"My, How You've Grown!"

Lucina Thompson

Central Truth

Spiritual growth is a process; it happens over time. It is the result of the Holy Spirit living and working in us to help us become more like Jesus.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Greeting

1 Paul and Timothy, servants^{1

1:1
For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface} of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers^{2

1:1
Or bishops; Greek episkopoi} and deacons:^{3

1:1
Or servants, or ministers; Greek diakonoi}

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,^{4

1:7
Or you all have fellowship with me in grace} both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The Advance of the Gospel

12 I want you to know, brothers,^{5

1:12
Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated brothers) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verse 14} that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard^{6

1:13
Greek in the whole praetorium} and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word^{7

1:14
Some manuscripts add of God} without fear.

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

To Live Is Christ

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy^{8

1:27
Greek Only behave as citizens worthy} of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Footnotes

[1] 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
[2] 1:1 Or bishops; Greek episkopoi
[3] 1:1 Or servants, or ministers; Greek diakonoi
[4] 1:7 Or you all have fellowship with me in grace
[5] 1:12 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verse 14
[6] 1:13 Greek in the whole praetorium
[7] 1:14 Some manuscripts add of God
[8] 1:27 Greek Only behave as citizens worthy

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My kids grew up in a school district with great traditions. One of those happened on the first day of kindergarten. The seniors came to the elementary and passed out t-shirts with the high school mascot name and graduation year. It gave the kindergartners a future and a hope. When our kids received their t-shirt as 5-year-olds, that graduation year seemed far away. But 12 years later, I remember Jordan going back to his elementary school to deliver those shirts. He came home talking about how small his old school was and how tiny the kids were. All I could do was smile and say, "My, how you've grown."

Spiritual growth is much like a child's physical growth. It happens slowly, almost imperceptibly, over time. It is fueled by the Holy Spirit, who takes up residence in us when we put our trust in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14). He is the one to both woo and convict us. It is a transformation that happens as we renew our minds (Romans 12:2) by drawing closer and closer to Jesus.

There are times when our growth may seem meteoric—up and to the right. It can be fueled by our salvation experience or by someone who took the time to disciple us. But there may be other times when our faith seems to falter, and we become discouraged. This can come because of a trial, sin, or failure to grow as we think we should. It's easy at those times to fall into the trap of believing that failure is a lack of progress, rather than another step toward maturity. Both are vital in the process of growth. The Lord uses everything, even our failures, to prove that HE is at work in us.

How encouraging that the Apostle Paul is certain that whatever good the Lord began in us will continue until, at some point, it will be complete! That day will most likely be when we get to glory. I can't wait for that day to hear the good Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

1. In your spiritual life, what has caused you to grow the most?

2. If you've ever fallen away from the faith, or simply shifted to neutral, what happened? Why do you think that occurred?

3. If you were speaking to new believers, what would you tell them is the key to growing in faith?

4. Are there people in your life who helped you grow? Take time today to shoot them a text, call them on the phone, or write them a note, and thank them for the role they played.