Spring arrives; seeds are planted, and the farmer looks for signs of growth. A baby is born to joyful parents, full of hope for steady growth into adulthood. Yet, tragically, growth does not always come. Crops sometimes fail, and a child may stumble in development bringing deep anguish. Equally tragic is when those born into the family of God fail to grow.
Jonah serves as a classic example of one of God’s children who needed to mature. God wanted to use him in the important task of saving souls. He knew Jonah’s childish tendencies, yet there was still vital work to be done. Likewise, God knows who we are, and He continues His work in us.
While the storm raged outside, Jonah was comfortably asleep below deck. In the same way, we live in days of tremendous spiritual storms. Souls are perishing, yet many of the Lord’s people rest comfortably, unaware. No wonder Paul sounded the alarm, urging believers in Rome, Corinth, and Ephesus to wake up (Rom. 13:11; 1 Cor. 15:34; Eph. 5:14).
Is the Holy Spirit speaking to us, or even to our assembly, commanding us to wake up and grow up? The theme of growth is woven deeply throughout the epistles, reminding us that it is not optional but essential for the child of God.
The Need to Grow
Peter speaks of the need to grow: “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2). Just as newborn babies crave milk to grow, so believers must feed on the Word in order to grow spiritually. A newborn instinctively craves milk, searching and reaching out for it without hesitation. Do we, likewise, recognize our absolute need for the Word of God and long for it as earnestly as a newborn longs for milk?
How to Grow
In his second letter, Peter exhorts us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). The path to growth is found in knowing Christ, and we come to know Him through feeding on His Word.
First, we simply read it. As believers, we must remember that the very Author of Scripture dwells within us. The Lord Himself promised: “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-15).
Second, we must feed on the Word regularly. Just as we rarely miss a meal in order to maintain physical health, so we should not miss a day without nourishment from the Word of God.
Third, we should eat purposefully. Some years ago, a young man asked me to help him with Bible study. When I visited his room, I saw that his “study” consisted of books scattered across his bed. He had no desk, no bookshelf, and hardly any resources for deeper study. Now compare that with how we prepare food for physical nourishment. We set aside a special place, equip it with counters and storage, and devise plans to keep it stocked and useful. Do we have such a place and plan for the intentional study of God’s Word?
Fourth, we enjoy the Word together. Just as special meals are often best shared with friends, so spiritual nourishment is greatly strengthened in fellowship with other believers. The church that began at Pentecost was characterized by four vital principles under the direction of the Holy Spirit: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42).
The Reason to Grow
The objective of the Christian life is to grow into maturity, revealing the very life of Christ: “But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ” (Eph. 4:15).
In his letter to the believers in Ephesus, Paul clearly explains what it means to grow up into Christ. In the opening fourteen verses of chapter one, he unfolds the many spiritual riches every believer receives through trusting in Christ’s shed blood at Calvary. He tells us that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. He has predestined those born into His family for adoption as sons. He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him, we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. In Him, we are predestined to receive an inheritance and given the privilege of being to the praise of His glory. Having believed, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Surely, this immeasurable wealth, given freely to every born-again believer, is beyond full comprehension.
But Paul goes on to enumerate even further blessings. He prays “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (vv.17-18). Spiritual growth is achieved through a deeper knowledge of Christ.
And by what power could God accomplish this in poor, lost sinners like us? Paul answers: “What is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (vv.19–20).
But what is the ultimate objective for all the saints on earth? Paul explains that the Lord has given gifts to the church to equip believers in the local assembly for ministry. Teaching, shepherding, and growth are to continue until “we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).
The standard of spiritual growth is the fullness of Christ: “…the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22–23). But what does that fullness look like in the life of the assembly? And what should it look like in our daily walk with the Lord?
All believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and share in the very life of Christ. Paul deeply longed for the spiritual growth of the saints, expressing his burden with these words: “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). The word “formed” comes from the Greek “morphoō,” which refers to the act of giving outward expression to one’s inner nature.
Spiritual growth is not a quick achievement but a lifelong journey of becoming more like our Savior. From the new birth in Christ to the full maturity He desires for us, the Spirit patiently works within, shaping us day by day through the Word of God. As we read, meditate, study, and fellowship together, the life of Christ is formed more fully in us, until His character is reflected through both our individual lives and our assemblies. May we, then, with humility and dependence, hunger for His Word, yield to His Spirit, and fix our eyes on Christ, who alone is our standard and our goal.