Chuck Foreman – Teaching Pastor

Our maturity as followers of Jesus is not about knowledge.  It’s not about how much we know about God, it’s about how much we allow God to refashion us after his image. Maturity and discipleship is about character, not giftedness. The true evidence of God’s Spirit within a man or woman is what the Apostle Paul calls the “fruit of the spirit”: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) These are the things in our lives that exhibit true spirituality. 

God’s work of restoration in this world begins in us, those created in his image, yet marred by the effects of pursuing personal fulfillment apart from him.  We can reflect him and join him in doing good if we allow him to do his work in us. Jesus described this as rebirth in his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. Peter told his audience in Acts 3 that if they repented and turned to God, their sins would be wiped out and times of refreshing would come from God. Now that’s a concept! Having our sins wiped out and being refreshed by God. Sounds like what we all need, doesn’t it? It can happen. It’s what God is up to and it’s why Jesus came—to rescue us and restore us. Let’s let him do his thing in us. He will if we will.