Spiritual Growth, Eph.4:11-16.                        continuation           
Another obstacle to Spiritual Growth is the Failure to minister to one another in the Church.
Ministering to one another is one of the greatest ministries in the Church and without it no Church can grow properly. It is God's will for us to minister to one another and for believers to build themselves up in the Faith-Heb.6:10.
However, many believers consider this to be the job of the Leadership only and through this attitude they impoverish the Church spiritually.
The other side of the coin, of course, is when instead of ministering to one another we engage in pulling everyone apart or criticizing everybody. In this we do not build up the Church but simply demolish it.
What do we actually need to do when we minister one to another and what does it involve? To minister means to 'serve' and this is what the Lord Jesus called us to do by setting an example for us-John 13:1-17 (here a service of refreshment). We are called to minister to one another in the Church. It is not the job of a few gifted people. We are to minister according to our abilities and capacity to do so and not according to what we fancy doing.
We minister to one another because we have first learned to minister to the Lord and having done this we give ourselves to ministering to His people. We must get it the right way round, i.e. to the Lord first and then to His people, and not the other way round. In the passage in John's Gospel Jesus laid aside His garments and stooped low to minister to His disciples. We cannot minister to people from a position of superiority. We have to rid ourselves of our pride and then stoop down. The Apostle Paul exhorts us to, 'In lowliness consider each other better than yourself'. Ministering to someone means to be involved with that person. All enmity must depart. What is the real motive involved in this kind of ministry? Love. No amount of pleasantries will produce ministry if Love is not the motive of our hearts. The Lord Jesus loved His followers and showed it in a practical way, setting an example for us to follow.               To be continued

Spiritual Growth, Eph.4:11-16.              continuation
Another Obstacle to Spiritual Growth is the lack of Counselling or an unwillingness in the person to receive
correction or guidance.
Counselling, Correction and Guidance are necessary in the life of the Believer and are part of God's Discipline. Where these are absent  Spiritual Growth will be stunted and progress in the Church will also be affected.
The Apostle Paul, in 2 Tim.4:1-3, instructs Timothy to administer Discipline in the Church. The words of Paul may appear strict and many people may get frightened by the sound of Discipline in the Church. However, Paul gives instruction about how to minister to believers. Where a problem arises is when believers are unwilling to accept correction and guidance. If we see that the Leadership of the Church is out to oppress us then we should do our best to avoid discipline which brings the obvious results of error and disobedience.
If on the other hand we see the Leadership of the Church as the people through whom God will work, then we will receive discipline as necessary for our well being-Job 5:17.
 Paul uses the word 'Rebuke'  for discipline, whether we like it not and without beating about the bush. He also uses the word 'Exhort' for encouragement, meant to point out what is right. Another word he uses is 'Convince', that is to point out to the person the truth of the matter so that the person will see the error of his ways. If a person cannot see what is true in Scripture how will he know what is good or not?
Whether we progress in the Faith or not depends entirely on our attitude to the Word of our God which we receive for our lives. If all we do is attend a Church for meetings and services but avoid getting involved we are hearers only and not doers of the Word.
Guidance, correction, and counselling are part and parcel of the Christian Faith and we cannot pick and choose what suits us. Christianity is not a 'Pick and Choose' Religion. God insists in His Word that Discipline as administyered by the Church Leadership is part of our Christian training, and if we refuse God's Discipline we refuse to be His children.                                         to be continued