A Complete Guide to Spiritual Growth

Is there a complete guide to spiritual growth? If there is, are we following it? No doubt, many passages in the Bible give us guidance for our spiritual growth but there is a unique passage that shows how spiritual growth ideally occurs within the church. In fact, it demonstrates that growth is not just personal but occurs in the context of the entire body of Christ. There is a powerful dynamic to this growth that defies shallow thinking.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you read this and we will go through it step by step. But first, the scripture.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 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 may no longer be 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.

Ephesians 4:11–16 (ESV)

This lengthy quote is just two very long and complex sentences. There is a logical progression of thought that requires time and patience to understand. Meditating on these verses opens up the incredible way in which God has designed his church to exist – a way that we all experience spiritual growth as individuals and collectively! Here is an easy way to understand it.

The source

The origin of all health and growth is Jesus. In this passage we see the word ‘he’ right at the start. That is referring to Jesus. If you back up to the previous verses, that becomes very clear. So we understand that this is how Jesus ordained his church to grow and be healthy.

The means

God constantly uses people to further his kingdom. So Jesus Christ gave gifts to various people to carry out the work of building and growing a healthy church.

First, there are apostles

Apostles mean ‘sent out ones.’ The original apostles were chosen by Jesus from a larger group of disciples. They were the twelve. Since then only a few apostles have been biblically recognized, Paul being the foremost of them. Do we have apostles today? That is a controversial issue but we certainly have the work of the original apostles available to us in the form of New Testament writings.

Second, there are prophets

A prophet speaks forth the word of God. He expounds God’s known will to the people. When we examine the writings of the Old Testament prophets, they frequently warned the people of the consequences of their sinful ways. Those consequences had already been given by God to Moses and were recorded in the Torah. So today, prophets speak forth the word of God. Sometimes, their words are specific to the moment and circumstance at hand. Great care must be taken to acknowledging prophetic words or gifts. This can also be somewhat controversial because many have claimed to be prophets but have clearly strayed outside the known will of God with their proclamations. Just as with apostles, we have the writings of many prophets contained in scripture.

Third, Jesus has given us evangelists

This word comes from the Greek word meaning ‘good news.’ An evangelist proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ. He clearly communicates the way to salvation and relationship with God through Jesus. We need evangelists in every church. The Holy Spirit has been given and one gift of the Spirit is evangelism. For a healthy, growing church new Christians must enter the fellowship. This gives everyone in that group of Christians the opportunity to serve and further build their spiritual ‘muscles.’

Fourth, there are shepherds or pastors

Their gift is to tend to the needs of the people. They lead them to spiritual nourishment. They nurture their growth and also steer them away from danger. This is the one office in the church we are most familiar with. A pastor may also be a preacher and display gifts of prophecy or teaching but that is not necessarily always the case. Some have a pastoral gift without these other gifts.

Finally, there are teachers

Teachers explain the word of God. They are able to point out the truth from the Bible and apply it to daily life. Teachers help us apply spiritual disciplines to our lives in order to maximize spiritual growth.

The purpose

The whole reason that we have people with these gifts and responsibilities is to ‘equip the saints for ministry.’ For the church to function in a healthy and biblical way, everyone participates. But in order to participate you must be equipped, to be ready and able. Notice that all five of the gifted we just discussed are principally ‘proclaimers’ rather than doers.

In order to fully experience spiritual growth, we must serve. That is the economy of the Kingdom of God. When we are equipped to serve and then actively serve in his church, we witness a transformational result.

The result

The first result is that the body of Christ is built up. We become stronger, bigger, more confident and healthier – not necessarily in that order. However you can imagine the body of Christ, the church, being built up, that is one thing that happens. Each individual member of the body is also built up. So, spiritual growth is simultaneously individual and corporate.

The second result is a growing unity of faith. As we are led into a closer relationship with God, as we work together in ministry, unity flourishes.

Third, we grow in our knowledge of the Son of God. The more we grow in our knowledge of Jesus, the more we become like him.

Fourth, because we are growing in our knowledge of Jesus, we are maturing spiritually as well. Maturity allows us to make better decisions, respond to difficulties with wisdom, exercise mercy and grace liberally and be an example to younger believers.

Fifth, clearly with the above, we grow toward the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. All of these things work together to make us just like Jesus. That much is very clear.

Fuller consequences

Finally, this passage points out seven consequences in this sequence.

Stability in the body

It is God’s will that the church be stable. As Jesus is the head, he is not the author of confusion, conflict and extreme reactions. Stability in the body is a positive testimony to the world and makes the church an inviting place.

Established in sound doctrine

Agreement on doctrine is vitally important. While there may be disagreements on small disputable matters, we should surely all agree on the major doctrines of the church.

Truth and love are spoken

Opinions, half-truths and outright lies have no place in the church. Neither do hurtful words, hateful attitudes, judgmentalism or anything else that is contrary to love. A place of truth and love is also inviting.

Acknowledgement of Christ as the head

The church belongs to Jesus Christ. It is not the domain of a pastor or lay leader. The church is never ‘my church’ but always his church. The only sense in which the church is ‘my church’ is as a point of identification not as a statement of ownership.

Healthy body with strong connections

Fellowship is a key factor to a healthy spiritual life and sustainable spiritual growth. We must be able to connect with people in the church.

Fit body that is able to work

The church works. We have a mission of spreading the gospel. The church also has the task of demonstrating compassion, mercy, grace and love. We serve each other and we serve the world around us. The church is participatory. Being in the church is not a spectator sport.

Growing and built up in love

With the love of God growing in us and through us we are built up. By following the process that is outlined in this passage, we will be experiencing this ever-increasing spiritual growth and power in love!

What about you?

The question then remains: what will you do about this? It’s a question only you can answer. Where do you fit in this process? Certainly, seeking God’s direction and recommitting yourself to a biblical pattern for spiritual health and growth is a good start. Prayerfully ask God what comes next for you and then be obedient to his call.