Spiritual Growth

  Let us assume you have no guide to lead you from point A to point B, and you must cross an unexplored jungle alone. In such a case, you must be systematic and cautious to avoid getting lost. You would consult maps, read the accounts of those who came before you, and set intermediate targets to track your progress. When wisdom is not coming from above but must be constructed from below, it is vital to have independent checks and balances — tools that help prevent self-deception. A fool cuts ten times, but the wise measures ten times before cutting once.   But when the residents of the jungle themselves are guiding you, your task is not to measure or calculate. You simply need faith to trust them and endurance to follow. When wisdom is from above rather than below, it is not a system to be figured out but a truth to be received. You do not measure ten times to cut once — you measure once and cut rightly, because God is in charge. This is the gift God gave to the disciples of t...

  Someone claimed that even in places where the faithful are the majority, they still do not control society. Instead, it is minorities — strategically positioned — who shape the direction of that society. He dismissed the idea that evangelism transforms society as a fairytale. For him, the better strategy is to place the "right" believers in positions of power to dominate society and lead it according to the values of the faithful.   This idea is not only wrong; it is a house built on sand — children’s sandcastles on the shifting beach. It is an idea fit for children, not for the mature. Our primary purpose in faith is evangelism: first to save souls, and then to grow faithful in the image of Jesus, preparing the bride for the groom, who may come at any moment.   Jesus did not just save us — He died for us. Paul did not just lay our foundation on the rock, Jesus Christ, he also completed what was lacking in the Lord’s sufferings by establishing His body, the Church. Fait...

  The kingdom of heaven belongs to all those who have the faith of Abraham — not necessarily the blood and flesh of Abraham. Those of the faith of Abraham include the faithful from the people of Israel in general and the Jewish people in particular, but not all who trace their bloodline to Abraham in general or to Jacob in particular. It is debatable whether the people of Israel still hold their firstborn status — despite the coming age being the age of Israel, as the age of the Gentile ends very soon — but at best, they are only the firstborn in the kingdom of God, not the only children of God.   Since they were born to God before the era of grace, they were given the law until the truth and grace came through Jesus. That is the only difference between the faithful from the bloodline of Jacob — like Peter, John, David, and others — and the faithful from the Gentile world, us. The laws and prophets are perfected by Jesus, for He came not only with grace but also with truth. Bu...

    In theory, all faithful — except Jesus — are heretical, because no one knows the full truth. We are all bound to make theological mistakes here and there in our service to God. That is why it’s important not to overemphasize minor theological differences or personal errors. When people stray in their understanding, we should try to guide them back into the light. And if they don’t listen, let us pray that God opens their eyes to the truth — and hope they would do the same for us.   Anyone who believes they are theologically perfect is, in truth, under-educated — perhaps full of theological degrees and titles, but lacking real knowledge of God and His word. A little knowledge can be dangerous. Every villager thinks their way is the only way — until they travel and discover otherwise. There is a time to be a child and think like one, but spiritual maturity demands that we put childish things behind us. We must come to terms with the fact that our knowledge is partial, a...

  Our faith is a faith of obedience, and the foundation of our faith — on the lordship of Jesus Christ — opens the door to our obedience to the will of the Lord. When Jesus rescues us from the law, the world, our flesh, and the devil, He purchases us for Himself by His blood and flesh — by the work of the cross. Now, we are dead, for we are crucified with Him on the cross, and we live by Him.   We, the faithful, are the body of Christ, and Christ is the head. This means we are His body parts, following the will of the head — we have no will apart from the will of the Lord. To be baptized into water represents our death, and our baptism into the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is our rebirth in the Spirit as the body of Christ.   A body must know the will of the head to obey it. Otherwise, a branch cut off from the vine has no purpose but to wither. We no longer live for ourselves but live for Jesus and by Jesus. To live for and by Jesus does not mean to live for Him ...

  There are two major problems in today’s faith work — the work of Jesus. On one side, we see overworked and over-worshiped faith workers running tirelessly for the work of God, while the next generation is neither prepared nor given the opportunity to serve. The side effect of this system is that it has become too expensive and is turning into an incubation space for the worship of money and popularity. These problems arise because our faith work is operating in an ecosystem unnatural to its true essence.   Many faith workers have no time for family, rest, or even for the Bible, prayer, and God Himself. Why? Because they are trying to be like Moses, who attempted to judge every case by himself. But why not spend half of your ministry time — while still giving adequate attention to your personal life — training the next generation of faith workers? Yes, at first, like any investment, the burden may seem heavier. But just like an investment, the long-term return is a wildfire o...

Our faith is special and easy to follow because the truth is served in a form that is easy to digest. God first prepared the way for the truth through the law and the prophets, until it was concluded by prophecy and the ministry of John the Baptist, who was the forerunner of the Lord.   Then God came in human form, not only to teach us perfection but to show us perfection in His life. We touched perfection, we spoke with perfection, we saw perfection, and we listened to perfection — as perfection was born, grew up, lived, slept, got hungry, suffered, was tempted by the flesh, prayed for the cross to pass, and died as a man, only to rise from the dead and sit at the right hand of the Heavenly Father.   We know the nature of perfect faithfulness because His name is the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who never knew sin or disobedience. For us, faith should be easy because we have seen the perfect temple. Yet, we still debate over the design of the perfect temple. We have seen perfect...

  People once believed the earth was flat — until better facts came along to correct that assumption of common sense. In the same way, our biblical understanding of faith can grow when we encounter deeper truths. When people preach, I always listen for those hidden or novel facts, because they give me a firmer foundation to understand the Bible. Those who can dig out the precious metals buried in Scripture are themselves precious to me. They don’t try to make me their follower — they help me grow. So here are some biblical facts that may help others grow in the knowledge of God and in spirit.   The first fact of our faith is that we grow — both in spirit and in the knowledge of God and His Word. I used to enjoy listening to word-of-faith preachers. Not because I believed everything they said, but because I was drinking their milk while unknowingly spitting out the bones. I couldn’t yet understand the depth of their heresy, because my biblical knowledge was still shallow. It wa...