Spiralling Up

Today I'm borrowing a phrase from Robert McQuilken's study, "Live in the Spirit". We are just completing this study in our Home Group. In it, McQuilken lists 10 activities of the Holy Spirit in human lives. Creating, revealing, redeeming, indwelling, transforming, filling, overcoming, gifting, sending and glorifying. All who claim to be in Christ are somewhere on this spiral, and are either spiralling up or down. In order to continue spiralling up, we much make spending time with God daily THE priority of our lives. It has been my observation that many people never get past the "redeeming" work of Holy Spirit. Their latest testimony of the work of God in their lives is their salvation experience. Admittedly the church has to bear a great deal of responsibility for this. The only instruction I was given when I professed faith in Christ was, "Sit right over there and fill out this card." Recently, some 60+ years removed from that initial experience, my wife and I joined a different church. The instructions were basically the same. Granted, this time I had met with the pastor prior to our coming to join the church, and he knew that I had spent 50+ years in ministry. However, I've observed in the past few weeks that others are essentially given the same instruction. When are we going to take the last part of the Great Commission seriously? We do a half-way decent job of the first part, evangelizing, but from there on we just sort of leave it to chance. Hopefully, somewhere along the way people will be taught to "observe" the commands of Jesus. Here are my admonitions;
To the individual believer:

1. Find a Paul. Get with someone who is further down the road spiritually than you are and ask them to meet with you weekly, and help you grow.
2. Find a Barnabus. This is someone who is on the journey and at about the same place you are. The two of you can hold each other accountable, and encourage each other.
3. Find a Timothy. This is a new believer. Take them under your wing and share with them all you have learned in following Jesus. Pray for them. Be available to walk with them through difficulties.

To the church:

1. Don't assume that everyone who comes forward at altar call are "finders". Many of them are still "seekers". They need guidance.
2. Establish an orientation training that will cover your basic doctrines of salvation and spiritual growth. Recognize that people usually do what is INSPECTED, not what is EXPECTED.
3. Equip them with tools that will aid them in their personal walk with God. How to pray, how to have a Quiet Time, How to share their faith, etc.

There should also be on-going teaching and training to help all believers keep "spiralling up" until, as Paul puts it in Ephesians 4:13-16 "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we are no longer children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
Amen and amen!!!