The Process Of Spiritual Growth : Part 1

[0:01] Welcome. Thank you for choosing to listen to this Spirit-filled word by David Enshie. When you catch a word, you have caught God. May you catch a word today that will cause God to change your story.

[0:13] Be blessed. I have been teaching from 2 Peter, 1 Peter, amazing book. And 2 Peter, we go on to 2 Peter.

[0:24] I want to read from verse 1, chapter 1. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that obtained like precious faith, like precious faith, like precious faith, with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

[0:45] Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. According as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us unto glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

[1:18] And besides this, giving all diligence at your faith, virtue, and to virtue, knowledge, and to knowledge, temperance, and to temperance, patience, and to patience, godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, charity.

[1:37] For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[1:49] But he that lacks these things is blind and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he has been purged from his old sins. Wherefore, the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure.

[2:05] For if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. Here ends the reading of God's holy word. Shall we please pray? Father, we thank you. We thank you for giving us the privilege and opportunity to come together around your word.

[2:20] As we hear your word, we pray that we will hear from you. As your word is open, let the heavens be open. As your word is taught, let your grace be caught. We thank you for your goodness in Jesus' name.

[2:34] Amen. Wow. This text is one of the strongest scriptures in the New Testament. Just going straight forward, you can tell it says that there is one, Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith.

[2:56] Okay. So they have obtained like precious faith. To them that have obtained. They have already got it. All right. If you're a believer, you have obtained something. And as I mentioned earlier on, like precious faith.

[3:08] Watch this. Watch this. Faith. This like precious faith is the seed of Christianity. In 1 Peter, the Bible makes it clear that Jesus is the seed.

[3:19] He's the word. We are born again by the incorruptible seed of the word. So Jesus practically is presented as the seed. But in this 2 Peter, we see that faith is the seed of our Christian life.

[3:31] So we have all received. Then this faith is not just the subjective faith. It's the objective faith which encompasses all the benefits, divine benefits that are available to us in God.

[3:46] All right. All the divine benefits, the divine supplies that are available to we, the believers, in God. This is the faith. And it's the seed. When you are born again, you are introduced.

[3:58] You have received. You are allotted. You are allotted. You are given like precious faith. Now, this faith is a seed.

[4:09] It's fundamental. So when you read, it says, According to us, his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness. If you have the faith, the divine power supplies to you all things that pertain to life and godliness.

[4:21] Yes, watch this. On the basis, according to the knowledge of him who has called us to virtue or he has called us to glory and virtue.

[4:31] He has called us by and to glory and virtue. Now, these are all rich supplies in God for the believer. Then he says that whereby, by this knowledge, we are given great and precious promises so that by this we might be partakers of the divine nature.

[4:53] So there is a seed in us. But the precious, the great and precious promises based on the faith that has been given to us helps us as we engage, helps us to be partakers of the divine nature.

[5:10] Because God wants to have an expression in our lives on this earth. So we become partakers of the divine nature before we even meet God in heaven after this physical life.

[5:23] Hallelujah. And so here we can tell what Peter is saying is that we have a seed. Now, watch this. The seed is the faith, the light precious faith.

[5:34] So verse 5 says that besides or giving all diligence or besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith. Now, I explained that in our previous teaching.

[5:45] I explained that adding to your faith means that develop within your faith. Allow your faith. Allow your faith to develop because these are, you see, this is practically talking about the stages of spiritual growth, the process of spiritual development, the process of spiritual maturity.

[6:05] Now, watch this. It says that everyone who becomes a Christian has this allotment of faith, has this apportioning of faith. Now, when we talk about this faith, as I said, all the riches that God is to us in his New Testament programming and plan has always been given to us once you are in Christ.

[6:24] Now, he says that you have to add. The art, he says, bountifully, given there is a role we have to play now in our spiritual development. God gives us the divine nature, the power, okay, that supplies unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness based on the knowledge of him.

[6:42] And then the divine nature is given to us or that we become partakers of the divine nature based on the promises that are given to us, great and precious promises.

[6:53] So we have the power and the promises. The power enables us to live, gives us all things that pertain to life and godliness. And the promises enable us to be partakers of the divine nature.

[7:08] Hallelujah. And so power and divine nature, we have it. It's there. Whatever pertains to life and godliness is already inside us. And the divine nature is also embedded in us.

[7:21] Now, watch this. It says that giving, therefore, on the basis of this, besides all this, then we have to, it says, giving all diligence, putting the effort. NIV says that putting the effort, every effort, New Living Translation, the effort must be, the amplifier says the effort.

[7:37] We have to do something. So God has done, he has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Now, we also have to develop it. Grow it.

[7:49] So spiritual growth is a personal responsibility to everyone who cares to grow. Spiritual growth, spiritual development or spiritual maturity is a personal responsibility.

[8:04] How do you do it? It says that within your faith, let the faith that we have received work on it to, you see, work with it. Work with your faith.

[8:16] Develop your faith to produce. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. When faith is developed, it produces. What does it produce? It produces moral excellence. Virtue here means moral excellence.

[8:29] I wrote down the Greek word atere. Atere is moral excellence. Atere means internal purity.

[8:41] Atere means sanctification through obedience. There is a certain quality. Oh, oh. There is a certain inner beauty that begins to reproduce from our lives by virtue of our work of developing of this, our faith.

[9:00] There is an inner beauty which, watch this, watch this. There is an inner beauty which is part, which is already embedded in us by virtue of the faith seed.

[9:11] Precious and great, or precious faith, which is a seed in us. You know, every growth and development doesn't come from us. It comes from what is already inside.

[9:21] When you plant a seed, the leaves that germinate, the plant that germinate, it's coming out of the seed. It's all embedded in the tree.

[9:32] An apple tree is in the apple seed. And so, the divine nature that we have been given and this faith we have is what is responsible for our ability to produce this atere, this godly manifestation of moral excellence.

[9:51] And so, it says that, watch this. When faith is being developed, it results in moral excellence. So, it says that, giving all diligence, it says, supply bountifully.

[10:04] Do everything you can. Add more, add more, bountifully. Every effort to bountifully produce moral excellence.

[10:14] And it says that, watch this. And besides, I think I would like to read from the New American Standard Version, verse 5.

[10:25] Now, for this very reason also, applying all diligence in your faith, supply moral excellence. Did you see that? Applying all diligence in your faith.

[10:37] You are doing it. The faith is the sphere. In your faith, supply moral excellence in your faith. So, this is loaded.

[10:48] Applying all diligence. Some other translation talk about bountifully supplying. All right. Applying all diligence in your faith. Bountifully supply moral excellence.

[11:01] And in your moral excellence, watch this. This is where it's going. The stage is first. The more you are working with God, the more moral excellence, virtue begin to show in your life.

[11:15] Well behavior. Things are done well. If you are maturing spiritually, it will be evidenced in the level of excellent moral behavior that we produce.

[11:31] It's a sign that, bro, you are growing. It's a sign that, sister, you are growing. Moral excellence. Virtue. And then it says that, now to virtue.

[11:42] Within your virtue, as you are developing your faith to produce virtue. Virtue being developed to be produced. As virtue is being produced. Watch this.

[11:53] Within the virtue that is being produced, you end up generating knowledge. Okay. It says that, and to moral excellence, knowledge. And to virtue, knowledge.

[12:06] It didn't say God is adding in you. You have to. Now, this knowledge is gnosis. Where the other one in the verse 2, when it says that grace be multiplied in the knowledge. That is epignosis.

[12:18] All right. The epignosis is an experiential knowledge. But you get to know by interaction and experience. All right. Now, we are work with Christ.

[12:28] We have to have an experiential knowledge. But he says that this gnosis is not just experiential knowledge. It's also actual head knowledge. So, in your Christian journey, when you are growing, you grow in knowledge.

[12:45] Knowledge of what? Knowledge of the things of God. And you see, you can't grow in knowledge without a good teacher. It is what it is.

[12:58] Somebody said, how can I know these things? How can I know that? Except someone teaches me in Acts chapter 8 verse 30 or so. How can I know that? That's why teaching plays a major role in every program and process of discipleship.

[13:13] Process of discipleship is hinged on teachings. Sound teachings produces sound discipleship. And sound discipleship will produce spiritual growth.

[13:27] You can never grow spiritually without discipleship. And discipleship is effectively carried out through teaching and modeling.

[13:38] The things that Jesus began to do and to teach. So, he says that if we are to add knowledge, that means that we have to embark on what brings knowledge.

[13:52] So, he's mentioning seven things here. He said, add to your faith is fundamental or foundational. Now, add to it, virtue. Number one. Number two, add knowledge. So, the stages of spiritual growth is virtue.

[14:06] Then you begin to see that this person is beginning to know the things of God better. He's beginning to understand scriptures better. He's beginning to line upon line.

[14:18] You see, there are believers that, let's say, you might know five years ago who, after five years you meet them, the questions they used to ask is they are asking these same questions.

[14:31] They have not grown in their knowledge. The things that used to bother, the things they used not to understand, the same thing. There has not been any development, any process that spiritual growth is not taking place.

[14:41] He said, add to your faith. That means you can subtract from your faith. Add to your faith. Add to your faith. Now, if you do not, if you are not adding to your faith, your faith is, something is being taken out of your faith.

[15:00] So, it's not stationary. It's not stagnant. You are either going forward. It's like you are swimming upstream. If you stop swimming, you'll be going back.

[15:10] You have to keep swimming and be going. Because everything in the world, you see, we escape the corruption that is in the world, is anti-God. It is geared, you know, everything around us is actually geared, engineered, is tuned, is designed by the evil one, by the enemy under whose way the whole world lies.

[15:32] It's been engineered by him to move in the direction contrary to God's plan. And so, we who have God in us and who have been given this pressure of faith, we have the divine nature to be able to live a counter-life.

[15:46] A counter-life that is not just ordinary. The strength of our Christian living does not come from just our intellectual strength, intellectual abilities or personal abilities or personal discipline just like that.

[16:02] It comes from, first of all, the supply of the divine nature by virtue of these promises and the faith that has been allotted us. So, this is a Christian journey.

[16:14] The Christian journey, as you are growing, how can a child grow teeth, teeth growing if it doesn't have it in, all right, let me put it this way, male and female, okay, male and female, all things being equal.

[16:28] Now, you realize that I have been growing beard and I've been living with my wife for almost 20 years. She is not growing beard. She's not growing beard. Why?

[16:39] Because it's not inside her to grow beard. In the same way, naturally speaking, if anyone is not born again and doesn't have this precious faith, he doesn't have what it takes to produce after the nature of God.

[16:52] And so, first of all, we have been given all things that pertain to life and Godliness. That's God. Now, on the basis of that, we develop this faith to produce virtue and we develop this virtue to produce knowledge.

[17:09] We are beginning to give ourselves diligently to studies. 2 Timothy 2 talks about how steady, verse 15, steady to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[17:23] We give ourselves. This true spiritual maturity, true spiritual growth will always be evidenced in our pursuit of knowing God from his word.

[17:37] Studying, giving ourselves to studying, availing ourselves to teaching, and we are looking for God. We study his word. We hear his words being taught, and we go and refer in scripture, and we, you are knowing God more.

[17:52] You should know God more from his word this year, more than you did last year. And I'm not talking about epignosical, epignosis. I'm talking about the gnosis, just the knowledge, the intellectual ability.

[18:07] Intellectual ability is not just playing mind game, but it stems from your inner man, your spirit, being renewed in the spirit of your mind. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 25 or 524, somewhere there.

[18:19] Being renewed in the spirit of your mind. It starts from there. So it's a spiritual thing. But being transformed by the renewing of your mind. Something is happening to your mental faculties. By virtue of knowing and knowledge.

[18:32] You are knowing as you are growing. You are knowing. There are things I know now which I didn't know last year about God. There are knowledge. There's a knowledge I know, so long as understanding and studies is concerned, about God and about his word, which I didn't know last year.

[18:48] So as I'm growing, I'm getting to know more. And so I'm adding knowledge to my virtue or I'm developing knowledge through my virtuous living.

[19:00] Giving myself to teaching. Giving myself to listening to sound teaching. How some words. Giving myself. It produces this knowledge. So I'm developing knowledge through virtue.

[19:12] And he says that, and add to virtue. Hallelujah. So it says that, let's go back to the text. I'm reading from the New America Standard Version.

[19:25] Now, for this reason, also, applying all diligence in your faith, supply moral excellence. And in moral excellence, knowledge. And in knowledge, in your knowledge, self-control.

[19:38] The more you are knowing the things of God. Not just God. The things of God. The way God does things. The way what the scriptures say. You're understanding things better. Christian relationship.

[19:48] The value of fellowship. Anyone who doesn't have appreciation for fellowship is actually not growing. Your spiritual growth is evidently not in view.

[20:02] Because we grow through fellowship. And as you grow, you begin to understand that fellowship is such an intrinsic, essential part of Christian work. Yeah. It's non-negotiable.

[20:13] You can't negotiate it. You can't circumvent it. Fellowship is important. There are key things. Key things. Relationships.

[20:24] Prayer. Giving. Worship. Forgiveness. There are some things that are so essential to Christian work.

[20:36] As you are growing, you get to know, oh, okay. Oh, okay. I couldn't, I didn't know this. Oh, no. Wow. So this is what the Bible meant when you said this. And this is how God, okay, so God.

[20:48] Five, ten years ago, the questions you are asking about whether God created the heaven and earth. You are still asking the same question. You are not growing. You are not growing. You are not growing. You are not growing. So stages of spiritual growth, number one, virtue.

[20:59] Number two, knowledge. Number three, the Bible, King James uses the word temperance. And then I think the new American started uses self-control.

[21:13] All right. Temperance. Temperance. The Bible talks about how Paul, when he was given his defense before King Felix, the Bible says here, Acts chapter 24, verse 25, as he reasoned with him concerning righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come.

[21:33] The man got scared. He reasoned. He spoke about self-control. Self-control is part of spiritual development. In fact, the first Timothy chapter 3, verse 2, the Bible clearly enjoins that the bishops must have self-control.

[21:50] The bishop must have self-control. One of the things, being a husband of one wife, he said he must be sober. King James uses the word sober. It's self-control. Self-control.

[22:02] All right. So, sorry, King James uses the word temperance. Other versions use sober. I think you can use sober also. And then it's the same as self-control.

[22:14] All right. So, he said, add self-control. In 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 11, he says, get the wives, the women, to exercise, be sober. Let them not be tailbearers.

[22:27] Today you are talking, he said, control yourself. Teach them to be sober. Self-control is part of, and self-control is personal inside you, from inside you. And in Titus chapter 2, verse 2, it talks about the elders, from verse 1, talk about the elderly men.

[22:43] Teach them to be sober. To be sober. They should be, they must be able to hold themselves. Brother, man of God, Christian brothers, you are growing elder.

[22:56] It says that we should be sober. I think I'll read it. Titus chapter 2, verse 2. Thank you, Jesus.

[23:11] Titus chapter 2, verse 2. That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

[23:21] The aged men be sober. It's be self-controlled or temperate. Because you are able to hold yourself back. It's not everything that you are under pressure to do that you come out.

[23:32] You feel pressured to do that you do. Hallelujah. But as we grow, we all begin to exhibit. So we add to our knowledge. You see, knowledge helps you to exercise stronger self-control.

[23:45] Yeah. Your knowledge about God. Your knowledge of God. The knowledge about the things of God. As you are growing in your knowledge, you then have the chance to now, through your knowledge, develop self-control.

[23:57] Hallelujah. So struggling with self-control, that means that your spiritual growth is stunted. Okay. Spiritual growth is stunted. And you have to develop virtue in order to develop knowledge, in order to develop temperance, which is self-control.

[24:13] And then it goes on to say, let me read you from there. It says that, into your knowledge, self-control, and self-control, perseverance into perseverance, godliness.

[24:29] Godliness. All right. Let's go to perseverance. Perseverance. Another word for perseverance is patience. Patience. Patience. In Romans chapter 5, verse 3, it talks about how tribulation produces patience.

[24:44] Patience. And in James chapter 1, verse 3, it says, count it all joy. When you go through various things, knowing that the trial of your faith produces patience.

[24:57] Patience is such a great virtue. In fact, Hebrews chapter 6, verse 12, it says that, Don't be slothful, but be followers of those who through faith and patience.

[25:08] He said, Hebrews chapter 10, verse 36, ye have need of patience, that after you have endured, you obtain the promise. There is a need for patience.

[25:20] Patience, the ability to hold yourself back and to hold on to God's word. Watch this. Hold on to God's word in your dealings with people and circumstances.

[25:32] So, now, self-control has to do with internal you, yourself, how you deal with yourself. Patience has to do with how you deal with others and situations.

[25:43] How you deal with others and allowing God's word to be in control or to influence you. You will intentionally allow God's word.

[25:54] Not allow your feelings, but you'll allow the word of God to influence you in spite of how you might feel. You choose to allow God's word to influence you in dealing with circumstances and in dealing with people.

[26:07] That's patience. So, he says that to temperance, add patience. Develop patience. Development of patience is important, very important.

[26:18] Then he said to patience or to perseverance, godliness. Godliness is being like God or expressing God.

[26:34] So, we are like God in our behavior. You see? So, the more we exercise, watch this, our faith, as we are growing, when you are growing, that faith you have, you are working on it to produce virtue.

[26:51] And you work on your virtue or work with your virtue to produce knowledge. You work with your knowledge and within the knowledge, you work with it to produce self-control. And you work within the self-control and with your self-control to produce patience or perseverance.

[27:08] And you work within your perseverance to produce then you are looking like God in your behavior. Hallelujah. In your thinking, in your approach, you are looking like, I mean, God is being expressed.

[27:19] Godliness, expression of God. So, he says that to your perseverance, add godliness. King James says add, but it means develop. That's like that. So, first stage, virtue.

[27:31] Second stage, knowledge. Third stage, self-control. Fourth stage, perseverance or patience. Fifth stage of spiritual growth is godliness. Godliness.

[27:43] And then, the sixth stage of spiritual growth is when you work on godliness within godliness. In fact, 2 Peter 1 verse 3 talks about, he has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

[27:56] So, we can't say we have an excuse. Faith is the seed. When you work on your faith, if it's true, genuine working on your genuine faith, it will invariably produce virtue.

[28:10] And as you work on virtue and work with virtue, it invariably produces knowledge. As you work with knowledge, it invariably produces self-control or soberness. And as you work with self-control, it invariably produces patience or perseverance.

[28:24] And as you work with perseverance, it invariably automatically by default produces. When you work on your, when I work and we work on our godliness, it's by default generates or results in or produces godliness.

[28:44] And as we work with godliness and work on godliness, it's by default begin to produce what the Bible calls brotherly kindness, brotherly love, brotherly love.

[28:55] So, let's go to the text. It says that, now, for this very reason, reason also, I'm reading the New American Standard Version.

[29:07] It says, applying all diligence in your faith, supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and your knowledge, self-control, and your self-control, perseverance, and your perseverance, godliness, and your godliness, brotherly kindness, and your brotherly kindness, love.

[29:25] Now, King James puts it this way. It says that, and to knowledge, temperance, and your temperance, patience, and your patience, godliness, and your godliness, brotherly kindness, and your brotherly kindness, charity.

[29:36] So, now, when we work on godliness, it produces what is to godliness, brotherly kindness. What is brotherly kindness? 1 Peter 1, verse 22. I think I would like to read it since it's just around the corner.

[29:48] Verse 22 talks about how, seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the, I thought on this, unfeigned love of the brethren, unmasked love.

[30:03] See that ye love one another with pure hearts fervently. You love the brethren. The key word there, you love the brethren. Unto the love of the brethren.

[30:15] This is brotherly love. Philadelphos. Philadelphos. The love for brotherly. Now, brotherly love is generated by feelings about somebody.

[30:27] How I feel about you. How I feel. I feel I'm in a good mood about you. I feel good about you. And I really want to do things for you because I feel good about you. I feel good with myself. And I just, that's brotherly love.

[30:39] And brotherly love must, that is why you have to be careful what you are telling somebody about somebody. Because what you are telling this brother about this other brother. Because this other brother said something that was not so nice about this brother.

[30:54] You will end up undermining brotherly love that this brother can show to that other brother. So, you, God will hold you responsible for contributing to or generating the breakdown of potential development of brotherly love.

[31:14] Because he says that we should love one another forever. And we have to add. See, as you are walking with God and being like God and expressing God, brotherly love is automatic.

[31:25] It's just, it's just, in 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 17, it talks about honor the king.

[31:39] Love all men, honor the king. Let me read it just. Love the brotherhood. Verse 17 says that honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God, honor the king. Love the brotherhood.

[31:50] Love the brotherhood. Brotherhood. Chapter 3 verse 8. It says, finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another. Love us brethren.

[32:02] Hallelujah. Brotherly love. Now, this is talking about love within a certain community. Okay. So, when we're in, this kind of love is needed for the building of any healthy and effective church.

[32:16] That's why gossip destroys churches very fast. Gossip. Gossip. Gossip. It spoils church easily. Brotherly love strengthens church efficaciously.

[32:28] Brotherly love. As we walk in brotherly love, as we demonstrate brotherly love, the church ends up doing well. And I believe you will do well and your church will do well.

[32:39] In the name of Jesus, you will do well. Your church will do well. As we all grow into Christ, we are growing in the stages. We are growing in virtue. And we are growing in knowledge.

[32:50] We are growing in self-control, temperance. We are growing in patience. We are growing in godliness. And we are growing in brotherly love. The more we grow in godliness, the more brotherly love gets generated and we grow.

[33:03] Okay. So stage of spiritual growth number six is brotherly love. When brotherly love is being manifested in your life, it's showing that you are actually spiritually maturing. Yeah.

[33:15] You are spiritually, you are developing spiritually in your work with God. Because it's not just I look like God. I love like God. Or I love one another.

[33:26] The love that makes fellowship sweet. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The love that makes fellowship good. That's what I mean. I don't believe. I have to be part of any fellowship. You see, brotherly love is missing. That's why.

[33:37] Brotherly love is missing. Yeah. Brotherly love. Brotherly love. Brotherly love is very important. In fact, in John chapter 13 verse 34 and 35, Jesus posted this way that when you have love for one another, the world will know that you are my disciples.

[33:56] See, this is talking about brotherly love. It's necessary for Christians. That we begin to feel good about one another. In Galatians chapter 6, I think verse 10 or so.

[34:07] Verse 9. Verse 10, I think so. Galatians chapter 6. Yeah. It talks about how we should do good to all the, especially those who are on the household of faith.

[34:22] They're talking about the brethren. Brethren. Those who are in the house. We are a people. We are a family. And that is why brotherly love is necessary to give us so we can develop strong family ties.

[34:36] The church is a family. The church is a family. That is why it says that anyone who will be a church leader, a bishop, must be able to, must be someone who knows how to manage a family.

[34:47] Who manages his house well. First Timothy chapter, I think chapter 4 verse 5. No, it can't be 4. So 5 verse 4, 3 verse 5. Somewhere there. It says that the bishop must be able to manage his own house well.

[34:58] Why? Because the church is a family. And so if you can't run a family, you can't run a church. And if you don't know how to relate within a family setting, then you don't value family relationship.

[35:13] Invariably, you won't value church relationship. Some people don't value church relationship because they don't value family relationship. They don't value relating with others who are like them. Listen, listen.

[35:27] I don't have a choice if you are a Christian. I don't have a choice. And particularly if you are in the same church, the same local, because that's when we see one another. I don't have a choice. But I have to love you. I don't have a choice. I don't have a choice.

[35:37] You don't have a choice. But to love that brother in your church, I don't like the way because it doesn't matter. It's not about whether you like or not. It's about we are one. Hallelujah. And guess what? Guess what?

[35:47] The nature, the divine nature is in you to enable us to live this divine life. Hallelujah. So I don't have a choice.

[35:59] You don't have a choice but to love one another. Love the brethren. And in John chapter 15 verse 16, Jesus said, you bear fruit.

[36:12] I think, let me read it. You, if you are my disciple, you did not choose me. I chose you that you bear fruit and that your fruits will abide and wash this.

[36:25] Then he says that you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruits remain. And whosoever, whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he will give to you.

[36:40] Verse, look at verse 17. These things I command you that ye love one another. I command you these things that ye love one another. It's just a commandment from Jesus because it's the brotherly love.

[36:53] And he said brotherly love. To brotherly love add charity. What's the difference? Because charity is also love. No, charity is the agape. This one is agape. First one is failure.

[37:05] But the other one, the failure, brotherly love, agape. The God kind of love which God alone actually exhibits. And so that is the fruit.

[37:16] The root is faith. The fruit of spiritual development is agape love. The course of time, I would like to continue in our next session.

[37:29] But I pray that you have received something. And we are going to work and develop our faith. And we will go through this. The stages of faith development will be showing in our life.

[37:40] The stage one, which is virtue or moral excellence. Stage two, which is knowledge. Stage three, which is self-control. Stage four, which is patience or perseverance.

[37:54] Stage five, which is godliness. Stage six of spiritual growth, which is brotherly kindness. And stage seven, which is the fruit, which is the charity agape love.

[38:08] I pray may God give us all grace to be able to work with him and develop our faith so the glory comes to him. For he has called us to glory and virtue. To the glory of his name.

[38:20] In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry. When God speaks, works show. And the works will surely show in your life. To hear more from David Entry, follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn.

[38:36] And subscribe to Karis Church on YouTube. Don't forget to share and subscribe to our podcast so you're always up to date. Be blessed.