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GROW = God Designed Us to Grow More Christlike Every Day with the Help of the Holy Spirit!

INTRODUCTION

  • God desires for you to grow this year.

  • Growth comes when we are deeply rooted in Him.

“Rooted” defined:

  • Established deeply, firmly planted or fixed in place.

  • Strong, irresistible, sturdy, difficult to destroy.

KEY THOUGHT

Your growth in God is directly related to the condition of your heart!

  • The more fertile & pliable your heart = MORE Jesus growth

  • The more hardened & distracted your heart = LESS Jesus growth

KEY SCRIPTURE

Ephesians 3:17–19 (AMPC)
“May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; that you may really come to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!”

LESSON #1: JESUS GROWTH IS A RESULT OF AN ENCOUNTER & ENVIRONMENT

Colossians 2:6–7 (NLT)
“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

A. ENCOUNTER = “Accepted”

  • To grow from an encounter, it must be accepted.

  • Like a Google calendar invite: Yes / Maybe / No.

  • Step 1: ACCEPT → “just as you accepted Christ…”

  • Step 2: FOLLOW THROUGH → “you must continue to follow Him…”

  • Step 3: ROOTS GROW → “let your roots grow down into Him…”

When we accept the “Jesus encounter” invitation, Jesus growth happens!

B. ENVIRONMENT = “Thankfulness”

  • Greek: eucharistia → gratitude, thanksgiving, communion.

  • “Your language creates an environment your heart lives in.” (Anonymous)

Matthew 12:34b (TPT)
“For what has been stored up in your hearts will be heard in the overflow of your words.”

Thankfulness is the environment where Jesus growth happens.

GROW EQUATION

Encounter with Jesus + Thankful Heart Environment = Jesus Growth

LESSON #2: JESUS GROWTH WORKS BEST IN GOD’S FIELD & BUILDING

1 Corinthians 3:5–9 (NLT)
“After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.”

  • God’s field → to cultivate, to till, to care for.

  • God’s building (oikodome) → to build, edify, promote growth in another.

Ephesians 2:19–22 (NKJV)
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

  • Growth happens when we are placed beside others pursuing God.

Reflection Questions:

  • Who are you walking with?

  • Who is building you up?

  • Who are you building up?

  • Who are you attracting in your life?

Ephesians 4:15–16 (NLT)
“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

Your growth is tied to your connection to the Body of Christ.

LESSON #3: JESUS GROWTH TESTS YOU, TO TRANSFORM YOU

James 1:2–4 (NLT)
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

  • God wastes nothing.

  • The test reveals and proves the fruit.

  • Growth comes as testing transforms you into Christ’s image.

God does His best work in your test.

CONCLUSION

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

  • Cultivate the soil of your heart.

  • Pursue encounters with Jesus.

  • Build your life in the right environment.

  • Stay connected to God’s people.

  • Let testing transform you.

2 Peter 3:18 (TPT)
“But continue to grow and increase in God’s grace and intimacy with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May He receive all the glory both now and until the day eternity begins. Amen!”

NEXT STEPS FOR IMPACT CHURCH

  • Grow in devotional life (prayer & worship).

  • Grow in God’s Word (Bible reading plan).

  • Grow in relationship with others (join a LAUNCH group).

  • Grow in freedom (heart & mind renewal).

If you do, Jesus growth is inevitable!