{"id":6036,"date":"2015-12-07T12:05:26","date_gmt":"2015-12-07T10:05:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?p=6036"},"modified":"2015-12-15T14:09:56","modified_gmt":"2015-12-15T12:09:56","slug":"what-is-spiritual-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/what-is-spiritual-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"#66 What Is Spiritual Growth?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Spiritual growth is one of those things that every Christians knows he needs but few have a clear idea of what it really means or how to attain it.<\/p>\n<p>In this episode of &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/ps\/\">Now Is the Time<\/a>&#8221; I define spiritual growth and talk about key ingredients that are necessary for spiritual growth to happen.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FNIST_E_66.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fwhat-is-spiritual-growth%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-3\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_E_66.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=6036-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_E_66.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"NIST_E_66.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 30:31 &#8212; 27.9MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('6036-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_6036-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_6036-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FNIST_E_66.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fwhat-is-spiritual-growth%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-4&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can also listen on \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/now-is-the-time\/id658436314?mt=2&amp;uo=4&amp;at=10l9ET\" target=\"_blank\">iTunes<\/a>\u00a0or on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/now-is-the-time\" target=\"_blank\">Stitcher<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Links<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/2015-year-end-giving\/\" target=\"_blank\">Year end giving<\/a>\u00a0goes a long way to help with ministry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These include things like outreach to local refugees, mission trips for Ukrainians, helping local church planters, and providing solid Biblical based theological education that is accessible for all.<\/p>\n<p>Year end gifts also help you with your 2015 taxes!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/online-theological-training-in-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\">Online theological education in Ukraine<\/a>\u00a0continues to grow in Ukraine!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you want to find out more about how to provide accessible Biblical training in Russian to Church leaders who don&#8217;t have access to theological schools you can find out more through the link above.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/a-few-ways-you-can-pray-for-us-in-ukraine-this-month\/\" target=\"_blank\">Video update:<\/a> Here&#8217;s a few ways you can pray for us in December!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Spiritual growth gimmicks<\/h2>\n<div>Just like the thousands of fitness fads and secrets to six-pack abs so there are spiritual growth gimmicks and faith fashions that promise a robust spiritual life in just 4 minutes a day if you follow the plan.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Maybe it&#8217;s our impatience, maybe it&#8217;s our push-button society, or maybe we&#8217;re just plain lazy but for some reason we are often willing to fall for fake faith in hopes that we&#8217;ll reach the pinnacle of perfection quicker and easier.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Spiritual growth gimmicks generally land in two categories:<\/div>\n<h2>The mysticism gimmick<\/h2>\n<p>This gimmick tells you that spiritual growth is more about feeling close to God. This is often attained through some form of asceticism (choosing to abstain from pleasures such as food, sex, warm clothing, etc&#8230;).<\/p>\n<p>Those who promote this type of &#8220;spiritual growth&#8221; may also over emphasize the emotions of worship and\u00a0focus on &#8220;reflective&#8221; or &#8220;contemplative&#8221; prayers.<\/p>\n<h4>The problem<\/h4>\n<p>While some of the practices of mysticism aren&#8217;t necessarily wrong, the focus on feeling close to God is not always a\u00a0sign of spiritual growth and is never the definition of spiritual growth. It&#8217;s great to feel close to God but feelings can\u00a0deceive you.<\/p>\n<p>We also have to be careful of anything that calls for asceticism. The Apostle Paul specifically warns us of\u00a0the problems of asceticism in Colossians 2:20-23 and I Timothy 4:3.<\/p>\n<h2>The methodism gimmick<\/h2>\n<p>Here&#8217;s an example of how this gimmick works, all you have to do is follow the list to spiritual maturity.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Read your Bible 20 minutes every morning.<\/li>\n<li>Pray 10 minutes.<\/li>\n<li>Memorize 1 verse a week.<\/li>\n<li>Attend your mid-week Bible study.<\/li>\n<li>And of course Sunday morning worship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Depending on what Christian Guru you follow your list may look different.\u00a0Unfortunately, sometimes\u00a0Christian leaders gain large followings by convincing people if they just follow their program, or set of rules they&#8217;ll reach Christian Nirvana.<\/p>\n<h4>The problem<\/h4>\n<p>Generally their advice is not bad but it&#8217;s also not God&#8217;s Word and it&#8217;s easy to be deceived into thinking that simply by disciplining yourself in these practices you will grow spiritually. The truth is no mindless regimen will every produce spiritual fruit.<\/p>\n<p>So let me just tell you now, there are no gimmicks, there are no short-cuts, it will be hard, it will be uncomfortable, but in the end it will all be worth it!<\/p>\n<h2>What is spiritual growth<\/h2>\n<p>Probably the best place to start is by looking at what spiritual growth really is. It is much more than a list of rules to follow and it&#8217;s not simply a feeling or and attitude to strive for.<\/p>\n<p>So what is spiritual growth?<\/p>\n<p>Simply put spiritual growth is the process of becoming more like Jesus in our mind, our heart, and our actions.<\/p>\n<p>Paul explained it to one Church this\u00a0way:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>So be imitators of God, as his dear children. Live lovingly, just as the Messiah also loved us and gave himself for us as an offering and sacrifice, a fragrant aroma to God.<br \/>\n(Eph 5:1-2)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>To another Church he wrote:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Have the same attitude among yourselves that was also in the Messiah Jesus:<br \/>\n(Php 2:5)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>What does spiritual growth look like?<\/h2>\n<p>While spiritual growth happens on the inside, those changes will result in visible fruit that you and others can see. Paul gives us a great list of what spiritual growth looks like:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.<br \/>\n(Gal 5:22-23)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>If these qualities are increasing in your life as you seek to please God by becoming more like Christ, then you are growing spiritually.<\/p>\n<h2>The key ingredients<\/h2>\n<p>While there is no program or set regime that will guarantee true spiritual growth, there are however, a few ingredients that must be present.<\/p>\n<h3>Holy Spirit<\/h3>\n<p>The Holy Spirit is the agent who gives you spiritual life and produces spiritual growth.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>That He may give you, according to the riches of His glory, by His power to become mighty in the inward man through His Spirit. Eph 3:16<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Without the Holy Spirit we are dead and unable to grow spiritually. (Eph 2:1)<\/p>\n<p>If you believe in Jesus as God and Savior then you have the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13) If you don&#8217;t then maybe you should stop here and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qnWoVk-mbyY\" target=\"_blank\">watch this video.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Scripture<\/h3>\n<p>God&#8217;s Word not only provides fuel for your spiritual growth but it also gives you a solid foundation that will allow for continued growth. Much more than simply providing instruction on how you should live, God&#8217;s Word reveals to us the very character and nature of God. The more accurate our understanding is of God the more likely it will be that we can bring our lives into line with His will.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Like newborn babies, thirst for the pure milk of the word so that by it you may grow in your salvation. I Pet 2:2<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Fellowship<\/h3>\n<p>God designed the Church as the place where we grow best in our faith. We fool ourselves if we think that we can grow up in our faith without being a part of a church where God&#8217;s Word is taught and God&#8217;s people encourage each other. (Eph 4:11-16)<\/p>\n<h3>Suffering<\/h3>\n<p>Suffering might not come to your mind when you think of spiritual growth, but over the history of the Church it has had an integral part in the Church&#8217;s life. While you should not seek suffering you should also not seek comfort. Like or not we will all face some sort of suffering in our lives. How you respond to it will determine whether it will result in spiritual growth in your life.\u00a0(Rom 5:3-4)<\/p>\n<h3>Obedience<\/h3>\n<p>Practicing Bible reading and Bible study but failing to apply those truths to your life is one of the most dangerous things you can do to your spirit. Notice How Peter connects the desire for God&#8217;s Word with the importance of obedience.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Therefore, rid yourselves of every kind of evil and deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander. Like newborn babies, thirst for the pure milk of the word so that by it you may grow in your salvation. 1Pet 2:1-2<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Service<\/h3>\n<p>Spiritual growth must look outwardly to the needs of others. One of the most important purposes of spiritual growth is to enable us to serve others. Likewise, through service to others God stretches our spirit and brings us towards maturity.\u00a0(1Ti 4:14-15)<\/p>\n<h3>Learning<\/h3>\n<div align=\"left\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Throughout Scripture we find the exhortation to grow in our knowledge of God. The better we understand who God is and what Has done for us the easier it will be for us to live, think, be the person He wants us to be. (Heb 5:12-6:1,\u00a0<span style=\"font-family: Georgia;\"><u>2Pe_3:18<\/u><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #010101; font-family: Georgia;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<h3 align=\"left\">Question: How do you define spiritual growth?<\/h3>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FNIST_E_66.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fwhat-is-spiritual-growth%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-1\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_E_66.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=6036-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/NIST_E_66.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"NIST_E_66.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 30:31 &#8212; 27.9MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('6036-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_6036-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_6036-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FNIST_E_66.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fwhat-is-spiritual-growth%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-2&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p><!--powerpress_player-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spiritual growth is one of those things that every Christians knows he needs but few have a clear idea of what it really means or how to attain it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[297],"tags":[159],"class_list":["post-6036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-spiritual-growth","post_format-post-format-audio"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Death_to_stock_photography_farm_10.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3izZc-1zm","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5605,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/dont-measure-your-spiritual-growth-like-this\/","url_meta":{"origin":6036,"position":0},"title":"Don&#8217;t Measure Your Spiritual Growth Like This!","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"August 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\"I asked _____ to teach the adult class this Sunday, he doesn't come to church often but he graduated from seminary so he should do fine.\" Yes, I've actually heard a very similar statement as the one above on more than one occasion! Of course this begs the question, how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;New&quot;","block_context":{"text":"New","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/new\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/photodune-2018764-tape-measure-s.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/photodune-2018764-tape-measure-s.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/photodune-2018764-tape-measure-s.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6896,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/5-ways-the-prosperity-gospel-short-circuits-your-spiritual-growth\/","url_meta":{"origin":6036,"position":1},"title":"7 Ways the Prosperity Gospel Short-circuits Your Spiritual Growth","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"October 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The peddlers of the prosperity gospel promise a short-cut to the joys of heaven that will bypass the trials of earthly life and deliver a near paradise on earth to the impatient Christian. What these slick sellers of sanctified success don't tell you is that their short-cuts really short-circuit your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/20121005-lifeclass-i-am-2-949x534-e1475490684408.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/20121005-lifeclass-i-am-2-949x534-e1475490684408.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/20121005-lifeclass-i-am-2-949x534-e1475490684408.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2389,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/3-reasons-you-need-to-study-the-holy-spirit\/","url_meta":{"origin":6036,"position":2},"title":"3 Reasons You Need to Study the Holy Spirit","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"March 12, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I grew up in a Baptist Church and like most Baptist churches we didn't talk much about the Holy Spirit. Don't get me wrong we knew he was there but we did not want to appear like our charismatic friends who often mistook great music and powerful emotions as the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DSC03046-002.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DSC03046-002.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/DSC03046-002.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":262,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/life-in-tandem\/","url_meta":{"origin":6036,"position":3},"title":"Life in Tandem","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"January 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Things are coming together well for our pastors conference on discipleship February 10-11 in Kiev. I would like to ask you to keep this at the top of your prayer list. Why did we decide to have this conference? Let me explain a little. The focus of the CMI has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Updates&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Updates","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5025,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/do-seminaries-ruin-young-men\/","url_meta":{"origin":6036,"position":4},"title":"Do Seminaries Ruin Young Men?","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"March 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Seminaries and Bible colleges are\u00a0dangerous places, they ruin potentially good ministers! This isn't the time to hole up in a classroom listening to long lectures while pouring over tomes written by men with long beards who lived in a previous age and have no idea how to deal with the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;New&quot;","block_context":{"text":"New","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/new\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/photodune-7866498-graduation-s.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/photodune-7866498-graduation-s.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/photodune-7866498-graduation-s.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3309,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/is-missions-hurting-your-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":6036,"position":5},"title":"Is Missions Hurting Your Church?","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"November 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"If you want your church to grow then missions isn't the first department you'd think about. In the church growth books I've read you might not think about missions at all! Why is it that missions is so blatantly absent from the advice of many church growth gurus? Maybe it's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/DSC01049-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/DSC01049-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/DSC01049-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6036"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6080,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6036\/revisions\/6080"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}