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Welcome, beloved readers! Please allow me to introduce one of our new writers, Valy Vaduva (Michigan, USA). Valy was born and raised near Bucharest, Romania. At the age of 11, he received a New Testament whose words and teachings made a profound impression on him. The Holy Spirit led Valy to commit his life to Christ and be water baptized, after a high school classmate witnessed to him. He then became involved in Sunday School and youth ministries, preaching and teaching the Word. In the 1980's, he became very active in "secret" Bible studies and prayer meetings in the "underground" movement of the Holy Spirit, in spite of the fear of persecution by the Communist government at the time. Soon after the Communist regime ended, in 1990, Valy, his wife, and their four children immigrated to the United States. In 1996, Valy and his wife were led by the Holy Spirit to become more involved in Christian discipleship. They founded Upper Room Fellowship Ministry, through which they offer discipleship life coaching and lay Christian counseling. "Most Christians have been taught that Jesus Christ died for their sins. Some embraced Christ as their Lord. Only a few have been taught the TRUTH that they died with HIM and experience CHRIST as their LIFE. Consequently, even fewer find victory in their lives. Although they have been set free from their SINS, they have not been set free from THEMSELVES." [from URFM mission statement]
Please join me in welcoming IFEL writer, Valy Vaduva, as he shares with us Attaining the Fullness of Christ.
Read more below Kathy Hill
Managing editor
Exchanging Life Publishing
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KEY SCRIPTURE
COMPLETE IN CHRIST
"We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ" (Col. 1:28, NASB).
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ATTAINING THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST
by Valy Vaduva, contributing writer
FULLNESS IN CHRIST
The New Testament fascinates me because it is full of statements which should lead the Bible reader to the conclusion that God (Himself) is interested in the spiritual growth and maturity of all of His beloved children. The Lord Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount says, "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). Peter takes this concept and writes: "... You shall be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). Sadly, the Church at large is plagued by spiritual immaturity, as Chuck Colson once observed, "The American church is 2000 miles wide and half an inch deep." *
For a very long time now, I have been intrigued by the lack of spiritual growth in Christians who claim to have the indwelling Life of Christ. Perhaps many of you have been thinking about this topic, too. Well, welcome to the club of the 'Concerned Christians.' Over and over again, I was bombarded in my inner chamber by this question: Why are Christians not interested in attaining the fullness of Christ? The great apostle Paul agonizes for the believers in Galatia in order to see Christ formed in them. Do you sense the depth of Paul's cry? "My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you" (Gal. 4:19). In Ephesians, Paul spells out God's desire for the church leadership and for every living member of the Body of Christ to "attain ... to the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). In Colossians, Paul considers that the very essence of all he does, as a minister of the Gospel for the Body of Christ, is to "present every man complete in Christ" (Col. 1:28). On the other hand, Peter is admonishing those who have tasted the goodness of God to an ardent desire for the "pure milk of the word" (1 Pet. 2:2), in order to grow spiritually, and thus, understanding the full meaning of salvation. Then, in his second epistle, he urges the believers to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).
By God's grace, now I more convicted than ever that pressing diligently towards spiritual maturity is the only way to be 'spotless and blameless', to continue in 'steadfastness' of faith, and to be on guard against 'unprincipled men' who distort the Truth. I think that steadfastness, being able to guard and defend the faith, being spotless in conduct, and blameless in character, are some important characteristics of spiritually mature people. The desire of those Christians is to be properly prepared for the second coming of the Lord Jesus. James teaches us that even trials and tribulations are orchestrated by God for producing in us... Read more here
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Valy Vaduva (Michigan, USA) is a contributing writer for IOM America - Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchange Life Development.
All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible,© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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