MIRACLE BIBLE COLLEGE

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. To Understand the stages of growing up

2. To know how to grow out of carnality into maturity
3. To understand why believers have not grown
4. To appreciate the role of the Heavenly Father, the Word of God and the Holy
Spirit is in Spiritual growth
5. To understand the right diet for growing up spiritually

COURSE TEXT

Book Title Author

Growing up Spiritually Kenneth E Hagin

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Attend all Classes

2. Do a Test at the End of the Course
3. Read Ephesians 4:8 -15, 1 Corinthians 13 and 1 Peter 2:2 in a modern
translation

TUTOR: PASTOR LWANGA IVAN

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................1

I. LOCATING YOURSELF ...........................................................................................2

Babyhood Stage............................................................................................................2

Childhood Stage............................................................................................................3

Man hood Stage............................................................................................................3

II. WALKING WITH THE FATHER...............................................................................4

Walking in Love...........................................................................................................5

III. RECEIVING KNOWLEDGE .....................................................................................6

Wrong diet ...................................................................................................................6

The Place for Right Teaching.......................................................................................6

The Fault of inadequate Teaching ................................................................................6

IV. WHAT MANNER OF MAN ARE YOU?...................................................................7

The Natural man...........................................................................................................7

The Carnal Man ...........................................................................................................8

The Spiritual Man.........................................................................................................9

V. THE RIGHT DIET.......................................................................................................12

The Fruit of the Human Spirit.......................................................................................14

Renewing the Mind.......................................................................................................15

VI. WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT...............................................................................15

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 1
I. LOCATING YOURSELF

"... When he Christ ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto
men...And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby
they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all
things, which is the head, even Christ:"
Ephesians 4:8, 11-15

Evidently Paul didn't consider the church at Ephesus to be grown up yet. Did you notice he
said, "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up...."?
And, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto
a perfect man...."
This is the King James translation. I think when it says "perfect" our minds tend to run off on
a little tangent and we miss what he's saying to us. Moffat's translation reads, "until we reach
maturity." The Amplified translation says, "that we might arrive at really mature manhood."
Paul is talking about growing up spiritually to be a man, or a mature person. "That we
henceforth be no more children." He's talking about growing up spiritually, about reaching
spiritual maturity, about becoming a full-grown man spiritually. God wants us to grow.
There is a striking similarity between spiritual development and physical development. It
speaks of at least three stages in spiritual development which correspond to three stages in
physical development.
They are: babyhood, childhood, and manhood

A) BABYHOOD ABYHOOD
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby:"
I Peter 2:2

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BABY HOOD STAGE

1. Innocence
II CORINTHIANS 5:17 17
Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new.

2. Ignorance - Hosea 4:6

3. Irritability.
David said, "Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his
mother: my soul is even as a weaned child" Psalm 131:2 The Bible says concerning Isaac,
"And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that
Isaac was weaned" Genesis 21:8

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 2
B) CHILDHOOD
"That we henceforth be no more children...."
Ephesians 4:14

When Paul said "that we henceforth be no more children" he was talking about that they
would be no longer spiritual children but would grow up spiritually.

1. Unsteadiness
Children in the natural are unsteady ...unreliable...impressionable...spasmodic. Spiritual
children are the same way.
2. Curiosity
Children are full of curiosity. If you tell a child not to look in a closet, he is going to get in it
as sure as the world. Spiritual children are CURIOUS. They're always poking their noses in
the other fellow's business. The Word of God teaches us to tend to our own business. God
doesn't want you poking your nose into the other fellow's business. Learn to be quiet and tend
to your own business. Curiosity is a characteristic of a child.
3. Talkativeness
Children have never learned the value of silence. They are talkative.
The Word of God tells us, "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin...." Proverbs
10:19. And, "...a fool's voice is known by multitude of words" Ecclesiastes 5:3 We need to
learn to be quiet. A child doesn't know any better so he's always talking.

i. Evil speaking—talking about and discussing the faults and failures of people not
present.
ii. Vain speaking—always talking about themselves.
iii. Foolish speaking.

The Bible even says something about jesting and joking that are not convenient. It doesn't
say they are a sin necessarily, but it says they are not convenient.

EPHESIANS 5:4
1. 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but
rather giving of thanks

C) MANHOOD
There are many scriptural characteristics of the manhood stage of spirituality. In fact, this
entire book is aimed at seeing this spiritual man. But three of his characteristics we'll discuss
here are:
i. Esteeming Earthly Things Lightly
ii. Deadness to Censure or Praise
iii. Ability to Recognize God at Work

i. Esteeming Earthly Things Lightly

"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. "Hebrews 11:24-26

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 3
You cannot put earthly things above spiritual things and grow spiritually.
God wants you to prosper.
III JOHN 2
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy
soul prospereth.

ii. Deadness to Censure or Praise

"But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment:
yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified:
but he that judgeth me is the Lord. “I Corinthians 4:3-4

Immature Christians will feel slighted or puffed up. If they are criticized or even imagine that
they are restless, uneasy, and full of self-pity. On the other hand, if they are noticed and
appreciated, they feel lifted up and full of self-importance.
Baby Christians are self-conscious and ever-conscious of what others are thinking about
them. Therefore, they are "tossed to and fro" childishly trying to be popular.
The mature believer is God-conscious. And ever-conscious of what God's Word says about
him.

iii. Ability to Recognize God at Work

One of the best spiritual examples of this characteristic is Joseph.
Genesis 45

II GROWING UP BY WALKING WITH YOUR FATHER

1. How to start.

READ Matthew 6:25-34

Verse 32 "for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." And verse
26 "your heavenly Father feedeth them."
God is not the heavenly Father of sinners. some people talk we are all children of God; God
is the Father of all of us, and we're all brothers and sisters. But no, we are not.
The devil is the father of some people.
"Ye are of your father the devil" John 8:44. He didn't say our heavenly Father was their
father. He said the devil was their father. Here are some of the things Jesus said about the
Father.
"And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall
ask the Father in my name, he will give it you" John 16:23
"For the Father himself loveth you...." John 16:27.
"...for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner
therefore pray ye: Our Father...." Matthew 6:8-9
It's not important what church you are in but the thing that's important is what family
you are in.

2. Getting Acquainted Through the Word

I'm glad I'm in His family. I want to become better acquainted with my Father, don't you? I
want to know Him better, don't you? Thank God, we can.
MATTHEW 6:26-34

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 4
You may be certain that if He is your Father, He loves you, and He will care for you.

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth
me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and
not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man loves me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with
him. John 14:21-23

Here we have the revelation of the Father's attitude toward His own children. Two things are
emphasized:

1. That you keep my commandments. What are Jesus' commandments? He said, "A new
commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you...." John 13:34.
That sums it up. There's no use worrying about any other commandments for "...love is the
fulfilling of the law" Romans 13:10. If you keep Jesus' commandments, you will have
fulfilled all the rest of the commandments.

2. You shall be loved of my father. If you walk in love, you walk in God's realm, for God is
Love. We'll go into the love-walk further in chapter six. The great Father God is a love God.
His very nature because He is Love compels Him to care for us, protect us, and shield us.
Other scriptures: Matthew 7:11, John 7:11, John 16;32,16:32,16:27,1 Pet 5:7, Philippians
4:6, 4:13, Psalms 27:1, Hebrews 13;5-6, Philippians 4:19

3. Experiencing Acquaintance

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he
leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
PSALM 23:1-6

II WALKING IN LOVE

"...the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost...." Romans 5:5

To fellowship with God, to walk with God, to walk in God's realm, we must walk in love.
Divine Love. For God is Love.
When we get born-again, God became my Father. He is a Love God. I am a Love child of a
Love God. I'm born of God, and God is Love, so I am born of Love. The nature of God is in
me. And the nature of God is Love.
Everyone in the family has it, or else they're not in the family. They may not be exercising it.
They may be like the one-talent guy that wrapped his talent in a napkin and buried it. But the
Bible says that the Love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. That
means the God-kind of hove has been shed abroad in our hearts, our spirits. This is a Love
family. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, How are they going
to know it? if ye have love one to another" John 13:35. That's the way they're going to know
us.

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 5
This kind of Love is not selfish. "God so loved the world that he gave...."
The love law of the family of God is. "That ye love one another; as I have loved you," John
13:34. How did He love us? Because we deserved it? No! He loved us while we were yet
unlovely. He loved us while we were yet sinners. The Bible says so.
And think about this. If God loved us with so great love when we were sinners, when we
were unlovely when we were His enemies, do you think He loves His children any less? No,
a thousand times no.

a) "Loves" Compared: Divine—Natural Human

An Expose' on Love
What about this God-kind of Love? What are its characteristics? They're given to us in I
Corinthians 13. It is to be regretted that King James translates the Greek word for divine
love, agape, as charity. My favorite translation of this "Expose' on Love" is the Amplified.
Let's look into it in the Amplified beginning with verse 4:

III RECEIVING THE KNOWLEDGE

''Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man..."Ephesians 4:13

iv. How are we going to grow up?

I guess we all want to be mature spiritually, but just wanting to be doesn't make it so.
We've already pointed out I Peter 2:2, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the
word, that ye may grow thereby." God starts us in the spiritual, just like folks get started in
the natural. When babies are born they start off on milk. They couldn't eat meat. And God
says that this sincere milk of the Word will cause us to grow.
Yet there are some things Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians and to the Hebrew
Christians which are of interest to us.
I Corinthians 3:1-2, Hebrews 5:11-14

A. The Wrong Diet

Why haven't we grown? If we are real children of God, born of God, and we haven't grown, it
is because we haven't had the right diet.

B. The Place of Right Teaching

We have failed to grow because of the lack of right teaching. God put teachers in the church.
He set them in there. Ephesians 4:11, I Corinthians 12:28. We need preaching all right. But
believers need teaching. People of God need teaching.
Come back to Jesus and His ministry for a moment.
MATTHEW 9:35

C. The Fault of Inadequate Teaching

The Church has majored in the minors."
If you're going to grow, you'll have to be fed on the Word of God concerning the life of God.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord" Romans 6:23. It’s a gift you receive now! You receive this Life this zoe, the life of
God, the God-kind of Life into your spirit, into your inward being.
It changes your life! This Life is the nature of God. It makes you a new creature and displaces
that old nature you had on the inside of you. So you become a new man in Christ Jesus, with
a new nature, "...old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" II

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 6
Corinthians 5:17. But most of our hymns we sing put redemption and eternal life off until
after death. "We're going to have it then." No, thank God, we have victory right now!

I JOHN 5:4
4 For whatsoever is born of God over cometh the world: and this is the victory that over
cometh the world, even our faith.

IV WHAT MANNER OF MAN ARE YOU?

8 WHAT MANNER OF MAN ARE YOU?
"Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God." I
Corinthians 10:32

We have God's ethnic division of the human race: Jew, Gentile, Church of God. The Jew is
ever a Jew. Gentile means the heathen world. Everyone outside of Christ who is not a Jew is
a heathen or a Gentile. The Church, the body of Christ, the new creation stands utterly alone.
Paul has another division in his writings: the natural man, the carnal man, and the spiritual
man.

a. The Natural man is one who has never yet passed out of death into life. He has never
been born-again. He's never been recreated. He's never become a new creature in Christ
Jesus.
b. The Carnal man is a new creature. He has been born-again. But he's never developed or
grown. It is sad but true that the carnal man may remain in this condition all his life long. He
may never develop beyond the babyhood state of the new creation. He is governed by his
body; by his physical senses, rather than by his spirit.
c. The Spiritual man is one who has developed in divine things. His spirit has gained the
ascendancy over his intellectual processes. And his spirit has gained the ascendancy over his
body and his physical senses. God governs him through the Word.
Let's look carefully at these three men to see which one we are, and what we can do about it.

1. THE NATURAL MAN

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness
unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." I Corinthians
2:14

The things of God and spiritual things with your mind, the natural man could understand
them. But you don't. You discern them, or understand them, with your spirit.
The natural man is the unspiritual physical man. His wisdom is earthly; earthly means
natural. James describes it:

“But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish (demonic)”. JAMES
3:14-15

a) The natural man is motivated by demons.

b) He is ruled by Satan.
c) He is demon-possessed.

Ephesians 6:12 says, "rulers of the darkness of this world." So, the natural man is a Satan-
ruled man.

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 7
ROMANS 8:7-9
D. Knowledge Contrasted: Revelation /Natural Human
The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God for he cannot know them. You
see, all the knowledge the natural man has is received through his five senses: sight, hearing,
taste, smell, and touch. His mind is actually governed by his senses. I call this natural human
knowledge OR sense knowledge. It comes through the five senses. Sense knowledge, natural
human knowledge, is all that the natural man possesses.
But born-again believers have a knowledge that is above the flesh, above the senses. It could
rightly be called revelation knowledge. This knowledge is revealed to us in the Word of God.
It's above the natural. The Bible brings you a revelation, or reveals knowledge to you, that
your physical senses couldn't grasp. You couldn't understand it even after revelation comes.

The natural walk

EPHESIANS 2:1-3, EPHESIANS 2:11-12, I CORINTHIANS 1:28

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles
walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated
from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of
their heart: EPHESIANS 4:17-18

 They walk in the vanity of sense knowledge.

 They walk in the vanity of their minds.
 They are darkened in their understanding.
 They are alienated from the life of God.
 They are filled with their own knowledge; ignorant of spiritual things.
Jesus said, "I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life."

2. THE CARNAL MAN

I Corinthians 3:1-3
Who is this carnal man?
He is the babe in Christ.
Not a newborn babe—when Paul wrote these Corinthians, they were not newborn people. He
plainly infers they should have been beyond where they were in their spiritual development.
They seem to have been in about the same boat as the Hebrew Christians Hebrews 5:12.

A. Walks as a "Mere Man"

Listen again to what Paul wrote, "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual
men, but as unto carnal men, even as unto babes in Christ...For ye are yet carnal: for whereas
there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, (NOW GET THIS)
and walk as men?" Several modern translations read, "and walk as mere men?" Paul talks
about envy and some of the same things James did in talking about the natural man who had
never been born-again. Paul is saying in effect, "Though you have been born-again, you are
still walking as a mere man, as a common man, as the natural man who has never been born-
again. You are walking just like the world men walk. There is envy and strife among them.
You are letting your flesh dominate you. “You’ll run into these baby Christians who have
never grown sometimes, and it is amazing to see how they think they are so spiritual yet they
live in the flesh or in the senses.
a. Growing Out of Carnality

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 8
God wants us to grow. There is no other way to get out of the carnal state except to grow out
of it. Peter said, "Desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby." Paul said,
"I have fed you with milk." Paul is trying to get these Corinthians to growing. He didn't tell
them they weren't saved. That comes as a shock to some folks, but they'll just have to be
shocked. At the end of the chapter he said to them, "Therefore let no man glory in men. For
all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or
things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's" I
Corinthians 3:21-23. I am so glad for the Holy Spirit and for the Word of God. I am so glad
the Lord has been patient with all of us and helps us.

3. THE SPIRITUAL MAN

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual...." I Corinthians 3:1
In other words, Paul said, "I couldn't speak unto you as unto spiritual men." Isn't that a sad
tragedy?
Who is this spiritual man? What are his characteristics?

EPHESIANS 1:3
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
1.The spiritual man is one who knows what belongs to him in Christ Jesus, and takes
advantage of it.
2.The spiritual man has drunk deeply at the fountain. He has fed regularly at the table of the
Lord.
3.The spiritual man has saturated himself in love, the love of God.
A. Knowing the Father
This man has come to know the Father in reality. Continued to do what the Bible says to
fellowship with the Father through the Word and through prayer little by little, God WILL
become more and more real to YOU.

B. Knowing the Son

The spiritual man comes to know the Lord Jesus Christ in His great ministry at the right hand
of God the Father. Every born-again believer knows the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. To
grow, the believer must come to know what he is in Christ, and what Christ is in him. He
must come to know the present day ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ at the right hand of the
Father.
We need to grow up in knowing the reality of His ministry today as High Priest Hebrews
4:14-16, as Advocate I John 2:1, as Intercessor Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25, as Shepherd
Psalm 23:1, John 10:14 as Lord!
Just because we've heard this taught is no sign we walk in the reality of it. It is as we feed
upon it and become acquainted with the truth that we come into the full knowledge of the Son
of God unto a perfect mature man.

C. Knowing the Holy Ghost

The spiritual man has come to know the blessed intimacy of the Holy Spirit as He is unveiled
in the Word. You can be baptized with the Holy Ghost and speak in other tongues and never
know this. That’s the sad thing about it. The baptism of the Holy Ghost has been preached in
a way that isn't exactly right. Many think that because "I have the baptism of the Holy Ghost"
that's the end. But it isn't. It's just the beginning. And because of wrong thinking they never
really learn to know the Holy Spirit intimately and are cut off from growing.
As spiritual babes they received the infilling of the Holy Spirit and spoke with other tongues,
and were all "taken up" with the outward manifestation. Certainly I believe in speaking in

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 9
other tongues. Thank God for it. But you hear them talking about how "I felt," and they're
trying to "feel" that way again.

Then when they lose that "feeling" they thought they had, they think He's gone. But He isn't.
Jesus said, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide
with you for ever;" John 14:16. He didn't say He would stay two weeks. He didn't say He
would come on a vacation. He said the Holy Ghost would come "that he may abide with you
forever." ever "feel" that way again. I base nothing on feelings. I base everything on the
Word.
It isn't the Holy Ghost inside me who condemns me, it's my own spirit. Jesus said that He
hadn't come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be
saved John 3:17.
The Holy Ghost is there to take the Word of God and open it up to us, to show us the ministry
of Jesus for me today. Gently. Even when we have missed it and were so ashamed of it. He is
so sweet and so gentle to lead us, to show us the way out and the way back.
...as Indweller
I JOHN 4:4
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in
you, than he that is in the world.
We need to become conscious of the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence, and learn to walk in
the light of the Word on this subject. Then in time of crisis we would remain calm and
collected because we know what the Bible says is so. If you know "greater is he that is in me,
than he that is in the world," when crisis comes, you won't have to run around like a chicken
with his head cut off, flopping here and there trying to find help. You'll know Help is
available. You'll know He is in there; the Greater One is in there. You're walking in intimate
fellowship with Him, and He'll show you what to do.
In every crisis of life, He shows me exactly what to do. On the inside of me, He'll rise up in
me to give illumination to my mind, direction to my spirit. But He cannot do it if you're not
sufficiently acquainted with Him to recognize it.
If you've been born-again and filled with the Holy Ghost, you have on the inside of you all
you'll ever need to put you over. Jesus said, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter" John 14:16
The Greek word translated Comforter also means—and the Amplified translation reads
this way Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby. What
else would you ever need?
Get acquainted with the Holy Ghost through the Word. When you know what the Word says
about Him, then you'll know what He'll do. You'll know how He will manifest Himself, and
you'll know how to yield to Him. You'll know how to walk with Him. And you can grow
spiritually.
i. ...as Teacher
Here is an invitation, a precious invitation, a blessed invitation of the Spirit to go into the
deep things of God:

I CORINTHIANS 2:12
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we
might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
We didn't receive the spirit of the world—we received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit which is of
God. Why? For what purpose? That we might know something.
Jesus said of Him, "He will teach you. He will guide you into all truth. He will show you
things to come. He will receive of mine and show it unto you."

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 10
The "things that are freely given to us" are the things Paul's talking about in Ephesians 1:3,
"all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." And they are the things:

I CORINTHIANS 2:13
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which
the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Now notice something Paul said earlier in this chapter, "Howbeit we speak wisdom among
them that are perfect mature, baby Christians wouldn't get it: yet not the wisdom of this
world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:" verse 13 Another translation
reads, "nor of the dethroned powers of this world." That's involved in the all things He has
done for us.
Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection dethroned the devil and all the spiritual forces that
had ruled this earth from the time Adam sold out to him in the garden. Adam was the god of
this world. God gave him dominion over all the work of His hand. But Adam committed high
treason and sold out to the devil. Then the devil became the god of this world II Corinthians
4:4
Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places.”
Jesus dethroned them! In His great plan of redemption which God planned and sent Jesus to
consummate, these powers are dethroned. They can't rule over us anymore, but we can rule
over them in the name of Jesus.
Now this wisdom is "not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teacheth;" I Corinthians 2:13. It is an unveiling of spiritual things. You couldn't have
knowledge from the natural, to save your life, that Jesus defeated the devil. You couldn't see
Him do it. The disciples saw Him dying at Calvary, but they didn't know why He died. He
was with them and had tried to tell them. But they didn't know why He died when He died.
After He appeared to them they said, "Lord wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to
Israel?" It wasn't until the Holy Ghost came and began to teach them, that they understood the
plan of salvation and what God did for them in redemption. This couldn't be seen with the
natural eye. The natural man couldn't understand it at all. It is an unveiling of spiritual things
by the aid and the energy of the Spirit of God Himself.

ii. His Inheritance

The spiritual man knows his inheritance.
COLOSSIANS 1:12-14
The spiritual man will know what his inheritance is in the light for the light of God's Word
will shine in and open it to him. He'll know he has the ability to enjoy it.

iii. His Ability

For God has given us our Ability. He is our Ability. That Ability reveals itself in unveiling
the treasures of the grace of God that belong to us.
We have quoted Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come
upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth," and without studying it any we've put
emphasis on the word "power" not realizing what the word "power" means here.
John called it an unction, he called it an anointing, he said it is in you. When you know the
Ability of God is in there then you know what he meant when he said, "Greater is he that is in
you. “When you know this, then when you hit that hard place, you can just lean back on Him
instead of fighting and trying to pray the power down or work it up. You can just lean back

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 11
and laugh. You can shout all the way through because you know the Greater One is in there.
He'll put you over. He'll make you a success. He'll bring you out.
The spiritual man is going to come to know this, but the baby doesn't know this. The baby
knows he has had an experience.
God has made us meet, He has given us the Ability. That ability comes with the infilling of
the Holy Ghost. Yes, the ability to witness. But it doesn't stop there. He has given us the
ability to enjoy our inheritance.

Deliverance, redemption, is our inheritance Colossians 1:13-14. We have been delivered out
of Satan's authority. Satan has no authority over you, or over me, or over the Church. Let's
don't let him take any. We have been delivered out of his power or authority and translated
into the kingdom of His dear Son verse 13.

v. Governed by the Word

You're in the place of His protection and His care. You're in the place where you feed upon
the bread of heaven. The Word of God is the bread. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God." The manna of heaven is
the Word of God. As you feed on this Word, you will grow up spiritually into the image and
unto the stature of the Son of God.
And that's the only way you'll ever get there. As important as prayer is, you won't get there by
praying. Though fasting may have a place, you won't get there by fasting. Though self-denial
may have a place in the Christian life, you won't get there by self-denial. Though experience
has a place in the Christian life and thank God for experiences but though you may have had
many wonderful experiences or many wonderful visions or revelations, they will not get you
there. Nor will spiritual gifts get you there. These things have their place and their purpose,
but the Bible tells you exactly how to get there. It comes by the knowledge of the Word.
The spiritual man is the one in whom the Word has gained the ascendancy over his mind and
over his body. It has brought him into harmony with the will of God, for the Word of God is
the will of God.

V. THE RIGHT DIET

You have to have the right diet if you're going to grow.
What is it?
Some things said in the Old testament don't apply to us. Many principles do, but other things
don't. They apply to the Jews. Certain sections of the New Testament are written especially
for your benefit. Other sections, like the four Gospels, are for the benefit of not just
Christians and believers, but the world and sinners. There are Letters which are written
directly to the Church. Spend most of your time feeding on the Epistles.
90% of our study of the Word of God is here. It's the diet I'm supposed to have. It's the
message that was written to me. Paul plainly stated about the mystery of this revelation that it
was "now" made manifest Romans 16:25-26
Let your diet be mainly made up of the Epistles or Letters which were written to the Church.
Particularly let it consist of I Corinthians 13 and the First Epistle of John.
Get an Amplified translation of I Corinthians 13 and go over it carefully. It will do just what
its name implies it will amplify those verses and help you understand them even better.

a) Feed on all five chapters of I John.

You will find that in these two writings I Corinthians 13 and I John the great love teachings
are unveiled and revealed. John comes back to it again and again:

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"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" I John
3:14.
"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his
bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" I John 3:17.
"But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected:" I John 2:5.
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear...He that feareth is not made perfect
in love" I John 4:18. These are just a few of the many such statements there.
God's nature is Love. As His child you have the Love nature in you. Yet that nature has to be
fed in order for it to grow. Unless you feed where this is found it will not grow and develop
in your life.

b) Study the plan of redemption. Find out what you are in Christ and what Christ is in
you. Find out your standing before God. Find out that you are the righteousness of
God in Christ Jesus. Find out what He did for you in His death, burial, resurrection,
ascension, and seating at the right hand of the Father. Find out what He is doing for
you right now at the right hand of the Father in His present day ministry where He
ever liveth to make intercession for us. This knowledge will help you grow out of the
babyhood state into a full-grown man in Christ.
Here's God's commentary on the subject:

I CORINTHIANS 4:7
7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not
receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
Whatever we have from God we received by grace.

EPHESIANS 4:7
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Each believer though born-again as a babe has a measure, a deposit of grace that will meet
every emergency in his life.
Every believer has the same
i. new birth,
ii. the same Eternal Life,
iii. the same Love of God,
iv. the same grace,
v. the same Holy Spirit we know Him first in a measure in the new birth, but then there
is the fullness of the Spirit available to us
vi. the same Eternal Intercessor, Jesus Christ,
vii. the same matchless Heavenly Father.

Ephesians 4:13-14, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That
we henceforth be no more children...."
God never planned on your remaining a baby spiritually any more than He planned on your
remaining a baby physically, or mentally. You have to mature.

Exhortations to Growth and Spirituality

EPHESIANS 3:20
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us.

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 13
There is no need for us to stay in a state of babyhood, or under development. We have the
Power of God working in us! We have the Ability of God working in us! But instead of
yielding to that, babies yield to the flesh.

PHILIPPIANS 4:13
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
See! No place for under development!

HEBREWS 5:11
11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of
hearing.
The Book of Hebrews isn't written to the world; it's written to Christians, to believers. If the
believer isn't careful, he can become dull of hearing so that the Word cannot reach him. This
can hold him in that babyhood state and carnality. Going on with the next verse...

HEBREWS 5:12
This doesn't mean that every one of them would have a teaching gift. It means that because
they have known and have been fed on the Word themselves, they ought to be able to teach
someone else. Every believer ought to aspire to be the teacher of at least one. But you can't
teach if you're a babe, and still on milk.
HEBREWS 5:13-14

II TIMOTHY 3:7
When the devil attacks this is what an ignorant believer behaves,
 they stand paralyzed and helpless in the presence of the enemy.
 They have the resources of God because they are believers and He has made provision
for them.
 They have the Ability of God.
 They have His Loving Words. But they have never taken advantage of it.
 They never avail themselves of the riches that are theirs when the crises come.

Crises of life come to all of us. But it makes a big difference when a crisis comes whether
you are in the carnality, babyhood stage, or whether you have grown at least to some
extent. Children who have never developed when crisis comes, are unable to take advantage
of what belongs to them because they stayed in their infancy.
Ephesians 5:1 -2 shows what they could be.
Another translation reads, "Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children."
Remember, God is Love. 1 John says in effect that if you walk in love, then you walk in
God, and God is in you and you're in God, because God is love.
Imitate God in love. "God so loved the world." He loved us while we were yet sinners. Well,
imitate Him in that. It's easy to love those who love you. Anybody can do that. But we're
supposed to do like God to imitate Him in love and love the unlovely, love the unlovable,
love our enemies.
You can't do that unless you have the Love of God in you. And you'll not do it unless you
grow in Love. When you're sensitive and easily hurt, it doesn't take enemies outside the body
of Christ, but just a believer, a brother in the Lord, to do something that doesn't amount to a
hill of beans and you're so easily hurt you're almost ready to cut his head off. Be imitators of
God walking in Love. This is our privilege. This is where we should and could live. We have
this New Covenant law to govern us as a Church:

JOHN 13:34-35.

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Fruit of the Human Spirit
Love is the first fruit of the human spirit when you are born-again. It's not the fruit of the
Holy Spirit. The translators were entirely wrong in putting a capital "S" in Galatians 5:22. It
refers to the human spirit.
Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches" John 15:5. Where does the fruit grow? On the
branches. Who are the branches? We are.
This fruit of the spirit Galatians 5:22 is fruit that grows in your life because of the Life of
Christ within. How are you going to know and tell that you are saved?
"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" I John
3:14.
This is the fruit of the recreated, born-again human spirit Galatians 5:22-23 . You can take
each fruit of the spirit and prove by the Bible that if you're saved you have it. One is peace.
Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ." If you are born-again, this Love is in you. You may not be practicing it.
But it's in your inward man, your spirit. If you're ever going to grow and develop out of the
babyhood state, you will have to learn to feed this Love nature on the Word of God, and
exercise this love nature in the arena of life. Then you will grow in Love. But when you
recognize the Bible teaches that because you are born of God you are born of Love; that you
are made a partaker of the divine nature, God's nature, which is Love; and you have it, a
measure of it at least...and then you get ready to feed that love nature on the Word of God,
and to put it into practice...you will begin spiritual development and growth.
Love is absolutely to govern the heart life of the Church.

I CORINTHIANS 10:24
24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth or good.
How many of us are seeking our own good? Most of us. When love does not rule, then the
motives of life become distorted; conduct becomes abnormal, and the body rules the spirit
causing the mind to be brought into captivity to earthly things.

Renewing the Mind

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,that
ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ROMANS 12:2

A. The primal need of man is to have his mind renewed.

"And be not conformed to this world...." Another translation says, "Be not conformed to this
age." Don't think like this age thinks! Don't think like this generation thinks. Don't think like
this world thinks! Don't be fashioned according to this world, or this age.
"...but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." This infers that if your mind is renewed and it
becomes renewed by the Word of God then you will know what is the good, the acceptable
one translation says "permissive", and the perfect will of God. But until your mind is
renewed, you will stay in the state of babyhood.

10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that
created him: COLOSSIANS 3:10

B. That's one reason He sent the Holy Ghost to indwell us and be our Teacher and Guide. He
said, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:" This can
only come as the Spirit, through the Word, guides us into the reality of our redemption in

GROWING UP SPIRITUALLY 15
Christ. "...for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will shew you things to come" John 16:13.
EPHESIANS 4:23-24
ROMANS 12:1-2
THE NEW BIRTH hadn’t affected their bodies or their minds after such a long while.
Therefore, the new birth and the baptism of the Holy Spirit are not mental experiences, nor
physical experiences, but spiritual experiences.
After you are born again, and after you are filled with the Holy Ghost, it is up to you to do
something with your body. It is up to you to do something with your mind.
The real you is the man on the inside, the spirit man. You are to present your body to God.
He does want transfigured bodies. And you are to get your mind renewed. With the Word of
God. By meditating on and practicing the Word of God.

A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Don't become discouraged because you don't become a full grown Christian overnight. You
didn't become a full-grown human overnight.
The Bible says for us to examine ourselves. It doesn't say for me to examine you, or for you
to examine me. But to examine yourself.

No one is fully grown up or fully spiritual or already perfected in love.

You will not grow up spiritually overnight any more than you grew up mentally or physically
overnight. But there's one thing about it there's no need of your not growing.
I believe in going on to perfection. I'm not perfect yet but am going on. I'm not going to stop
and quit just because I didn't grow up last week, or because I made a mistake or failed.
The full grown Christian won't do that either, because he knows that Jesus is right there to
represent him at the right hand of the Father.
Every step out of love is sin. Too often we've gotten in our minds that you didn't sin unless
you broke one of the ten commandments. But that was the law of the Old Covenant. The new
law of the New Covenant is that we love one another. So every word said or act made out of
love is sin.But this Epistle written to the Church says, "My little children, these things write I
unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous" I John 2:1. But just because we failed, we didn't stay there. We got up
and went again. It is the knowledge of God's Word that helps us to grow. That Word is
spiritual food for our spirits!

Shalom.

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