TOPIC: GROWING IN THE WORD OF GOD
BIBLE READING: ACTS 8:26-39
INTRODUCTION:
All living things grow. Growth is a crucial characteristic of living things. Man is a tripartite being, consisting of a body, soul and spirit. Just as the body eats food and grows, the spirit must grow in the word of God to be properly built up. Don't be physically built up in size while being a dwarf in the spirit. Your real worth and value is proportional to your word content.
TO GROW IN THE WORD, YOU MUST:
1. Desire, Read and Study the Word.
You can't grow in what you don't know. To grow in the word, you must first have a sincere desire for it, then search, find and read it. Reading must progress into deliberate and intentional study. Study with passion, zeal and unbroken focus. The word of God contains timeless truth that can transform you completely.
1 Peter 2:2; John 5:39; Jeremiah 15:16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Timothy 4:13.
2. Unbreakable Consistency and Commitment to Gathering in Worship.
There are depths of light from the word that you can only receive from higher mantle carriers like your pastor when believers gather in worship. Your Pastor is specially equipped by God to feed you on the word. Jesus both taught and was taught by teachers; the Ethiopian eunuch needed Philip to explain the Scriptures he read; you too need a Pastor. Stop missing services!
Jeremiah 3:15;
Matthew 4:23; Luke 2:46; Acts 8:30,31,35.
3. Meditate, Confess and Act on the Word.
For proper growth in the word of God, you must transit from just reading, to meditating, confessing and acting on the word. These are the faith actions that will bring about tremendous growth and profit. Acting on the word validates your growth in the word. The Ethiopian eunuch acted on the word immediately and was baptised. You're to be a doer of the word not a hearer only.
Joshua 1:8; 1 Timothy 4:15; James 1:22, 25; James 2:26; Acts 8:36, 38.
CONCLUSION:
Growing in the word brings unquantifiable blessings and benefits to you. God and His word are inseparable. The word of God is God Himself. So, the more you grow in the word, the more you grow in the life, power and anointing of God. Make no mistakes about the fact that you are either growing in the word or dying in the world. The choice is yours but will be highly consequential.
MEMORY VERSE:
1 Peter 2:2
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby"
PERSONAL ASSESSMENT:
How consistent and committed are you to God's word? Are you a doer or a hearer only?