If you've wondered how to become spiritually mature, this book explains what's needed to move forward on the path from being spiritual babes to having spiritual maturity.

God's truth is always found in His word. God's Truths versus Man's Lies is a book of scriptural validation and verification. It is impossible to know God's truth without knowing His word. It's like a puzzle. If you only have two or three pieces to a 200-piece puzzle, can you truly know what the puzzle looks like? Of course not. Well, God's truth about various topics is the same way. We must know all of His word or scriptural puzzle pieces about a subject, before He wants us to apply our faith to His word. That's why we are commanded to live by every word of God - Matthew 4:4. Having all the pieces presents the honesty to God's truth. Partial knowledge does not exact epignosis, which is the Greek word for the full and complete knowledge. That is why if we abide in His word, we shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free - John 8:31-32. So, my friends, without the truth, all you have is the lie.

Are you wondering what God is driving you towards, how to move towards that God has for you, or how to align yourself with God's divine order for your life? If so, this book is definitely for you!

How do Christians grow? “This book invites the reader to experience the title. It is not just a ‘how-to’ volume, but a ‘be’ volume.” So write the editors of this rich resource on the spiritual life. Spiritual maturity is not a level of growth Christians achieve, but the passion to press on in Christ. In these chapters, J. Oswald Sanders explores the primary source of continual growth. In three parts, structured around the persons of the Trinity, Sanders explores matters like: How we should view God Why our weakness is God’s strength What it means that Christ prays for us How to live like an heir of the King The role of the Spirit in a Christian’s life Spiritual Maturity provides clear direction for those desiring to grow strong spiritually. Complete with scriptural principles for spiritual development and study questions at the end of the text, this classic handbook is a timeless treasure. Includes a "For Reflections" section, making it an ideal resource for both individual and group study.

How do the dark moments of suffering which we all encounter at some point in our lives connect with the divine? The words of Paul the Apostle offer an answer to this universal question in the vibrant figure and pattern of Jesus Christ, so eloquently expressed in the Philippians Christ Hymn. It is in moments of loss, moments of experience of creation and community, and moments of transformative unity with God that we discover our deep connectedness to God and one another. Laura Hogan weaves the truth of these three facets of divine-human relationship together with Paul's undivided trust in divine effectiveness; that is, that the paradox of the cross reveals that God, no matter how dire the circumstance, is supremely effective to accomplish his will. Paul's words encourage us to express the pattern of Jesus Christ in our words, actions, and very lives, a singular articulation of Christ in our time, place, identity, and circumstances. This daily living of the Christ pattern, which this book explores in lives past and present, gives rise to a true joy in God as we become increasingly aware of our relationship with the divine in all moments, from the darkest to the brightest.

Outreach Magazine’s 2021 Resource of the Year in the Church Category Christianity tends to focus on beliefs and choices as the keys for personal growth. But biblical evidence and modern brain science tell a different story. Combining faith with the latest developments in neuroscience and psychology, Renovated offers a groundbreaking and refreshing perspective of how our attachment to God impacts our minds and hearts. You’ll find that our spiritual growth is about more than just what we believe—it’s about who we love. Drawing from conversations he had with Dallas Willard shortly before Dallas’s death, Jim Wilder shows how we can train our brains to relate to God. Transformative and encouraging, this book offers practical insight for deepening your relationship with God through the wondrous brain and soul that He has given you. “Elegant, clear and bountiful in hope . . . if transformation for yourself and your community is what you seek, I can think of no better place to start.” —Curt Thompson, author of Anatomy of the Soul “Jim Wilder offers genuine hope. He uniquely combines the truth of Scripture with the truth in developing brain science to give us a path of renewal and restoration.” —Dudley Hall, president of Kerygma Ventures “A breakthrough on so many levels. Renovated is a must-read for everyone who is serious about discipling people and seeing life transformation.” —Bob Roberts, pastor and founder of GlocalNet

piritual Maturity: The Whole Elephant provides a look at spiritual maturity for both spiritual seekers and the spiritually/ religiously committed. It provides a glimpse of the whole elephant, to use a term based on the Hindu metaphor of the blind men and the elephant. It contains widely diverse answers to ten defining questions about spiritual maturity. These questions include: the characteristics of spiritual maturity, the relationship to psychological and moral maturity and to social action and the culture, stages to and which organizations support attainment, alone or in community, how to support others on the path, and where you are. The answers are given by thirty spiritual leaders--not leaders of the national or academic variety, but leaders of the shoe leather variety: clergymen--Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and New Age; university professors and a psychotherapist; monks and sisters; a Native American; followers of Islam, Hindu, and Buddhist practices; members of 12-Step programs and a human development trainer; an African-American Sufi and black Baptist deacon. It is spiritual maturity made accessible to everyone. It closes with the reflections of a university professor after viewing the Holocaust Museum, providing a glimpse of the possible cost of holding on, so rigidly, to our specific understanding of who God is and his possible plan for us. Imagine a dialogue among people who hold very different points of view. The group consists of a Bible church pastor, a law school professor, a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, the abbot of a Zen monastery, a Roman Catholic sister who is an instructor in Spiritual Direction, a Baptist worship leader, and a Methodist pastor. Imagine two of them as reluctant participants: one, the member of Alcoholics Anonymous, because he is not exactly a fan of organized religion; the second is the Bible pastor, who appeared suspicious of mingling with other leaders of non-Bible based religions. The dialogue follows: Always the teacher, the law professor begins by giving his definition of spiritual maturity: Coming of age in the spirit. While everyone nods wisely in agreement, they then realize that they all have differing definitions of spirit and even of coming of age. The Methodist pastor picks up the thread. The person would have an awareness of the divine in life. They would have a sense in which they would understand that which we call God and feel some connectedness and relatedness to that God. Looking around for agreement, he continues, They would be able to utilize the rites and rituals of their faith in an effective manner with as little sense of magic or mere wish fulfillment as possible. They would be able to give witness to that in a variety of ways, whatever is appropriate that comes with their setting. He points out, aware of the diversity of the setting, that what he was saying could be taken in the broadest possible sense. This application would apply to a Buddhist, or a Muslim, as well as a Christian. Afraid that the conversation might digress, the Baptist worship leader enters the conversation to qualify: Its not something we can produce. Its Christ-likeness produced inside us through friendship with the triune God. He explains that what spiritual maturity means to the Christian is Holy-Spirit maturity. He elaborates: he means Holy-Spirit-produced maturity... Nodding in agreement, the Buddhist abbot says, I think there is a certain spiritual maturity that comes with people who are really into any spiritual practice--deep into whatever spiritual practice. They seem to be open to all others--seem to have respect for one another. That would be wonderful if we all had that openness to one anothers spiritualities. I encountered my own prejudice: All human beings have particular biases--beliefs that we hold to be true, whether we are aware of them or not. One question I asked, rather awkwardly, of

Every church has a next step for spiritual growth. Is your congregation engaged in an on-fire relationship with Jesus and His work in the world? For ten years, REVEAL research has been the gold standard for measuring spiritual vitality based on its unprecedented database of 500,000 congregants attending 1,800 diverse churches across America. Now in Rise, REVEAL researchers offer new comprehensive data—and encouragement from churches in the trenches—to help church leaders gain clear and practical insights about strategic pathways that will enable spiritual growth. A must-read for pastors, lay leaders, and anyone wanting to help their church cultivate tangible spiritual growth, Rise offers research-based evidence that shows all churches fall into one of eight “archetypes.” Rise will help leaders: Identify which archetype fits their church. Create spiritual-growth strategies based on real-life case studies. Implement sound strategies with insights on what works best for churches in the same archetype. God calls the church to vibrant relationship and kingdom work. If you desire to see your church answer His call with renewed passion, join with thousands of other churches and Rise.