The baptism in the Spirit is only abeginning. Now we need to grow inthis new life in the Spirit.

Prayer

Study

Service

Fellowship

In order to grow, we need to make use of the basic means of growth which the Lord provides us.

TheChristian life

can bepictured as

a wheelof a cart. Ithas three

components:

The outer rim

The hub

The spokes

PowerPower

Pow

erP

ower

For Catholics, there is a fifth tool to growth: the sacraments.

Holy Eucharist Reconciliation/confession

Baptism Confirmation Holy Matrimony

Anointing of the sick

Holy Order

The first tool: prayer.

Prayer is the primarymeans for establishingand maintaining…

a deep and loving personal relationship between ourselves

and God.

A successful prayer life involves 3 important principles.

Our prayer must be faithful.

Decide to spend time

with the Lord everyday.

Decide on the practical details.

When? Decide on a specific time of the day, which

you can then protect.

Where? Find a place where

you will not be disturbed or distracted.

Matthew 6:6But when you

pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your

Father who sees in secret will repay

you.

How long? Begin with 5 to 10 minutes, and increase later.

Adopt a format to begin.

ACTS. Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, Supplication.

Use daily prayer guides (e.g., God's Word Today).

Our prayer must be led by the Holy Spirit

Scheduled and structured prayer

is helpful, but could make our prayer dry and mechanical. Be open to

changing your format as the Spirit leads.

Our prayer must be centered on a relationship with Jesus.

Prayer is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Our goal is not "to pray" or even "to pray well", but to grow in our relationship with the Lord.

People can get wrapped up in techniques. While these can help, prayer is really very simple. It is a matter of loving God and being loved by Him.

Concentrate not on prayer but on

the Lord.

In the Catholic tradition, the intercession of Mary and the saints is a powerful tool ofprayer. A devotion to Mary and the saints ispart and parcel of a Catholic’s faith.

The second tool: study

圣經

We need to know God and understand Him and His ways.

Study is a deliberate, focused exercise of

the intellect, not referring primarily to

scholarly or academic endeavor

but to the wider process of

understanding more about God so we can love and better serve

Him.

The Bible.This is the mostimportant, because thisis the very word of God.It teaches us who God is,what He has done, andwhat He wants us to do.We should read the Bibledaily.Start with 10 to 15minutes.Pursue a more deliberatestudy of portions of theBible.We should make it a goalto read the whole Bible.

Three ways we can learn more about God.

(b) Spiritual reading.After reading what God has said of Himself (Bible), we can read what men have said about God. We can draw on spiritual insights and study throughout the life of the Church.This includes reading spiritual books, magazines, articles, etc.

Teachings and preachings.

•Our teaching and formation program in CFC.•The word of God spoken in the Sunday homily, in parish events, in conferences, etc.•Begin the habit of taking notes.

The third tool: service

Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is at work in us, not just for our personal development butalso to equip us for effective service for himand his people.

Matthew 20:26-28 But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

We need to take on a mentality of service so that we see our whole life given over to God's work. We need to take on the heart of a servant.

(a) As we put the Lord first in our lives, he calls us to reach out also to others.(b) Service helps us grow because it touches the most basic attitudes we have of ourselves and our independence. To serve others is to be humble.

Ways we can serve:(a)First we serve God by the way we live.

Daily prayer and Scripture reading.

Pursuit of righteousness and holiness.

(b) We also serve by performing the basic responsibilities. * God has given us in our daily lives.

as parent,

As Boss/employee, etc.as spouse,

Then we serve our fellow men by recognizingthe many built‑in opportunities for service inday‑to‑day life.

We give witness to our faith in Jesus by theway we live our lives. Be alert to opportunitiesto share your faith verbally with family, friends,neighbors, co‑workers, and the world at large.

Make ourselves and our resources available for God's work.

Our …

Treasure/money

Time Talent

Doing good works

James 2:14-17 What use is it, my brothers, for a man to say that he has faith, if he does nothing? will such a faith give him salvation? If a brother or a sister is without clothing and in need of the day's food, And one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warm and full of food; but you do not give them the things of which their bodies have need, what profit is there in this? Even so faith without works is dead.

Support through..

prayer

and financial givingsound Christian ministries

that further the spread of the gospel.

Look for opportunities to give your….

to serve in a Christian group on a regular basis.

Time energy

A.The fourth tool: fellowship.

1.Fellowship refers to almost everything that Christians do together as a body. It is the concretization of a spiritual reality, that we are brothers and sisters belonging to one family.

2. We do not become complete Christians by ourselves. We must be joined to others in order to experience the fullness of Christian life.

We need the support of others. We need their wisdom and strength.

We need to do things together. Fellowship is not an optional extra.

3. Some ways to experience Christian fellowship.

Worship in liturgies

conferences.

prayer meetings,

Coming together for teaching and formation.

Social gatherings.

You are invited to be part of the family in ….

The fifth tool (for Catholics): the sacraments

Holy Eucharist Reconciliation/confession

Baptism Confirmation Holy Matrimony

Anointing of the sick

Holy Order

In the Catholic tradition, the most important tool for spiritual growth are the sacraments. They are the main channels of God's grace for our lives.

Though confession is required only once a year, we should avail of this more often.

Though communion is requiredonly once a year, we shouldreceive communion much morefrequently, with the properdisposition.

Holy Mass

Conclusio

n This CLP, your commitment to Christ, the baptism inthe Holy Spirit‑‑all these are just the beginning of anew life. We are "babies in Christ" and we need togrow. Make use of the tools provided by God.

If you are faithful, you will not be disappointed