George Gallop has been studying American opinions and attitudes for more than 55 years. Increasingly, of late, he has been exploring the inner life of people. His recent book is a study of what it is that makes a saint. A couple of years ago, Gallop cited six basic spiritual needs of Americans. Number five in that list was this: the need to know that one is growing in his or her faith.

Last Sunday we began our series of sermons on the general theme of growth. We're building on the Scriptural admonition, "continue to grow". That admonition is expressed in a lot of different ways in the New Testament. In Colossians 2:6 and 7, Paul puts it this way: "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the fai…