Living Stones – Saturday, January 13, 2018
Growing up
2 Peter 3:18
… grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The idea that a Christian should be growing is not one that comes as a surprise to us. This is basic stuff. Nevertheless, we know that many Christians aren’t growing in any way. The church is a place where we could just get by on the routines. If we could be regular in attendance, faithful in tithing, supporting of the leaders’ vision and volunteer when help is required we’d be just fine.
When Jesus introduced the nature of the changes He came to bring about in how we get into relationship with God, He was talking with Nicodemus the Pharisee and he told him “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. The idea was settled then that our relationship with God begins with birth.
One of the most exciting things about our church right now is that babies are showing up pretty regularly. Our young couples have taken seriously the command to be fruitful and multiply. A crib has been added to the back of the sanctuary for the young mothers to get some relief when their child is asleep. What I’ve noticed is that these babies seem not to stay as babies for a very long time before you know it, some baby that you dedicated is now running around trying to disrupt the entire church meeting. Last night as I was teaching at Bible Study one toddler was hiding in the curtain behind me so that another child could try to find her. They’re growing.
The baby Christian should be the same way, we should be seeing the rapid development of one who was recently newborn. Yet, we find many Christians are this year the same place they were last year. They have no new knowledge, and they are not being transformed by the word.
Some of this, is, of course, the fault of the preachers and teachers. Preachers and teachers have a responsibility to provide good food for the flock. Jesus emphasised this to Peter as He was putting the fundamentals in place for what was to become the church. He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.” John 21:17.
But it is not always the fault of the preachers and teachers, sometimes it is the people themselves. Here is what Paul wrote to the church on the matter, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;” 1 Corinthians 3:1-2. Much of the talk we hear today expose a people who are in church but are not really in Christ. No transformation has come to them.
The writer to the Hebrews said this to them, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14.
In both of these cases we are confronting the writers using the baby analogy to show that, unlike the babies in our church, the Christians aren’t growing and are stuck on a diet of milk and baby formula.
Christians who aren’t growing anymore are often very well aware of it. We know what characterises a growing Christian and what doesn’t, both in terms of knowledge and conduct. In the Caribbean Nestlé has a product for babies called Nestum. My friend has a teenage son who still loves his Nestum but when he and his sister would accompany her to the supermarket he is embarrassed to have the Nestum in the cart. As a result, when his mother gets to the checkout he turns to his sister and tells her, “I am glad that mommy is able to help that lady with her baby.”
I don’t think that a teenager enjoying some Nestum is a problem, I found it quite tasty when I was routinely setting up the baby bottle in my house. But my young friend and I both know that Nestum is not really for us, that’s why we eat of yams.
We will, of course, come back to this subject but, for now, let’s leave with a working definition of Christian growth for weekend meditation. Christian growth could be defined as: an increasing conformity to the character of God as revealed in Christ. If we take a look at Colossians 3 we get a good sense of how this is reflected in our thinking, speech, and actions.
The apostle Peter summarised it well, the two principal areas of growth for the child of God are the area of grace and the area of knowledge of God.
Think on these things:
- Do you think that you are still growing as a Christian?
- What experiences, activities, or patterns of thought are examples of your growth or failure to grow?
- What would you need to do now to restart growth if you are not growing.?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would experience growth in our relationship with God.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex
