IDentity 1.0 - We Grow
Disciples of Jesus intentionally grow in their faith. Peter was the classic example of a disciple who needed to grow. In his first few years living literally with Jesus, he didn’t show a lot of signs of growing up. But in order to follow Jesus when He wasn’t physically present and to have a faith that would see him through to the end— including seeing him through hard tests and trials and martyrdom— Peter had to grow in his faith. He shows flashes of brilliance in the book of Acts, but then disappears off the NT stage for 30-ish years. When he reappears, it’s as the author of a couple letters that have been preserved for us as a word from God— that’s how much Peter had grown! In his letter, he urges us to (1) grow up, (2) to grow in grace, and (3) to grow in knowledge of Jesus. Growing up requires admitting where we currently remain and baptize our immaturity. Growing in grace means becoming so convinced of God’s grace that we relax into His love and enjoy letting His peace settle into our hearts and minds— God FULLY accepts you! It also means growing in our willingness and capacity to give the same kind of grace (define it) to others. Grace is the stance of the church and of the individual Jesus-follower toward everyone. Everyone. Growing in knowledge of Jesus means exactly what you think it means… plus a little. It means developing a lifelong habit of studying the Scriptures, but not so that you can know the Scriptures. We don’t study the Scriptures so that we know how to use them to win arguments. We don’t study them so that we can win competitions or impress people with how much we know. We study the Scriptures so that we can get to know Jesus. We meet Him in them, commune with Him in them, and ask Him to plant Himself and His truth deeply in our hearts. What are you doing consistently to get to know Jesus better than you do right now? If the answer is nothing, then you’re not growing and can’t expect to. If the answer is not much, then you can’t possibly be growing much. But God honors each step we take, big or small, when He sees in our hearts a desire to know His Son more deeply… suggestions on how to do this…