10/28/2026
Missed last Sunday’s message or want to reflect more? Here’s the sermon and a few discussion questions you can use with your small group, family or private time this week.
You were made to grow (Colossians 1:9-10).
The sermon compares spiritual growth to the Chinese bamboo plant, which develops its root system underground before rapidly shooting up — in what ways have you experienced a season of hidden growth in your faith that others could not see?
Paul's prayer in Colossians 1:9-10 connects being filled with the knowledge of God's will directly to walking worthy of the Lord — how do you personally see the link between what you know from Scripture and how you actually live day to day?
George Mueller said the most important thing he did each day was to get his heart happy with God through reading Scripture and prayer — what does your own daily rhythm of time with God look like, and what might need to change?
The sermon points out that we have never truly learned God's Word until it changes our behavior — can you identify a specific area of your life where Scripture has genuinely transformed how you think, speak, or act?
John Newton, the former slave trader who wrote Amazing Grace, said he was not what he ought to be, not what he hoped to be, but thank God not what he used to be — how does this perspective challenge the way you measure your own spiritual progress?
The sermon warns against comparing your growth to other people's growth and instead encourages comparing where you are today to where you used to be — why do you think comparison with others can be spiritually dangerous, and how can you guard against it?
Truett Cathy continued teaching a Sunday school class of young boys even as he led a major company, saying you never outgrow serving other people — what does this suggest about the relationship between influence, success, and humble service in the Christian life?
The Michelangelo illustration describes God as a master sculptor chipping away at our rough edges, but unlike marble, we can pull our hands away and resist the process — in what areas of your life might you be resisting what God is trying to shape in you?
The sermon identifies three dimensions of spiritual growth: growing in what you know, growing in how you live, and growing in what you do for others — which of these three areas feels most underdeveloped in your life right now, and why?
The sermon closes with the idea that God's ultimate goal in growing us is to make us more like Jesus — what does it practically look like in your daily relationships and responsibilities to pursue that kind of Christlike character?
