It is the desire of every believer to grow in spiritual stature and in fellowship with God. Yet many believers do not attain to this desired end. I wish to share what I believe is the secret of divine increase with you, in the hope that you will learn, apply the secret and grow in your faith and relationship with God.
The answer to Christian growth is reaching out. As God reached out to us by sending His only son to come and seek us. We too need to reach out to attain to growth and Godliness. I wish to outline three dimensions of our needed outreach.
1.REACH OUT TO GOD
Our first obligation is to reach out to God, who has reached out to us. We will receive as we give out to God, our fellowship and worship. There was a time I used to pray many times for God to fill me with the Holy Spirit. God revealed to me that as I reach to Him in worship, I will automatically receive the infilling of the Holy spirit which I need. So, to receive more from God, we need to reach out to Him in exuberant worship and prayer. As we do it, we will receive from Him grace, favour and divine resources that will draw us closer to Him and bequeath us with His nature in a measure commensurate with our outreach upwards to God. “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said..” (Ac 13:2) As they reached out to God, the Holy Spirit reached out to them.
2.REACH OUT TO THE CHURCH
The church is the body of Christ. You cannot accept Christ while neglecting His body. Yet so many people confess love of God and being saved by Christ while at the same time paying lip service to His church. This is an unfortunate contradiction. No wonder many who are in this position are not excelling in their Christian lives. The essence of a person lives in His body. You can only find the fullness of Christ in relationship with His body – the church. You therefore need to reach out to the church in fellowship and service. There is a grace you receive by serving the church and in the church. Seek to be a blessing to the church, using your God given gifts and talents. You will discover joy and fulfilment in your Christian life that will integrate your life. Reach out with your testimony to encourage fellow believers. Find out if there is something you can do for God in the church. Find out if there is a need you can fill in the church. As you serve the body of Christ, you will fulfil the law of Christ and receive more of the grace of Christ. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Ga 6:2)
3.REACH OUT TO THE WORLD
In the new covenant, we find God reaching out to the world . “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (Joh 3:16) If reaching out to the world is God’s business, then reaching out to the world will bring you into greater fellowship with God. Besides, as a child of God,’ it is wise to be involved in your Father’s business. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.” (Pr 11:30) Making God’s business your business is a sure way to tap into God’s eternal resources. People have discovered that as you reach out to the lost and the needy with the good news of what God can do for them, God reaches out to you with an outpouring of His blessings which brings advancement in your life in all ways (spiritually, physically and materially) .
“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed also himself.” (Pr 11:25)