A Picture of Growing in Christ, Part 1 - Commitment to the Ordinary Means of Grace
February 3, 2022 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
Commitment to the Ordinary Means of Grace
What does it look like to be a healthy, growing follower of Jesus Christ? Is it activity? Habits? Character? How one lives? Where one lives?
What comes to your mind when you think of Christian health and maturity?
Whatever comes to mind, at the heart of Christian health must be Christ. There is no health, nor maturity, apart from Christ. Jesus says, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). The apostle Peter’s final, summarizing exhortation is “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). To abide in Christ is to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Christ is the center and source of all that sustains and enables spiritual life and growth.
How do we abide in Christ?
God has provided the means for his followers to abide in Christ in and through the church. In fact, no one can abide in Christ apart from the church. The church is the “body of Christ” (Eph. 1:23) and God’s means to make known his manifold wisdom (Eph. 3:10). And it is through his church that God extends his grace to his people. This is the ministry of the Word, prayer, and Sacraments. God wants his people to abide in Christ by receiving his grace through the ministry of the church (cf. Heb. 10:24-25; Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 2:1; Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 4:2-3).
A healthy, growing follower of Jesus Christ is, first and foremost, committed to the ordinary means of grace. These are the means by which God pours his grace into the lives of his followers. These are the means by which his followers abide in Christ. These are the means by which we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. Everything else a healthy follower of Christ may be or do flows out from being a recipient of God’s grace through these means.
Over the next few weeks we will revisit this question. Having a clear picture of what a healthy, growing Christian looks like is important for us as a church. We want to encourage one another in our walks with Christ. Our first priority is to be committed to God’s means to give his grace to us.
