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Connected by scripture or shared themes.
This afternoon, we're building our theme around growth and development into the person, stature, and nature of Christ. We are called to be transformed into the likeness of Christ and to grow up into his image. This means constant development and growth in all aspects of who we are.
I'll be using the word quotient throughout this message. A quotient is a measured level of a particular ability or trait.
IQ is the measurement of someone's cognitive ability or mental capability. You are measured in how you think, learn, and solve problems.
SQ is the measurement of how you handle social situations and your ability to interact and communicate with others. It's not simply about how much you talk—it involves several key skills:
EQ is the measurement of your ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own emotions. We have around six key emotions—anger, disgust, fear, sadness, happiness—and all other emotions flow from these.
Your emotional quotient involves three steps:
God has given us emotions for a purpose, but we are not supposed to be led by our emotions. The word "motion" speaks about movement—emotions drive you somewhere. Anger can take you somewhere. Fear can take you somewhere. But you are supposed to be led by the Holy Spirit, not by your emotions. Your steps are ordered by his spirit.
EQ also involves recognizing emotions in others around you. If someone in your circle is fearful, anxious, or angry, you should be able to recognize what they're experiencing. This skill grows through self-awareness and self-reflection—understanding how you're feeling and why, which helps you recognize, understand, and manage your emotions.
Adversity Quotient is the measurement of a person's ability to deal with adversity and challenges in life. It reflects how someone can cope with difficult situations, recover from setbacks, and stay resilient under pressure.
Adjustment Quotient is how you adapt to change. Scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes 3 that "to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Life is always changing—situations and circumstances shift constantly.
Your adjustment quotient involves:
Change happens to us all, whether we're young or senior. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found themselves facing the fiery furnace with an uncertain outcome. Yet they said, "If God delivers me, fine. If he doesn't, fine." The situation was uncertain, but they decided to trust God no matter what.
Let's look at Luke 2:52:
And Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and all people.
Jesus grew. He increased. He advanced. He developed in three key areas.
Wisdom equals your IQ and your EQ. Jesus grew in his intelligence quotient and his emotional quotient. He developed emotional and spiritual understanding. Jesus grew in how he thought, made decisions, and understood God's will.
The word of God tells us that we need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We also need to have the mind of Christ. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
Stature means Jesus grew physically—his body developed. But it also means his inner man grew. Jesus grew in spiritual capacity.
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he said:
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
When we pray, "God's kingdom come," we're asking for a seed—a deposit of God's kingdom—to be planted within us first, before it manifests in the earth. This deals with spiritual capacity, your inner man.
Your spiritual capacity is what enables you to conceive, carry, and give birth to the things of God. You must first be able to conceive it through intimacy. Then you carry it. Then you give birth to it. But you can only do this if you have the right capacity.
How does God develop or grow your capacity? God calls you higher.
When God called Moses, he said, "I want you to climb Mount Sinai." Moses had to climb the mountain because at ground level, his frequency and capacity were too low to conceive, carry, and give birth to the things of God. When he climbed higher, his capacity grew. He was able to receive the Law—the Torah.
The Apostle Paul writes: "Forgetting those things which are behind you, reaching forward for those things which are before. We press toward the mark for the prize of the upward call of a high calling in Christ Jesus." God is always calling you higher.
John the Apostle experienced this. He wrote:
After this I looked and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I heard first speaking to me like a trumpet said, Come up here. Listen and I will show you.
John was at ground level, operating at a lower frequency. God spoke to him and said, "Come up here." In the process of him going from point A to point B, his capacity started to grow. When you are obedient to God's instruction to go higher, your inner man increases and grows. Your capacity is increased, and you're able to conceive, carry, and give birth to the things of God.
This is exactly what happened with John. When he made that transition, his capacity was increased. He was able to conceive and contain the book of Revelation, which we read today.
The fact that Jesus grew in favour with God and man means he grew in his social quotient. Jesus had the ability to build and maintain healthy relationships.
We see this played out in his life. Jesus had different types of relationships with different access levels:
Jesus didn't treat everyone the same—not out of favoritism, but out of wisdom and purpose. Jesus knew how to treat people differently depending on their position in his life.
His relationships were built and maintained through:
All of these show that Jesus grew in his social quotient.
For you to grow into the image of Christ—his person, stature, and nature—God needs to grow you in three key areas:
Jesus grew in all these areas. But how does God grow you in these areas?
When you're an entrepreneur doing business, you look for a nice place—central London, Canary Wharf, or Dubai. But God also wants to do business with you. When Jesus was 12, his parents found him and asked, "Where were you?" Jesus replied, "I was about my Father's business."
But God doesn't choose Canary Wharf or central London to broker his business deals with you. God takes you somewhere else to grow you.
Psalms 107 says:
They that go down into the sea in ships, that do business in great waters: These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
When God wants to do business with you, he will take you into deep water. Deep waters. And the reason he takes you into deep water is because he wants to build your faith.
For you to grow into the image and person of Christ, God will grow you in wisdom, stature, and favour. God will do business with you in deep waters to test your faith. This involves God growing you in your Adversity Quotient and your Adjustment Quotient. God will stretch you in those areas when he takes you into the deep.
What are you like when facing adversity? What are you like when a situation or circumstance changes in your life? That is the measurement of your faith quotient.
The song "Oceans" encapsulates this scripture beautifully:
You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown. You call me out upon the waters, and I will call upon your name and keep my eyes above the waves. When oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace. For I am yours and you are mine.
God calls us out into the deep. Why? Because God wants to grow your faith quotient. He wants your faith to grow, increase, and develop.
When you find yourself in deep waters, when you face adversity, when you need to adjust—what is God doing at that moment? He's given you an opportunity to trust him. Your faith quotient is being measured. God wants you to know and be reassured that when you find yourself in deep waters, you can trust him.
There's something called the Trust Equation, credited to Charles Green, which measures a person's trustworthiness:
C + R + I ÷ S
You can have someone who is credible, reliable, and intimate, but if their self-orientation is high—if they're doing things to benefit themselves—then they don't truly fulfill the trust equation.
Let's put this trust equation in line with God. Is God trustworthy?
God wants me to remind you that his word is credible. The Bible says:
Heaven and earth shall pass away before one jot or one tittle of God's word ever fails.
God cannot lie. His word is credible. If you find yourself in deep waters, God wants me to remind you that he is credible. His word is credible.
God is reliable. Remember your testimonies—what God has done for you in the past. If he's done it before, he'll do it again. He is reliable.
When God gives you a word, when God says it, that settles it. God's word is solid. It's unchanging.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not unto your own understanding: but in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Some things you're going through, you will not understand. But lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path—because he is credible and he is reliable.
God is also saying that you can be intimate with him. He said to Jeremiah:
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you came out of the womb, before you cried your first cry, I knew you.
An emphatic and complete knowing. God knows everything about you. He knows your darkest secrets. You can be intimate with him. You can bring anything to him because he knows you completely.
Cast your burdens upon me because I care for you.
God is not in this for himself. God is self-existing. He doesn't need us. He doesn't need anything from us.
God says:
I know the thoughts and the plans that I have for you, says the Lord: thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
The thoughts that God has for you are not concerning how you're going to benefit him—because he doesn't need you. You need him. In fact, God showed you how much he loves you by dying on the cross for you.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
If you find yourself in deep waters, God is testing to see if you trust him. God is reminding you that he is a trustworthy God. He is credible. He is reliable. You can be intimate with him. And he's in this for you.
God wants us to be transformed into the image of Christ—the person, the stature, and the nature of Christ. He does this by taking us into deep waters to test your faith, to see if you trust him, to measure your faith quotient.
God is reminding you this afternoon: I change not. I do not fail. You can trust me.
This afternoon, we're building our theme around growth and development into the person, stature, and nature of Christ. We are called to be transformed into the likeness of Christ and to grow up into his image. This means constant development and growth in all aspects of who we are.
I'll be using the word quotient throughout this message. A quotient is a measured level of a particular ability or trait.
IQ is the measurement of someone's cognitive ability or mental capability. You are measured in how you think, learn, and solve problems.
SQ is the measurement of how you handle social situations and your ability to interact and communicate with others. It's not simply about how much you talk—it involves several key skills:
EQ is the measurement of your ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own emotions. We have around six key emotions—anger, disgust, fear, sadness, happiness—and all other emotions flow from these.
Your emotional quotient involves three steps:
God has given us emotions for a purpose, but we are not supposed to be led by our emotions. The word "motion" speaks about movement—emotions drive you somewhere. Anger can take you somewhere. Fear can take you somewhere. But you are supposed to be led by the Holy Spirit, not by your emotions. Your steps are ordered by his spirit.
EQ also involves recognizing emotions in others around you. If someone in your circle is fearful, anxious, or angry, you should be able to recognize what they're experiencing. This skill grows through self-awareness and self-reflection—understanding how you're feeling and why, which helps you recognize, understand, and manage your emotions.
Adversity Quotient is the measurement of a person's ability to deal with adversity and challenges in life. It reflects how someone can cope with difficult situations, recover from setbacks, and stay resilient under pressure.
Adjustment Quotient is how you adapt to change. Scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes 3 that "to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Life is always changing—situations and circumstances shift constantly.
Your adjustment quotient involves:
Change happens to us all, whether we're young or senior. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found themselves facing the fiery furnace with an uncertain outcome. Yet they said, "If God delivers me, fine. If he doesn't, fine." The situation was uncertain, but they decided to trust God no matter what.
Let's look at Luke 2:52:
And Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and all people.
Jesus grew. He increased. He advanced. He developed in three key areas.
Wisdom equals your IQ and your EQ. Jesus grew in his intelligence quotient and his emotional quotient. He developed emotional and spiritual understanding. Jesus grew in how he thought, made decisions, and understood God's will.
The word of God tells us that we need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We also need to have the mind of Christ. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
Stature means Jesus grew physically—his body developed. But it also means his inner man grew. Jesus grew in spiritual capacity.
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he said:
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
When we pray, "God's kingdom come," we're asking for a seed—a deposit of God's kingdom—to be planted within us first, before it manifests in the earth. This deals with spiritual capacity, your inner man.
Your spiritual capacity is what enables you to conceive, carry, and give birth to the things of God. You must first be able to conceive it through intimacy. Then you carry it. Then you give birth to it. But you can only do this if you have the right capacity.
How does God develop or grow your capacity? God calls you higher.
When God called Moses, he said, "I want you to climb Mount Sinai." Moses had to climb the mountain because at ground level, his frequency and capacity were too low to conceive, carry, and give birth to the things of God. When he climbed higher, his capacity grew. He was able to receive the Law—the Torah.
The Apostle Paul writes: "Forgetting those things which are behind you, reaching forward for those things which are before. We press toward the mark for the prize of the upward call of a high calling in Christ Jesus." God is always calling you higher.
John the Apostle experienced this. He wrote:
After this I looked and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I heard first speaking to me like a trumpet said, Come up here. Listen and I will show you.
John was at ground level, operating at a lower frequency. God spoke to him and said, "Come up here." In the process of him going from point A to point B, his capacity started to grow. When you are obedient to God's instruction to go higher, your inner man increases and grows. Your capacity is increased, and you're able to conceive, carry, and give birth to the things of God.
This is exactly what happened with John. When he made that transition, his capacity was increased. He was able to conceive and contain the book of Revelation, which we read today.
The fact that Jesus grew in favour with God and man means he grew in his social quotient. Jesus had the ability to build and maintain healthy relationships.
We see this played out in his life. Jesus had different types of relationships with different access levels:
Jesus didn't treat everyone the same—not out of favoritism, but out of wisdom and purpose. Jesus knew how to treat people differently depending on their position in his life.
His relationships were built and maintained through:
All of these show that Jesus grew in his social quotient.
For you to grow into the image of Christ—his person, stature, and nature—God needs to grow you in three key areas:
Jesus grew in all these areas. But how does God grow you in these areas?
When you're an entrepreneur doing business, you look for a nice place—central London, Canary Wharf, or Dubai. But God also wants to do business with you. When Jesus was 12, his parents found him and asked, "Where were you?" Jesus replied, "I was about my Father's business."
But God doesn't choose Canary Wharf or central London to broker his business deals with you. God takes you somewhere else to grow you.
Psalms 107 says:
They that go down into the sea in ships, that do business in great waters: These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
When God wants to do business with you, he will take you into deep water. Deep waters. And the reason he takes you into deep water is because he wants to build your faith.
For you to grow into the image and person of Christ, God will grow you in wisdom, stature, and favour. God will do business with you in deep waters to test your faith. This involves God growing you in your Adversity Quotient and your Adjustment Quotient. God will stretch you in those areas when he takes you into the deep.
What are you like when facing adversity? What are you like when a situation or circumstance changes in your life? That is the measurement of your faith quotient.
The song "Oceans" encapsulates this scripture beautifully:
You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown. You call me out upon the waters, and I will call upon your name and keep my eyes above the waves. When oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace. For I am yours and you are mine.
God calls us out into the deep. Why? Because God wants to grow your faith quotient. He wants your faith to grow, increase, and develop.
When you find yourself in deep waters, when you face adversity, when you need to adjust—what is God doing at that moment? He's given you an opportunity to trust him. Your faith quotient is being measured. God wants you to know and be reassured that when you find yourself in deep waters, you can trust him.
There's something called the Trust Equation, credited to Charles Green, which measures a person's trustworthiness:
C + R + I ÷ S
You can have someone who is credible, reliable, and intimate, but if their self-orientation is high—if they're doing things to benefit themselves—then they don't truly fulfill the trust equation.
Let's put this trust equation in line with God. Is God trustworthy?
God wants me to remind you that his word is credible. The Bible says:
Heaven and earth shall pass away before one jot or one tittle of God's word ever fails.
God cannot lie. His word is credible. If you find yourself in deep waters, God wants me to remind you that he is credible. His word is credible.
God is reliable. Remember your testimonies—what God has done for you in the past. If he's done it before, he'll do it again. He is reliable.
When God gives you a word, when God says it, that settles it. God's word is solid. It's unchanging.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not unto your own understanding: but in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Some things you're going through, you will not understand. But lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path—because he is credible and he is reliable.
God is also saying that you can be intimate with him. He said to Jeremiah:
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you came out of the womb, before you cried your first cry, I knew you.
An emphatic and complete knowing. God knows everything about you. He knows your darkest secrets. You can be intimate with him. You can bring anything to him because he knows you completely.
Cast your burdens upon me because I care for you.
God is not in this for himself. God is self-existing. He doesn't need us. He doesn't need anything from us.
God says:
I know the thoughts and the plans that I have for you, says the Lord: thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
The thoughts that God has for you are not concerning how you're going to benefit him—because he doesn't need you. You need him. In fact, God showed you how much he loves you by dying on the cross for you.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
If you find yourself in deep waters, God is testing to see if you trust him. God is reminding you that he is a trustworthy God. He is credible. He is reliable. You can be intimate with him. And he's in this for you.
God wants us to be transformed into the image of Christ—the person, the stature, and the nature of Christ. He does this by taking us into deep waters to test your faith, to see if you trust him, to measure your faith quotient.
God is reminding you this afternoon: I change not. I do not fail. You can trust me.
