Spiritual Growth

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, — read the full passage →

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, — read the full passage →

Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; — read the full passage →

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, — read the full passage →

as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow,

but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ; — read the full passage →

that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; — read the full passage →

For although by this time you should be teachers, you again need to have someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God. You have come to need milk, and not solid food. — read the full passage →

Be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, — read the full passage →

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, — read the full passage →

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,

Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking, — read the full passage →

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.

As therefore you received Christ Jesus, the Lord, walk in him, — read the full passage →

for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ; — read the full passage →

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.

but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with. — read the full passage →

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.

For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow, — read the full passage →

and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you,

I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;

But you did not learn Christ that way; — read the full passage →

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth.

But solid food is for those who are full grown, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.

Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God, — read the full passage →

You therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware, lest being carried away with the error of the wicked, you fall from your own steadfastness. — read the full passage →

Brothers, don’t be children in thoughts, yet in malice be babies, but in thoughts be mature.

Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking, — read the full passage →

This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; — read the full passage →

Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; — read the full passage →

Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; — read the full passage →

We are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers, even as it is appropriate, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each and every one of you towards one another abounds;

Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. — read the full passage →

But refuse profane and old wives’ fables. Exercise yourself toward godliness.

Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;

Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings, — read the full passage →

The child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with Yahweh, and also with men.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. — read the full passage →

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to me. Because you have forgotten your God’s law, I will also forget your children.

This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John,

Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Follow after love, and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; — read the full passage →

For although by this time you should be teachers, you again need to have someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God. You have come to need milk, and not solid food. — read the full passage →

for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,

For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering works perseverance; — read the full passage →

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.

seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue; — read the full passage →

Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, salutes you, always striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. — read the full passage →

Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits; — read the full passage →

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. — read the full passage →

Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. — read the full passage →

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror; — read the full passage →

This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. Fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. — read the full passage →

But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city, and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one, — read the full passage →

When you have come into the land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the abominations of those nations. — read the full passage →

The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

I will bless Yahweh at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth. — read the full passage →

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, — read the full passage →

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; — read the full passage →

The child was growing, and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer. — read the full passage →

Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.” — read the full passage →

We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown; yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing.

If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. — read the full passage →

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.

I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever,— — read the full passage →

But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;

with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love;

and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, — read the full passage →

Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.

Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works,

Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking,