That You May Grow
FOREWORD
There are two important things you need to know about the will of God. First of all, God desires that you be saved. Then, He desires that you grow spiritually. These two things are clearly taught in the Bible.
Concerning God�s desire for you to be saved, Peter wrote, �The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance� (2nd Peter 3:9). Isn�t it wonderful that Almighty God desires that you be saved? Through salvation, you have all your sins forgiven, everlasting life, and even an eternal home in heaven.
After you are saved, God�s second desire is that you grow as a Christian. Concerning God�s will for you to grow, consider two verses of Scriptures. Concerning spiritual growth, Peter wrote, �As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby� (1st Peter 2:2). First, God wants you, as a new Christian, to grow. Again, concerning Christian growth, Paul wrote, �That the man of God [a saved person] may be perfect [grown�up or mature], throughly furnished unto all good works� (2nd Timothy 3:17). Not only does God want you to grow as a new Christian, but God also wants you to grow toward Christian maturity.
Therefore, I have written this manual with these two goals in mind. The primary goal of this booklet is to help new Christians to grow spiritually. However, the second goal of this booklet is to help other Christians to continue in their spiritual growth. Two words best describe this booklet. They are �help� and �growth.� Use this manual to help you to grow toward Christian maturity.
In order to provide the greatest help possible, this manual has been designed differently from other books on Christian growth. First of all, it has been arranged in an outline format. The first advantage of this arrangement is that this is the same format that many preachers use to deliver their sermons. Like a sermon format, each lesson has a biblical text, an introduction, main points, and sub-points. As you accustom yourself to the lesson format, you will be able to comprehend sermons better.
The second advantage of this outline format is its ease of usage. While the majority of similar studies use the fill-in-the-blank format, this manual uses the narrative approach. The entire lesson is first presented as a narrative. After you read the lesson narrative, there is a review sheet with blanks for answers. It is much easier to fill in the answers after you have read the lesson material. The answers to the questions on the review sheet can be found in the narrative material. This review reinforces the major truths presented in each lesson.
I sincerely trust this manual will be a real blessing to you. As you study, may our Savior help you to grow toward Christian maturity!
Special Note
The King James Bible is used in these lessons. I strongly recommend that you use only this Bible as you endeavor to grow in His grace.
Go on to the Purpose of the Book.
That You May Grow is a new discipleship series by Evangelist Donnie Melton of Gray, Georgia. Brother Melton has allowed us to put the material from his first book on the our web site. All rights of reproduction are reserved by him. However, he does give permission for individual use of the materials on www.learnthebible.org. You may also order copies of these and other books by Brother Donnie Melton from:
HARVEST TIME BAPTIST MINISTRIES
P. O. BOX 665
GRAY, GA 31032
(478) 986-9441
Besides the introductory pages, each lesson has a teaching section and study questions at the end of the lesson. Please let us know if these lessons have been a help to you. You never know how much of a blessing a word of encouragement can be.
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Copyright � 2002
Antioch Baptist Church Knoxville, Tennessee