Growing Disciples

Growing Disciples

Everyone wants to be successful – or at least I have yet to meet a person who said they dreamed of being a failure. But what is success? If it is fame and fortune, very few have the ability achieve it. For the follower of Jesus, however, success is measured quite differently. Real success is measured not by worldly standards, but by becoming like Christ. This is achieved by growing spiritually, both in our character and in our relationships. This is something that anyone can attain; it requires no special gifts or abilities.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5-8

2 Peter 1:5-7 gives us a recipe for success in the Christian life – a blueprint for spiritual growth. Peter lists seven things that we are to add to our faith in order to keep moving forward spiritually and to bear fruit for God. They are: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

There are a number of ways in which we invite people to go deeper in their love, obedience and knowledge of God.