You can’t strengthen and encourage others if you’re in a weakened condition yourself. God commands us to actively pursue Christlikeness, and to remove any obstacle that hinders our spiritual growth.
Lecture Outline Detailed Outline Remember ItList as many specific ways as you can think of from the lecture that elders should guard themselves.
Guard what you read and whom you listen to as preachers and teachers. Guard against unconfessed sin and weights that hinder you in the Christian race. Don’t try to outsmart false teachers. Most importantly, guard your love relationship with Christ.
It means you are to be a spiritual athlete, training at all times. You train yourself for godliness, which means authentic Christian living as it reflects the teachings of the Gospel and the normal Christian life.
If you are not progressing, you are regressing. There is no standing still. If you are not progressing spiritually, you are becoming stagnant and actually less effective as a church elder to guard the flock.
- Why do you think the speaker is so passionate about this subject of personal spiritual growth?
- What are the characteristics of church elders who are spiritually stagnant and actually refuse to learn and grow? What have you observed of men like this?
- What is most hindering you from pressing forward in your Christian maturity and growth in Christ?
- What does a top athlete do to train himself for the game? What can you learn from the training of an athlete that would apply to Christian growth and training?
- What is one step you can take today because of what you have learned in this lesson? Do it and then share it with someone else before doing the next lesson.