GID2 Chapter 2 - The Christian’s Spiritual Growth
Chapter Two
As a new believer, you have the image of Christ in you. You now have begun a wonderful journey of faith and spiritual growth towards maturity. God has given various resources to enable young believers to actively participate in their own growth from immaturity to Christlikeness. The Apostle Peter wrote that ‘His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness’ (2 Peter 1:3).
Some of these spiritual resources are spiritual habits which help believers to grow in their walk with Jesus. A spiritual habit or practice, sometimes called ‘discipline’ is a practice found in Scripture that promotes spiritual growth. These practices are means of growth towards godliness. They are means and not the ends. Just because a person practices them does not mean that the practitioner is godly or knows God. Further, these practices are also of little value if the disciple is not passionate to know Jesus, has a desire to develop intimacy with Jesus or to become like Him.
Some of the disciplines relate to our inward spiritual growth (like God’s Word, prayer, fasting) while others relate to our outward ministry like serving or evangelism. How these spiritual practices contribute to a Christian’s spiritual growth is best illustrated by looking at The Wheel Illustration. Created by Navigators founder Dawson Trotman in the 1930s, it is a simple and effective way to visually explain how the spiritual practices contribute to a Christ-centred Spirit-filled life. The diagram challenges us to think deeply about how to be an obedient follower of Christ and each part represents a crucial component of a vibrant Christian life.
The Wheel consists of three parts: the hub, the rim and the four spokes.
The Wheel Illustration
The Hub
The hub represents Christ in the life of the Christian. It is purposefully drawn over-sized to emphasize the importance of Christ in the Christian’s life. We are to live the new life with Christ in the very centre. He must be the most important person in the disciple’s life. The power to live the Christian life comes from Jesus Christ. He lives in you in the Person of the Holy Spirit, whose expressed purpose is to glorify Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 2:20 bring out the place of Christ in the Christian’s life.
According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, what has happened to a person who believes in Christ?
In Galatians 2:20, what has happened to the old life of the Christian?
What prevents you from making Christ Lord?
The Rim
The rim represents the disciple responding to Christ’s lordship through whole-hearted, day-by-day obedience. Much of this obedience is internal, such as in attitudes, habits, motives and values. Obedience is also seen in the way we relate to other people, face issues in life and keeping God’s commands as we live the Jesus life. Two verses that relate to this aspect of obedience is Romans 12:1 and John 14:21.
In Romans 12:1, the greatest response of someone who seeks to worship God and submit to Him is to
How does one show his love for Jesus? John 14:21
The Vertical Spokes
The spokes of a wheel transfer power from the Hub to the rim. The vertical spokes represent the spiritual disciplines that enable the disciple to walk in communion with God. The two vertical spokes are The Word of God and Prayer. Likewise, the two horizontal spokes concern our relationship with people, with believers and those who are not.
The Word of God
The Bible is God’s Word. It reveals who God is and what He is like. As we know the Lord Jesus Christ from His Word, we can love, worship, serve and live for Him. When God speaks to us through His Word, we obey Him. The Word of God is spiritual food as well as the disciple’s weapon for spiritual battle. Joshua 1:8 and 2 Timothy 3:16 show how the Word of God is needed for our lives.
According to Joshua 1:8, what do we do with the Word of God? In your opinion, what actions are involved in the description ‘always on your lips’?
NOTE — Meditation ‘Meditating’ means more than thinking. The word ‘meditation’ involves the process of turning over the Word in the mind and to think again and again over a verse. A related concept is to ruminate, that is, "to chew cud", something that ruminant animals like cows do. Meditation is to fill your mind with God’s Word.
God gave inspiration to the Bible for various purposes in 2 Timothy 3:16. Put in your own words the various ways we can use and apply God’s Word.
Teaching
Rebuking
Correcting
Training in Righteousness
Prayer
Together with the Word, Prayer completes the vertical relationship with God. He speaks from His Word (as well as directly to us in person) and we respond in prayer. Prayer is the natural response to God as we hear Him speak through His Word. It is sharing our heart with the One who longs for our companionship and who cares about our concerns.
In John 15:7, what is necessary for prayer to be answered?
Life can get very complicated and stressful. How can prayer help? Philippians 4:6-7
As we pray, what blessings and benefits are promised?
The Horizontal Spokes
The horizontal spokes concern our relationship with people. With other believers, we relate in fellowship. With those yet to believe, we seek to be a witness as we serve, love, and relate to them.
Fellowship
Matthew 18:20 describes the heart of fellowship. Write down as many characteristics as possible that you can observe from this short verse.
According to Hebrews 10:24-25, what kind of responses should we have towards others we are in fellowship with?
What might make you ‘give up’ being part of a fellowship group?
Witnessing
There are many ways to relate to those who do not know Christ. We can love them, serve them, and so on. One important way is witnessing. Witnessing can be verbally sharing the gospel with others. It should come from living a Spirit-filled life that shows forth Jesus, produces good deeds and impacts those around you through caring relationships.
The disciples Jesus called were seasoned fishermen. Yet they had to be retrained to be made into effective fishers of men. What were they required to first do in Matthew 4:19?
Romans 1:16 points to Paul the Apostle overcoming the problem of shame which could hinder his witnessing for Christ. Why would people be ashamed of speaking of the gospel to others?
How would you share Christ with others such that you need not be ashamed?
Practical pointers from the Wheel Illustration
When the rim hits a pothole or a rock, the shock is transmitted through the spokes to the hub. Thus, it is important for the spokes to be strong to be able to carry the shocks of life to our Lord Jesus Christ, our life centre. When the rim hits a pothole or a rock, the shock is transmitted through the spokes to the hub. If the spokes are not sturdy enough, it will threaten its connection to the hub and compromise the integrity of the wheel. So, it is important for the spokes to be strong enough to withstand shocks on the road. Likewise, it is important for a Christian’s Word/Prayer life to be strong enough to ensure a stable connection to the Lord Jesus Christ, the hub of our lives, despite the knocks and shocks of life. A weak spoke of Word/Prayer hinders our reliance on Christ.
When the wheel rotates, the individual spokes are not distinguishable. What is distinguishable are the hub and the rim. People will see Christ in you and your obedience to Christ but not necessarily the various spiritual practices like Prayer or the Word.
All spokes must be balanced otherwise the wheel is unstable. Likewise, we are to practice the habits of Prayer, the intake of the Word, Witnessing and being in community, otherwise our Christian life gets wobbly.
Finally, the hub is the most important part. Without the hub, there is no wheel. People may do all the other parts but it will be a religious but Christless life.
Evaluate your ‘Wheel Life’. Describe the shape of your Wheel Life as it exists now, showing the relative conditions or sizes, to help you realise the areas of growth you need to focus on.
The Daily Devotional (or Quiet Time)
Once the Wheel is operating in your life, you are on your way towards maturity. It may take time for the Wheel in your life to grow stronger and bigger, reflecting much growth. One practical way to practice the Wheel in your daily life is through our daily devotions, sometimes called the Quiet Time (QT). The QT is a focused time of personal intimacy with God and in it, we weave several spiritual disciplines of the Wheel Life in one spiritual habit.
Seeking God in intimacy is a Biblical practice. Jesus Himself, as a man, demonstrated this practice of spending time with God. After His long day in Mark 1:16-34, before the start of His new busy day, it was recorded that ‘Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
One great example of a God-seeker is Moses the man of God. In Exodus 33:11, what might friendship with God mean?
King David also wrote about seeking God’s face in Psalm 27:8 (‘My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek’). When we talk about seeking God’s face during Quiet Time, it means we are seeking to know Him more intimately. We seek to understand His character, see His holiness and love more clearly, and hear His voice. Then we worship Him and want to obey Him.
Sometimes, our passion for seeking God is weakened by busyness or sin. We get discouraged by the dryness in our soul. What can Psalm 63:1 teach us about recognising spiritual dryness as a motivating factor instead of a disincentive?
In Philippians 3:8,10, what was Paul’s ‘secret’ to help him consistently choose to seek Christ?
In John 17:3, what did Jesus reveal as the purpose of God giving us eternal life?
The Practice of the Quiet Time
The QT involves the spiritual disciplines of the Word and Prayer. Here is a simple way to start the journey of your devotional life. When it comes to prayer, we will use the acronym ACTS, (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication).
Step 1 | Prepare Your Heart
Open with a prayer for guidance as you listen to God. Use any sample prayer like the following, using thoughts from Psalm 143:8 and Psalm 119:18 or other similar verses:
You might pray, ‘Lord, cleanse my heart so You can speak to me through the Scriptures. Make my mind alert to see wonderful things from your Word, my heart responsive to receive your love and my soul active to sense your presence during this time. Amen’
Step 2 | Listen to God
‘Then Samuel said ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ (1 Sam 3:10) Read from a passage of the Bible. It is ideal if the passages are from your daily reading plan (for example, to cover the Bible in a year).
Read through again for clarity, asking God to speak to you as you read. Sometimes certain words, phrases, or ideas ‘jump’ at you. If you are clear that God has spoken to you, underline the verse or record it somewhere. Keep reflecting as to what else God may be saying to you.
Step 3 | Talk to God about What You Heard or Learned
After God has spoken through His Word, then speak to Him in Prayer. One helpful method is to incorporate four areas of prayer that you can remember with the acronym ACTS.
Adoration — This is the purest form of prayer as it is praise to God. Tell God what you have discovered of Him in the passage today. Tell Him you love and worship Him.
Confession — ‘Confession’ comes from a root word meaning ‘to agree together with.’ When we apply this to prayer, it means we agree with God’s view of what we’ve done. Ask Him to cleanse you of your sin and help you turn from it moving forward.
Thanksgiving — Think of several specific things to thank Him for: your family, your work, your church — even thank Him for being with you in hardship.
Supplication — This means to “ask for, earnestly and humbly.” Ask on behalf of others in need, then ask for yourself, your family, your work, etc. Include people around the world, missionaries, friends, and those who have yet to hear about Jesus.
Start with 15-20 minutes. Give about 5 minutes for each of the 3 steps. Over time, you may not notice the time allotted has increased because you learn to enjoy God’s presence and treasure the intimacy with Jesus. As you mature you will find that you desire more time with God.
NOTE — Reality Check Not every QT ends with you feeling in total peace or that God spoke very clearly. That is common. The focus is not on yourself. You worshipped God and that is most important.
My Appointment with God
Set your appointment with God:
My best period each day is at (time)
I plan to allow approximately (minutes each day)
My best place to meet God is
I will start with the Bible passage
Some Principles to Remember
To build up your devotional life keep the following principles in mind:
Consistency — Aim at consistency. The same time every day helps build a devotional habit.
Regularity — Aim at regularity. By keeping your daily appointment, you know God better.
Grow — You can grow in devotion. Ask God to give you a great desire for Him.
Focus on Christ — Focus on the Person of Christ rather than the method of Quiet Time.
God’s Presence — Practice the Presence of God throughout the day. The QT is not just an activity to be done before breakfast.
Record — It is helpful to record in a journal, notebook, or diary what God has spoken to you.