We say we grow by leaps and bounds. We speak thus of a flourishing time. Maybe of a youth in his teenage puberty. He grows six inches in a summer. By September he’s faster and stronger than sis who used to be able to boss him around. Mom needs to buy new clothes. Dad needs to work more to put more bread on the table. An economy growing by leaps and bounds would be one where business is thriving. Jobs are plentiful. Wages are good. Creativity is encouraged. The government minds its own business, and not the business of the people. Or a church grows in numbers, in assets, in influence. Growing by such leaps and bounds and resources, it grows to be the envy of many an evangelical.
The Christian and Christian churches grow by Spirit leaps and Spirit bounds. This is not so readily discernible. For the fact is, Christian growth is by leaps and wounds. God would have us close by the cross in our life, and in our growing and in our ministry. As Jesus learned obedience “by the things which he suffered (Hebrews 5:8) so must we. And so must it be, according to the truth of the word of God that it is only through many tribulations that we enter the kingdom (Acts 14:22). There must be a dying to self for advancement in holiness, in our being conformed to the image of Christ. Sanctification, a growth in the holiness of the Holy Spirit, is by subtraction. The subtraction is the decreasing of self. John said of the Jesus he ran before, that he must increase while John must decrease (John 3:30). So of all of us in the kingdom of the new covenant. Or, to change the metaphor, sanctification is by pruning, the pruning of branches of the vine, true believers and believing churches, that there may be no dead wood (John 15).
So for more of Jesus in our life there must be less of self. The old self must be wounded, even mortally, for Christ to occupy us, take over, and we to be formed into his image. Outwardly, God will send his providences to ensure the inward sanctification. He will send sickness. He will scourge the local church with a scoundrel or two. Then it is that there will not only be subtraction that there might be spiritual addition. There will be division that that there might be spiritual multiplication. Or something like that. Always ugliness to the eye of faith, and depressing to the church number counters. Always, however, the way of the Lord. His way, of the members of Christ participating in the sufferings of the cross that are left for them (2 Corinthians 1: 5-7), to show forth grace and the glory and blessedness of the kingdom of heaven.
To appreciate this one must have the mind of Christ and his Spirit. We must be minding not earthly things but heavenly, not earthly ways of advancement and success but heavenly, not the day of big things, big projects, but the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10), and the revelation of God’s own counsel. Take up your cross, Jesus says, and follow me. Be last that you might be first. Seek the things above and not below. All this so that we might grow by leaps and wounds.
Count it all joy then when God adds his subtracting, dividing, decreasing providences, when he himself depresses you that you would be more impressed with him. Count it all joy. So James tells us. This is because in these things, these wounds, these trials and temptations, God is showing his love to us so that we might grow in faith, in patience, in greater esteem for the Savior and the spiritual blessings that are in him.
What do you think? Do you grow by leaps and wounds? Are you happy with that? All who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. It is given to us not only to believe but also to suffer for Christ’s sake.
Godliness. The gift of suffering. Gifts to align us, to identify us with Christ, to strengthen us in our faith in him.
Though it be that we be wounded, and that this is just how we grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Savior.
And in so growing give glory to him.
Good enough for me. You too?
See you at the cross. Half the man I used to be.
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