Growing into Christ [ Final Destination II]

….continued from  Final Destination I

Ever wonder why there is so much commotion in the church today about the working of the Holy Spirit? Some say He is not important, some say He was just relevant on the day of Pentecost. Some churches in history split merely on the base of one accepting tongues and the other not accepting tongues.  On a personal level, you have some of us who know not of the divinity of the Holy Spirit, sometimes referring to Him as an “it”, while some say He is just the power of God, and not God.  Ever wonder why the baptism and the infilling of the Holy Spirit is often conducted years after one has been born again, and not immediately after? Why most of us today are saved but have no idea how to fellowship with the Holy Spirit?

Missing the divinity, importance and relevance of the Holy Spirit is the number one contributor to a Christian’s inability to grow into Christ.  Growing into Christ CANNOT happen without the Holy Spirit. Hence the enemy has blinded us as the church of the working of the Holy Spirit and has used this ignorance as a major weapon to weaken the church and rob it of its inheritance.

The ultimate goal of a believer is to grow fully into the image of Christ (Ephesians 4:13) as predestined by God (Romans 8:29). He/she received the seed of Christ when born again through the gospel (1Peter 1:23-25) so that He/she can grow after the nature of the seed.

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image[as in the mirror] from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18

This is how the believer grows into Christ! Through the Holy Spirit of God, a believer fixes eyes and utmost attention on Christ. Paul likens this to looking into a mirror, but with this mirror , you do not see your current state as with natural mirror, but rather you see the image you are ordained to be like, the image of Christ and the more you look and perceive this image , the more you are transformed into it, from glory to glory.

Perceiving the image of Christ comes through the Holy Spirit. “For He shall glorify Me… He shall lead you into all Truth (Christ/Word)” -Jesus said of the Holy Spirit in the book of John.

So how do we bring all of these to our day to day living? We firstly have to meditate on and understand what it means to be born again, who we are and God’s plan for us. Receive the Holy Spirit and be open to His leadership and fellowship. As we have received Christ, continue in Him, continue in the Word. (Colossians 2:6)

This means that whatsoever thing we do or speak, whatever decision we make should be in line with and influenced by the Word of God through the Spirit of God. Never allow yourself to entertain or stand for something that doesn’t align with the Word. Be of the Word, you are born of it. When nations rejoice because an evil dictator has been murdered, what do you do? Do you rejoice with them, or do you hear God’s heart that “does not rejoice in the death of an unbeliever (Ezekiel 18:32)?” When you see areas in your life that need improvement, look at Jesus, look at the image in that area, focus on Jesus the author and finisher! And you shall grow into Him. Refuse to focus on your inabilities. Focus on JESUS! Oh that I may know Him…

Pray in the Spirit! One of the greatest most important purposes of praying in tongues is for your edification [1 Corinthians 14:4], this is important!! This is not for show, it is not to show how “spiritual” you are… it is for your growth!  “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit”- Jude 1:20.