Intentional Measurable Growth

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7) Every relationship requires disciplines that can be learned and must be practiced to ensure success. There are basically six major disciplines of a Christ-Follower. As we grow in our understanding of these, we find our relationship with the Lord is much stronger. Sometimes we forget to practice the very basic disciplines that keep us close to our Lord. It is important for us to be able to recognize just how we are doing in these. The Spiritual Growth Assessment helps us to do just that. The six major areas of the Christ Follower’s life to evaluate are:

• Abiding in Christ - our everyday walk with Christ, how we relate with Him, our identity in Christ. Do we spend time with Him? Do we seek to follow Him in everyday, practical ways?
• Living in the Word - refers to the extent the Word of God influences our everyday life. Understanding how the Scriptures apply to daily living. How much time do we spend in it – reading, studying and meditating? Do we commit God’s Word to memory?
• Praying in Faith - building an effective, biblical prayer life. What does it mean to pray to God? How do we pray without ceasing?
• Building Godly Relationships - the nature of godly relationships with the world, fellow believers and our family. How do we reflect Christ in our relationships with co-workers? How do we reflect Christ in our homes with our spouses, parents and children? Are we regularly in fellowship with other believers?
• Witness to the World - Do we regularly share Christ with unbelievers? Are we unashamed of the gospel to our neighbors and friends? Can our co-workers see the difference in our lives because of our relationship with Christ?
• Minister to Others - Are we serving the local body of Christ? Do we meet the needs of others?

The Spiritual Growth Assessment is made up of two parts. The first we fill out ourselves. For the second part, we ask 2 or 3 other people to fill it out on our behalf. This gives us a picture of how other people see Christ demonstrated in our lives.