2 Peter 1:1-11

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been away from the pulpit for a few weeks to rest and make progress on some health issues. It’s given me time to ponder and think back over my nearly 6 decades of life in Christ and to explore in my mind some things I wish I’d known or figured out about spiritual growth and maturity in the Lord much earlier. It’d saved me and others a lot of pointless rabbit trails, grief and frustration. In these past few weeks as we’ve been receiving the blessing of pastor Vern’s teaching on spiritual growth and maturity including in the area of financial giving, it’s prompted some healthy discussions among us.

So motivated by all that I want to extend an invitation to you to join me over the next several Sundays as we discover and uncover a Biblical roadmap of growth to maturity in the Lord. Among the topics will be Law, grace and the gospel. Legalism – what it is and what it isn’t. Are there clear commands and prohibitions in the Bible that are binding on the conscience of all believers and the church at all times (is there or isn’t there a universal Christian moral code)? Or do we just “listen to the Holy Spirit” individually for guidance? How does God communicate with the believer and the church in this age? How are we to make important decisions? Are the Scriptures sufficiently clear and authoritative to make universal statements, or are private/ individual interpretation and skepticism the best approach?

These questions and more I prayerfully invite and ask you to enter into illumination and clarity  with me. Today, briefly, I want to introduce from 2 Peter 1, seven building blocks in the road to a healthy spirituality, and tell you that they very much matter to Jesus!