The Journey into Spiritual Growth: The Good and the Bad

Main Point:  The journey into Spiritual growth is an intentional journey that God desires of us.  Spiritual growth will reveal to us that God is in all things:  The good and the bad.  

Foundation Scripture:
2 Peter 1:5-8.  “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; And to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Pastor’s Thoughts:

• What is the opposite of growth?  Decline, stagnation, dying.
• As Christians, it is imperative that we intentional ‘do things’ to intentionally grow in Christ.
• When we grow spiritually certain things become clearer and clearer:
  • When we get saved, we begin to see things differently.  Before God was just a thought but after we get saved, God becomes a part of how we live.  
  • Once saved and we grow spiritually then; we begin to see God in all things (the good and the bad)

Scriptures:

• Romans 8:28.  All things work together for good that are in Christ Jesus.
  • What is good? Mark 10:18.  Nothing is good except God alone.  
    • In other words anything without God leads to ‘no good’
• 1 Kings 19:11-13.  God is not in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire
  • God does not do evil, but God turns evil into good.  This is why God’s word can say ‘all things work together for good”

Pastor’s thoughts:

• As we grow spiritually we can see God in all things
• When we encounter hard times in life growing Christians begin to expect God to bring good out of a hard time
• Let your faith arise that God is with you and that joy will come in the morning.