ministry.

Ministering to others causes us to stretch and grow just to keep up with our new jobs. For example, you might hold your nose and plunge into the world of teaching four- and five-year-olds at church, not really knowing a whole lot but figuring you could keep ahead of someone who can’t even read.

However, once you get involved, you discover there are questions that four- and five-year-olds ask that you don’t know the answers to. (A five-year-old once asked me, “If the devil causes so many problems, why doesn’t God just kill the devil?” It sent me scrambling!) Most of the really hard, unanswerable questions are asked by children by the time they are six years old. You will be stretched beyond your knowledge and understanding as you try to prepare yourself to answer their questions.

As a pastor, I can give abundant testimony to the fact that ministry to others creates ministry in me. For example, I have found it very difficult to sustain the level of discipline in studying the Bible that I ought to have unless I am studying to preach, teach, or write. I find it easier to tolerate spiritual laziness or carelessness when I am not preaching, teaching, or writing. When I have to minister to others, the Holy Spirit seems to have greater sway over me. I think, How can I say this or write that if I am not living it? I find that I must repent more readily and more completely in order to maintain my spiritual focus, intensity, and integrity when I am ministering. In this way, too, my ministry to others encourages spiritual growth in me.

When it comes to ministering to others, all Christians have three jobs: we are responsible to evangelize, to use our spiritual gifts to build up other Christians (edification), and to help the disadvantaged who cannot help themselves (humanitarianism).

Evangelism

In a Peanuts comic strip, Charlie Brown trots down the street from house to house telling everyone about the Great Pumpkin, which is supposed to appear on Halloween night to give gifts to those who see it. Charlie’s friend Linus is standing on the other side of the street watching him. Lucy comes up and asks Linus what he is doing. He replies that he is watching Charlie Brown tell others about the Great Pumpkin. Lucy asks why Linus isn’t over there with Charlie Brown helping him spread the word. Linus says, “I’m a semi-evangelist.”

Many of us Christians are “semi-evangelists,” watching other Christians tell the unsaved about Jesus while we stand on the other side of the street watching. However, if we are to be biblical Christians, and if we are to have the benefit of growing spiritually as a result of ministering to others, we must get on the same side of the street as Charlie Brown and begin evangelizing ourselves.

In Matthew 28:19, 20 we read, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing

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