Attain Spiritual Growth

Following God's Designed Plan of Engagement

God purposed from the beginning to establish a personal relationship with His children. He, therefore, designed a particular type of dynamic union with Him. He first wanted us to know Him as God the Creator, God whose name is I am who I am--otherwise known in Hebrew as Yahweh.

He, therefore, established a covenant through the lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To Abraham, He first came as Father. Through Yeshua, He came as the Son. After the Messiah's ascension to heaven, He came into the hearts of believers as the Holy Spirit. We, therefore, have the opportunity to know and engage with God through His triune nature.

Growing by Knowing the Father's Heart

Through the dramatization of the call of Abraham, we see a picture of the Father's heart towards His children. God's simple plan in Genesis 12:1-3 reveals multitudes of what was on His heart. "Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Consider what was on God's heart through the following phrases:

• "Get out"...Be free from the bondage of pagan idolatry
• "To a land that I will show you"...to a place where My will for your life can be fulfilled
• "Make your name great"...honor you with a new identity as children of the Almighty God
• "You shall be a blessing"...a source of enlightenment, comfort and endowment to be extended towards others

In looking at God's heart towards Abraham, we see, firstly, the love of the Father desiring to have a direct relationship with His children. For, God desires such a relationship not hindered by external influences that come between God and man, corrupting and polluting the union. The primary type of such source of corruption is idolatry.

For that reason, idolatry is a form of bondage. It places our focus, dependence, and heart's desire on things of vanity; and centers our worship on vain forms, objects, and performance of vain rituals. As Paul put it, "These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." (Colossians 2:23)

God truly desires a direct relationship with His children. He desires a relationship anchored in His genuine eternal love. He desires such a relationship with His children who will value His sovereign provision with gratefulness and honor. He values a relationship that will transform our human nature, and conform us more closely to the "measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13)

Through the testimony of Abraham, we also see God's perspective of destiny. He had a plan, and willed in His heart a place where His will could be accomplished.

Part of the plan included a journey. For, the path of life down which we travel brings us through experiences that create sources of engagement with the living God. Through such dynamic engagements of life, relationships are built, and hearts are touched. In the end, we get closer to God.

Therefore, as children of God, we participate in the affairs of life God brings before us, and learn about the dynamics of relating with God and man. For, life is full of wondrous events and trials. Through encounters and activities of various sorts, our lives are enriched.

Growing by Knowing the Love of the Son

Yeshua gave us an example of the Father's love. Paul summed it up in 1 Corinthians 13:3-8.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

As imperfect beings, we will fail and disappoint one another. Yeshua never failed, though, in expressing the Father's love. He was patient and kind with every type of person; rich or poor, healthy or afflicted, simple or wise, servant or ruler.

He was not envious, jealous, or bitter, even towards those who mocked or beat Him. He was humble, never arrogant, and didn't seek His own benefit at the expense of others.

He didn't gloat over the misfortune or sin of others, but had compassion towards all. He rejoiced in truth, not lies. He was able to bear with patience all situations, believed in the good of all people, earnestly prayed for even those who desired to kill Him, and maintained hope for mankind.

Finally, He willingly took the brutal punishment for our sins to the point of death on the Cross. He forgave mankind, and released the power of God to us through the Holy Spirit. Our eternal hope is to truly grow into the fullness of His image.

Growing by Knowing the Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Through His sermons, parables, and examples, Yeshua taught the principles of the kingdom of God. We have His words, but His words have the power to impact change by the Holy Spirit.

For this reason, He said, "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (John 14:25-27)

Curiously enough, Yeshua left missing blanks. He did not reveal ALL there was to know. He said we would not be able to bear it. He declared that the job of continuous guidance would come from the Holy Spirit.

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:11-14)

This is one of the greatest points that Yeshua endeavored to communicate and imbed in the hearts of believers. He wanted us to come to the understanding that He came to earth to live in our like kind, die, be resurrected, and deposit in us the guarantee of the fullness of God in the form of the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit--so we could be in like kind with God--in union with God.

The greatest degree of spiritual growth, therefore, comes as the Holy Spirit amplifies and reveals truth to our heart from God's Word. This comes mostly by personal communion with God in prayer, and in fellowship with other believers filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Messiah's Training Ground

To prepare for the armed services or play a sport, you go to training camp. God, likewise, brings His children through a unique path of training. As no two fingerprints are alike, no two hearts are alike. God's training is designed to work in the heart.

The apostle, Paul, experienced God's transitional work in his life. His change was dramatic. He went from being a devout Jewish leader and persecutor of Jewish believers in the Messiah, to the apostle who largely established the early Messianic and Christian communities, and wrote the majority of the New Testament epistles. Talk about an identity shift!

Paul understood the nature of transition. He understood the process of engaging with God in a very real and dynamic way. Paul encountered the same difficulties we do. It was a process, though, that brought alignment with God's Spirit in him, and contentment and fulfillment in his life. Such a process is energized through active engagement with God by the power of His Holy Spirit, and anchored by the truth of His living Word.

God's Blueprint of Engagement

What better path to spiritual growth could you start on other than God's blueprint of engagement? Embedded in God's covenant is a pattern He designed to serve as a blueprint of the way He planned to relate and engage with His people. This pattern is illuminated through the seven Feasts of the Lord.

The apostle, Paul, relates in Colossians 2:17, that these feasts "a shadow of things that are coming, but the body is of the Messiah." As shadows, they may be viewed as a reflection of a blueprint illustrating God's plan of engagement revealed through the Messiah.

Psalm 85:13 relates how His footsteps are our pathway. The PATHWAYS TO ZION process, therefore, serves to illuminate ways to relate to God and engage with Him.

In seeking God, there are various questions you will address, and issues you will take up with God. The Bible has the answers. The Holy Spirit is your teacher. The PATHWAYS TO ZION guide will help you along the journey!

Tailor the Multi-Track PATHWAYS TO ZION
Bible Study Guide to Your Needs and Style

The PATHWAYS TO ZION process provides the flexibility of tailoring a study plan according to your time constraints and style. Whether used on an individual or group basis, consider it as a tool providing a series of outlines or lessons in a customized course! Consider the following study tracks:

Horizontal Approach

Choose from any of the 7 horizontal tracks, and move across the grid focusing on one topic at a time.  

Vertical Approach

Do an in-depth study across the 7 vertical tracks, moving through the grid at your own pace.

Spirit-led Approach

Allow the Holy Spirit to direct your study as specific topics are relevant to your walk of faith and spiritual growth.