The Need for Growth

Call to Prayer

Title: The Need for Growth

By: Daniel Peter

Date: 12.12.2023

until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  Ephesians 4:13  NIV

Some time ago the Lord told me “Creation is still ongoing”. Meaning, since the beginning He is still at work (John 5:17-18). There is an end God intends, and that end is Christ (Rev. 22:13); Until that which He has made reveals Christ, He is still working.

When He revealed His intention of creating man, He said “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness… (Gen. 1:26)”. Meaning, the man created in Genesis chapter 1 was in the image and likeness of God. However, the man formed in Genesis 2 had not yet attained the fullness of the likeness of God, for it was only after he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that he became like God in the ability to know good and evil (Gen. 3:6,22). Again, the ability to live forever was in the tree of life (Gen. 2:17). From these, it is clear that the Adam that was formed in Genesis 2 had not attained the stature of the Adam created in Genesis 1. There was a need for growth.

The new creation followed a similar path. The moment we gave our lives to Christ, the fullness of God came into our spirit. Meaning, we have all attained to the image and likeness of God in our spirit. However, man is a spirit, soul, and body (1 Thes. 5:23). God intends that, what has been completed in our spirit, is reflected in our soul and body. Like the Adam formed in Genesis 2, there is a need for a Christian to grow. However, unlike Adam who had God’s attributes placed in trees for him, those attributes have been placed in us, for they are in Christ who resides in us (Eph. 1:3, Col. 1:24-29).

As the formed Adam had to eat from the trees for him to attain the likeness of God, we also need to eat the word that reveals Christ for us to grow to become like Him (2 Cor. 3:18). This is the transformation process, as our souls and body is transformed to attain to the state of our spirit, who is like Christ. This process is continuous for the soul and will be complete at the coming of Christ when we will know as we are fully known (1 Cor. 13:12). For the body, though we can access it by faith now, the transformation of the body will be instant when Christ comes, for our mortal bodies will be clothed with immortality (1 Cor. 15:53).

This transformation is fulfilled when we abide by the word and prayer. Again, we also become by sharing in the sufferings of Christ (Romans 8:17).

Prayer Point:

Let’s thank God for His word today. Let’s ask Him to help us grow into the fullness of Christ.