Growing in Christ (1)

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6.63

A Divine and Supernatural Light
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
“The mind cannot see the excellency of any doctrine, unless that doctrine be first in the mind; but seeing the excellency of the doctrine may be immediately from the Spirit of God; though the conveying of the doctrine or proposition itself may be by the word. So that the notions which are the subject-matter of this light, are conveyed to the mind by the word of God; but that due sense of the heart, wherein this light formally consists, is immediately by the Spirit of God. As for instance, the notion that there is a Christ, and that Christ is holy and gracious, is conveyed to the mind by the word of God; but the sense of the excellency of Christ by reason of that holiness and grace, is nevertheless immediately the work of the Spirit.”

The Spirit teaches the deep things of God and gives life to those who truly hear God’s Word (1 Cor. 2.12, 13). Is it possible that the Holy Spirit has a preferred way of teaching these deep truths? And if so, does that not suggest that we who are called to teach in His place and power should do everything in our power to discover His wonted ways of instruction, and to bend our way of teaching to conform to His? We have become trapped in an ecclesiastical culture which takes as the default mode of helping people to grow in Christ, to assemble them in rooms, either in a circle or with rows of chairs, and subject them to a program of information and fellowship, perhaps supplemented by a book or study guide. But, as we shall see, the Holy Spirit prefers other, more personal, pastoral, and missional approaches to growing disciples into the image of Christ. It’s not likely our existing church culture can accommodate these. Are we open to learning about learning all over again?

How confident are you that your approach to preaching, teaching, and making disciples is “in step” with how the Spirit prefers to teach?

If Men Will Pray
Paul said that he wanted men everywhere to pray. But that won’t just happen. Someone will have to take the lead in showing men how to pray, enlisting them for the work, and helping them grow in consistency and power in their prayers. You have to start somewhere. Our booklet, If Men Will Pray, is a tool for learning to pray following Paul’s guidelines in 1 Timothy 2.1-8, and for enlisting another man for a 30-day prayer journey together. Watch this brief video, then order several copies of this booklet, and start enlisting your men for fuller, more consistent, and more satisfying lives of prayer (click here).

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 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.