Explosive Growth in Grace!
We can experience explosive growth in grace when we choose to edify others and live for their benefit, rather than our own.
David Wilkerson emphasizes that our growth in grace can be transformative when we focus on edifying those who may frustrate us. He highlights the importance of using our words to build up others, minister grace, and avoid grieving the Holy Spirit. Wilkerson reflects on the lives of spiritual giants who prioritized growing in grace and producing godly fruit, stressing that true growth begins at home through Christlike behavior. He encourages believers to let go of the need to be right and instead foster an environment of mutual edification. Ultimately, he calls for a collective maturation in grace.
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Our growth in grace can be explosive when we attempt to edify those who mortify us.
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God" (Ephesians 4:29-30). The root word Paul uses for edify here means "house builder." That word, in turn, comes from a root word that means "to build up." In short, everyone who edifies is building up God's house, the church.
Paul is telling us three important things here about the words we speak:
1. We are to use our words to build up God's people.
2. We are to use our words to minister grace to others.
3. It is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit with our words.
I get deeply convicted as I read the life stories of some of the spiritual giants of the past. These godly men and women were heavenly minded--studious in God's Word, praying often, and concerned about growing in grace. What strikes me most about these people's lives isn't just their devotion to Christ or the intensity of their prayers. It is also the godly fruit that these things produced in them. Moreover, I discovered a common thread among these spiritual giants: their main concern was to grow in the grace of a pure heart, out of which holy conversation would flow. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34).
I grow in grace when I choose to live for others and not myself. That growth in grace must begin in my home by showing my mate and my children ever-increasing Christlikeness. My home must become a proving ground where all problems, all misunderstandings are overcome by my willingness to give up "my attempts to be always right."
Never having to be "right" has helped me enjoy the power of God's grace as never before. All arguments, all so-called "rights" vanish when we seek to edify one another rather than trying to win some silly dispute.
Let us grow up--in grace.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Importance of Edifying Others
- A. Using words to build up God's people
- B. Ministering grace to others through our words
- C. Avoiding words that grieve the Holy Spirit
- II. The Character of Spiritual Giants
- A. Heavenly-minded and devoted to God's Word
- B. Praying often and concerned about growing in grace
- C. Producing godly fruit through their devotion
- III. Growing in Grace through Selflessness
- A. Choosing to live for others, not ourselves
- B. Showing Christlikeness in our homes
- C. Overcoming problems through giving up 'being right'
Key Quotes
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” — David Wilkerson
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” — David Wilkerson
“Let us grow up--in grace.” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We should strive to use our words to build up God's people and minister grace to them.
- Growing in grace requires a willingness to live for others and show Christlikeness in our homes.
- Overcoming problems and conflicts requires giving up our need to be 'right' and seeking to edify one another.