Staying connected to the Vine
In the previous two parts of our series, we saw how not everything that uses Christian language is the true gospel (good news) of Christ. We also saw what it means to remain in Christ and trust Him, even when everything around us says otherwise.
Today, we will combine what we’ve learned with more truths of Jesus, to see how hearing the proper message, in the correct way, leads to miracles.
Let’s get started.
A popular phrase, is that “if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything.” It’s a bit simplistic. My mother managed to simplify it even further to “Don’t be a downer!”. And there is no place that this advice is needed more, than in the realm of the spirit. I remember one time when I was in a small group and we were having a time of prayer, specifically for healing; we were praying for a specific person who was sick and not able to attend that meeting, and it seemed as though a were achieving breakthroughs, but then as our prayer time came to an end, one lady spoke up and said “you know, my friend had those same exact symptoms and she died.”
As soon as those words were uttered, the atmosphere completely changed. The hearts of everyone became somber, and their spirits were all moved from “Yes God is a great Healer!” to “Well, maybe He doesn’t heal.” – all of the belief was sucked out of the room.
My friend, this is not always just blind ignorance. There is a deliberate strategy of the enemy at work here to sabotage the faith and belief of God’s children. Jesus spoke about this exact thing, He taught on it, and the disciples and apostles also warned against it. And today I want to share with you, what Jesus said about the wheat and the tares, and how to not let them spoil you from receiving everything that God has given to you.
Gather ten people into a room and have them listen to the same thing, and they will likely come away with ten separate conclusions and perspectives on it. And this can be seen most apparently if what they are listening to is scripture. Countless differing messages have been preached on the same verses of scripture for years upon years, and the listeners also have come away from the message with differing interpretations of it as well.
Most people don’t seem to have an issue with any of this. Jesus however had a very specific warning when it comes to both the messages that we listen to (what we hear) and also the interpretation that we get from them as well (how we hear). Jesus gave us this warning for a very good reason… because He knew that as time when on, the genuine message of the Gospel would be distorted, and many people would be robbed from hearing the genuine truth that makes people free. So this is what I want to share with you today.
What does it mean to “grow” from a Christian standpoint. Many people think that to grow spiritually means that we must do more, or have more head-knowledge; to know more facts about God or to be able to memorize more of the Bible. However, is this what the Bible actually teaches? Is this what growing in Christ actually is?
Today in this study, we will be examining what the scriptures say about true spiritual growth. (hint, it may be quite surprising!) and that true spiritual growth is exactly the way Jesus describes it, as a tree. As you see these truths, you will realize how amazing the work of God in you really is, and how simple He has actually made things for you.