Time to Grow Up
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Time to Grow Up
But grow in the grace and knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the
day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)
God tells us again and again in His word to grow in
grace and in knowledge, and yet many of us remain where we started at salvation.
This first step of accepting Christ is only the beginning of a great lifelong
journey of growth if we pursue it. At salvation, we are born again. The Holy
Spirit has drawn us to Christ and we have chosen rightly. But we are babies.
At salvation, we are changed from the inside out by
Christ’s Spirit. We are now counted among the Christians. We are saved, but we
have little experience living a Christian life and we can easily be led astray.
Some Christians remain at this level forever, never growing, being tossed about,
saved but struggling.
So that we may no longer be
children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of
doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather,
speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who
is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by
every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly,
makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:14-16)
It would be so nice if right when we accept the Lord, we
were taken up into heaven. But no, we are still in the world and life is pretty
much where we left it. We are changed, but the world is not. The old world and
the old problems remain. We are innocent babes among cunning wolves.
However, as Christians, we have help in this evil
world. The Holy Spirit is with us. We can ask for His guidance and His gifts. We
can mature as Christians through allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.
Walking hand in hand with God every step, learning, and practicing God’s word
is how we can grow.
Therefore let us leave the
elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a
foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, (Hebrews 6:1)
Christianity is not a once and done thing and it is
not something you keep coming back to over and over again either, (“not laying
again a foundation of repentance…” it says in Hebrews). We have already been
forgiven, we have accepted Christ. Now it is time to grow in grace and
knowledge and go on to maturity. This is not the time to say, “I’m saved and
that’s all I need”.
As this world spirals down into hell, we need the Holy
Spirit to help us stand strong by becoming mature followers of Christ. If we
remain babies we continue in immature thinking and will always be frustrated
wondering why life isn’t what we expected.
There is no stopping place, no resting on our laurels
thinking we have made it and are home free. Our acceptance of Christ is the
elementary doctrine that we are to leave behind.
For though by this time you ought to
be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the
oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk
is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid
food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment
trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14)
It is important to inform new believers that the powers
of darkness in this world are not pleased that they have chosen to follow
Christ. Satan will do whatever he can to keep us weak and uneducated, liable to
fall away at any minute.
He keeps us focused on our own problems so that we
cannot reach others for Christ. If He cannot steal our salvation, He will steal
our joy and maturity, making us fearful, ignorant, and unable to accomplish
anything for God.
“…until we all attain to the unity
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” (Ephesians 4:12-13)
As our faith and knowledge grow, we not only become
stronger in our own walk with God, we can bring others into the kingdom and help
them to grow into mature adults. If we have stopped maturing in our walk with
God, now is the time to start again. Salvation is only the beginning. Great
things await those who seek more and more of God.
The world is evil. It is time to grow up.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the
vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and
every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in
me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides
in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are
the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:1-5)
Prayer: Lord help us grow in knowledge of
your word, in the fruit of your spirit, in love for others as we love
ourselves. Let us become your army,
strong and mature, so we can show others the truth and the light of Your Glory.
Amen.
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