While it is necessary to teach the gospel to the lost and dying world, it is equally important to edify and help Christians grow in their faith. Following are some ways God's people achieve good spiritual growth in their lives.
Desire spiritual food. "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby." {1 Peter 2:1,2} God's child must have an appetite for his Father's word. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus blessed those who "hunger for righteousness" {Matthew 5:6}. To develop such an appetite, we must understand the value of God's word. We must also understand the necessity of studying that word for our own spiritual growth. God does not "force feed" His children.
Grow in grace and knowledge. "You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever." {2 Peter 3:17,18} We fall from steadfastness in Christ when we fail to grow in grace and knowledge. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age." {Titus 2:11,12} God's word tells us how to live righteous lives in this evil world.
Leave infancy. "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age; that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." {Hebrews 5:12-14} Too often, God's children remain infants. Why? We fail to grow in our knowledge of God's word-the only spiritual food that can make our souls healthy. Notice: these are "unskilled" and inexperienced at "discerning between good and evil." This failure is traceable to the fact that we have not spent enough time properly studying God's word.
Forsake carnality. "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?" {1 Corinthians 3:1-3} Paul wrote in his first letter to the church at Corinth that the problems they were having-and there were many-could be traced to their carnal thinking. They were not thinking as God's people, but were continuing to think and behave as the world thinks and behaves.
Paul instructed the church in Rome to not be "conformed to this world but to be transformed" {Romans 12:1,2}. To achieve this, we must spend time studying God's word, understand what we study, and then properly apply what we learn in our lives. How is your spiritual health?