Our Values: Growth
Several years ago, I gave birth to my first son in southern Germany. As my husband and I began learning how to care of this tiny human, the nurses in the hospital gave us tips and diapers, along with the Kinderuntersuchungsheft. This little yellow booklet is important because it records of all your child’s check-ups from birth until grade school. It helps doctors and parents track the child’s growth and healthy development. When you go to the pediatrician, don’t forget the Untersuchungsheft!
Das Untersuchungsheft!
The transformation we experience as we grow from babies, to children, to teenagers and into adults is amazing. As we age, we measure growth by physical development, as well as mental, emotional and social maturity. Growth involves change, which can feel uncomfortable even painful at times. And yet, every person needs to grow!
Humans also have the unique ability to grow spiritually. Just as continual growth and development show that a child is healthy, in the same way, spiritual growth reveals our spiritual health.
A man named Peter, one of Jesus’ followers, wanted his friends to be spiritually healthy. So, he wrote to his friends encouraging them in their faith. He concluded his letter by saying this:
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18, NLT).
Spiritual growth involves increasing our knowledge of God. We do this by studying the Bible, praying, using other theological or devotional resources, and asking good questions to our Christian friends. The more we learn about God, the more our relationship with Jesus can grow.
Spiritual growth also involves growing in grace. This means the information we learn about God does not just stay in our heads, it also changes our hearts. We do not have a spiritual Untersuchungsheft to help us monitor our spiritual maturity, but we can recognize God’s transformational work in our lives through our actions, attitudes, and relationships.
Just as we grow physically, we can also grow spiritually.
For example, when we grow in spiritual maturity, we do not just read what Jesus said to do in the Bible, we actually do it. When we recognize our mistakes, we ask God for forgiveness and help. We become stronger and more patient in difficult situations. We choose joy instead of fear or anger. Our compassion for other people increases making it easier to cherish the people we love, care for people in need, and forgive people who have hurt us.
Even though our human bodies and minds weaken with age, our relationship with Jesus can continue to grow stronger, deeper, and more powerful every single day.
As Community Church we value this kind of growth.
It would be great if hundreds of people joined our international worshipping community one day. More importantly though, we want to grow deeper in our relationship with God and relationships with each other. As our knowledge and experience of Jesus increases, our personal lives, our community and our city should be changed. That shows spiritual growth!
This weekend we will grow together by having fun and enjoying fellowship together. Please join us on 20 May 2023 at noon in Mauerpark. For more information see our Connect page.