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Growing Spiritually

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(fruit of the Spirit) If we do them, we will never fall. (vs 10) ... keep it and bear fruit with patience. Memory verse: Luke 8:15 Growing Spiritually Lesson 13 ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Growing Spiritually


1
Growing Spiritually
  • Lesson 13 Are You Growing?

2
Last Week Developing Self-control
  • Many of our problems are caused by a lack of
    self-control.
  • The result may be that you feel overwhelmed
    defenseless vulnerable scared or uncertain.
  • Self-control is essential to leading effective
    and productive lives.
  • In order to develop self control, try the
    following
  • Identify your problem and admit to it.
  • Put your past behind you.
  • Challenge your feelings.
  • Believe you can change.
  • Avoid temptation.
  • Trust in Gods power.

3
This Week Are You Growing?
  • This weeks lesson is a conclusion to our study
    on Growing Spiritually.
  • It contains something old and something new.
  • Most important for each of us, is the answer to
    the question
  • Are you growing spiritually?

4
Are you Productive?
  • These days we are very conditioned to be
    productive.
  • We work hard to become more productive.
  • Too often though, we are working to be productive
    at the wrong things.
  • Suppose you received your own personal
    productivity report every day, week, month,
    quarter, yearHow would you measure up?
  • What is Gods definition of a productive life?

5
A Fruitful Christian
  • The word fruit occurs 56-67 times in the New
    Testament (depending on which version used).
  • The use of the word fruit varies from meaning
    food to spiritual fruit.
  • We embarked on a study about Growing Spiritually,
    and learned that in part, growing means bearing
    fruit (fruit of the Spirit).
  • God wants to see this kind of fruit in our lives.
  • This is His definition of a productive life.

6
God uses 3 tools to cause us to grow
  • His Word (2 Tim 316-17)
  • Through scripture, God teaches us how to live
  • If you are going to grow spiritually, you have
    got to get into the Bible (Rom 1017)
  • His Spirit
  • When we become a Christian, God gives us His
    Spirit as a free gift (Acts 238-39)
  • His Spirit lives in us and will become as much a
    part of your life as you allow
  • The circumstances of our life
  • Circumstances happen our lives are filled with
    events
  • Some are good, some are not so good, and some are
    very hard
  • God allows these circumstances to occur in our
    lives

7
John 15
  • vs 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear
    much fruit, showing yourselves to be my
    disciples. NIV
  • The proof that you are His disciple is that you
    bear fruit.
  • vs 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and
    appointed you to go and bear fruit fruit that
    will last. NIV
  • God wants us to bear fruit, much fruit.

8
Cultivate Roots
  • Jer 177-8 7 But blessed is the man who trusts
    in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He
    will be like a tree planted by the water that
    sends out its roots by the stream. It does not
    fear when heat comes its leaves are always
    green. It has no worries in a year of drought and
    never fails to bear fruit. NIV
  • If we want to be fruitful, we need to cultivate
    roots.
  • One reason we need roots to make it through
    tough times (a drought).
  • How do you handle the dry spells in life?
  • Col 26-7 6 So then, just as you received
    Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7
    rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the
    faith as you were taught, and overflowing with
    thankfulness. NIV

9
The righteous cannot be uprooted
  • Prov 123 A man cannot be established through
    wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.
    NIV
  • Righteous people can stand the heat of a drought
    because they have roots.
  • In a drought, resources become limited and
    sometimes in life you have to do without things
    on which you normally depend.
  • How do you cultivate roots?

10
How do you cultivate roots?
  • Ps 12-3 2 But his delight is in the law of the
    LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
    3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf
    does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. NIV
  • Roots are developed by reading and meditating on
    Gods Word.
  • It is if we are a tree planted by a stream of
    water that never runs dry.
  • As a consequence, you are able to bear fruit and
    never wither.

11
Luke 811-15
  • 11 "Now the parable is this The seed is the word
    of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who
    hear then the devil comes and takes away the
    word out of their hearts, lest they should
    believe and be saved. 13 But the ones on the
    rock are those who, when they hear, receive the
    word with joy and these have no root, who
    believe for a while and in time of temptation
    fall away. 14 Now the ones that fell among
    thorns are those who, when they have heard, go
    out and are choked with cares, riches, and
    pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to
    maturity. 15 But the ones that fell on the good
    ground are those who, having heard the word with
    a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit
    with patience. NKJV

12
Eliminate the weeds
  • If you want to bear fruit, cultivate roots and
    eliminate the weeds.
  • What are the weeds in your life?
  • Jesus mentions 3 in Luke 814
  • Cares (worries) are a preoccupation with
    everyday concerns.
  • Riches (materialism) refers to the fixation on
    making money to buy more things.
  • Pleasures (entertainment) are the things apart
    from God that we pursue to bring joy in our
    lives.
  • These things distract you from Christ.
  • They take our time, energy, money and ultimately
    they can interfere with us producing fruit.

Busyness?
13
Cooperate with God
  • John 151 "I am the true vine, and my Father is
    the gardener. 2 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. NIV
  • We will get whacked on whether we produce fruit
    or not.
  • Do not be confused by this and cooperate with
    God.
  • He cuts off the branches that bear no fruit.
  • He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so
    that they will bear more fruit.
  • We are to cooperate with God as He tends his
    garden.

14
2 Peter 110-13
  • 10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager
    to make your calling and election sure. For if
    you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and
    you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal
    kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12
    So I will always remind you of these things, even
    though you know them and are firmly established
    in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right
    to refresh your memory as long as I live in the
    tent of this body, NIV

15
Do these things
  • What are the things Peter is referring to?
  • These are the qualities listed in vs 5-7. (fruit
    of the Spirit)
  • If we do them, we will never fall. (vs 10)
  • If we do them, we will receive a rich welcome
    into Heaven. (vs 11)
  • We are to be reminded of them continuously, even
    if we already do them. (vs 12)
  • It is right to remind each other of them (vs
    13)

16
Summary
  • I am the vine you are the branches. If a man
    remains in me and I in him, he will bear much
    fruit apart from me you can do nothing.
  • If you are growing, then you should be producing
    spiritual fruit.
  • In order to sustain our growth
  • Cultivate roots
  • Eliminate the weeds
  • Cooperate with God
  • Remember that we are to remind one another about
    these things (Spiritual fruit).
  • If we have these qualities
  • We will never fall.
  • We will receive a rich welcome in Heaven.

16
17
Memory verse Luke 815
  • But the ones that fell on the good ground are
    those who, having heard the word with a noble and
    good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
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