From Homecoming King, To Homeschooling Dad - Part 4: Growing in Grace and Knowledge

In Part 3 of this series, I briefly talked about the New Life I received in Jesus Christ. Most importantly, through God's Word He showed me that in order to be a Christian, I must not sin (see John 5:14 and John 8:11). This can be accomplished by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which comes after justification or repentance of sins. During this series I plan to talk about how after receiving the New Life that only Jesus Christ can provide, I began to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18) which takes place through a process called sanctification.

As I described in Part 3 of this series, after I received my New Life in Jesus Christ I had a hunger and thirst after righteousness. This hunger and thirst for God's Word led me to seek the Lord as the Bereans did in Acts chapter 17:11 where it is recorded "...they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." I was completely consumed with learning about God's Word. I read the Bible, studied the Bible, read various devotions, read various theological books, listened to Godly radio broadcasts traveling to work and home from work, attended various church services several times per week, and attended Christian conferences, fellowships, and revivals. My life was completely transformed seemingly overnight and I had a passion like never before to learn. I had always been a good student in school and college and enjoyed learning, however I never had a passion for learning before. Being justified from my sins truly changed my life for the better and gave me a new desire to learn!

I also described in Part 3 of this series that in order to remain in a sinless state, I had to have the Holy Spirit. Obtaining the Holy Spirit in my life is what the Bible refers to as "sanctification." To be sanctified simply means to be set apart. In the case of a Christian, it means to be set apart for God's use. Therefore, since I was saved from my sins and received the Holy Spirit after I was saved, I could begin the process of sanctification. I call sanctification a process because it is something that never ends. Justification (a.k.a. salvation from sins) is an event. One obtains justification by repentance. However when one becomes sanctified by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit begins a work in you that will continue until the day you die (hence "the process" as I call it).

For example, Romans 15:16 says, "That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost." First Corinthians 6:11 says, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." First Thessalonians 4:4 says, "That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour." Second Timothy 2:21 says, "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. " These scriptures just provide a glimpse of what Biblical sanctification is, however it is very important to understand.

You see, Peter tells every Christian to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18). I realized this as I studied God's Word and heard the preaching of His Word. But how was I supposed to do this? Go to seminary? I actually entertained this for some time. I had conversations with my grandfather (which was also my pastor) on several occasions about it. I even considered becoming a minister so that I could devote all of my time to learning God's Word. As I continued to seek first the Kingdom of God, I was shown that I did not have to go to seminary or become a minister to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (although if called by God to either of these is not always a negative thing). I came across a wonderful passage of scripture that assured me of this which is found in John 14:26 - "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The Holy Spirit does not require seminary. The Holy Spirit does not require a title. The Holy Spirit just needs a soul with a desire to seek first the kingdom of God. And that was me for sure! So I began to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help me grow in grace and knowledge of my Saviour!

From the time of my repentance until today, the Holy Spirit has taught me everything I know with respect to God's Word, which to some may not seem like a lot. However, as I look back through the years past (which really isn't that many - 13 years to be exact), I am so thankful for the time I had to study the Word of God and build a solid foundation on the truth of Jesus Christ. I would say that in the first six years of my new life in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit provided knowledge, wisdom, and understanding at a very rapid pace! God's Word is true when it says that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled (Matthew 5:6)! I am so thankful for this because the Holy Spirit provided a foundation of truth and everything I have learned continually keeps building on that solid foundation. I am especially thankful for this because my wife and I can share in this growth and in addition we obtained a spiritual depth that only God can provide prior to having children. Looking back, this is very important and was instrumental in how we bring up our children now. Without that foundation, I am sure we would have made many more mistakes than we do now (and believe me, we make plenty as it is). However, due to a solid foundation built on truth, God has used us for His glory even through the lives of our children.

The last thing I will mention for this post is about sanctification and being set apart. As the Holy Spirit has taught me all things with respect to God's Word and I continued to grow in grace and knowledge, I found that my lifestyle was continually requiring purging. You see, the more one relies on the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct them, the more He will purge your life of things from this world. Jesus prayed in John chapter seventeen that His people would be sanctified and that they would be in the world but not of the world. This essentially means that as I listened to the Holy Spirit, He taught me that my life required more and more refining from the world's influence so that my new life would be aligned and ready for God's influence. This meant that I had to choose to make changes in my life. I had to continue to examine myself with respect to God's Word and determine if their was any wicked way within me. I had to be willing to give up things of this world so I could focus better on the things of God. This purging process Jesus talked about in John chapter fifteen. Jesus made it clear that in order for one to be fruitful (which includes growth), one must be purged. Sanctification therefore is that process of continual purging. One thing is for sure, the process of sanctification (and especially the purging) is painful at times, however as Jesus told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." I praise God that His Grace, His Holy Spirit, and His Son are freely available to grow in grace and knowledge. All I had to do was have a desire and ask!

My wife Colleen had this key chain made for me as a birthday gift in 2004. She as well as others recognized my "hunger and thirst" for God's Word and therefore a gift such as this would be with me most places I would go and could be used to open up a dialog with others about Jesus Christ since many times people would ask what Matthew 5:6 meant or said.