Paul traveled from Troas to Miletus, stopping each evening in villages along the coast. When he reached Miletus, he summoned the elders from Ephesus to meet with him. Paul warned them of future troubles but was determined to continue preaching the gospel, despite hardships. Spiritual growth is a process of adding virtues to one's faith through diligent effort: adding courage to strive for excellence, gaining knowledge of God's word, developing self-control through God's spirit, cultivating patience, fostering a right relationship with God, strengthening brotherly kindness, and ultimately expressing perfect love. True spiritual maturity comes through abounding in these qualities by God's power.

1. Stone
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September 19, 2012

2. After Paul left Troas, he Acts 20
walked to Assos and then
sailed down the coast,
stopping each evening at a
village along the way.
When he reached Miletus,
he sent for the elders at
Ephesus to come there.
30 mile walk
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3. Paul is talking to them and
giving them counsel for the
future of the church.
He has been warned of
trouble ahead.
Acts 20:24 But
none of these things (prison, hardships,
dangers) move me, neither count I my life dear
unto myself, so that I might finish my course with
joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the
Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of
God.
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4. May we all grow in the Lord Jesus Christ, until we
are as determined as Paul was to finish our course.
Spiritual growth is a process.
2 Peter 1 5 And beside this, giving all diligence
(whole-hearted effort), add to your faith virtue; and to
virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance;
and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness charity.
I want to pick up here.
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5. giving all diligence -- earnest care; eager effort,
A half-hearted effort won't get the
job done.
We must submit to God with our
whole heart.
God is pleased with our whole-hearted effort.
He multiplies it into full growth.
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6. Giving all diligence -- add to your faith virtue.
Virtue is the manliness or courage to strive for
excellence.
Never settle for "good enough".
Never settle for "I'm as good as you are."
That may not be very good.
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7. 2 Corinthians 10 12 For we dare not make ourselves
of the number, or compare ourselves with some
that commend themselves: but they measuring
themselves by themselves, and comparing
themselves among themselves, are not wise.
By what should we
measure ourselves?
Hearken
Excellence!
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8. Giving all diligence -- add to virtue knowledge.
To strive for excellence, we must
know what that is.
Excellence is the
Word of God lived
in the Power of God.
Luke 4 4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is
written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every Word of God.
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9. Giving all diligence add to knowledge temperance.
Temperance is self-control we are granted by
God's Holy Spirit.
The self-discipline to do what we know.
Giving all diligence
Add patience (cheerful endurance) to temperance.
To cheerfully live according to God's Word
is a strong characteristic
of a maturing child of God.
Persevere for a lifetime.
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10. Giving all diligence -- add godliness to patience.
Godliness is the goodness that comes from a
right relationship and fellowship with God.
The world makes fun of being good, but
goodness is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
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11. Add to godliness -- brotherly kindness.
Philadelphia or phileo -- strong friendship
The best we can do as a human being.
Add to brotherly kindness -- charity -- agape
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
A Christian truly maturing.
We can only love like this in the
strength of God's Holy Spirit.
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12. 2 Peter 1 8 For if these things (these qualities) be in
you, and abound, they make you that ye shall
neither be barren nor unfruitful in the Knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 7 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil
fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mark 4 8 And other (seed) fell on good ground, and
did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and
brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and
some an hundred. Good ground is the heart of
one who loves the Lord.
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