Growing as a Christian

I want to be a growing Christian.

I have been troubled of late at the lack of a holistic approach toward discipleship. We have minimized it to a rather troubling singular focus... intellect.

I am going to make the assumption that growing as a Christian is growing in our love for God. Of course after we are sanctified wholly we love Him with all of our heart, but I am not talking about a greater "quantity" of love; rather a growing into a more full or "quality" of love. If you disagree at that point then you'll have to ignore everything else I write.

Jesus said in Mark 12:30 "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

I think the following are four areas that we are to grow as a Christian.

1) Heart: Emotionally
2) Soul: Spiritually
3) Mind: Intellectually
4) Strength: Physically

1) Heart is the seat of our emotion. When is the last time you had an emotional response to God? I'm not proposing 'emotionalism' but a return to a place where emotion plays a role in our worship and relationship with God. We have downplayed it because of those who worship with heart outside of the other three, but I think this is vitally important to us today. If you don't get a little emotional about the fact that Christ died for your sins, then maybe something is wrong!

2) Soul is often used to refer to the substance of who we are. How do we grow spiritually? Romans 12:1 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Emphasis added.) Maybe growth in this area has to do with a deeper understanding of surrender as a living sacrifice. Problem with living sacrifices is that they tend to want off the 'uncomfortable' altar!

3) Mind is the one we always emphasis. Is it the ghost of gnosticism? How much do you have to know to be a Christian? Certainly I don't believe ignorance is bliss. I heard the story of a preacher ranting on education who said: "I'm praying that the Lord will make me stupider and stupider every day." I kind of believe that God already answered his prayer.

4) Strength has to do with the physical aspect of our relationship. That faith without works is dead. That we are called not only to have the right answer (Christ), but to live out the right answer (Christian). We have gotten away from the call of Christ to bear fruit spiritual fruit! Strength is not action for the sake of salvation, but action because of salvation!

I'm not trying to divide these things into different categories, but simply make the observation that we often do that very thing by not growing in all four areas! Which one do you think we neglect the most today?

In the Great Commission we are called to make disciples not confession, profession, or big attendance gains (although those will occur as the Great Commission is fulfilled). Jesus commissioned the church to make disciples!

Discipleship is not optional!