SGP Blog #3
CRUCIAL COMPONENTS OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Having a plan is critical. The input of God’s Word and prayer are absolutely essential, foundational aspects of your spiritual growth every day, but there are a few other things that you simply must have in place to achieve what I called “maximum sanctification” in yesterday’s blog. What I mean by this is - simply spending time in God’s Word and in prayer will certainly bring spiritual growth.
As Christians, our main goal is sanctification. And as we pursue spiritual growth, we simply cannot be satisfied with the “bare minimum.” We need to follow Peter’s instructions in 2 Peter 1, where he commands us to “make every effort” toward our sanctification. You need to make maximum, not minimum effort toward your spiritual growth.
While you do, indeed, have sometimes psychotic busy-ness going on in your life, never forget that the spiritual component of your life must be priority. I want to give you the three crucial components of spiritual growth, not only for 2025, but for your entire life. These are not only theologically based, but I’ve seen them in practice my entire life. I’ll give you the list of three, then discuss them briefly.
1. The Word and Prayer
2. The Church
3. Knowledge, Wisdom, & Understanding
1. The Word and Prayer
The “Resources” page, as well as the first two blogs cover all of this. Check out the SGP & Worksheets PDFs on the website for this.
2. The Church
You’ve heard me say many times, “you need the body, and the body need you.” While this principle is found throughout Scripture, I’ll point to three specific passages, then explain this briefly. Ephesians 4:15-16, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Romans 12:4-14, and the “one another” passages.
Practically, you need to have an obvious primary commitment to being fully engaged and involved in the Body of Christ through a specific local church. In Worship, Community, and Discipleship. At Coram Deo, we do that on the Lord’s Day as we gather to worship together, in our Family Groups as we pursue joy in community, and in our Discipleship program as we strive to grow together in both group settings, and in one-on-one discipleship.
Simply put: it is to your spiritual benefit to be fully involved in the ministries of your church. Church (all of it’s primary ministries) should be the first thing on your calendar, and the reason you miss other things, not the opposite that is so common today. To be less than fully involved will be to your spiritual detriment. And never forget that this is a two-way street. Not only do you benefit from full engagement, but all the members benefit from simply your presence.
Here’s what that looks like in our three primary ministries:
• Lord’s Day Worship - decide now that, barring physical illness, or being out of town, you’ll always be physically present at church on Sunday mornings. Everything else is blocked out. The livestream is for when you’re sick or out of town.
• Family Group - be committed to Family Group as well. Every time. Remember, if you miss a family group, it’ll be two weeks before you meet again, as they meet every other week. This ministry is vital for growing in community. While it’s not the sole aspect of getting to know people in our church, it’s the main way we grow more deeply intertwined in one another’s lives. Also, be diligent to work through your Study Guide so that you can contribute to the discussion. Even if only an occasional comment, you DO have something to add to the discussion, so be disciplined to do your Study Guide both for your sake and for that of others.
• Discipleship - The studies we do in our discipleship program aren’t randomly thrown together, but prayerfully planned with the goal of your sanctification in mind. Whether it’s men & women separately or together, you will benefit from pursuing different topics together with your brothers and sisters in Christ. We’re intentional to delve into topics that will be both broadly and narrowly beneficial to your spiritual life. This Winter/Spring’s topic of “how to interpret & understand the Bible” is more foundational to your sanctification than you may realize. In addition to all church discipleship, you will benefit greatly from one-on-one mentoring and discipleship as well. Reach out to the elders if you’re interested in getting connected to a mentor.
At Coram Deo, we maintain an intentionally simple rhythm. So many churches today ask too much of their members. We’re all busy, so rather than an endless array of studies, programs, and meetings, we believe we can accomplish what’s necessary with only two “things” each week. The first is the Lord’s Day Worship Service. This is crucial to your life as a believer, and the most important Bible input you have any given week.
Along with that, we have an “every other week” rhythm of Discipleship one week and Family Group the next, etc. Since we only get together twice each week, it’s all the more critical to fully participate in both meetings each week. Again, for both your own life, and for the sake of others. You never know when a simple comment in a hallway conversation could seriously make a difference in someone else’s week (I’ve had it happen to me many times).
Of course, there are other things we do, peppered throughout the year, that are important to be involved in. From men’s or women’s events, evangelism projects, community events (like our after church lunches), etc. Those are also important, and the more of us that are involved, the more effective the event will be, we’ll better minister to one another, and the more we’ll get to know each other.
3. Knowledge, Wisdom, & Understanding
This is interwoven into discipleship, but I wanted to address it separately. We should be intentional to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. We do this primarily through God’s Word, but also through time spent with others, books, blogs, podcasts, sermons, etc.
Of course, this requires great discernment, as not every blog is going to be spiritually healthy for you. The main question, after “is it doctrinally sound?” is this: “does this resource/person/etc. drive you to greater holiness and Christlikeness along with the knowledge it provides?” If you can’t answer yes without reservation, it might not be a resource you should have on your list. Of course, as always, you should seek the input of your elders as you evaluate resources.
If you’re looking for a starting point, check out the Recommended Reading list on our website, or ask the pastor for a recommendation in a particular area or topic of study you might be interested in.
Pursuing the Spiritual Disciplines
On the back of the 2025 SGP PDF, there are four disciplines listed. Start there, but keep the rest of the disciplines on your radar as well. Several of them are covered as you work through your plan, but there are others to pay attention to along the way as well. Go back and read the Disciplines Blog here and be sure to integrate them into your life along the way.
One Last Thing: Keep your eye open for something new we’re developing - a weekly Devotion page on our website focused on helping you prepare for our time together on the Lord’s Day. If we all come spiritually prepared, everyone will benefit even more from our time together.
Check back tomorrow for the January 1 Reading Plan passages. I’ll post a quick blog with the passages for the first few days of the year from the “Daily Reading Bible” - the plan I’m using this year.
Praying that this is your most focused, growing year yet!
Grace & Peace
Pastor Rob