In Part V of our Growing GOODer series, we focused on how transformation in Christ actually happens. We’ve covered how the gospel announces our righteousness through Christ (positional sanctification), but this week we drilled into what it looks like to become righteous over time (progressive sanctification). It's not just a shift in status, it's a Spirit-powered journey that reshapes us from the inside out.

We asked a core question: How do we grow? For many, this question hits close to home. Whether you feel stuck, confused, or just tired, growth in Christ can seem elusive. The answer begins, and continues, with abiding in Christ. Not just a one-time act of faith, but a daily dependence. Like Peter walking on water, we stay upright only when our eyes are fixed on Jesus. The moment we shift into self-reliance, we begin to sink.

This kind of growth is not self-powered. It's fueled by the Spirit of Christ who lives within all believers. Sanctification is not just moral effort, it's the evidence of God at work in us. The Spirit doesn’t just start the change, He sustains it. He forms Christ’s character in us over time. Galatians 5 shows us the fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, and more. These are not goals we grind toward, they’re results of a life that stays connected to the vine.

Still, we’re not passive. Grace isn’t opposed to effort, it’s opposed to earning. We participate by training in spiritual disciplines, resisting sin, and enduring through seasons of slow growth. This journey isn’t automatic. It takes practice, surrender, and time. Hebrews 12 reminds us to “run with endurance… looking to Jesus.” We keep going not by digging deeper into ourselves, but by fixing our eyes on Christ.

Peter’s life reminds us what sanctification looks like in real time. Bold faith, public failure, and real growth. God used him not because he was perfect, but because he stayed in the process. Your sanctification is for more than your benefit. It’s part of God’s plan to draw others to Himself. So we keep asking, Who are your 3? Who in your life is watching your growth and being invited into Christ through it?

Join us next Sunday at 10AM in person, or visit us online to explore more. Subscribe to our channel, share the message, and be part of a community that believes slow growth is still real growth—and Jesus is faithful to finish what He started.