Growing in Christ (1)

Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed thisto you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 16.17

A Divine and Supernatural Light
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
“Mortal men are capable of imparting the knowledge of human arts and sciences, and skill in temporal affairs. God is the author of such knowledge by those means: flesh and blood is employed as the mediate or second cause of it: he conveys it by the power and influence of natural means. But this spiritual knowledge spoken of in the text, is what God is the author of, and none else: he reveals it, and flesh and blood reveals it not. He imparts this knowledge immediately, not making use of any intermediate natural causes, as he does in other knowledge.”

What is involved in growing in our Lord Jesus Christ? In this series, we’ll be asking four great Christian leaders to guide us in answering that question. That every believer is commanded to grow in Him is beyond dispute. All the apostles urged the pursuit of maturity in Christ as of the most important of matters. Only as we grow in Christ, and are transformed increasingly into His image, will we live as His witnesses and bring glory to God in all we are and do. But how do we achieve such consistent growth in the Lord? The great Puritan pastor and theologian, Jonathan Edwards, strongly believed that Christians must be encouraged and instructed in the discipline of being immediately taught of the Lord. Only from Him can we receive that spiritual knowledge which weans us from the world and binds us to Him in love. But what is our partin this most important work?

Do you experience this direct instruction of the Lord in your walk with Him? How does this come to you? How do you know it is of the Lord?

The journey of spiritual maturity
Growing in the Lord is both a personal and corporate adventure. Each us can become more like Jesus, and so can our churches. As we do, we will impact people, culture, and our times for the glory of God and progress of Christ’s Kingdom. Our free, online course, Introduction to Spiritual Theology, provides an outline and overview of the journey toward spiritual maturity. For more information and to register, click here.

The calling to make disciples
As pastors and church leaders, making disciples is our primary calling. But we need to make sure we’re growing as disciples, and that our tools for disciple-making are in top condition. Our book, Fan into Flame, provides an overview of the work of disciple-making, together with helpful assessments to discover areas where you most need to grow. Order your copy by clicking here.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.All quotations from Jonathan Edwards, “A Divine and Supernatural Light,” in Edward Hickman, ed., The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. Two (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1995), pp. 12 ff.