The power & grace to grow spiritually Bible Reading: Ephesians 1
One of the reasons why many Christians are not growing spiritually is because they think some of the things they need for their growth have not been given to them by God. So they go to God always in prayers to make demands for such things. Such demands have become a common thing in nearly every Christian gathering. It is even considered a sign of humility and dependence on God to make such requests. For example, it is very common for people to pray that “Lord give us the grace to grow spiritually”.
This prayer above seems very pious because it appears you are telling God you cannot do it on your own. It also suggests that if you are not growing spiritually, it may be because you are yet to receive the grace for it. But that is the devils deceit and he is using it to counterbalance the ignoramus among us.
Please put aside every tradition you are familiar with and let us reason together…
Ephesians 1:3 (GW) says “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has BLESSED us with EVERY spiritual blessing thatheaven HAS TO OFFER”.
Oh my God! This is powerful! Firstly, the verse says “God has blessed us”. This statement is in past tense. The verse did not say “God will bless us”. Secondly, we are told that God has blessed us with every blessing that is spiritual. Is grace a physical or spiritual blessing? Is anointing a physical or spiritual blessing? Is divine power a physical or spiritual blessing? If they are all spiritual blessings, then we should throw away tradition and accept the declaration of God that we have been blessed with such things. Lastly, the verse says “we have every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer”. Do we expect God’s grace to come from heaven or earth? If it is from the earth, then we can go ahead in an endless search for it. But if it is supposed to come from the father in heaven, then the bible is clear about it – we have been blessed with it.
No wonder Romans 5:2 (MSG) says “through whom (Christ) we have had access by faith into this grace in which we stand”. In other words, right now every believer is standing inside God’s grace. You have received it in abundance. That is why Peter admonished us to “grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ” II Peter 3:18”. He did not say “ask God for the grace to grow”, or “Pastors grow in grace and the congregation should pray for the grace to grow”. Rather, grow in the grace wherein you stand. Hallelujah! I know that there are some verses of scriptures that seem to suggest that we may plead for spiritual blessings, but if you understand such verses in context and in the light of the revelation of Jesus, you will still end up with the revelation that “everything we need for spiritual growth has been given to us” (II Peter 1:3).
So what do we do after realizing we have grace in abundance? The bible is also clear about that. Philippians 2:12 says “work out your salvation”. What you need for spiritual growth is in you, you are to work it out. You are supposed to give an expression on the outside about what you have on your inside. God has done his part. Let us take responsibility for our spiritual growth and stop shifting blame on God or other people. Work out the anointing. Work out the grace. Work out the power. It is the “working out” that makes it appears as though some Christians possess grace more than others. But the possession of a gift is different from the utilization of that gift. Are you utilizing your God-given grace to grow spiritually?
We will discuss how to work out these gifts in our subsequent messages.
– tope aladenusi
