"A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher." Luke 6:40
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus said to his apostles, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The very definition of the word disciple is one who believes and helps to spread the doctrine or teaching of another. This said, it would seem to imply that Jesus is instructing those in his inner circle (and by extension, us) to teach others about him, baptize them into him (Galatians 3:27) and continue to teach. Our instruction in the Lord is therefore foundational, continual and required to achieve the highest ideal of being like him.
Beloved we are often fascinated by the exploits of people who can do the things that we cannot. Athletes, famous musicians, singers and dancers, and in my case, people who perform as part of the amazing Cirque du Soleil seem to have abilities that are unobtainable by "normal" people. The fact is that they are "normal" people but have had teaching and training from a very early age. This comparison is made to indicate that it is possible to live holy lives full of joy and spirit in the Lord if we would avail ourselves of his teaching and discipline ourselves to follow it. It is entirely possible for us to go from the bumps, bruises, trips and falls of early Christian adolescence to the dexterity and agility of Christian maturity if we would adhere to the Word.
A church member once said to his pastor, who also happened to be a Bible scholar and had memorized vast portions of the word, "I would give my life to know the Bible as well as you do." The pastor replied, "That's what I did." The path to being like our Lord is paved with his teaching but we must be propelled by our own desire to pursue him.
Committed,
Lee
Showing posts with label Growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Growth. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Maturing in the Faith 10/9/2012
"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Phi 1:9-11
Are you still believing and doing the same things you did yesterday? Do you still think what you thought a year or two or five ago? Are you still running with the same crowd and getting into the same stuff you always did? These may be strange questions to ask the Christian because a "yes" to any or all of them could be a good thing. In fact, a "yes" could also be a bad thing. A "yes" means that there may have been no growth in your spiritual life.
Paul first tells the church at Philipi that he prays for their growth in knowledge and discernment. The only way that we can acquire more knowledge is to seek it by studying our bibles, attending classes and worship services and surrounding ourselves with the spiritually mature. This will in turn give us a greater ability to know how to recognize and navigate around stumbling blocks that could trip us up. This discernment will also give us the ability to gravitate toward that which is godly and to make wise choices concerning our opinions, activities, habits and relationships that will reflect his presence in our lives. Achieving this (which is a constant process), we can be fully prepared for the return of our savior and please God in the process.
Beloved, it is not enough to sit on the pew on Sunday and simply nod at all the things the preacher says with which we agree. It is imperative to pursue a personal relationship with the Lord and to grow that relationship every day. In so doing, we prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God, Rom 12:2.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
Are you still believing and doing the same things you did yesterday? Do you still think what you thought a year or two or five ago? Are you still running with the same crowd and getting into the same stuff you always did? These may be strange questions to ask the Christian because a "yes" to any or all of them could be a good thing. In fact, a "yes" could also be a bad thing. A "yes" means that there may have been no growth in your spiritual life.
Paul first tells the church at Philipi that he prays for their growth in knowledge and discernment. The only way that we can acquire more knowledge is to seek it by studying our bibles, attending classes and worship services and surrounding ourselves with the spiritually mature. This will in turn give us a greater ability to know how to recognize and navigate around stumbling blocks that could trip us up. This discernment will also give us the ability to gravitate toward that which is godly and to make wise choices concerning our opinions, activities, habits and relationships that will reflect his presence in our lives. Achieving this (which is a constant process), we can be fully prepared for the return of our savior and please God in the process.
Beloved, it is not enough to sit on the pew on Sunday and simply nod at all the things the preacher says with which we agree. It is imperative to pursue a personal relationship with the Lord and to grow that relationship every day. In so doing, we prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God, Rom 12:2.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Let's Grow-8/10/2011
"Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection." Heb 6:1
Beloved, it is expected that when we first come to Christ, there are many things we will not know. We have need of being taught of his ways. This is why the pattern set forth by Christ in Matt 28:19-20 (the Great Commission) follows the model of teach, baptize and teach more. Our education in the Lord never ceases, however, our ungodly behaviors should.
I'm sure that many of our mothers have told us that "when you know better, do better." Having been introduced to the elementary principles of the faith, it is incumbent upon us to grow from them. As children who learn not to stick objects in electric sockets, run out into the street without looking both ways and not to touch a hot iron, there are things that we have been taught that should prevent us from doing the same things we once did.
Our charge is to reach for and attain higher learning. Once we have understood and performed according to our need to hear the word of God, believe those things that are contained therein, repent of past wrong doings, confessing Jesus as the Son of God and our Savior and submit to baptism for the remission of our sins, we must build on that foundation and learn and perform what the Lord says about even larger things.
It may not occur to us to love our enemies for example, but when we learn that before He saved us WE were His enemies, that should make us more compassionate toward others. It may not occur to us to help out a person in need, but when we learn that He supplies all of our needs, even though we have been strangers to Him, it should make us more giving. And whereas we may begin our lives of worship as pew sitters who remain silent as we are taking it all in, we must move to a life of service, using the gifts that God has given in order that others might be moved to worship and then to become servants.
In short, we are expected by God, even as we expect of our children, to grow. If our teenagers continued to need bottle feeding and diapers (barring any developmental issues of course), we would be more than alarmed. Then let us not continue to live in the basics of Christianity, but let us grow into maturity in the Lord.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Beloved, it is expected that when we first come to Christ, there are many things we will not know. We have need of being taught of his ways. This is why the pattern set forth by Christ in Matt 28:19-20 (the Great Commission) follows the model of teach, baptize and teach more. Our education in the Lord never ceases, however, our ungodly behaviors should.
I'm sure that many of our mothers have told us that "when you know better, do better." Having been introduced to the elementary principles of the faith, it is incumbent upon us to grow from them. As children who learn not to stick objects in electric sockets, run out into the street without looking both ways and not to touch a hot iron, there are things that we have been taught that should prevent us from doing the same things we once did.
Our charge is to reach for and attain higher learning. Once we have understood and performed according to our need to hear the word of God, believe those things that are contained therein, repent of past wrong doings, confessing Jesus as the Son of God and our Savior and submit to baptism for the remission of our sins, we must build on that foundation and learn and perform what the Lord says about even larger things.
It may not occur to us to love our enemies for example, but when we learn that before He saved us WE were His enemies, that should make us more compassionate toward others. It may not occur to us to help out a person in need, but when we learn that He supplies all of our needs, even though we have been strangers to Him, it should make us more giving. And whereas we may begin our lives of worship as pew sitters who remain silent as we are taking it all in, we must move to a life of service, using the gifts that God has given in order that others might be moved to worship and then to become servants.
In short, we are expected by God, even as we expect of our children, to grow. If our teenagers continued to need bottle feeding and diapers (barring any developmental issues of course), we would be more than alarmed. Then let us not continue to live in the basics of Christianity, but let us grow into maturity in the Lord.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
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