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GROW is a framework for men’s discipleship to put God's commands into action based on Romans 12 to produce transformed men who are prepared to help transform others. GROW brings together men and resources to do two things:

  1. Study scripture and understand the things of God alongside other brothers seeking to grow.

  2. Gather together during the year as a body of men to share what God is revealing through study and experience.

How do we as men in Christ navigate in a world that looks different than us? What can we do to resist the lure of the enemy? How do we prepare the next generation for the battle they will face? We need to GROW! We need to be men who grow in our relationship with God, with His word, and with other brothers in Christ. 

So how do we GROW?

Do you notice at times how we make things harder than they should be? This shouldn’t be one of those times. Matter of fact, the only obstacle that stands in the way of growing in our relationship with the living God is want. Do you want to know God more? Do you want to be obedient to His commands? Do you want Him to shape your life by His will? If your answer to any of these questions is YES then do the following:

  1. Get connected with a crew!

  2. Put Romans 12 into your daily life!

That’s it! Don’t worry about how much you may not know in the Bible! Don’t worry if you have never been one to read or study! If Jesus is your Lord and Savior then He has already started your growth. As Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6, “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” The next step in your growth is to get with a crew and get to growing!

Put Romans 12 into your daily life!

Men are action-oriented. Give us a goal and point us in a direction. When we see a challenge, we want to overcome it. Romans 12 gets us into the application part of Romans, the actions we should take, giving us a place to always come to be reminded of core things we need to always be working on. For men to become strong and resilient disciples of Jesus, we need to be actively living out these things:

Give God your body, mind, and will

When we proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are His! Well, we say we are His but have we truly and fully given ourselves over? Are we being transformed, like a caterpillar to a butterfly? From a state of new life to a life that is growing? Are we prepared to put the Great Commission into drive? Jesus said it best - love God with everything! All other commands follow when we obey this first. Give God your prayers. Give God your time. Give God your mind. Give God your effort.

Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Repeat what is good

In order to build muscle, our bodies must meet resistance. Not once, or twice, but repetitively. Put God’s word into practice with our actions and reactions. That's how we work out the will of God - loving like Christ and proclaiming God's truth in all situations.

Our love for Jesus grows as we carry out His commands. We are to love our neighbors, He tells us, which sounds simple but is hard to do. Do we want to be known as loving? We will be when the world sees how much we love each other. Our obedience changes us and the relationships around us.

Romans 12:9-13
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Overcome with grace and mercy

Is our love for Jesus and witness to Him being undermined by letting the things of the world rule us? Our reactions say a lot about us. Our fears and anxieties speak to trust we have not yet placed in God. But He has given us a promise - I will take care of it. Jesus' victory on the cross made a way for us to have victory now and eternally. Our victory now, though, requires us to live out His commands.

Romans 12:14-21
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Work out your gifts with your brothers

We have a common goal which is to serve the Lord. Being united in Christ means we serve as one body but use the gifts given to us individually to carry out God's full work. How do we recognize our gifts? As we spend time with other brothers, studying scripture, praying, and revealing what the Lord is laying on us, those gifts will begin to come to light.

Get a crew of guys to do deliberate spiritual good. Discipling is a team sport. Look it up! Jesus had His crew. The apostle’s had their crews also.  We grow best when we are challenged and supported.

Romans 12:3-8
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.