I’m sure we could list a multitude of areas in our life where growth is necessary in order to be able to serve our Lord most effectively (and be more pleasant to those around us!) Growing up spiritually is important for many reasons and all of us are at different stages in our spiritual formation.
One of the most vital steps in our life as a believer is: Knowing, understanding, and exercising our rights and privileges in Christ.
Thank God for what Jesus has done! What a wonderful thing it is to fully grow into an understanding of our position in Christ. It is a place where we acknowledge and walk in the authority that is given to us in the Name of Jesus. By all means, let us grow up and into everything that God has for us!
In his letters, the Apostle Paul writes extensively on our freedom in Christ. Paul also gives us an example of how he practiced this freedom in his own life (1 Corinthians 9:19-21 NKJV):
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law…
When we think about our privileges in Christ we usually think about what we can do, what freedoms we can experience, and what religious bondage we have been freed from. Paul on the other hand was so free and so secure in his position in Christ, that he was able to lay those freedoms aside whenever it meant that more people could be reached with the Gospel.
Years ago I was participating in a prayer service in a small charismatic church. It was supposed to be a meeting for believers, but there were some non-believers and new converts also in attendance. In my prayer group, there was a lady who grew up in a very religious home. When we started praying she quickly knelt down and folded her hands. She looked up at us with confusion when she noticed that we had stayed standing and raised our hands. While another man in our group was almost mocking this new believer, because "we are free in Christ”, I decided this would be a great opportunity to demonstrate how free in Christ we actually are. So, I knelt next to her as we prayed for our nation. My wife and I were able to minister to her many times during the following years because of the way we received her that day.
Yes, let us continue to grow in knowledge of our rights, privileges and authority in Christ! From that position, we withstand the devil. But, where people are concerned, grow out of it! Be so free that you can become all things to all men, that you might win the more.