Man’s repentance, as it is presented in the Bible, always speaks of a change of purpose, a turning from sit to God. God is never far away from us, all we need to do is turn ourselves around and there He is!. 1 Thessalonians 1:9 says, “For they themselves declare concerning us that manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and rue God.” Here we see 4 elements of repentance:

1. They turned to God – If we feel that God has moved out of our life, it is not because He has moved, it is always because we have move, turn back to Him and He is there for us (Revelation 3:20)

2. We turn from idols – These do not have to be wooden or stone images, but rather they can be idols of the heart and mind. The reality is that an idol is anything that we put before God in our lives.

3. We turned to God with the intention of serving God – It is not enough to turn toward God, Jesus said that if we wanted to be His disciple we must … READ MORE

Every biblical command toward sanctification assumes the necessary obedience of the ones commanded. Therefore, it is clear that believers have a duty to faithfully and obediently use the means of grace to grow to maturity. Yet in discussing spiriutal growth, it is important to address several misconceptions that must be carefully avoided:

1. Spiritual growth does not determine the believer’s standing in grace before God. That issue is completely settled when sinners trust in the atoning work of Christ (Romans 3:21-26)

2. Spiritual growth does not affect God’s love for believers. He does not love the mature saints more than the less mature, and He does not love us more when we are faithful to Him. (Romans 5:8)

3. Spiritual growth is not measured by the calendar. Spiritual growth is determined through our study of the Word of God, and obedience to sound teaching. (Hebrews 5:11-14)

4. Spiritual growth is unrelated to the amount of theological information people know. We are reminded that the Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day, and knew the Bible well, but they still had no relationship with God.

5. Spiritual growth has nothing to do with outwardly successful ministry activity. Some of the … READ MORE

One essence of life is growth. This is true in both the physical realm and the spiritual realm. Just as living seeds grow into mature plants and infants grow into mature adults, so new Christians grow into Christlikeness. When growth is hindered in the physical realm, either by malnutrition, disease, or birth defects, the results can be tragic. But it is an even greater tragedy when believers fail to grow and mature spiritually. After all, immature Christians cannot fully appreciate all the blessings and privileges that God has reserved for them, nor serve Him with the usefulness He desires. Like physical growth, spiritual growth ultimately depends on God’s power, but it also requires the element of human responsibility. Scripture calls to the believer to be obedient, James says, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18). Our works are not a product of our faith, but a proof that we have faith. As we grow and mature, we assume responsibilities, and those responsibilities are an outgrowth of our maturity. Paul challenges the church at Corinth, by saying, “I could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as … READ MORE