5 Habits for Growth
Sermon Notes:
Last week, on the last Sunday of the year, we took time to reflect and pray. We prayed prayers of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.
Today, on the first Sunday of the year, we look ahead. I think the apostle Paul’s words to the Philippians captures our should-be posture well:
Philippians 3:13–14 (ESV): 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Everyone wants to grow in 2025.
This is biblical.
God has burdened my heart with the desire for progress in His church. Spiritual progress.
A passage that has recently re-ignited a flame in my heart for the sort of progress I’m talking about is…
Colossians 1:28 (ESV): 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Now, just to be clear, Jesus is the one who will present us blameless before God the Father because of His finished work on the cross. We are justified before God by Jesus alone; not by human effort, and one day we will reach glory with Him by His grace alone, not by human effort.
Nevertheless, the clear implication in the New Testament is that you and I have an active role to play on the way from our justification to our glorification.
For example:
Colossians 1:21–23 (ESV): 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
It’s why in Ephesians 4:12–13 (NLT) Paul says the responsibility of church leaders is… to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
It’s why he told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:15 (ESV): 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.
The Christian life is to be one of progress.
The good news is, if you truly belong to Jesus, God has you in process, and by His grace that process WILL continue until you reach glory with Christ.
Philippians 1:6 (ESV): 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV): 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Again, our progress is ultimately God’s work. And yet, we have an active role to play.
Colossians 1:6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
If we don’t keep taking steps along with the Spirit… walking in Him… our growth can become halted and stunted.
This is what the author of Hebrews is talking about when he tells them in Hebrews 5:12, “by now you should be mature… you should be teachers… you should be eating meat, but instead you’re like babies who need milk”.
How do we grow? By the habits we create.
I think author James Clear said it best: “You don’t rise to the level of your goals; you fall the level of your habits”.
The reality is, we can have all the intentions and inspiration in the world, but our habits are what actually define us.
Think of it this way: “How we live each moment is how we live our days… and how we live our days is how we live our lives”.
5 Habits for Spiritual Growth in 2025…
Habit number 1…. Read Your Bible.
In the Bible we have the very Word of God delivered to us through the pen of human authors under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is by far the most famous, influential book of all time. But actually, it’s more than a book––it’s a library of 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents. Yet, amazingly, it contains one cohesive storyline that never contradicts itself, and has no historical errors. The Bible is truly amazing!
Hebrews 4:12 (ESV): 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV): 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
In the life of a disciple of Jesus, taking in God’s Word is absolutely essential. Jesus himself said, “man does not live on bread (food) alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
According to Lifeway Research, who surveyed thousands of Christians across multiple countries for over a decade to see how believers actually grow, “reading the Bible is the number one predictor for spiritual growth”.
Here’s how to make your Bible reading count:
Plan a specific time and place to read the Bible every day.
Keep a S.O.A.P. Journal
Scripture: Read a chapter of the Bible each day. Choose a verse from that chapter that stands out to you, and write it out.
(Choose a book of the BIble to systematically read through or consider starting a Bible Reading Plan such as the F260 by Robby Gallaty replicate.org, The One Year Bible or The Bible Recap, you can find other plans on the YouVersion Bible App)
Observation: Write the meaning of the verse in your own words.
Application: Write down what you feel God is telling you to do (or what He wants you to know) based on this verse.
Prayer: Write out a prayer based on this verse. Ask God to apply this truth to your life and use it to make you more like Jesus.
Habit number 2… Pray
Why do we pray?
Connection: It connects us with God
“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” - Psalm 145:18Blessings: He answers our prayers and takes care of us
“You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive; because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” - James 4:2-3Joy: We experience fulfillment and happiness regardless of our circumstances
“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” - John 16:24Peace: God takes care of us, and we don’t have to live in anxiety and worry.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” - Phil 4:6-7God’s Glory: We bring God glory when He answers and we praise Him for it.
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” - John 14:13
Develop A Plan for Prayer
Choose a time and a place to pray. You may even want to use habit stacking to attach prayer to an already existing habit. For example, every time I brush my teeth, I pray for each of my kids.
Write out a list of prayer requests and log them in a journal or phone. Keep track of when God answers those prayers.
Follow the PRAY or ACTS acrostic. Since we went over ACTS last week, let’s go over PRAY… This tool is great for guiding you through prayer. Based on “The Lord’s Prayer,” it’s simple four-part approach is easy to remember, and helps guide you through prayer.
P.R.A.Y
Praise - Acknowledge God for who He is.
Repent - Ask God for forgiveness for ways we have failed to honor or obey Him.
Ask - We can ask God for anything and trust that He hears us! (1 John 5:14-15)
Yield - we trust God’s plan even if it’s different than ours.
A.C.T.S.
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
What if we resolved this year to not let our screen time exceed our prayer time?
Habit number 3… Memorize Scripture
Psalm 119:11 (ESV): 1 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Memorizing the Word is perhaps the biggest life hack you could ever possess.
Think about it: when you memorize God’s Word, you are literally equipping your mind with God’s thoughts so that you can live not out of human frailty and limitation but out of divine power and wisdom.
You want to be able to make wise decisions? Memorize the Word.
You want to be able to have powerful gospel conversations? Memorize the Word.
You want to be able to give godly advice to those around you? Memorize the Word.
You want to be able to defeat sin in your life? Even the most stubborn sin? Memorize the Word.
That’s what Jesus modeled for us isn’t it?
Remember when He was tempted in the wilderness by Satan in Matthew 4? What was His response to every one of Satan’s temptations? “It IS WRITTEN….”
Habit number 4… Participate in Biblical Community
Some think participation in church community is optional… it’s not.
Hebrews 10:25 (ESV): 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Remember also Ephesians 4 that talks about the responsibility to “build one another up”... it’s impossible to grow apart from other believers. You don’t grow on your own, you grow in community.
When we look at the life of Jesus and His apostles, we see that they did life in 5 Circles of community.
Go down the list and ask yourself: “which of these circles am I currently part of, and which do I need to step into”...
Big Circle (think Sermon on the Mount, think crowds… for us, think Sunday mornings…)
Mid Circle (think Jesus and his 12 disciples sitting around the campfire asking questions, telling stories, building friendship…. For us, think dinner groups and other small expressions of community outside the church service)
Small Circle (think Jesus with Peter, James and John. He shared intimate moments with those guys that the others didn’t experience. For us, think discipleship groups).
Personal Circle (think Jesus withdrawing to be with the Father. Think Jesus saying, “when you pray, go into your room with the door closed”. You need this in your life. One on one with God.)
Circle of Impact (think Jesus telling the former demoniac to go “to your own people and tell them what I’ve done for you”. Every Christian has a circle of impact. The gospel came to you so you could take it to them.)
Which brings us to our last habit…
Habit number 5… Practice Everyday Evangelism
We know that as followers of Jesus, we are called to make followers of Jesus. This is not optional; it is our primary mission on this earth! (Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
The question is… how?
We know that in order for someone to come to faith in Jesus, they must hear the gospel (Rom. 10:13-14). The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). This means that the age-old adage, “preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words” is not accurate; words must be used because the gospel is, first and foremost, a message. It’s the good news about Jesus. So if we are going to see people get saved, we must be willing to have conversations about Jesus that lead to the person hearing the gospel.
But beyond “how”, we also have to ask “who”?
The thought of reaching the world (or even your neighborhood) for Christ is incredibly overwhelming. For that reason, when faced with the task of reaching everyone for Christ, most Christians will end up reaching no one.
As it turns out, over 95% of Christians became Christians because of someone close to them. Someone in their close circle of influence. This is the primary way in which the gospel has made its way around the world through the centuries––through close circles of relationships.
Make an impact list
Pray for them daily
Make plans to spend intentional time with them with the goal of eventually sharing Christ
Let’s quickly review.
How are you going to grow in Christ this year? By creating 5 key habits:
Getting in the Word
Praying
Memorizing the Word
Doing life in Biblical Community
Practicing Everyday Evangelism
According to research, there is one factor that makes all the difference in whether we are successful at cultivating these habits… accountability.
“The church is not evangelizing as much as it should. The numbers are clear, and few would argue the point. But the solution is not to rely solely on clarion calls to share the gospel more frequently. While people can be spurred on to share, they are missing accountability. It is in discipleship groups that we can not only encourage and expect people to be sharing the gospel but also have a protocol to hold one another accountable to the task.” - Robby Gallaty
It’s not enough to set out to succeed solo… we need to be part of a small committed group who are headed in the same direction together.
With that in mind, I want to humbly suggest your next step… Make this the year that you join a discipleship group. We have a very simple plan for small discipleship groups that focuses on these 5 habits we talked about.
Small, gender-specific groups of 2-5 guys or girls.
Meet once a week or so to go over how you’re doing on each of these habits, and lend encouragement and support.
Jesus had His inner circle, you should too.
3 ways you can wind up in a group starting this week:
Start one. The material is on the website under “small circle”. It’s also linked in your sermon notes, and linked in the linktree, and frankly all over the place. If you can’t find it, ask someone. We just ask that if you do start one on your own, could you please just let us know so we can encourage you and lend support.
Fill out the form. It’ll ask you whether you want to join a group or lead a group. A staff member will follow up to help you get started.
After the service, come to the connect area by the tables and simply tell us you want to be in a discipleship group and we’ll help you.
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