Lesson 191. Growing in Christ

When I hear accounts about God, about His love, about His mercy, and about His desire to save me from the power of sin and from death, a genuine interest arises within me, and something amazing begins to take place in my mind. An unknown power draws me to Jesus and reveals incomprehensible things about Him. I suddenly begin to understand that God exists, that He loves me, and that He has prepared something better for me—not what this world offers. My mind awakens, and the thought dawns on me that I can begin to live with God, believing in Him and learning His will. And I decide to take this step, and I do so.

When I had only begun to know Christ, and He convinced me that I needed to repent of my sins, I decided not to put it off, but turned to Him in a prayer of repentance and was accepted by Him without any particular objections. Jesus loves me and loves every person, without respect of persons. For He is our Creator, our Savior, our Heavenly Friend. Whoever we may be, the Lord receives into His embrace anyone who turns to Him in repentance and with a desire for deliverance.

Repentance is God’s gift, which God gives to people as a special mercy so that they may leave the past behind and begin a new life without sin. God’s grace descends upon a person and prompts him to acknowledge and confess his transgressions. He gives both the desire and the strength to do this. And this is a very important moment that takes place in the life of every person, and when it concerns the heart, it is extremely important to answer, ‘Yes.’

I know many people who heard such a call but decided to wait a little longer, to sin a little longer, to settle all their affairs, or to have their fill of worldly pleasures; but later, when it seemed that they should have been ready to begin something new, they could change nothing. The mind understands, the soul trembles, but the heart remains silent. Other cases are also known. People resisted God’s mercy for years, and then, leaving everything behind, turned to Him with all their heart. God once said that His Spirit would not always strive with man, and this principle remains in effect to this day.

Love suffers long, but when God’s mercy is completely rejected, another attribute of love—justice—then comes into its own. And how God does not desire that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

There is a very interesting factor in your salvation and mine. When we repent and come to Christ with our repentance, He accepts us and places us in His school called ‘life with Jesus.’ And the Lord begins to teach us this life. In His school study all those who have bound their existence to Christ, all who have believed in Him as their Savior and desire to know His will. God pours out His light upon these people, enters into a covenant with them, and receives them as His children, blessing them at all times.

All of us who have believed in Christ become one family, and in Him we are accepted by God the Father. The Lord desires to raise all of us and gives us spiritual growth, sends us strength to fight sin, grants us light, and teaches us to distinguish evil from good and sin from righteousness.

But unfortunately, the enemy of souls also has access to this school. He introduces his own adjustments into this process of learning, dividing God’s children into denominations, movements, and groups, convincing them that they are right and endowing them with a spirit of religious intolerance and fanaticism.

From church history we know of cases when those who desired freedom in their religious beliefs were persecuted, imprisoned, and killed—and this was done by the very people who considered themselves followers of Christ and called their society by that name, while being led by an entirely different spirit.

But God always has had and always will have those who know how to distinguish darkness from light and who know the voice of their Shepherd. They do not follow a stranger, but follow Jesus wherever He goes. And Jesus does not merely lead His flock; He gives His sheep the Bread of Life and cares for the spiritual growth of everyone who has entered into a covenant with Him. And the purpose of this school of Christ is to reveal to His children the fullness of Biblical truths in their true light, to teach us to love one another, to prepare us for life among holy beings, and to prepare us to testify of Him in the spirit of love and truth.

And this process of growth may be described as the revelation of God’s true character to a person and the restoration of that character within him. God does not merely desire to reveal Himself to us as the God of love; He seeks to become love within us. And this does not happen instantly. It is a process lasting throughout Eternity, but it begins in the earthly school. And this is the foundation of my faith.

God needs obedient boys and girls with whom He will populate all the heavenly space prepared by Jesus for His friends. But where can these obedient children be found, since all have sinned and come short of the glory of God? That is why the school is needed. God calls all the unfit boys and girls in order to begin raising them, teaching them the skills of Eternal life, and preparing us to move to Heaven. And a miracle of transformation takes place. From an unfit and dirty lump of clay, I am transformed into a masterpiece in God’s hands. He molds me into what pleases Him and makes me what He Himself desires; and when the process of creation is complete, the Lord places me into a hot furnace in order to temper the soft qualities of my soul and make them firm and strong. After this, He fills this vessel with that for which it was designed and continues to teach me.

And I grow like a tree planted by the rivers of water, whose leaf does not wither and which brings forth good fruit in its season. And God expects much fruit and teaches me this art, dwelling forever in my heart.

Through studying the Bible, I learn God’s will and His plans, see my sins, discover the depths of God’s love, learn about God’s promises, and grow in the knowledge of the only true God and Jesus Christ, Whom He has sent.

I learn to fellowship with my Creator and Savior. As I read His Word, I hear Him speaking to me; and as I open my mouth in prayer, I begin to converse with Him. We have a daily dialogue: we exchange knowledge and experience, I seek counsel from my Teacher, and He answers my requests, needs, and questions. And I grow.

And in this school I have very many friends with whom we study the science of love together and learn to respect, understand, accept, and love one another. It is so interesting! We had never known one another, but in Christ we became dear and close, came to love one another with a pure heart, and dream of how, having ascended to Heaven, we will eternally bring joy to one another before God’s face and remember how wonderfully the Lord gathered us all together and united us in friendship on this sinful Earth in His school of love.

And already here on Earth we become God’s people, God’s family, God’s children, who have chosen love and friendship as our attitude toward one another; and this has brought us to happiness in Jesus and joy in the Holy Spirit. And we will live in this forever.

Can you imagine Eternity without love? It would be unceasing torment and suffering, constant war and never-ending conflict. But love casts this out and fills our hearts with itself in order to bring a little piece of Heaven into our busy life even now. We have only a little time left to study here. But what we are learning in this school here and now will be very useful to us in Eternity.

The science that God is Love can be comprehended only by having Eternal life, and we have begun this. And we are growing.

1. What interesting things did you learn in this lesson?

2. What leads a sinner to repentance?

3. What does it mean to repent?

4. Is there a limit to God’s mercy? When does justice come into its own?

5. What does the school of Christ teach?

6. How does growth in Christ take place?

7. Are you growing in Christ? How can this be determined?

8. Is it possible to remain forever in the first grade in God’s school?

9. Please read 1 Chronicles 29:11; Psalms 1:1–2; 23:4; 77:12–13; Matthew 20:25–28; Luke 10:17–20; John 20:21; Philippians 3:7–14; Colossians 1:13–14; 2:6, 14–15; Hebrews 10:25; 1 John 4:4; Romans 8:38–39; 2 Corinthians 3:17–18; Galatians 5:22–25; Ephesians 5:19–20; 6:12–18; 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, 23; James 1:27; 2 Peter 2:9; 3:18 in the light of our lesson.