Colossians
1:9-10 (NASB)
For this reason
also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to
ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual
wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to
please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in
the knowledge of God.
Over my many years as a Christian teacher, I have applied
these two Colossians verses in two ways---
A guide for teaching others the truths from the Bible.
If you are a teacher of others, carefully pay attention
to these verses. The primary goals of
any Bible teacher is to follow the principles of these verses
1.
Praying for those whom you are teaching
2.
Praying and teaching for people hearing you to
be filled with the knowledge of God’s will presented in His Word.
3.
Teaching to help others gain in spiritual wisdom
and understanding
4.
Enabling people to apply the truth of God’s Word
in the way they act and speak, to please God in all respects, and to bear fruit
in others’ lives
5.
To keep helping and encouraging others to
increase in their knowledge of God.
A reminder of the need for all Christian people to
seek in their Christian walk to grow spiritually.
Spiritual growth results from good Bible teaching and a
sincere desire to learn and apply the truths learned from the Bible. The following are at least ten evidences of
spiritual growth (several sources, one of which is the teaching of Charles
Stanley)
1.
There is a growing hunger in your heart for
God. You are not satisfied with just
knowing about God, but you want to know Him intimately. You greatly desire to learn who He is, what
are His ways, what does He think about you, and how you can please and honor
Him.
2.
You have an increasing desire to know the truth
of God’s Word. Not just to know about
the truth, but to know the truth experientially in your life with the goal of
being conformed to the image of Christ.
3.
You are developing a greater sensitivity to sin
in your life. You not only see sin as it
is in you, but you begin to see sin on its way.
You are developing a sensitive spiritual radar for sin in your life and
try to avoid it.
4.
There is a decreasing desire or need for what
the world has to offer such as gaining riches, seeking pleasure, selfish
pursuits, satisfying your ego. You are
becoming more and more satisfied with the benefits of living the Christian
life.
5.
Your sphere of love in continually
increasing. You are more able to love
people whom you were never able to love before.
You accept people the way they are.
You may not love what they do, but you love them anyway.
6.
The increasing love in your heart makes it
easier for you to forgive those who offend you.
7.
You have an increasing desire to obey God. This desire comes not from fear, but out of
respect as you are learning more about Him.
8.
You see your faith increasing. God increases your faith by sending tests and
challenges. The more mature you become,
the more God is able to trust you.
9.
As you are growing you have an increasing
concern for the spiritual condition of other people. This shows a Christlike attitude because
Jesus was always concerned for people who had needs that only He could satisfy.
10. You
experience a growing love for God, a love that is very deep, very intimate, and
has the capacity and desire to express that love in what you say and do.
If you have a hunger in your heart to seek God and be a
true disciple of Jesus Christ, then carefully read the ten evidences of
spiritual growth and not only examine yourself for where you stand with each of
these, but also motivate yourself to keep pursuing the attainment of spiritual
maturity.
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