Stalled in Spiritual Growth

0
By John Piper , Christian Post Guest Columnist
January 6, 2011|11:45 am

The following is an edited transcript of the audio.

If there is nothing specifically wrong with my church, but I feel like I've stopped growing, is that a good enough reason to look for another one?

I doubt it. I'm taking seriously the statement, "there is nothing specifically wrong with my church." There is always something wrong with your church!

So I'm just assuming this is a doctrinally sound church and a church in which pastoral care and mutual love is happening, and so on. And I would say, if you've stopped growing then you can't point to your church. It sounds like you can't blame your church.

Something else is going on here, and you need to dig down to the obstacles that emerge in you, and find out whether it's because you've stopped serving or praying or giving your life away. Given this first statement, "If there is nothing specifically wrong with my church, but I feel like I've stopped growing," I would say, do not assume going to a new church is going to change that.

What will happen in a new church, probably, is some artificial new buzz. The worship will sound different, the preaching will sound different, and the difference will feel energizing for a while. But it's artificial. It's probably not the main cause, and you're going to bump into the same stall at that church.

Follow us

And if you keep doing that, you're going to fail to find out what the problem is. Because I think the Lord would have us grow continually in a church as long as we're there and as long as life lasts. And growth has lots of other obstacles to it than church.

So get people around you who can counsel you as to what the real issue is here, why you're stalling. And it probably isn't church.

Copyright 2010 John Piper. Website: desiringGod.org
Advertisement
Top Stories

Greg Laurie: 4 Words That Can Change Your Marriage

Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Church in Southern ...

'Duck Dynasty' Stars Phil, Miss Kay: How Jesus Christ Saved Their Marriage, Restored Their Family

Phil and Kay Robertson, the patriarch and matriarch of A&E's highest-rated reality show "Duck Dynasty" were guests on CBN's "700 Club" on Wednesday to talk about their family's success and to share how their faith Jesus Christ ...

Pro-Life Groups Say IRS Targeted Them, Too

About a week after the Internal Revenue Service admitted to targeting tea party and other conservative organizations for tax-exempt status violations, at least two pro-life groups say they, too, were singled out for unnecessary ...