Growing in Christ

People who come to Christ rarely do so because their lives are going well.   Acknowledging sin and throwing ourselves at the feet of God is usually the last choice of a rebellious heart.  We come to Christ when we come to the end of ourselves.  Until then, we live our life as if it is a ship at sea and we are the Captain of the ship.  We manage the ship, fuel the ship, navigate the ship, and decide when and where the ship must sail.  Other people make up the crew and we expect the crew to love and admire the Captain!  When our ship is weakened and battered by the angry seas of self-will and hopelessly pinned on the jagged reef of sin we become willing to seek refuge in the safe harbor of God.  When we finally seek and find refuge in Christ there is relief and peace.  However, as time passes, we discover that God’s will can be elusive and we struggle to understand it.

At some point in life, many Christians experience some form of Christianity that seems empty and leaves them frustrated.   Sincerity of belief is not the problem.  Their frustration results from not being able to grasp and understand God’s real purpose for their life.   Knowledge of what is pleasing to God can only come by coupling the study of God’s Word with strong discipleship.  In recent years, as churches have become driven by seeker-evangelism strategies, large mega-churches have been established.   Too frequently, their new believers find little meat to motivate and sustain a lifetime of growth in Christ.

The Church at large has been side-tracked and its focus is askew.  We are not doing enough to help our Christian brothers and sisters grow spiritually!   Jesus demands that we take up our cross and follow Him, so that we may learn to love as He loves.  How do we do that?  What does it mean to take up the cross of Christ?  Those questions represent the challenges Jesus offers up to all who claim to know him.