Content

Welcome …………………………………...…................. 1

1. Chapter 1: Secrets of Spiritual Growth .................….2

2. Chapter 2: Blueprints for Spiritual Growth................11

3. Chapter 3: Converts Study Series:

Study 1.................................................................. 19

Study 2 ………….............................................…... 20

Study 3.................................................................. 21

Study 4 ……...............................…............…...….. 22

Study 5……...........................................………..... .23

Study 6 ……...............................…............…...…...24
 WELCOME INTO CHRIST

I welcome you into the Kingdom life and the fellowship of God's people. The
decision you have taken to accept Christ into your life is the greatest decision in
life and most strategic. I congratulate you. This is the beginning of a long life walk
with God, at the end of which eternity with Christ in heaven is sure if you keep the
faith through till the end. Growing up in Christ and, keeping the faith through till
the end is the challenge of the Christian life that warrants your need for spiritual
help and shepherding. I took this same decision many years ago, and with my
wealth of experience in the Christian life, I have decided to put this book together
as an aid for your success and triumph in the Christian race.

The book you are about to read is simply an insight into the basic secrets that will
enable you to grow in Christ after salvation. Just like the child that is newly born
into the world is expected to grow, so also you are expected to grow in the Lord
after your salvation experience. You are to be an overcomer during several
challenges facing the one who has decided to follow Christ.

You need decision, determination and diligent prayer and supplication to

overcome till the end. Remember that you are now a new creature, on your way
from earth to heaven. As a newborn babe in Christ, you must desire growth. You
must have an intense desire to go deeper with the LORD. Have a spiritual state
of heart that enhances your spiritual growth. Always remain alive in the spirit, and
avoid backsliding, prayerlessness, unforgiving spirit, secret sins, pride,
worldliness and worldly pursuit, covetousness, unhealthy companionship,
immorality, unhealthy comparison, self-satisfaction, talkativeness, hypocrisy,
and guile which serve as hindrances to spiritual growth.

If you are to grow, you must have sincere hunger and thirst for the Word of God,
which will naturally facilitate your desire to attend fellowship with the people of
God. Also, you should develop an earnest desire to grow, be diligent, determined
to serve God, watch, and pray as well as be dependent on the Spirit guidance.
You must daily press towards the mark of God's high calling in your life. Aim at
something you want to be for God in life and work towards becoming that thing.
Therefore, you must grow unto maturity. As you prayerfully read this book in your
hand, it is my earnest desire and expectation that the Lord will keep you growing
until you become an adult believer, standing like a giant in all the battles and
challenges of life. HAPPY NEW LIFE IN CHRIST!

- W. F. KUMUYI

1
 CHAPTER
ONE
SECRETS OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH

E
very child of God is expected to grow in grace. Just as we grow up
physically, so we are expected to grow up spiritually after we are born
again. The Bible has so much to say on the secrets of spiritual growth.
The pages of the Scriptures are replete with proven principles of spiritual
growth.

"But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen" (2 Peter 3: 18).

EVIDENCE OF CONVERSION

If you are a real child of God, there will be in your heart a sincere desire for
spiritual growth. You will want to get closer to God and discover the principles that
will make you leave the realm of spiritual defeat and ascend the higher ground of
spiritual victory.

Spiritual growth does not come by chance. Apostle Peter recognised the need for
preparation on the part of the believer who desires to grow and counsels us to
seek to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. He shows us the
means as well as the principles of attaining spiritual growth.

"Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and
envies, and all evil speakings As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk
of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2: 1,2).

Apostle Peter knew by experience that a strong desire for growth resides in the
heart of every child of God. He, therefore, counsels all newborn babes in Christ to
desire the sincere milk of the word of God. Growth cannot be experienced except
one earnestly desires it. The first preparation you must make towards spiritual
growth is to desire it.

REASON FOR LACK OF GROWTH

The moment you experience the joy of forgiveness, the assurance of salvation
and the evidence of regeneration in your heart, you will notice the presence of an
intense desire to grow spiritually. It is the natural thing for all who are genuinely
converted. If in your heart, there is no desire to grow, it may well be that you have
not really been born again.

Spiritually dead people do not grow, just as dead trees do not grow. Dead plants
can never grow. Dead animals never grow; they only get rotten. Dead people are
always taken away from the habitation of the living and buried. Those who are
dead spiritually do not have any relationship with God. God is not the God of the
2
dead; He is the God of the living. You must have the life of God in you before you
can grow. It takes being alive spiritually to grow.

The record we have concerning the church in Sardis is that the majority of her
members were dead spiritually. Although these members were physically
noticed in the Church, yet they were dead spiritually.

"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he
that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works,
that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Thou hast a few
names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they
shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy" (Revelation 3: 1,4).

Jesus' verdict concerning the church in Sardis was that they had a name that
they were alive but were dead. What Jesus said about that church could be
said about a lot of professing believers today. They have names that they live
by. They go to church. They even profess to know God, but heaven knows
nothing about them. Their names are not found among the redeemed. They
are dead spiritually though alive physically.

Such people may be religious and may even have some desire to pray for
material prosperity, but they cannot desire growth because they do not know
what spiritual growth is all about. A man who does not know about spiritual life
cannot experience spiritual growth. Jesus described the life of those who are
spiritually dead.

"Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and
hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled
the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not:
understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this
people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their
eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and
hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be
converted, and I should heal them" (Matthew 13: 13-15).

Here Jesus speaks about people who merely put on religious garb. Such people
only have a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof. They are dead
and they have no desire to get nearer to God. There is no desire to have genuine
spiritual life in them. They do not even possess the requisite qualification for
spiritual growth. They are blind; their hearts are hardened, and their spiritual
senses are dull.

BACKSLIDING: A MAJOR ROADBLOCK TO GROWTH

Another group of people who cannot grow spiritually are backsliders. A backslider
has no interest in spiritual things. He is satisfied with his spiritual state and is filled
with his own ways. "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways:
and a good man shall be satisfied from himself' (Proverbs 14: 14).
3
The life of a backslider IS characterised by conceit. A person can be prominent
and active in the church and yet backslidden. A backslider may keep on mouthing
Christian doctrines even when his life is void of the graces of God. His heart has
departed from the Lord. Such a person cannot grow spiritually.

A backslider will keep on believing that he is spiritually sound even when he is

dead spiritually. He might go ahead to confess that he has need of nothing. like
the Laodicean Church.

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things
said the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of
God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot, I would thou wert
cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I
will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and
increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou
art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel
thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white
raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness
do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent"
(Revelation 3:14-19).

Do you know that Jesus knows every detail of your life? He knows every
ambition, every aspiration, every longing, and desire that reside in your bosom.
He can discern whether your heart is centred on spiritual things or not. He knows
whether you are looking for heavenly riches or looking for mundane, material
things.

Lukewarmness hinders growth. You cannot experience growth except you take a
stand against lukewarmness. The Lord does not condone lukewarmness. He did
not mince words on the fate of those who are backslidden. He said: "I will spue
thee out of my mouth." Although God is loving and kind, He is also a God of
judgment. He will not accommodate those who are neither cold nor hot. Those
who are lukewarm will not only fail to grow they also stand the risk of being spued
out by the Lord.

From the foregoing, it is crystal clear that those who are dead have no desire for
growth. It is also clear that backsliders cannot grow. It is not the type of work that
you do that hinders you from or help you to desire spiritual growth. In the same
vein, it is not the type of family you belong to that determines your desire for
growth. The spiritual state of your heart is a strong deciding factor as to whether
you will grow or not.

DESIRE FOR GROWTH

There is an intense and unquenchable desire in the hearts of all true children of
God. Those who have tasted the goodness of God and have experienced the
matchless joy of cultivating a living relationship with God will always want to
experience more of His grace in their lives. It is incongruous to profess to love the
Lord and yet have no desire to grow in grace. The desire for growth will have to be
so pronounced in the life of genuine believers that it will be seen in every area of
their lives.
4
I remember the good old days when I was newly born again. There was an
intense desire in me to go deeper with the Lord. The psalmist in verses one and
two of Psalm forty-two describes my condition in those days: "As the hart
panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, 0 God. My
soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear
before God?" Oh! How I really thirsted after God when I was converted! The
closer I got to God the more the things of the world faded into insignificance in my
sight.

"0 God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my
flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy
power and thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary. Because Thy
loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee" (Psalm 63: 1-3).

A real child of God will generally desire the riches of grace.

AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE

When I became born again, an unquenchable desire for growth surged up within
me. I was willing to pay any price to grow spiritually. A serious problem came up in
my life when I was confronted with the truth on restitution. Although I tried to obey
the Lord, there was restitution that I was unwilling to do. I was sorely afraid. I
feared getting into trouble. I failed to obey God because of the fear of man. My
spiritual life began to ebb, and I began to decline in my commitment and service
to God. Before long, I had backslidden. The Bible became dry to me, and my
prayer time disintegrated into mere routine. The desire to grow vanished away.
That experience taught me the greatest lesson of my life. I discovered that the
unconverted as well as the backslider do not have the desire to grow.

But thank God, I did not remain in my backslidden state for long. I traced my steps
back to God. I damned all consequences and I made up my mind to restitute. I
knew that I was taking a delicate step by doing all my restitutions, but I obeyed the
Lord anyhow. I did not want anything to stunt my growth. Obedience brought a
wonderful blessing into my life. I began to experience rapid growth as soon as I
made my way right with God.

HINDRANCES TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Spiritual growth can be hindered by several things just as the growth of an animal
or a plant can be hindered by certain diseases. There are some spiritual diseases
that hinder the growth of children of God. This fact is clarified in the Songs of
Solomon, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines; for our
vines have tender grapes" (Songs 2: 15). There are some attitudes and
behaviours that ruin the spiritual lives of believers. Casting my mind back to the
days of my conversion, I can now recall certain factors that shipwrecked the
spiritual life of many. Your growth will be hindered and your walk with God will be
affected if you permit these elements in your life.

A lot of people have either messed their Christian lives up or they have become
mediocre believers by permitting little foxes to tamper with their spiritual lives.
Some of them have totally backslidden while some have turned enemies of the
5
gospel because they allowed the devil to have an inroad into their lives. Looking
back now, I can see that a lot of people whose consciences were not tender and
who were not sensitive to the gentle prodding of the Holy Spirit have either
backslidden or remained immature and childish.

SECRET SINS

One of the things that hinder growth is secret sin. A believer who indulges in
secret sins cannot grow. Nothing can be hidden from God. The believer who
wants to grow must sincerely own up to his shortcomings and pray with the
psalmist: "Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret
faults" (Psalm 19: 12). If you are a real child of God, the Spirit of God will not
leave you alone, He will reprove you of your secret sins. You cannot understand
your errors. It takes the Spirit of God to show you the cracks in your spiritual wall.
Secret faults are ruinous. You must get rid of all secret sins if you want to grow.

PRIDE

Another thing that deters the spiritual growth of men and women is pride. Pride
hinders God from giving you the grace to make progress in your spiritual life. The
Bible says: "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the
proud, but giveth grace to the humble" (James 4:6).

Pride is a terrible disease. It will hinder your spiritual growth. If you make all
efforts towards spiritual growth but fail to get rid of pride, spiritual growth will only
remain a dream as far as you are concerned. Pride may be hidden in the heart,
but the all-seeing eyes of God can detect the secret thought of every heart. If you
want to be free from pride, you need to deliberately humble yourself. It is not
God's task to humble you. The Scripture's unmistakable command is: "Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up" (James 4: 10).
You need to personally put off the cloak of pride and put on the garment of
humility. You cannot experience growth if you remain proud, boastful, and
arrogant.

UNHEALTHY COMPANIONSHIP

The spiritual growth of many has been deterred and hampered by unhealthy
companionship. The Bible states unequivocally that "evil communications
corrupt good manners" (1 Corinthians 15:33). The company you keep and the
people you associate with determine your spiritual height. There are many
believers who yearn for spiritual growth but are never able to grow because of
association with people of sordid aims and ambitions. "Ephraim, he hath mixed
himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned. Strangers have
devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not…" (Hosea 7:8,9). Mixing with
those who are strangers to sound doctrine and the grace of God will affect your
spiritual growth. Your growth will be hampered if you allow strange men and
women to devour your strength. Whenever you allow strange doctrines to
infiltrate your mind, your spiritual growth will be arrested.

Watch your company. The people you spend your time with will affect your
growth. Mixing with people of different lifestyles will affect the rate of your growth.
If you are fond of gathering with people who joke with sin, then it is an indication
6
that you have no desire for growth. If your best friends are so materialistic in mind,
people who do not think about heaven and people whose desires are not centred
on spiritual things, then you have determined the level of your growth. No person
can rise above the influence which surrounds him. A good company edifies and
induces growth while a bad company arrests growth.

WORLDLINESS AND WORLDLY PURSUITS

Worldliness and worldly pursuits are, among other things, the factors that are
responsible for stunted growth. There is probably nothing that inhibits growth like
worldliness. Several years ago, believers used to think that worldliness only
centres on worldly styles and fashion. The general belief was that once someone
has gotten rid of things that border on worldliness, he is no more worldly.
Worldliness goes beyond what can be seen externally. Someone can put off
worldly dresses, jewellery and make-ups and yet be a chronic worldling internally.

Worldliness is something that starts from within. The aspirations, the ambitions
and the secret pursuits of the heart reveal the true disposition of a man or a
woman. A man may appear godly and righteous externally while his heart may be
filled with the husks of Egypt. He might be out of Egypt physically while his heart
may still be craving the onions, the garlic, and the cucumbers of Egypt. A man can
be wedded to worldliness internally while he professes ardent zeal and
uncommon commitment to the Lord. The same thing can happen to a woman.
Although the outward appearance of a woman is the easiest index for
ascertaining whether she is worldly or not, yet a woman may conform to the
Christian teaching on modesty while her heart is full of inordinate cravings for the
things of the world. The Bible says, "He that liveth in pleasure is dead while
she liveth." (1 Timothy 5:6). The people of the world are notorious for an
insatiable craving for pleasure. It is very easy for women to forget everything
about Christian living and growth because of worldly pleasures. A lot of women
have no desire to grow. Interest in social functions, naming ceremonies, putting
on new dresses and shoes, being more popular and acceptable in the
neighbourhood have taken away the desire for spiritual growth from many a
Christian woman.

Worldliness exerts such a negative influence on spiritual growth that the beloved
John had to warn against it. Although he was called the apostle of love, he wrote
against worldliness knowing the effect of conformity to the standards and
fashions of the world. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the
world, if any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John
2: 15). John did not spare any group of believers as he cautioned against loving
the world and the things of the world. He addressed fathers, young men, and little
children, thus representing all categories of those who profess to know and love
the Lord. No doubt, his exhortation was addressed to excellent Theophilus,
wealthy Zacchaeus, the honourable Berean women and others who belonged to
the minority group of the intelligentsia as well as those in the top echelon of
society, they are all expected to abstain from worldliness. Do not allow
worldliness to erode your spiritual life. Worldliness will weigh you down and
hinder you from scaling spiritual heights.

You must make up your mind to shake off all dead weights, leave the realm of
stunted growth and begin to do things that will induce steady growth. You must
7
obey God if you want to experience spiritual growth. If you find anything difficult, I
would like to encourage you by telling you that I found some things difficult when I
became a Christian. But the Spirit of God did not leave me alone.' When I saw that
a good number of fellow believers did not take things seriously as I took them, I
wondered why I had to make such sacrifices. Now, I can understand. I am full of
praises to God for helping me to go all the way with Him despite the costs. I did not
know God's plan for my future, but I obeyed the Lord on every point. Now, I am
happy, and I have no regrets. What the Lord is telling you may look tough and
demanding; just obey now and you will smile later.

UNHEALTHY COMPARISON

Another thing that is responsible for spiritual stagnation is unhealthy comparison.

Those who compare their spiritual lives with that of other people cannot
experience wholesome growth. If you spend valuable time comparing yourself
with others and you begin to commend yourself for being better than some
people, you will find it difficult to grow. Paul, the Apostle knew the dangers of
unhealthy comparison and he warned against it. "For we dare not make
ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend
themselves; but they measuring themselves with themselves are not wise"
(2 Corinthians 10: 12). A disciple is allowed to make only one comparison: with
our Master. It is only when you compare yourself with the Lord that you will
experience growth.

SELF-SATISFACTION

Many people are unable to grow spiritually because of self-satisfaction. Such

people are generally flabby in spiritual things; they nurse feelings of self-
satisfaction. If you are satisfied with your present spiritual state you have already
got to the limit of your growth. Self-satisfaction in spiritual things will remove
seriousness with the Lord, earnestness in prayer and a strong desire to aspire to
greater heights or depths of knowledge of God's word.

TALKATIVENESS

Loose-talking also retards spiritual growth. It hindered my spiritual growth when I

was a younger Christian. It affected my prayer life as well as my seriousness with
the Lord. It even robbed me of the great benefits of personal Bible study. I talked
too much in those days. Thank God, I dropped that unhealthy habit. Many
people's growth has been arrested because of talkativeness. The Bible says, "Be
not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything
before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy
words be few"(Ecclesiastes 5:2).

Can you recall how many hours you have wasted in idle talk? Can you imagine
what you would have experienced if you had spent all those hours building up
your spiritual life?

OTHER CAUSES OF STUNTED GROWTH

Spiritual growth can also be hindered by past occultic involvement. A lot of people
suffer spiritual setback because they have not totally separated from past occultic
8
involvement. The growth of such people is inadvertently hindered. We should not
take chances. Renounce Satan and every form of commitment to the occult and
you will begin to experience growth. The lack of spiritual growth in believers can
also be traceable to laziness. Diligence and hard work in spiritual things induce
growth while laziness hinders spiritual progress. Prayerlessness is another
problem. Prayer is an invaluable spiritual exercise. If you are lazy in prayer, you
will find it impossible to grow. Hypocrisy hinders growth too. If your life is full of
guile and hypocrisy, your spiritual growth will be hindered. If you will be
meticulous and serious in removing all hindrances to growth from your life, you
will be surprised at the rate at which you will begin to grow.

Your spiritual growth depends on you. It depends on your readiness to obey the
Lord and on your willingness to do what the Spirit of God bids you do.

STEPS TO GROWTH

It is easy to grow spiritually after one has removed all the things that hinder
growth. How then can one grow spiritually? Writing in 1 Peter 2:1,2, Peter, the
Apostle says: "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and
hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire
the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby". The number one
spiritual experience you must have before you can grow is the new birth.
Repentance and faith in Christ usher newness of life into the repentant sinner.

You need assurance of salvation to grow. You must be sure of your entrance into
the kingdom of God before you begin to talk of spiritual growth. Then, you will
need to submit yourself for water baptism. Infant baptism is not acceptable in the
scriptures. The correct mode of baptism is immersion. You are expected to be
baptised after being born again. Being baptised before conversion is also not
acceptable in the scripture.

You must be dissatisfied with your present spiritual state if you want to experience
growth. Are you saved? Then you must press forward and get sanctified. Are you
sanctified? Do not rest on your oars. Press forward and seek the baptism with the
Holy Ghost. Are you baptised with the Holy Ghost? Do not relax. Press forward.
You have a lot of ground to cover as far as spiritual growth is concerned. Paul the
Apostle, a man who experienced outstanding spiritual growth said, "Brethren, I
count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which
are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3: 13, 14).

Whatever you have got you need to desire for more of the riches of Christ.
Dissatisfaction with your present state will induce you to seek the face of the Lord
for more of His grace.

A CALL TO DECISION

You need to separate yourself from anything that is likely to bring setbacks into
your spiritual life. Do not bring yourself into bondage again. Guard against all
forms of association with things or people that will likely hinder your growth. Then
you will need to live a well-regulated devotional life. Keep to your daily prayer
9
schedule. Read your Bible daily and be diligent in the study of the Word of God.

What is your decision? Are you desirous of growing in your spiritual life? Do you
wish to remain where you are now spiritually, or do you want to make progress?
You owe it to yourself and to this generation to cast off the cloak of complacency
and stunted growth and march forward in the Lord. The Lord is willing to give you
all the grace you need to grow. He is only waiting for your decision. If you put all
you have read in this book into use, I assure you of amazing growth in your
Christian life. Spiritual growth can be yours today if you will follow God's blueprint.

10
 CHAPTER
TWO
BLUEPRINT FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

H
owbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ
might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which
should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting" (1 Timothy 1:16).
The life of Paul the Apostle is an edifying and challenging example to all earnest
Bible-believing Christians. His conversion and subsequent walk with God
constitute a model of excellence in Christian living. The Apostle experienced
outstanding growth, recorded exceptional success in the work of the Lord and set
a high standard for all believers by choosing to be at his best. Although he
received grace from the Lord, like others in his time, there are certain qualities,
attitudes and characteristics that put him on a special pedestal.

AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE

It is important to discover what made Paul the Apostle what he was. A close look
at his life gives us wonderful insights into God's blueprint for spiritual growth.
Since growth is the desire of all serious believers, it is imperative to examine the
life of a man that so closely followed the Lord and grew so remarkably that he
could say "Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me… Brethren, be
followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an
ensample" (1 Corinthians 4: 16; Philippians 3: 17).

Paul's spiritual growth is an example of how every diligent believer ought to

grow. Whoever you are and no matter your present state, you can experience
Paul's type of growth. Since God's grace is available to all, your spiritual life can
be built up solidly and you can experience accelerated growth in your Christian
life.

A SOLID FOUNDATION

Paul was a person given to the study of the Scriptures even before his
conversion. He studied the Old Testament but did not understand what he read
since he did not have the Spirit of God at that time. Later, his whole life was
turned around when he became converted. His conversion was so definite that
all could see that there was a clean break from the past.

It was crystal clear that he had passed from darkness into the glorious light of the
gospel. The experience meant so much to him that he kept on referring to the
glorious day when he had an encounter with the Lord. Paul's conversion brought
a great change to his life. His conversion was definite and real. You need a
definite experience of conversion for dedication and commitment to God and for
a life that counts for God.

11
You need it to fit into God's plan for your life. If you will grow and do exploits for
God, you must be sure of your conversion. You should be able to say that you are
different now from what you were before. You must have the testimony that your
sins have been forgiven and that your life has been transformed. The Bible says:
"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5: 17). All
things must become new in your life before you begin to grow.

Another thing that distinguished Paul was his fellowship or communion with the
Lord. He began his Christian life through prayers. He went on his knees after
having an encounter with the Lord and spent three days waiting upon the Lord
and seeking His face. God testified to Paul's prayerfulness in Acts 9: 11, "And
the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight,
and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus, for, behold
he prayeth" Paul shut himself up in the presence of God and poured his heart to
God.

Paul did not just spend all the time giving praises to the Lord for his salvation.
Also, he was not confessing his sins over and over through those three days. He
did not spend his time on a sort of spiritual merry-go-round. Although Paul knew
his conversion was an important experience, he did not settle down idly and
begin to rejoice about it. He came into the realisation of God's righteousness and
began to hunger and thirst after it. He realised that he had spent his life in the
service of the devil and he began to see the need to yield his life to God in
absolute surrender. He continued to consecrate himself to the Lord in prayer until
he got to a point of no-return.

CONSECRATION AND SANCTIFICATION

Paul's Christian experiences were unique. It is important to note that nobody

taught him the doctrine of salvation or regeneration. Neither did anybody sit him
down to teach him about the need for absolute commitment to the Lord.
Obviously, he had not received any teaching on the doctrine of sanctification.

There is a level one gets to in consecration and commitment to the Lord that,
whether he has been taught directly or not, he gets sanctified. When you lay your
life on the altar of sacrifice, and you yield yourself unreservedly to God you will
experience sanctification. When you get to a point where you desire God's
holiness more than any other thing and you yield the totality of your life to Him,
you will experience entire sanctification. The Lord will sanctify you beyond what
anyone can explain to you. Paul so consecrated himself to the Lord that he
became instantly holy.

Paul yielded his life to the Lord and the Lord sanctified him. He consecrated so
much that the Lord, seeing that he had met the condition for entire sanctification,
sanctified him. There are believers who struggle year after year trying to get
sanctified, but all to no avail. This group of believers have missed out on the pre-
requisite for sanctification.

You do not have to pray for hours on end to get sanctified. If you only lay your life
on God's altar and surrender your life to him, you will attain sanctification with

12
ease. Paul met God's condition and the Lord sanctified him. He testified to the
experience of sanctification. "Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and
justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe" (l
Thessalonians 2: 10).

A GREAT CHASM

The experience of present-day believers seems to differ from Paul's experience.

It is surprising that many new converts fail to grow spiritually despite the follow-up
efforts lavished on them. A lot of converts have found it difficult to make any
spiritual progress despite being taught the basics of spiritual growth. Soul
winners have been baffled at the rate at which so-called converts go back from
following the Lord. The Church has been bothered about the lack of Paul's type of
spiritual growth among the rank and file of her members.

God has not changed, and His grace remains unchanged. The problem of lack of
spiritual growth emanates from us and not from God. Paul had no one to explain
the doctrines of the Bible to him. No one even talked to him on the need to be
consecrated to the Lord. There was a deep hunger for more of God's holiness in
his heart. Without having anyone to explain the steps to the entire sanctification
to him he just locked himself up in his closet and began to seek the face of the
Lord until God rained righteousness upon him. The Lord sanctified him as soon
as he consecrated his heart and started growing up in the Lord. Before Ananias
called him "Brother Saul" he (Ananias) must have had a witness in his heart that
great transformations had taken place in Paul's life. He knew that Paul had
become a beloved brother in Christ, Paul was another person. Paul was not just a
crusade convert who repeated some words after the preacher or raised up his
hand as a sign of repentance and commitment to Christ. He was a real convert.

Paul, during the three days he spent in the presence of the Lord, got more than
some believers get in three years. Within three days Paul got saved and
sanctified. He only waited for Ananias to lay hands upon him so he would receive
the baptism in the Holy Ghost. Whenever it takes a very long time before a born-
again person gets sanctified, or gets baptised in the Holy Ghost, his progress is
generally delayed. Paul got saved, sanctified, and got baptised in the Holy Ghost
within a short time. Thus, he enjoyed accelerated growth in his Christian life. How
many years will it take you before you get sanctified and baptised with the Holy
Ghost? When will you make progress in your Christian life? Learn a lesson from
Paul, seek the face of the Lord and build your spiritual life on the solid foundation
of genuine Christian experiences.

PAUL'S UNDYING PASSION

Another lesson we all need to learn from Paul's life and ministry is that we should
not only begin well, but we should also continue and end with the same zeal and
earnestness with which we began. Paul continued to live a serious and
disciplined life after his initial encounter with the Lord. He never relaxed his
spiritual fervour. He never got satisfied with his spiritual attainments. After many
years of following the Lord, he said, "Brethren, I count not myself to have

13
apprehended but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are
behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus"
(Philippians 3: 13, 14).

As you read Paul's epistles you will begin to see the deep things and mysteries
that the Lord revealed to him. He had such a spectacular experience because he
started well. He was indefatigable as laboured for the Lord, his zeal never waned
and his love never decreased. He never got tired, and he followed the Lord
zealously until he went to glory. His life was characterised by a sense of purpose
and a strong desire to preach the gospel and to exalt Christ as well as to prepare
multitudes for the kingdom of God. He had the mind of Christ; he was a man after
God's heart.

As you learn these truths about the life of Paul, you might be tempted to classify
him as a special believer, and you begin to feel that the spiritual heights he got to
are only for a few Christians. It is very easy to cling to mediocrity and conclude
that Paul had a deluxe experience, exclusive to preachers of the gospel. That
would be a lazy man's attitude. What God did for Paul; He can do for every
believer. Some people would even go ahead to conclude that they can never
expect every believer to go deeper in their Christian experience. Paul did not
experience great things in his Christian life because God favoured him specially.
Paul did not know how far God was taking him when he laid his life upon God's
altar. He just poured his heart into God. The more he poured his heart to God and
consecrated his life to the Lord, the deeper he went. He tarried on his knees until
heaven's dews saturated his thirsty soul.

Another feature that should be noted in Paul's spiritual life is that he was so
committed that little things never bothered him. It is not big things that can make
people fail in their Christian lives or in their ministries. Many people have failed
because of little problems, misunderstandings, ridicules, and temptations. Paul
was so dedicated to the Lord that he did not allow anything to affect his Christian
life. When he came to the Lord, he was denied fellowship and friendship.
Believers were sceptical about his conversion. They did not accept that he was a
Christian. He was never bothered by that. He was not moved by the attitude of
the people around him. He was too big to be slain by the little pebbles of people's
negative attitude. Paul experienced many troubles and persecution, perhaps
more than any of us, yet he held tenaciously to the Lord. All through his life he
never allowed anything to becloud his vision. Persecution, perils, and diverse
problems came his way, but he evinced an unyielding passion after spiritual
growth. He turned obstacles and problems into steppingstones toward attaining
greater heights of spirituality.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND THE WORD

Paul's success and spiritual growth were the results of his commitment to and
diligent study of the word of God. A lot of people desire to grow but they have no
interest in the word of God. Several people seem concerned for their spiritual
growth and even pray about it but have not been experiencing marked growth
because of their attitude to the word of God. The word of God is a powerful agent
for spiritual growth. Those who "desire the sincere milk of the word of God"

14
spiritually and if you make definite efforts towards making rapid strides in your
Christian life you will achieve the growth you have dreamt of.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

Paul desired spiritual growth with his whole heart. Both the Holy Spirit and the
human spirit were involved in Paul's desire for growth. Man is a tripartite being.
He is made up of spirit, soul, and body. Every believer has both the Holy Spirit and
the human spirit. For those who are born again, the human spirit unites with the
Holy Spirit in making the believer grow spiritually. The human spirit plays a great
role in the believer's spiritual growth. When the human spirit is recreated and set
free it begins to aim high.

A spirit that believes and has left the realm of impossibilities will lift the believer
from the valley of mediocrity to the mountain top of successful achievement. Is
your spirit always yearning after spiritual development or are you satisfied with
just anything? Have you trained your spirit to desire a higher level of spiritual
growth? Paul purposed in his spirit to grow in the Lord. It is the human spirit that
meditates on the possibilities of spiritual growth.

The Holy Spirit also aided Paul in his spiritual growth. Paul always looked up to
the Lord for the Spirit's direction and assistance. He had the privilege of receiving
the divine blueprint for growth and he patterned his life after the revealed plan. He
always found out from the Lord concerning the next step to take and the
appropriate stage to get into at major points in his life.

Moses' life, for example, was divinely divided into three stages. He spent the first
stage of his life (the first forty years) learning and acquiring all he could through
the educational system of the Egyptians. The next forty years (the second stage
of his life) were spent at the backside of the desert tending sheep for Jethro and
gathering experience. He entered the last stage of his life when God called him
and sent him to deliver the children of Israel. He spent this last stage doing the
perfect will of God. His life was supernaturally mapped out by the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of God directed Paul and made him grow. Those who either quench or
grieve the Holy Spirit cannot experience real growth. Those who will experience
spiritual growth are those, who like Paul, are willing to be led into growth by the
Spirit of God.

Do you ever give the Holy Spirit a free hand when he wants to lead you into
growth? Has the Holy Spirit ever revealed the plan of God for your spiritual
growth to you? Have you been given the divine blueprint for spiritual growth? Are
you so diligent as to seek God's face for the revelation of His plan for your spiritual
growth? The Spirit of God has been given to you to make you grow spiritually.
Paul yielded his life to the Spirit of God and was ushered into the realm of
fantastic growth. The Holy Spirit is willing to guide you into the things that will
make you grow spiritually.

Paul tapped the unlimited resources of the Holy Ghost maximally. He obeyed the
scriptural injunctions on spiritual growth that say: "But ye beloved, building up
yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost" (Jude 20).
15
and spend time studying the scripture are those who "grow thereby" (1 Peter
2:3). Paul was a man who was saturated with the Scriptures. His writings
revealed much depth of the knowledge of the word of God. If you want to
experience growth in your life you must make a habit of reading and studying the
word of God.

Another important means of growth which many are relegating to the

background, but which Paul made tremendous use of, is the believer's
devotional life, otherwise called, the 'Quiet Time.' Anyone who trifles with his
quiet time is building his spiritual life on a weak foundation. Your spiritual life is, to
a large extent, the sum of your daily devotional life. If you skip or hurry over your
quiet time, you will experience stunted growth. Wise believers ensure that no
matter how busy they are they give priority to their daily devotional hour. You must
spend quality time with the Lord regularly if you want to experience qualitative
growth. Evidently, Paul maintained a regular and deep devotional life. He
received great revelations and insight into the word of God during his personal
devotional hour. He did not joke with his daily devotional hour.

DILIGENCE AND DETERMINATION

Another factor that catapulted Paul the Apostle to the forefront was his diligence.
The Bible says, "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand
before kings; he shall not stand before mean men" (Proverbs 22:29). Paul
never knew what was ahead of him, but he started on a serious note with the
Lord, and he continued to walk with God diligently and earnestly. Those who are
lazy in spiritual things will generally find it difficult to grow. The Christian life
requires a lot of diligence, hard work and astuteness. Had Paul handled spiritual
things lackadaisically he would not have attained such spiritual as well as
leadership heights. In a non-boastful way, he attributes his success to hard work.
"After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit when he had
passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I
have been there, I must also see Rome." (Acts 19: 21). "But by the grace of
God I am what I am; and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in
vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but by the
grace of God which was with me."(1 Corinthians 15: 10).

Paul was a man of unflinching purpose, and determination. He had clear-cut

goals and plans which he adhered strictly to in his life and ministry. One of the
things that destroy men and women is a lack of purpose and direction. Several
believers have experienced little or no growth because of the absence of definite
goals and plans for growth. Victorious Christian living and spiritual growth is not
for spineless folks. Those who fail to chart goals for spiritual growth will end up
living mediocre lives. Show me anyone who has no goal for spiritual growth, and I
will show you someone who is wedded to mediocrity. A man who never sits down
to plan for growth and aims at higher spiritual grounds will spend all his life as a
spiritual nonentity.

Do you know that the measure of spiritual growth which you will experience will
only depend on your desire for it? If you are satisfied with your present state, if
you do not desire further growth, if there is no desire for a deeper walk with the
Lord in your heart, you will either experience stagnancy or you might even
relapse into a backslidden state. On the other hand, if your purpose is to progress
16
Knowing that "he that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself" (1
Corinthians 14:4), Paul made ample use of the gift of tongues during his personal
devotional hour. He said, "I speak in tongues more than ye all" (1 Corinthians 14:
18). If you yield yourself to the Holy Ghost, He will guide you into all things that will
make you grow spiritually.

The growth of those who are careful to not quench or grieve the Holy Spirit is
usually high. The sky is the limit for those whose hearts and lives are completely
yielded to the influence and assistance of the Holy Spirit.

KNOWING CHRIST

The Bible also makes it clear that spiritual growth comes through the knowledge
of the Lord Jesus. The believer who studies the Bible and seeks God's face for a
deeper knowledge of Jesus will experience amazing growth. None can behold
the wonderful Christ without aspiring to grow. The more you know of Christ, the
more you will desire to grow. And the more you desire growth, the more you will
experience growth. A lot of people wonder how Paul knew the Lord deeply. In
fact, he could be said to have an insatiable desire for knowing the Lord. He
counted the knowledge of the Lord more important than any other thing. He said:
"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians 3:8).
Was that the limit of his quest after the knowledge of the Lord? Of course not.
Paul did not want to stop growing in his life, so he continued to desire more of the
knowledge of the Lord. Afterwards, he said, "That I may know him and the
power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering, being made
conformable unto his death" (Philippians 3:10). The more the knowledge of
Lord Paul had the more he grew spiritually.

PAUL'S CHALLENGE

From the foregoing, it is crystal clear that Paul never left his growth to chance.
The difference between a good number of us and Paul is that we are too lethargic
and insensitive to the need for growth to experience what he experienced.

As Paul desired growth, he was willing to make necessary sacrifices to grow. He

made up his mind that he was going to grow despite his peculiar problems and
difficulties. Another challenging thing in Paul's life was that he grew despite his
busy schedule. How many people today excuse their lack of spiritual growth and
blame everything on their involvement with Christian service. If Paul could grow,
none today has any excuse for not growing spiritually

Although Paul was "In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers,
in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the
city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false
brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watching, often, in hunger and
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness" (11 Corinthians 11:26, 27),
yet he continued to grow spiritually. There are people who give up on their quest
for growth. Such people generally conclude that spiritual growth is a difficult
venture. Quitters cannot win in the race towards spiritual growth.
17
There is a need for persistence before growth can be experienced. Keep on
following the Lord and doing all that God has revealed to you through this Book
and you will experience amazing growth. Do not judge your growth by what you
see now. Only God can tell what great heights of growth you will attain by simply
obeying the Lord. If you do the simple things Paul did in his quest for growth you
will experience Paul's kind of growth.

Now is the time to say goodbye to mediocrity. Now is the time to be an achiever as
far as spiritual things are concerned. You can become a spiritual giant. You can
experience fantastic growth. Do not allow your spiritual life to be stagnant. You
must rise and do all that lies within you in order to experience growth. It is God's
will that you grow spiritually. All that you need for viable spiritual growth are at
your disposal. Stir your spiritual life. Make up your mind to grow into a spiritual
giant. Let your life count for God. Quit the camp of spiritual dullards and mediocre
believers. Commit your life to the Lord afresh and ask Him to grant you grace for
growth. You can begin the journey to spiritual growth today by putting all that you
have read in this book to use. "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do
them" (John 13: 17).

18
 CHAPTER
THREE
Study 1: ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
Christ’s Friends
Study Series

Text: II Corinthians 5: 14-21.

A
sinner lives a selfish life. He seeks his own self, profit, pleasure, and
power and consciously promotes his own advantage. He may profess to
know Christ "after the flesh" because he had been born into a Christian
family or belongs to a popular gospel church while he remains unconverted. He is
in a state of spiritual death and liable to eternal separation from God if he dies in
such a condition.

God offers a new life to all who will repent. By the Word of God, the Holy Spirit
affects the conversion of the soul. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting
the soul." True conversion is born of godly sorrow for sin and for the
consequences of sin. The sinner sees himself worthy of condemnation because
of the righteous justice of God. He then sees Calvary with the finished work of
Jesus as the remedy for his sins. No wonder the scripture says "The law of the
Lord is perfect converting the soul."

A new life is born in him - which ushers in a change of thoughts, choices, desires,
appetites, ambition, and friends. Thus, he comes to realise that his previous way
of life was unwise and opposed to God. There is now a joyous assurance that all
his sins are forgiven and that he is a child of God, reconciled unto Him by the
merits of Jesus Christ: "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, old
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (II Corinthians 5:
17). As a true Christian, he does not permit anything non-Christlike in his life. He
now has part in the ministry of reconciliation as an ambassador of God in Christ's
stead.

Questions
1 a. Describe the state of a natural man
b. Explain the steps a sinner should take before he can be saved

2. Mention the marks of new birth in the following passages.

I Romans 6:4
11. Colossians 3: 1,2
111. Acts 9: 11
IV. I Peter 2:2
v. Acts 26: 19,20

3. Which of the following will make you be sure you are saved. (i) The Spirit
of God. (ii) Your pastor (iii) Your friends (iv) Your feelings (v) The word of
God.

19
 Study 2: CHARACTER OF THE CHRISTIAN
Text: Colossians 3: 1-25.

T
he new birth is an experience that changes the character of the one who
has been born again. And when someone's character has changed, it will
be visible to people around. The first index of a changed life is that the
changed person suddenly realises that he has wronged people in the time past;
maybe he stole, maybe he cheated, extorted, or told a lie to enjoy a benefit or
was involved in a wrong marital relationship. He immediately discovers that he
needs to amend his past by returning stolen property, apologising to the
offended or paying back what was dubiously obtained. He does this to maintain
a clean Christian conscience.

The mystery in this kind of activity is that the Christian decides to do this without
being forced by anyone. It is an action that "naturally" and spontaneously follows
spiritual transformation. Nor is that all, the change of life will be visible at home.

Neighbours, husband or wife and children will quickly notice the change of
character. People will be amazed to see that a drunkard now leads a decent life,
a liar is now honest, an immoral person now becomes pure and that a loud-
mouthed and belligerent person now becomes gentle, shamefaced, and
peaceable. This change, whenever it is noticed makes people give glory to God
and, in some cases, give their lives to Christ also.

Besides this, the change of life and character is also seen in the life of the
believer in his place of work. A Christian trader, civil servant or craftsman will
always radiate the life of Christ. Co-workers, customers, co-contractors, and
fellow traders will quickly notice the change in the Christian as he will begin to
conduct his business or attend to his duties in a new way.

The change in the life of the new convert will be apparent to friends, colleagues,
and acquaintances. When a person who is addicted to profanity, lewdness and
vain talking becomes a changed person, he begins to talk about Christ and will
find it impossible to stay in any place where Christ will not be honoured. This
change in character is so thorough and obvious that all who meet the converted
person will see him as a follower of Christ; one whose character has been
transformed.

Questions
1. Colossians 3:8,9. Mention five traits of the old life that a believer is
expected to put off.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
From Colossians 3:18-21, Identify and explain how you should conduct yourself
within the family
2. Colossians 3:17, 22-25. What is the Christian character to be
demonstrated at work?

20
 3. Fill in the blank spaces. "If ye then be with Christ
those things which are where seated on the right
hand of God" Colossians 3: I.

Study 3: SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES

Text: Acts 8:25,40.

S
EARCHING the scriptures is one of the hallmarks of a true disciple of
Christ. It is not only because Jesus Christ commanded it, but it is a most
rewarding duty for the believer. "Search the scriptures; for in them ye
think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39).
It is how we have an encounter with God and have spiritual growth. It is the
source of the strength by which we can live victoriously day by day, and the way
for discovering God's truth by ourselves so that we can adapt the lessons thereof
to our daily needs in times of sorrow, adversity, poverty, defeat, sickness, joy,
triumph, or prosperity. And, in searching the scriptures, we can meditate on the
many and unfailing promises of God to claim them for our blessing.

Searching the scriptures is profitable; hence, we ought to do it so diligently, with

patience and persistence, regularly, prayerfully, with an open mind and with the
decision to obey every revealed truth. God always rewards those who seek to
find.

Questions
1. What is the purpose of searching the scriptures in these references?
i. Deuteronomy 17: 19
ii. John 5:39
iii. Acts 17: 11
iv. Romans 15:4
v. II Timothy 3: 15, 16
vi. I Peter 2:2
vii. Romans 16:26
viii. Revelation 1 :3

2. In what manner must we search the scriptures?

.
3. Mention five blessings that we derive from searching the scriptures?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
21
 Study 4: PRIVILEGES IN PRAYER

MEMORY VERSE: "Call unto me and I will answer thee and shew
thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jeremiah
33:3).

Text: Luke 11: 1-13.

The infinite, Almighty God can give great answers to prayers. Prayer is the link
between the finite and the infinite. It is man's greatest privilege that affords him an
opportunity to commune with the Almighty God and to have his request met.
Prayer is the means of reaching into God's storehouse which is inexhaustible.
Prayer is practised by all men but in different ways. Nevertheless, few that do
pray in the Bible-approved way enjoy the privileges therein.
God is willing to do great things for those who will ask in faith. God did not spare
His only begotten Son, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
The creation of the heavens and the earth prove God's power and the giving of
His Son proves His willingness and delight to answer our prayers. Moreover, the
scriptures declare that "With God, nothing shall be impossible" and that
power belongs to God.
God is unlimited and unchanging. What He did in the age's past, He can do today.
Hebrews chapter thirteen verse eight states, "Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, and today, and forever". God is great; therefore, ask big things from
the Lord.

Questions
1. What is prayer?
2. From Luke 11: 11,13, what do you learn about the faithfulness of God?

3. What are the privileges we have through prayers in these references?

(a) Romans 1:16 .
(b) Mark 11 :24 .
(c) II Peter 1 :4 .
(d) Psalms 41 :3 .
(e) John 14: 12 .
4. What are the conditions for answered prayers?
(a) II Chronicles 7: 14 .
(b) Mark 10:51; II Kings 2:9 .
(c) Mark 11:24 .
(d) Joshua 1:8 .
(e) James 4:2

22
 Study 5: RESTITUTION
Text: Luke 19: 1-10

T
he account of Zacchaeus' conversion lays bare before us what follows a
genuine conversion and confirms Christ's sanction of the teaching and
practice of restitution. Every truly born-again Christian will, immediately
after conversion, restore anything that he has wrongfully obtained to its rightful
owner, pay back just debts, restore stolen or misappropriated goods, apologise
to those injured, uncover crimes and confess his lies. This must be done in deep
contrition and as obedience to God. Whatever needs to be restituted must be
restituted in full. We are not to keep anything back if we are to receive a pardon
from God.

Before the law was given, Jacob, taking concepts from what God had
commanded earlier from Abimelech, had to make restitution to Esau for his
birthright and blessings which he, Jacob, had deceitfully obtained. God also
commanded Moses to tell the children of Israel that anything obtained by
violence or deceit, or anything lost which was found but kept away from the
owner must be fully restored. Ezekiel puts it more plainly that the sinner cannot
be forgiven without restituting his past misdeeds. "Again, when I say unto the
wicked, thou shalt surely die; if he turns from his sin, and do that which is
lawful and right; If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had
robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall
surely live, he shall not die." (Ezekiel 33:14,15) For all these, we can confirm
that if God's standard can be as high for those who lived under the Old Testament
dispensation, it cannot be less for those of us under the dispensation of grace.

What was paramount in the minds of saints of old who did restitution was not the
consequence of such act but obedience to God. Our obedience to God in all
things should outweigh our thought and considerations of what would be the
likely outcome of our restitution. Obedience to God makes us stay in His perfect
will and when we are in His perfect will, we are assured of His abiding presence.
The peace and joy that overflow our hearts when we do our restitution are better
experienced than explained.

Lastly, let us note that any restitution which would implicate others or bring injury
or harm to them requires God's wisdom and care. We should therefore seek the
guidance and counselling of our Pastor in such cases.

Questions
1. a. What is restitution?
b. When should we do our restitution?
2. From the following passages, identify what was commanded to
be restituted.
(i) Ezekiel 33: 15
(ii) Leviticus 6:2-5
(iii) Genesis 20:7
(iv) Acts 23: 1-5
(v) Matthew 5:23,24
(vi) Ezra 10: 11
3. How should we handle delicate and complicated restitution
cases?
23
 Study 6: TELL THY FRIENDS
Text: Mark 5:18-20; John 1:44-51

E
very soul that has had personal contact with the Lord Jesus has a
testimony to share with those still lost in sin. The transformation that takes
place in our lives at conversion, the newfound love for God, the
accompanying peace and joy is enough to excite us to spontaneously share with
our friends what the Lord has done for us.
We sometimes feel that our friends and those who know us well may not listen to
us and as such prefer witnessing to strangers in distant places from our abode or
places of employment. This is a great misconception and a deceitful ploy of the
devil to cheat our friends and close ones of the opportunities to hear and receive
the message of life. For several reasons, our relationship with friends and close
ones makes our witnessing easier. For example, having lived or worked with
them, our testimonies become more relevant and striking. They are witnesses of
what we were before as sinners and what the grace of God had made us now to
be. We also know them well enough to choose our method of approach and our
prayer points for their salvation. The established line of communication also puts
us at an advantage over other believers in reaching out to them.
The scripture gives us an account of those who came to know the Lord through
friends and relations. Testimonies also abound in the church of those who were
brought to the Lord through their friends, wives, husbands and even children. If
we allow the devil to intimidate us, our friends and relations may never know the
Lord before they answer the call of death. It is our responsibility to win those who
are near to us for the Lord. If we fail to do it, no other person may do it.

Telling our friends what great thing the Lord has done for us is a debt we owe both
to Christ and to all mankind. We have the commission to preach the gospel to
every creature. In presenting the gospel to our acquaintances and relations we
should be courteous and polite. They deserve to be respected as we do to those
unknown to us. We should not make their evils or known sins our focus of attack
and neither should we attack their personality. We are to present Christ and
God's plan of redemption and not to condemn. If we testify to them in love and
back this up with prayer, many of them will believe and be saved.

Questions
1. Give reasons why we should tell our friends and relations about Christ.
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
2. How were people in the following passages brought to know God or believe in
Christ?
(i) 2 Kings 5:3, 13
(ii) John 1:35,36
(iii) John 1:40,41
(iv) John 1 :44,48
(v) John 4:39
(vi) 2 Timothy 1:5; 3: 15
24
3. a. Why is witnessing to our friends and relations easier than witnessing to
strangers?
i
ii.
iii.

b. Discuss how we should present the gospel to our friends and

relations

25
 Pastor
William
Folorunso
Kumuyi
T
he General Superintendent of Deeper
Christian Life Ministry, represents a
foremost face and phase of the global
evangelical movement. He is venerated as a
stickler for Bible-prescribed holiness, Pentecostal
preaching and an abstemious lifestyle that abhors
earthly ambitions.
Pastor Kumuyi has ministered the Word of God
worldwide, bringing the joy of Salvation to the lost,
delivering the sick and leading many to the blissful
expectation of Heaven. His ministry has also
transformed the society with members of the
Church he founded renouncing prevalent
corrupting influences in their secular undertakings.
Through him, the frontiers of the Kingdom of God
has been mindfully expanded to the glory of God.

A Publication of:
Deeper Christian Life Ministry.
No 2-8, Ayodele Okeowo Street, Ifako, Gbagada, Lagos