Divine Spiritual Growth
(week 09/04)
Olubi Johnson
1 John 2:12-13 NKJV: I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one.
1 Peter 2:2 NKJV: as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
These scriptures reveal to us that there are 4 levels: baby, little child, young man and Father and 3 stages of spiritual growth:
1.New born babes to little children
2. Little children to Young men
3. Young men to Fathers
God’s greatest desire for the church right now is for us to grow up into Christ’s fulness in all things that we be no more children.
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head–Christ.
Unfortunately the great majority of the church is presently at the little child level of spiritual growth.
The type of spiritual nutrition we have received and are still receiving from most of our leaders produces stunted growth that does not allow us to develop beyond the little children stage.
Satan through deception of covetous and dishonest spiritual leaders has kept the church in captivity to spiritual immaturity.
Ephesians 4:14-15 NKJV: that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
This has produced an army of ‘tares’ or ‘strange children’ in the church.
Children with stunted growth, who by reason of time ought to be teachers feeding on solid food (Heb. 5.12) but are still feeding on milk are ‘strange’ children.
Matthew 13:37-43 NKJV: He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Psalms 144:11-12 KJV: Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:
These strange children have hindered the growth of the church and must be removed so that ‘our sons may be as plants grown up’ and ‘the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father’
These strange children and the leaders that produce them will be purged by the fire of judgement: their works of wood, hay and stubble will be burnt by the fire of judgement (1 Cor. 3.12-15,Is 33.11-13, 14-15). They will suffer loss of eternal reward and be saved as by fire as they repent of their wicked ways of spiritual slothfulness (Heb. 6.12).
However, God is about to drastically change this situation by bringing a fire of divine judgement (Is. 4.4, Mal. 3.2-3, Is 26.9) to the church that will purify and refine the church causing a rapid spiritual growth in the church spearheaded by a first-fruits breaker company (Mic. 2.13) that will manifest the fulness of Christ towards the end of the year 2004 into 2005.
So now, particularly in this year of 2004, is the time to make the decision to grow spiritually by feeding on the right spiritual nutrition walking daily in the fear and the love of God.
