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[0:00] Thank you for choosing to listen to today's message by Reverend Dr. David Entry. We know you will be blessed as you seek and serve God. We believe that this message will stir up a desire for more of God, even as you listen.

[0:13] Be blessed. I'll be talking about how to grow, okay, into full or into spiritual maturity, to come to full age.

[0:26] Because as I said in the previous teaching, that when you are a believer, you come in as a babe. There are two aspects of spiritual growth.

[0:38] Jesus said to Simon Peter, do you love me more than this? Feed my lamb and feed my sheep. So there's the lamb level, the lamb level, and there's a sheep level.

[0:51] So lamb level. And there are three aspects of spiritual growth, which are the baby level, okay, children, young people, or the youth, and the fathers, which is the old ones.

[1:07] Now, I'm not talking about in respect to age and time. I'm talking about with respect to spiritual growth.

[1:17] Another word for spiritual growth is a person's constitutional capacity, okay, in the spirit.

[1:30] Okay, so your constitutional capacity for spiritual perception beginning to work. I will explain what it means.

[1:42] So now it's so important to understand this aspects of spiritual growth. But before I actually go further into spiritual growth, it's necessary to define spirituality.

[1:56] But before I define spirituality, let's read what we read in the previous session. In 1 Corinthians 3, verse 1, it said that, And I, brethren, could not speak to you as unto spiritual.

[2:13] You remember the Greek word pneumaticos. I could not speak to you as unto pneumaticos, or somebody who is spiritual, a person who is spiritual.

[2:24] But as unto carnal, or unto psychicos, which is carnal.

[2:42] Then it went on to say, unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. So you can be, when you are a babe in Christ, you tend to demonstrate or likely and easily demonstrate carnality.

[3:00] So it's not how long you have been in church that determines whether you are youth or youth in the Lord, I mean, or father in the Lord, or matured in the Lord, or, you know, old age, advanced in the Lord.

[3:18] It is not timing, because here it said, I spoke to you as carnal, as unto babes. All right, so your carnality is what determines whether you are a babe or your spirituality.

[3:34] Your spirituality is what determines how grown, spiritually grown you are, or how spiritually babe you are.

[3:44] So you are an infant when it comes to spirituality by virtue of the manifestation of the demonstration of carnality.

[3:56] What is carnality? I explained in a previous session that carnality is when the flesh is being demonstrated, or somebody operating from the flesh as though the person is not a believer.

[4:12] So when you operate from the flesh as though you are not a believer, another, the word, the biblical word is you are carnal. You are being carnal.

[4:24] Having said that, it is necessary to take my time to explain some things with respect to carnality. Now, Paul said in Romans chapter 7 verse 14 that I am a man, I am carnal, sold under sin.

[4:45] Okay, Romans 7 verse 14, it says, the things I want to do, I can't do. Verse 14 says that, for we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.

[4:58] So the law is spiritual, it's of God, so it's spiritual. But I am carnal, the problem is not the law, the problem is me, my carnality. Now, this is the language of someone who has been regenerated, or been born again, or been justified, or been redeemed, or been reconciled.

[5:22] Okay, so in the initial few, two sessions ago, or two teachings ago, I spoke about the four main ways, some four main ways, like justification, redemption, reconciliation, and propitiation.

[5:43] Justification, redemption, reconciliation, and propitiation. Yeah, sanctification is there, but the sanctification is in, and when you are in, you get sanctified, and it's a process. Justification is instant, you are declared righteous.

[5:57] Okay, however, we also have this word, which is regenerated. That means you are born again. You have been regenerated. A new life has been introduced into you.

[6:09] First, in Titus chapter 3 verse 5, it said, we have been, not by the works of, we have not been saved by our works, but we have been saved by the regeneration of the Spirit, and the renewal of the Spirit.

[6:26] Okay, so regeneration means that to be born again, to be born anew. First, Peter chapter 1 verse 3, it talks about how we have been born again, unto a living hope, a lively hope, by the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

[6:45] Now, that word born again, in other translations, is regenerated. In the same, first Peter chapter 1 verse 23, it said, being born again, that's in the New King James, but in other translations, it actually used being regenerated.

[7:02] being regenerated, regenerated by the living Word of God, incorruptible Word of God, right? So, regeneration means to be born anew, or born again by the life of God, or into the life of God.

[7:19] And the washing of regeneration, according to Titus chapter 3 verse 5, the washing of regeneration, terminates our old man, washes the old man away, and the renewal of the Spirit, introduces the new life of God.

[7:36] That, all of that is part of the regeneration, complete regeneration process, or someone being regenerated. And so, we have justification, redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, and regeneration.

[7:52] So, when you are born again, you have been regenerated. Why am I taking time to explain these things? Because it is necessary to form the platform and the foundation for what I'm about to explain.

[8:04] So, when you are regenerated, it is the life of God, the Spirit of God, who carries out this regeneration process. It is inside your inner man, your spirit man. It's like God sparks His life in your spirit.

[8:17] He sparks it by the Holy Spirit, sparks His life in your spirit. Now, when you are regenerated, watch this. As I read Romans chapter 7, verse 14, I am carnal, sold under sin.

[8:31] But this is the language of a regenerated person. So, how can you be regenerated and carnal? Now, a believer can be carnal, like Paul wrote to 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapter 3.

[8:45] He said, I could not speak to you as spiritual, but as unto carnal. He was talking about believers. He wasn't talking about people who were in the world. So, that means that you can be a believer and a carnal at the same time.

[8:59] And this is where I'm leading to. There is this teaching, this type of teaching, which is called antinomianism. Anti, that is without, okay, or against. Nomianism, deutero, nomianism.

[9:11] Deutero is two. Nomos is law. Okay, so antinomos is anti-law. Antinomianism is anti-lawism. Where people say, what I, my sin does not, I can sin as much as I can, and it doesn't affect, I don't have to do anything, just continue sinning.

[9:31] It doesn't affect my position in God, and it doesn't affect my work with God. And this is the hyper grace movement. Hyper grace. Oh, it's just by grace. We are, he said, should we continue, Romans chapter 6, verse 1, should we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

[9:46] He said, no. In fact, chapter 5, towards the end, I think 22, somewhere there, it says that, where sin abounds, grace, or grace, increases more, much more abounds.

[9:59] So, if sin increase, grace also increase. So, antinomianism, use this scripture to say, you know what, many people is their belief system. They don't understand how much God loves them.

[10:11] So, because God loves them, God, if you appreciate the love of God for your life, it doesn't matter what you have done, there is enough grace to cover you. So, go ahead, and live the way you want, and there's grace to cover you.

[10:26] No, that is antinomianism. Antinomianism says, you don't need law. You don't need the law of God. You don't need any law. You are saved by grace. So, what you do does not matter.

[10:38] It's just, it's what has happened in your spirit. Some people have been going around, and on the, especially on the internet, and trying to generate and propagate a certain type of teaching that is of the devil.

[10:52] Bible says that doctrines of the devil, I think 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 1 and 2, or 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 1 or 2, chapter 3, says that in the last day, many shall depart from their faith following doctrines of the devil.

[11:08] So, please, do not underestimate doctrines. Satan has teachings, and Satan's teachings can ravage the church or infiltrate the church for somebody to think that, oh, yeah, this is deep, not in our modern days.

[11:22] We want something very intellectual, something very deep. So, this guy is sharing some deep things in the Bible. Oh, no one knows about this. These are esoteric things, things that are esoteric.

[11:35] They are hidden, and it borders on Gnosticism. We know some things. We have knowledge that others don't know, and our knowledge is what determines our superiority because we know some things and we are superior.

[11:50] And because many people are not spiritual and are not born again, but suppose, think to a Christian, they have profession of faith. They profess faith, but they don't possess faith. They profess saving faith, but they don't possess saving faith.

[12:04] So, they might be going to church, but they are not saved. And most of such people don't even know the word of God. So, somebody, in the other time, I heard somebody saying that the Bible contradicts itself.

[12:15] It gives three different accounts, locations of Jesus' death. There's no way in the Bible that shows that Jesus died in three different locations. He died on Golgotha, one place, Calvary, Mount Calvary, Golgotha, the same place.

[12:27] All the three synoptic gospels say the same thing. So, I don't know where sometimes people get this in. When someone tells you that the Bible contains contradicting information, don't mind them.

[12:39] They don't know what they are talking about. Show me. Because people's hearts are callous and negative, Satan has filled their hearts. They always want, and they always want to disdain or disprove that the Bible is the word of God.

[12:51] That's Satan's favorite. He was the first person to do that in Genesis chapter three. Satan was the first person to try and challenge the authenticity, infallibility, reliability, dependability of the word of God.

[13:04] The word of God is infallible, is inerrant, doesn't contain errors, right, in its original state. So, it's important to understand that there are people who are going around trying to carve a kind of congregation, cyber congregation for themselves.

[13:22] That thing is not, is not Christian. Those cyber congregation, it does not, it does not foster discipleship, which I might touch on in a minute. So, coming back to, I want to just come back to what I was saying, that they'll tell you antinomianism, it doesn't matter law, whatever you do, your behavior, no, watch this.

[13:42] You can, watch this, you cannot be regenerated. You cannot have saving faith and be totally carnal. It doesn't work together.

[13:54] It's not possible. Because, depravity of saving faith is what means, or depravity of true works. Works that, that show that you are born again is a reflection of depravity of saving faith.

[14:11] In other words, if you don't have works to show you are saved, that means you actually don't have a saving faith. You see, previously, before the Reformation, they used to say, faith, you need works to determine your salvation.

[14:26] No, works don't determine your salvation. So, the Reformers said, they said, faith equals to, faith alone, by faith, sola fide, faith alone, faith equals to, um, justification, okay, faith equals to justification, but not faith that is alone.

[14:48] So, if faith is, if it's genuine faith, genuine faith possesses works. If you are really born again, true faith will produce a changed life.

[15:00] Hallelujah! That's what I'm trying to say. True faith, anyone who is really regenerate, regenerated, will have inevitable, immediate, necessary works to prove that you are saved.

[15:14] If you don't have works to prove that you are saved, you are not saved, you are not saved by works, but the faith that saves you has works. So, faith equals to justification plus works.

[15:29] If you are justified, it will invariably, inevitably, produce corresponding works. How come you are saved? And there's no sign of your works that you are saved.

[15:43] So, pastor, but if you say people can be carnal, I'm not talking about total carnality. Total, there is nothing like a Christian who is totally carnal.

[15:54] It can never be. You cannot be a true Christian and totally worldly, totally fleshly. Why? Romans chapter 8 says that to be carnally minded is enmity with God.

[16:06] How can you be totally carnal, fleshly, and you are an enemy of God, and yet you are a child of God and in God? No. So, it doesn't exist. If the Spirit of God has worked in you, the Spirit, the regenerating Spirit, alright, the Spirit who is responsible for regeneration will also produce changed life.

[16:27] And so, anyone who does not have changed life to evidence their true faith actually don't possess true faith. They may profess faith, profession of faith does not necessarily equal possession of faith.

[16:44] Going forward for an altar call and saying that I give my life to Jesus or after preaching you want to give your life to Jesus, say these words after me and you said it does not necessarily mean you have been saved.

[16:57] If you said it and you believe it in your heart and you are saved, it will show in your works. Okay? So, saying it doesn't mean you are saved but when you, if you are saved, it will show in your works.

[17:10] We don't have to be told you are saved. We can see a definite changed life. Now, so when you are a Christian, you cannot be a Christian and be totally carnal.

[17:24] It can never happen. There can never be a totally carnal, a totally fleshy, fleshy, and fleshy, fleshy, fleshy, fleshy, Christian.

[17:37] It can never, it doesn't exist. It doesn't exist. It's like somebody is saying that God's friend, who is his enemy? Who is his enemy? You can be God's friend and God's enemy at the same time.

[17:49] How can you be reconciled to God and yet you are an enemy? No, it doesn't happen. So if you have been reconciled to God, that means that there are evidence, what is evidence of the changes or the reconciliation work of God.

[18:05] I'm talking about the initial reconciliation, the justification. If you have been reconciled, there will definitely be evidence and that is what you build on for the second year reconciliation or for sanctification builds on that.

[18:22] Sanification builds on justification. You cannot say I am justified, but there is no trace of sanctification being set aside for God in your life.

[18:33] So coming back to carnality, there can never be a totally carnal believer. In the same way, there cannot be a totally spiritual, 100% spiritual believer.

[18:47] Oh yeah. Can you explain that? I certainly will. I'm glad you want to know and I'm happy to explain it. There cannot be a 100% total believer.

[18:58] Why? Because of the text I said, it says that I am a man, I am carnal, sold, understand, you are a believer, yet there will, there is likely to be, watch this, there is likely to be vestigial remnants of our fallen nature.

[19:16] Even though we have been redeemed, there is likely to be, yes, there is likely to be vestigial remnants. So, in other words, there are bits, you know, you are saved, but still your old nature, there are elements of your old nature because of the flesh, the human nature, there are elements because you are not perfect immediately.

[19:36] Simul justis e peccator is Latin word which means at the same time just and faulty. God has declared you just, but you are not perfect.

[19:48] in Christ we are just, but in totality we are not really fully perfect to be classified as a perfect person. And so, because you are not fully perfect, simul justis, the simultaneous, okay, so the Latin simul means at the same time, justis, justice, just, you are just.

[20:08] God has declared you just. Simul justis, e, that's end, peccator, when they say something is impeccable, that means it's without fault. So, peccator is with fault.

[20:18] So, simul justis, e, peccator, at the same time just end faulty. When you become born again, you are at the same time just end faulty. Now, what do you do? You work out Philippians chapter 2 verse 2, you work out your salvation with fear and trembling so then, so that you can begin to grow.

[20:37] So, he said, I couldn't feed you, watch this, I couldn't speak to you as spiritual. Why? Because you are carnal, a carnal person who hasn't worked to grow. You might have been in church for the past 10 years, but you have still not grown spiritually.

[20:51] You might have been in church for the past 20 years, but you have still not grown spiritually. Even though you are a church elder, you know that you are still a babe spiritually. Okay? By virtue of your carnality and insight into God's word, you cannot be fed with deep things of God, genuinely deep spiritual things.

[21:10] I'm not talking about intellectual things that sound very esoteric and very tantalizing. No, I'm talking about spiritual things that engender more spirituality.

[21:22] That makes you and I'm going to define spirituality in a moment. So, having said all that, I want you to understand that nobody can be, no Christian is, can be 100% carnal.

[21:34] No. 100% carnal is a clear manifestation that you are not a Christian. So, if you are 100% fleshly, worldly, that means, bro, you are not a Christian.

[21:45] If you are 100%, I'm not talking about morality, I'm talking about carnality. The word of God doesn't have a place, it doesn't live in your life. The word of God is not alive in you.

[21:55] That is a sign that you are carnal because when you become born again, the indwelling spirit, the regenerating spirit that regenerates you comes to dwell, watch this, come to indwell or dwell in your spirit.

[22:07] And then from your spirit, once he comes to occupy and energize your spirit. So, every human being has a human spirit.

[22:18] And when you are born again, the spirit of God comes into your spirit to occupy your spirit and occupy and energize your spirit. So, if you are able to live your life from your occupied and energized spirit or regenerate, spirit, living your life from there, letting that, let me put it this way, letting that regenerated spirit, which is occupied and energized by the Holy Spirit, letting that regenerated spirit dominate your living, dominate your living, govern your living, direct your living, move you and lead you.

[23:01] That is what we call you are being spiritual. So, what does it mean to be spiritual? spiritual. A person who denies his soul and does not live by the soul.

[23:13] You are not living by your soul. You are just your natural intellect and your natural will, the things that you naturally would have done anyway. You will, that's the one you will to do and your natural feelings, your soul.

[23:28] So, denying your soul, a person who denies his soul and does not live by his soul but allows his regenerated spirit, energized and occupied, occupied and energized by the Holy Spirit, allow his regenerated spirit to dominate his entire being and his living.

[23:49] That is a spiritual person. Let me summarize it in a, let me say it in a simple way. A person who denies the soul, does not live by the soul, so you deny your soul, your feelings and all, you deny it and allow your regenerated spirit to dominate your entire life and your living.

[24:09] That is a spiritual person. All right? Or let me put it this way. A person who does not behave according to the flesh or act according to your soul.

[24:22] You don't behave according to the flesh or act according to your soul but lives according to your spirit. That is a spiritual person. So you see, it is not got to do shilibilibilibilibilibilibilibilibilibili no, it is not got to do how loud you shout in church.

[24:36] Not got to do how many quotations you can quote, bible scriptures you can quote. That does not mean, that does not show you are spiritual. There are people who can preach, they are naturally good with oration, they speak, they are very articulated, they are speaking.

[24:50] You might think they are naturally strong in that area. So you might think that they are spiritual. It's not spiritual. I think we have to redefine what spirituality means because most of us, we think people are spiritual just by the things they do.

[25:03] No, spirituality is so private and it's so personal. It only produces work, all right? And you cannot be spiritual and also produce carnal results. But how can you be living by your spirit and be producing carnal results?

[25:16] They don't go together. Did you understand what I'm saying? So it's important to understand that. Another way to put it is to be dominated, directed, governed.

[25:27] I like the word. Your life, your entire being is governed or is dominated, is directed by your regenerated spirit. Yes, that is a spiritual person.

[25:39] A spiritual person is a person whose constitutional capacity for spiritual perception is working. You're constitutional.

[25:51] When I say constitutional, when you are regenerated, the Holy Spirit works God into you. God has been constituted into you and is building God into you more.

[26:02] So your constitutional capacity, all right? How much you have been capacity for spiritual perception is working. Because some people's constitutional capacity, they are born again.

[26:14] So they have that constitutional capacity. It's inside. Once you are born again, the Spirit of God inside you, energizing and occupying your spirit is what gives you that constitute. It has been constituted into you and you have that capacity.

[26:27] Okay? So that constitutional capacity for spiritual discernment, if it is working, you are being spiritual. What does it mean for spiritual discernment? You are able to live by the Spirit.

[26:38] You are able to let your spirit be the leading part of your being. Some of us, it's the soul that is the leading part of our being. And those who are not born again is the flesh that is the leading part of their being.

[26:51] So this is a very important thing to understand, brothers and sisters. So 1 Corinthians 2, verse 15, watch this. It says, but he that is spiritual judges all things.

[27:04] So there are people who are spiritual. And I pray that God will help you to be spiritual and you will pursue spirituality. He that is spiritual judges all things.

[27:14] And in 1 Corinthians 3, verse 1, as I read earlier, I could not speak to you as spiritual. And so there are in Galatians chapter, 1 Corinthians 14, verse 37, 1 Corinthians 14, verse 37 says that, if any man thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, you see, so this thing is real.

[27:37] You can be spiritual. You can be spiritual. And then Galatians 6, verse 1, if anyone is overtaken by a fault, you who are spiritual. So spirituality is the ability to live or let your spirit be your spirit, okay, which has the constitutional capacity of the Holy Spirit to dominate your life, your entire living.

[28:03] Your entire living is dominated. So whether at work, at home, in church, anywhere you are, your entire living, your entire life has been dominated by the regenerator, your regenerator spirit.

[28:18] That is what is governing. The regenerator spirit is governing. It governs your living. That is a spiritual person. That is very important. So every, Romans chapter 8, verse 4.

[28:32] Romans chapter 8, verse 4, and then we look at verse 40. Romans chapter 8, verse 4 says that, that the righteous, the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.

[28:43] Watch this. Who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. You see, you walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Your constitutional capacity for spiritual discernment is working.

[28:56] You are walking after the spirit. Look at verse 14. For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God. There is the lead in verse 16. The spirit himself bears witness with our spirits that we are the children of God.

[29:08] There is a fellowship with an internal fellowship within, between your spirit and the spirit of God inside you. And when you begin to live your life from there, or you let that govern your living, that is what spirituality is about.

[29:24] And all of us are striving for that. Okay? So it's in process and stages. As we are striving, the more spiritual you are, the more you are growing.

[29:35] Or the more you are growing in the Lord, the more spiritual you are. Because the more carnal you are, the more you are not growing. You are a babe. So the more you are growing, the more spiritual you become.

[29:47] But you cannot grow without pursuing spirituality and developing the ability to let your spirit govern, control, direct, move, and lead your entire life.

[29:58] Okay? So the more spiritual you are becoming, the more you are growing. And the more you are growing, the more spiritual you are. So it's like a positive correlation.

[30:11] They go hand in hand. So you cannot talk about spiritual growth, or you cannot talk about, yeah, Christian growth. Growing to be full grown in the Lord without someone who is not spiritual.

[30:24] Because when you are full grown, that means it will invariably manifest in your actions. Not in your, necessarily, your spiritual gifts.

[30:36] Okay? But it will manifest in your actions. It will manifest in your works. This is very important to understand.

[30:47] Hallelujah. Now, let me just quickly go on to, wow, let me quickly go on to how to grow up in the Lord or in Christ.

[30:59] How do you grow up in Christ? It is very important. How do you grow up in Christ? In the first place, you remember I quoted a few scriptures in our previous teachings about how spiritual growth is necessary.

[31:15] Spiritual growth is necessary. In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 13. In Ephesians chapter 4, verse. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 13 says that So, we all come to the unity of faith, to the knowledge of the Son of God, and watch this, unto a perfect man.

[31:38] That word, perfect, teleos. Okay? Teleos. Teleos. That's the Greek word. Teleos. Perfect man. So, if you are not, if you are not, if you are not pneumaticus, you cannot be teleos.

[31:59] If you are not spiritual, you cannot be, you cannot be, if you are not spiritual, you cannot, you cannot be full grown.

[32:11] Okay? So, that word, perfect, means full grown. That word, perfect, means full grown. How to grow up in Christ?

[32:22] If you remember, let's look at this text. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 13 says that till we all come to the unity of faith, and we use the word, a perfect man.

[32:35] Okay? Ephesians chapter 4, verse 13. Unto a perfect man, Unto the measure of the city of Christ. A perfect man. That perfect man, he's not talking about perfection in our lifestyle, but he's talking about grown.

[32:51] Teleos. Okay? Full grown man. You remember I spoke about psychicos. Psychicos, which is the carnal person, the fleshly person, and then the psychicos, or psychicos, is the same thing.

[33:06] Psychicos, which is the soulish person. So people who live from their soul. In the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 14, it says, but the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God.

[33:21] They are foolishness unto him. Neither can he, can he know them because they are spiritually disowned. You see, the natural man, that natural man is the psychicos, or psychicos, like psychic, your psychic, psychology, psychicos, right?

[33:35] So it's a person who live from their soul, which is different from psychicos, a person who just lives from the flesh. His flesh is leading them. Now, it says in here that we become full grown man.

[33:47] It takes pneumaticus, a spiritual person, to grow up. So you cannot grow until you are spiritual. So here, it says that, so we come to a perfect man, a perfect man.

[34:00] Hebrews chapter 5, verse 14. Hebrews 5, 14 says that, seeing then that we have, sorry, Hebrews 5, 14 said, but strong means, strong means belongs to them that are of full age.

[34:17] So another word for it is full age or full age. Full age means perfect, which means, um, teleos. The Greek word is teleos. It means full age. It means perfect.

[34:28] It also means full grown. If you look at Philippians, or in fact, Hebrews chapter 6, verse 1. Therefore, leaving the principle, the principle of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection.

[34:40] See that perfection. Let's grow up, grow up. See, it said, let us grow up. And, um, Colossians chapter 4, verse 12. Colossians 4, 12 says, um, Epaphras, who is one of you?

[34:58] A servant of Christ, salute you. Always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in the will of God. Now, perfect in the will of God here, perfect and complete in the will of God means, teleos, grown up in the will of God.

[35:15] You grow up. He's praying that you grow up in the will of God. Hallelujah. I see somebody growing in the name of Jesus. And my, my aim is to keep growing and growing and growing onto a perfect day in the name of Jesus Christ.

[35:27] So that in first Corinthians chapter, um, chapter two, verse six, it says, how be it? We speak wisdom among them, among them that are perfect.

[35:39] You see, that are full grown. So perfect here means grown. And then first Corinthians chapter 14, verse 20, first Corinthians chapter 14, verse 20 says that when I, uh, brethren, be not children in your understanding, how be it in malice, be children, but in understanding, be men, be grown.

[36:00] Okay. So there is a place where we have to grow. Bible is telling us we should grow. You can't remain a babe. You must grow up. Now, how does one grow up? How does one grow up in Christ?

[36:11] How do you become grown? Number one, let me read the scripture first. Then I'll mention the point. Colossians chapter one, which I quoted in our previous session. Colossians chapter one, verse 20 says that whom we preach, warning, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present.

[36:31] Why are we doing this? That we may present every man. Perfect. See that word. Perfect. Full grown. Okay. We may present every man, full grown, every man of age. So the people we are teaching, that is the job of the pastor.

[36:45] That is the, the, the essence of pastoral work to teach people God's word. We said, we want every man and we want every man and teach. So we want and teach preaching.

[36:58] So let's, let me read it again. And I'll, I'll pull a point out for you over there. So it says that whom we preach, we are preaching Christ, but in our preaching, we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom.

[37:12] So preaching should be, the content of preaching should be warning and teaching in all wisdom. That's it. The actual preaching is warning and teaching. You don't want anybody to warn you.

[37:24] No. Preaching will warn you and teach you in wisdom, in all wisdom. Preaching. So whom we preach, we preach Christ, we proclaim Christ, warning and teaching every man in all wisdom.

[37:37] So we will present you perfect before God. Hallelujah. Let me read from the, uh, amplified version. Amplified version is interesting. Him. We preach and proclaim warning and admonishing every, everyone.

[37:52] And instruct the teaching also means instructing. So instructing everyone in all wisdom. You see that democratic type of Christian mindset does not work because you will be instructed from God's way, from God's way.

[38:07] The Lord is the King and his word, where is where is this law? The law of the kingdom is the weight. The law of the God's kingdom is the weight. And we, the pastor and the leaders of church, our main job is not to pray for you.

[38:23] Our main, we should pray for you. Do you to pray for us. Okay. So we pray for one another, but our main job is to teach you, is to teach you. In other words, to preach or proclaim Christ, warning and instructing you and teaching you in all what this is.

[38:38] It says that who we preach and proclaim warning and admonishing everyone and instructing everyone in all wisdom. What does it mean to do it in wisdom? In comprehensive insights into the ways and purpose of God.

[38:52] Why? That we may present every man, every person mature. Do you see that? Matured, full grown, fully initiated, complete and perfect in Christ, the anointed one.

[39:06] So we are doing this so we can present you matured, full grown, fully initiated, complete and perfect. When, I'll be the same word, teleos.

[39:17] So we might present you teleos. We want you to be full grown. So how do you get full grown? It takes teaching and preaching. It takes, sorry, it takes the warning and teachings of preaching.

[39:30] Okay. Number one, it takes the warning and the warning and teachings of preaching. The preaching comes with warning and teachings that you can add instructions.

[39:40] But for, to make my sentence short, the warning and teachings of preaching is what, is what makes people grow up. Another word is discipleship.

[39:51] Discipleship. Discipleship is when someone, or when a person is being schooled. Jesus said, go into the world and make disciples of all nations. Make disciples. They are like, a disciple is like an apprentice, apprentice, who is watching, following a boss or a master, and learning from the master, how things should be done and taking instructions and taking corrections and teaching.

[40:15] That is what church is about. That's what I mean. Does that make sense? Why some people can't stand church, don't like church, especially, especially those of us who think that we are all put together.

[40:25] We don't need anybody to tell me what I should do. I do my own thing. I earn my own money. I can't let them, I can't submit. It takes humility to be a Christian. Some people are just proud, but it has been shrouded in, it is like nicely shrouded, you know, so you won't notice it.

[40:44] It's shrouded in piousity, piousity, but, but kind of. Anyway, so we, we want and admonish people to grow. So number one, how do, how do you grow in Christ?

[40:56] Discipleship. Discipleship. Ephesians chapter four. You remember Ephesians chapter four, where it says that to some, he gave apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some teaching and teachers, pastors and teachers.

[41:09] What? Verse 12, Ephesians 4, for the equipping of the saints. Equipping of the saints is, to train. The Greek word is katatismus, katatismus, to train them, okay, to mend them, to fix, to fit, to fit ready for work, to fit them.

[41:27] Then it says that for the, for the equipping of the saints, for the work, so that the saints do the work of the ministry, that, so that the saints do the work of the ministry, until we all come to the unity of faith, to the fullness and the stature of Christ, to a perfect man, a full grown man, a full grown person.

[41:46] That's why we are coming there. But it takes the work of the apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, the pastor and teacher. That's the job. The pastor, apostle, prophet, evangelist teacher, is all working towards getting people, full grown in Christ, full grown in Christ, matured in Christ.

[42:02] So, coming to church, and we are not helping you to grow, it is not pastoral work. Pastoral work takes care of you, and primarily also helps you, feeds you, monitors you, disciples you to grow.

[42:15] Church is about discipleship. Church is about discipleship. It's not just friendship, and a certain subculture. It's actually about discipleship. If you are not being discipled, if you are not accountable, then you are not being discipled.

[42:29] If you are not being discipled, then there's no way you can ever grow in your work with God. You can't be spiritual in the absence of spiritual discipleship. You cannot grow in Christ in the absence of discipleship.

[42:41] Wow. It says in 2 Timothy 3, verse 16 and 17, all scripture is given by the breath of God, and by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instructions in righteousness.

[42:55] Verse 17, that the man of God will be thoroughly furnished. That furnished is the same word for the equipping of the sin, to be thoroughly equipped onto every good work.

[43:06] But for you to be equipped, to come to a level of perfection, full grown, it requires, it needs somebody using the word of God for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instructions in righteousness.

[43:22] If you don't like instructions, you can't grow as a Christian. I'm like, why is a pastor? Some pastors, I don't like their attitude. It's your attitude that is making pastoral work very difficult. Some people, they don't make pastoral work sweet.

[43:37] They make pastoral work hard. Hard. Orangus is like, the alligator skin, puffin skin, but it variably hurts them. Because you can't grow, and you can't enjoy, the fullness of God in your life.

[43:52] Bible says that, being filled with the fullness, you can be filled with the fullness of God. Yes. Ephesians chapter 3. You can, a person can be filled with the fullness of God. Ephesians 3, 17, 18, 19, filled with the fullness of God.

[44:06] Hallelujah. Because of my time, I have to move on. So, the, the next point is, so number one, the warnings and teachings of the, of, of preaching, that's discipleship.

[44:19] Number two, walking in the spirit, exercising your, or exercising your spiritual man, your spirit man. How do you grow, how do you grow in Christ? Walk in the spirit.

[44:30] Galatians chapter 5, verse 16, walk in the spirit, and you do not, you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. Galatians chapter 5, verse 20, 25, if we live by the spirit, let us walk by the spirit. It's, you have to take a conscious effort, to exercise your spirit.

[44:45] You, if you ignore your spirit, you won't grow. So you have, you have, it must be an intentional effort, to walk in the spirit. Let your spirit, regenerated spirit, well-fed spirit, be your leading.

[44:56] Don't make decisions, just because of your emotions, the way I feel. What this person said to me, just make sure you are, you are living by the spirit, who, whose governing principle, is God's word.

[45:07] So God's word, you can never live by the spirit, and break God's word, and do something contrary, to God's word. So, when you walk by the spirit, being spiritually minded, that's what the Bible says, to be carnally minded, is there, but to be spiritually minded, is peace, life and peace.

[45:24] Romans chapter 8, I think verse 13. Yeah, verse 13, I believe so. So, to be spiritually minded, is life and peace. So, when you have to set your mind, on things above, Colossians chapter 1, chapter 3, I'm sorry, set your mind on things, your mind sets, it's a mind set, until you set your mind, in a certain way, you'll be struggling, in your Christian life.

[45:47] You'll be struggling, in your spirituality. And some people, well, I just don't want to be spiritual. It's likely, you're not born again, because when you're born again, there is an upward drive, upward pull.

[45:57] You actually want, so there are people, I can't be bothered, I just don't, I just want to be in church, and go to church, and go. I have to, I just don't joke with my church, so I'll go to church, and I stay out, just go to church, and no, that's not Christian life.

[46:09] The Christian life, is an us life, us, us, community life, and accountability, and discipleship. That's very important. Right? The, the, the, um, I think I should read, work in the spirit, you know, 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 20, I think this, this would be a blessing.

[46:27] 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 20, 23, it says that, but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews' estumbling block, to the Greeks' foolishness. Do you remember? He said, the spiritual man, um, verse, chapter 2 verse 15, but, he that is spiritual, judges all things, all things.

[46:43] He said, so to be spiritual, to work in the spirit, your, your estimation, your judgment is right, but, those who are not working in the spirit, verse 23, verse 22, so for the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks look after wisdom.

[46:56] All those things in their soul, they are looking for, okay, show me a sign, show me a sign, it doesn't make sense for me. They are not engaging their spirit. They are not engaging, so the, the preaching of the gospel ends up being foolishness.

[47:08] All right, I think I need to move on quickly. So, um, number two is work in the spirit. Number three, desire, and, desire, desiring and knowing the truth of God's word.

[47:18] It's so important. How will you grow? In, uh, first Peter chapter 2 verse 2, as newborn babes, what should you do? Desire the sincere milk of the word, what, that you will grow thereby, you see?

[47:29] So, desiring makes you grow. So, desire the sincere milk of the word, the word, that you, you will grow thereby. In John chapter 17, verse 17 and verse 19, this is Jesus's high priestly prayer, when he was praying for his disciples.

[47:44] This is what he said. Sanctify them by your, thy truth, thy word is truth. Okay? So, he says, sanctify. You know, I spoke about sanctification. Yeah, being spiritual, being reconciled, is being sanctified.

[47:56] You are growing in the Lord, sanctification process. And he said, it takes the word. So, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. Look at verse 19. And for their sakes, I sanctify myself, that they, they also might be sanctified through the truth.

[48:11] Through the truth. So, it takes the truth. It takes God's word for somebody to be sanctified. Chapter 15 of John. John chapter 15, verse 3. It says that, now you are, you are clean through the word, which I have spoken unto you.

[48:27] So, it takes the word of God to clean us. The word of God cleanses us. The word of God sanctifies us. It takes the word of God. In Ephesians chapter 5, when it says, husbands, love your wife, as Christ loved the church.

[48:40] Verse 26 says that, that he might present, he might wash her with a washing of regeneration, and present her faultless, a perfect bride.

[48:52] Oh, permit me to read it. So, I just don't quote it. Anyhow. Let me, it says that, that he might sanctify, yes, sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.

[49:07] You see, it takes the word to wash the church, to cleanse the church, that he might present. Remember, Paul said, we want to present you full grown. He said that he might present the church to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

[49:24] So, he said, Christ cleanses us through his word. So, it takes the word of God for us to be cleansed. First John chapter 1, chapter 2, verse 14, I'm sorry.

[49:37] First John chapter 2, verse 14, says that, I have written unto you fathers. You remember, you remember from the beginning, I spoke about three aspects of spirituality, or spiritual growth.

[49:48] Fathers, I've written unto you fathers, because you have known him. That is from the beginning. I've written unto you young men. Why? Because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and have overcome the word.

[50:01] So, young men. So, the young man, it takes the word to be a young man. It takes the word to be a, the amount of word. When you read verse 13, it says that, I've written unto you fathers, because you have known him.

[50:12] That is from the beginning. I've written unto you young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I've written unto you little children, because, so, little children, young men, fathers. Little children, young men, fathers.

[50:25] These are the three aspects of spiritual, the spectrum of spiritual growth is very important. And so, he said, I've written unto you. So, it takes the word that has come to us to make us grow.

[50:36] So, number one, the warnings and teachings of preaching. Number two, walking in the spirit. Number three, desiring and knowing the truth of God's word. Number four, practicing the word.

[50:48] Hebrews chapter five, verse 14. He said, strong meat belongs to those who by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern between, have their, who by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

[51:05] Strong meat. All right. Verse 13 says that, for everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he said, babe. So, a lot of spirituality has to do with the word of God inside you and working in your life.

[51:16] He said, he said, babe, because he's unskillful in the word of righteousness. Then he said, but strong meat belongs to them that are of full age. Oh, wow. They're full grown. Hmm. Even those who by, how did they become that?

[51:28] Who by reason of use, have their senses exercised, they put the word of God into action and it develops them. So, the more you act on the word of God, the more you obey the word of God, the more spiritual you are becoming and the more you are growing in the Lord.

[51:42] So, act on the word of God. Remember what I read earlier on. I write unto you young men, because you have the word of God and first John chapter two, verse 14, and you have overcome, you have overcome the, the wicked one or something like that.

[51:55] Now, the last point is point number five. Leave the soulish living. Leave it. You have to walk away. Bible said, Jesus, this is how Jesus posts it.

[52:06] Deny yourself, take up the cross, your cross and follow me. In James chapter three, verse 15, it talks about the wisdom, which is sensual wisdom. That's soulish. Okay. So, when you talk about soulish, it's sensual.

[52:18] In Jude chapter, Jude verse 19, Jude verse 19 says that, these be, these be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the spirit.

[52:30] So, you can be sensual. Okay. So, they are sensual. That is being soulish. Just your senses, living by your senses. I feel, I feel, I guess, ask for me, this is how I think. Drop it and what does God say?

[52:42] What you think is not important. What God says is important. So long as your spiritual growth is concerned. All right. And then, first Corinthians chapter 15, verse 44.

[52:54] First Corinthians chapter 15, verse 44, says that, it is sown in natural, it is sown in natural, it is raised spiritual body. It is, there is a natural body and there is a spiritual body.

[53:08] So, don't just be natural. That's sensual. Just, that is, the, the, the, the Greek word, as I told you, is suke. Okay. So, suke, you are just sensual.

[53:19] You are just natural. Don't just be natural, but there's a spiritual body. Verse 46 says that, how be, that which was first is, is, that, that which was not first, sorry, how be, that was, that was not first, which is spiritual, but that which is natural.

[53:36] So, the natural came first before the spiritual. That's why sometimes we struggle to be spiritual because we are so used to living in the natural realm. But I see God empowering you from today to live in your, in your spirit.

[53:49] Jesus said it clearly. Let me just go to this scripture quickly. In Matthew chapter 16, verse 24, it says that, um, you have to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me. All right.

[54:00] Matthew 16, 24. This is so important. I need to read it. Denial of self. That's your soul life. Okay. Matthew 16, 24 says that, um, then Jesus said unto his disciple, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

[54:17] For whoever will save his life, that life there is the soul life, shall lose it. Whoever shall lose his soul life, shall, uh, for my sake, shall find it. So, you have to deny yourself.

[54:28] Deny your soul life. As for me, this, when somebody speaks like this, it really gets me annoyed. When somebody says, I can't just forgive. I like talking. I like drinking. I like, uh, this. I like that. I like doing this.

[54:39] I, you know, that's me. I've always done this in my life. Drop it. Work on it, and work, work to shine it. So, walk away from it. Remember, I said, a spiritual person is a person who denies their soul.

[54:52] He denies their soul, and does not live by his soul. So, you have to deny. If you want to be spiritual, if you want to grow, you have to deny. Jesus said, deny yourself. That means, deny your soul. Matthew 10, verse 39, it says that, uh, you have to, uh, uh, uh, uh, deny your soul, and then follow me.

[55:12] Matthew 10, 39, it says, it says that, he that finds his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for myself. That life there, is talking about the soul life. The same thing says in Luke chapter 9, verse 23 and 24.

[55:25] Uh, Mark chapter 8, verse, verse 35, the same thing. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me. Deny yourself. If you are not willing to lose your soul life, you can't gain, you can't gain it in Christ.

[55:37] So, you have to lose your soul life. That is how to be spiritual, and to grow. Other than that, your soul life will get in the way. Let me read finally, the last two, in, um, John chapter, sorry, Luke chapter, Luke chapter 17, verse 33.

[55:52] Luke 17, 33. In Luke chapter 17, verse 33, the scriptures say that, whoever shall seek to save his life, shall lose his, whoever shall lose his life, will preserve it.

[56:08] So, then, you see, you have to lose your life. That losing life is not committing suicide, please. It's not committing suicide. That's not what I mean. Losing your life means, denying your soul life. Deny yourself, your soul life, my feelings, my emotions, my thinking, my will.

[56:23] That's what I want. I want it so bad. I have to, I have to, I have to deny that soul. Meanwhile, it's not in line with God. Deny the soul life, and then live by the spirit. Okay. That is how you, you grow.

[56:35] And in last scripture, John chapter, um, 12, verse 25, same, same, same scriptures. John 12, 25, say that, he who loves his life, shall lose it. And he who hates his life in this world, shall keep it.

[56:48] All right. Some party, party, party, raving, raving, raving, raving, raving, raving, party, party, party, party, all kinds of watching, watching all kinds of stuff. You love it. Yeah, it feels good, but you must begin to use your spirit, feed your spirit.

[57:03] So your spirit can be strong enough to dominate your natural living so that your soul, you don't live by your, as a sensual life or by your senses. You don't live a Suki course life or Saki course life, but pneumatic course life.

[57:16] That is how you grow. So number one, how do you grow spiritually? How do you grow in Christ? Number one, the warnings and teachings of preaching, number two, or discipleship. Okay. Discipleship, warnings and teachings of preaching.

[57:28] Number two, walk in the spirit or exercise your spirit. Number three, desiring, desiring and knowing the truth of God's word. Number four, practicing God's word, living God's word.

[57:40] And number five, living, leave your soulish living. Okay. Leave your soulish living. Another word for that is deny yourself. If you do this, that is how you grow.

[57:51] Over time, you are growing spiritually. Because spiritual growth doesn't come as a matter of time. It comes as a matter of practice, as a matter of investment, and as a matter of push. I see you growing in Jesus name.

[58:03] Amen. We thank God for using the servant, Reverend Dr. David Entry, to share this awesome word. If this message has blessed you in any way, please spread the word by sharing it, and send us an email to amen at charis.org.

[58:16]  Remember to stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter for regular updates on what God is doing here at Charis Finish Youth. Stay blessed.