Posts Tagged ‘ Church ’

Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 04/12/2015

Find that woman Wisdom (for example, Proverbs 8) through the thoughts at Proverbial Thought!

There are two ways of looking at things (for my purposes today, at least): literally and allegorically. This is done with the Bible regularly ( in both good and correct ways and bad and incorrect ways). The Bible itself does this, as many verses in the New Testament make the allegorical connection to Jesus with Old Testament verses.

Likewise, the poem today has a double viewing in mind.

The literal view is based on the relationship I have with my wife. The message I would point to for others to take is that your significant other, specifically your spouse, should constantly point you back to God in the name of Jesus and through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

The allegorical view is based on how God relates to us through His Church.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Ephesians 5:22-27, ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Revelation 21:1-3

Love your husband or wife. Love the Bride of Christ. In so doing, you will see and share the love of Christ.

The woman in my life …

… makes me happy and brings me joy.

She leads me to the Father and pushes me to praise my Lord.

The woman in my life is my gift from Jesus Christ.

She mixes me up inside and also makes me smile.

The woman in my life …

… brings the love of God and shows me there is still good.

She brings me to a place of love and guides me to my God above.

This woman is a woman meant for a godly man.

 

If I am considered godly …

… then I must do more to honor our sovereign Lord.

I must seek His Heart and keep doing so in my heart.

If I am considered godly, it is because He made me.

I will keep my God first and give Him all He deserves.

If I am considered godly …

… then I must try the hardest to remember Jesus,

because I cannot forfeit what my Lord has sent.

 

The woman in my life …

   … helps me be godly.

     If I am considered godly …

   … it is because of a godly woman in my life.

2015
04/14
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 03/29/2015

Do not get distracted by the world’s “wisdom”. Find true wisdom through some thoughts at Proverbial Thought!

Please understand: I actually like squirrels. I had several “friends” when I first went to college at Olivet Nazarene University.

The poem today is more of a commentary on the spiritual ADD of the Western Church, and it is based on the following passages:

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. . . . For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
2 Peter 2:1-3, 18-22, ESV

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”
Matthew 6:5

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16

 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2

Are we too squirrelly at times in our culture?

– 

– 

– 

– 

squirrelly

– 

are we too much like squirrels

do we hoard our belongings

like being in high places

and think people just like watching us

are we too much like squirrels

 do we run around not really going anywhere

 get into little and meaningless fights

 and just watch others as they go by

are we too much like squirrels

 do we spend a lot of time cleaning ourselves

 keep others at a distance

 and run away when people get too close

why are we so squirrelly

why do we always seem on edge

why do we hide or run away from people

2015
03/29
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 03/15/2015

Change your mind, and find the wisdom of God through some of the thoughts at Proverbial Thought!

There is no need for a great debate on Calvinism, Arminianism, Molinism, or any other -isms of soteriology (study of salvation) based on the poem today.

We should all agree that we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession”. In fact, this poem is based on that very passage of Scripture:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
1 Peter 2:9-12, ESV

Regardless of how free a choice we had in the process of salvation, it is still true that God chose us as His own, and He has given us the command and the privilege of sharing the Gospel with our fallen world.

chosen

 

chosen before i knew You

selected for Your purpose

still needing Your Truth revealed

to have any usefulness

when i finally came around

and You got through my thick head

my heart became softened

my life redeemed from the dead

now i seek out Your chosen

finding them still evil

telling them how You changed my life

and resisted the lies of the devil

no longer deceived by lies

now aware of all Your Truth

they can truly live their lives

knowing they are chosen by You

2015
03/15
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Splitting Hairs

There are no two ways about it. Wisdom is good. Find some at Proverbial Thought!

Recently, I have heard a lot of interesting views on things.

One of the topics I have heard a lot over is hair.

First, I saw some videos on YouTube in which men with long hair and women with short hair were called sinners.

Then I had a conversation with someone who said men with long hair are not Christians.

Then I read a blog entry that said women with short hair will take down society.

Finally, I had a conversation with someone who just wanted to know about proper hair length for men and women.

A lot of this is based on 1 Corinthians 11:

Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.
vv. 11-15, ESV

I only find this so interesting knowing of passages such as Numbers 6, which Paul would have known well:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

“All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.
vv. 1-5

We all have heard about Samson. (Judges 13-16. Who, honestly, gives some credence to men keeping their hair short!)

There is evidence Paul himself took a Nazirite vow (see Acts 18:18).

Now, I am not saying all of the people who said these things are necessarily coming from a judgmental frame of mind. Most, if not all, may simply be trying to approach life from a biblical point.

However, how many times have we gotten caught up in particulars only to push people away? Whether it be hair, drinking, smoking, clothes, tattoos/piercings, end of life plans, church paint/carpet colors, political affiliation, or music choice, we could certainly show more grace to each other.

If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
1 Corinthians 11:16

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
Titus 3:4-11

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charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
1 Timothy 1:3-11

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Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29

 

2015
01/27
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Fighting Over Dad

There is nothing to fight over: find wisdom over at Proverbial Thought.

You may remember last year I wrote a series of posts about my puppy dog (the last one found here).

Soon after the New Year, we got another little guy, a little brother for our pup, if you will.

These two have an interesting way of greeting me when I come home:

When I enter the house, they start biting each other.

I could not help but think about how often we see this in churches: we begin arguing with each other, biting each other with our words.

We can get so caught up in our squabbles that we can miss out on our Father greeting us in His house, through His Holy Spirit who regenerates our hearts and pushes us to love and good works.

May we get over ourselves and put on the righteousness of Christ!

1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.
Titus 3:1-8, ESV

2014
05/27
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The Excellent Wife!

We finished getting through the book of Proverbs at Proverbial Thought last month. Our church is almost done going through the book of Proverbs on Sunday mornings. I am preaching a sermon on the last chapter of Proverbs in my preaching class next month.

I thought it would be okay to give a relatively short post about that final passage of Proverbs (chapter 31, in the ESV)!

10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

The entire book of Proverbs was written to a son, specifically Solomon’s son.

When we read Kings and Chronicles we see that his children did not really listen, but that is not the point here.

In 31:1, we read “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him”. Lemuel, in Hebrew, means “For God” or “Devoted to God”. We can read this as “The words of a King devoted to God.” That makes it reasonable to assume it might be Solomon still sharing wisdom, especially since we never see the name Lemuel listed in any of the ancient kings.

Therefore, the last 22 verses of Proverbs are about how a godly and wise man can find a good wife.

  • It takes diligence to find her, and she is worth more than all the wealth in the world. (vv. 10, 30-31)
  • Her family is blessed by her work, and she by them. (vv. 11-12, 28-29)
  • She is a diligent and hard worker. (vv. 13-19, 27)
  • She helps the poor, financially and in wisdom. (vv. 20, 26)
  • She does not fear the elements nor the future, because she has provided excellently for her family. (vv. 21, 25)
  • She takes care of her home and is in the marketplace. (vv. 22, 24)
  • Her husband is well-respected. (v. 23)

I think Ephesians 5 sums up what this means for the family. It is not really about the wife, at least not only. It is about the husband as well.

Both love and respect each other. They have trust in each other, and they express their love, respect, and trust through word and deed. Neither is lazy, nor do they allow anything to break their bond. They protect and nurture their relationship.

And this begins before they ever meet (or, at least, before they ever get married, for those who may live with arranged marriages), though it is never too late to begin fresh!

Ultimately, this is about Jesus Christ and His Church!

As Isaiah said in chapter 61 of his book, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

And John shows us in Revelation 18-22 how the Church is the Bride of Christ. Listen for the similarities from Proverbs 31 in Revelation 19:

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And in chapter 22 we read:

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

It is the Church that perfectly exemplifies the excellent wife! It does not mean all who call themselves Christians are part of the Church, and it does not mean that we will never make mistakes. By the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God, He makes even our mistakes work for His gospel!

We have an amazing God who loves us desperately, and I pray we come to a point of desperation for Him that pushes us to live out His commands of love with a lost and broken world!

Let us prepare ourselves, as Christ’s beautiful Bride, for His return by loving others as we pursue God in the power of the Holy Spirit!

2014
03/25
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 08/04/2013

Remember to get your daily dose of wisdom from Proverbial Thought!

About a month ago I wrote … an open letter to the Western Church.

When I wrote this poem, I was beginning to see how some of the teachers I was following were distorting the gospel of Christ. They made rules not found in the Bible or took supposing or contextual promises from the Bible, and they presented these as the truth.

Many of these were “Prosperity Gospel” teachers. Some of them were rogue teachers with no affiliation to any denomination or particular creed.

Sadly, I found many of these teachings floating throughout much of the Church in America as I travelled across it that year.

(Thankfully, I have found many solid teachers, those who are not ashamed to admit they might be wrong yet humble enough to trust those who have come before in Church history!)

It was also around this time I read Isaiah 28 …

 

woe to the church (Isaiah 28)

do and do

do and do

rule on rule

rule on rule

a little here

a little there

our priests and preachers

cause many to stumble

they become injured

captured in sin and snared

you preach of victory

you have talked with death

nothing can harm you

death would never dare

for you made a lie a haven

in your agreement with hell

you have taken falsehood

and made it your lair

 

it is time

it is time

enough is enough

no more of this

a call to fight

a call to prayer

life has left the church

but our Lord is earnest

He has not forgotten

He knows our despair

return to the King

return to our Savior

repent of all the lies

give up all earthly cares

return to our Lord

give to Him our lives

those who return to God

their souls will be spared

2013
08/04
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Build Your Kingdom Here

Learn the wisdom of the Kingdom by reading some thoughts at Proverbial Thought.

I am on a role with these song-inspired posts, as of late, so here is another.

The Kingdom of God Is Near

Prayer is certainly important in the life of a Christian, as discussed last week.

Jesus taught us to pray:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation
    but deliver us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:9-13, NIV

Perhaps the reason we fail to see revival and change in our society is because we do not really pray for “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Sure, we say the words, but how often do we mean it?

A chapter earlier, Jesus says:

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.“
Matthew 5:13-16, NIV

Perhaps we do not see revival and change in our society, because we have not really asked our Father to change us through His Holy Spirit to be His salt and light in our world. We have a tendency to think God will just change all of their hearts without our intervention.

I could go on and on, but I think the Rend Collective Experiment sang it out best in this prayer to song:

Build Your Kingdom Here

Come set Your rule and reign
In our hearts again
Increase in us we pray
Unveil why we’re made
Come set our hearts ablaze with hope
Like wildfire in our very souls
Holy Spirit come invade us now
We are Your Church
We need Your power
In us

We seek Your kingdom first
We hunger and we thirst
Refuse to waste our lives
For You’re our joy and prize
To see the captive hearts released
The hurt; the sick; the poor at peace
We lay down our lives for Heaven’s cause
We are Your church
We pray revive
This earth

Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray

Unleash Your kingdom’s power
Reaching the near and far
No force of hell can stop
Your beauty changing hearts
You made us for much more than this
Awake the kingdom seed in us
Fill us with the strength and love of Christ
We are Your church
We are the hope
On earth

2013
07/30
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An Open Rebuke…Er… Letter to the Western Church

Please seek wisdom, and find some at Proverbial Thought!

An Open Rebuke…Er… Letter to the Western Church

As of late, there have been many decisions and laws, legislations and rulings coming from our government – at the local through the federal levels – organizations, and churches, upsetting many people across this nation and across political, ideological, and theological lines.

This is to be expected.

What should also be expected is that the Church would rise to the aid of all who feel oppressed, attacked, left behind, and disenfranchised.

What I have been hearing and reading on TV, online, in newspapers and magazines, and from acquaintances and friends is that “those people deserve what’s coming,” “they are all wicked,” and “I want nothing to do with those people.”

I also have been hearing and reading people say “Why should I care about what those deviants think is happening to them?” Or “I do not want to be seen as supporting [their ideas/their lifestyle/their habits/their theology].”

These comments are usually closely connected or followed by thoughts along the lines of”they have to get their act together and come to Christ!”

I am not saying we should never disagree. I am not saying we should condone willful sin and moral ambiguity or deviancy.

However, when all we do is worry about what others will think of us for being associated with “them” (whoever and whomever that may be), and all they are able to hear is “God does not love you” based on our words and actions, then the Church is largely failing to follow the example of Christ.

Our Lord was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard (Luke 7:34) and for condoning sin (Luke 15:1-2), all for associating with such people.

How about we stop squabbling about our rights and freedoms as much and reach out in love to those with whom we disagree and see as sinners?

How about we stop telling everyone firstly that they are evil, but instead they are loved?

How about we stop excluding others, and we invite them to learn the joys of the love of God?

How about we stop making people change before coming to Christ, and instead simply show them that the love of Christ changes lives?

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”

Galatians 5:1-6 (ESV)

Thank you, brothers and sisters, who love like Jesus!

2013
07/09
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Milk Does a Body Good

Get some good spiritual milk over at Proverbial Thought!

There are three main stages to the Christian walk:

  1. Acceptance and Growth
  2. Understanding and Growth
  3. Teaching and Growth

As we walk through this life, we should never stop growing. In this life, we will never achieve perfection, full Christ-likeness. This is one reason why Paul wrote, “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:23)

We never stop growing, it is true. However, just as some things stay with us as we grow and age from infant to death, so there are things we need from the moment of salvation knowledge to the end of this life.Mugstache

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
1 Corinthians 3:2

We need our mothers milk when we are young. We cannot handle other foods, because our bodies are not ready for solid food.

We come to a saving knowledge of Christ through the presentation of the Gospel: We have sinned against God. We have willfully broken his laws, separated ourselves from Him; and we generally refuse to love others and Him the way we should. Therefore, God came to earth as a man, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, to live a perfect life and offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins to reconcile us to Himself. He rose from the grave three days later, giving us a hope of eternal life with Him.

This gets us excited, and we want to share this information with everyone. Unfortunately, too many people stay at this level of maturity for years.

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.
Hebrews 5:11-6:3

Repentance is good, and it is something that is needed throughout our walk with Christ. Too many congregations and even whole denominations have gotten stuck on repentance and forgiveness without moving forward on the individual level (“Get ’em saved!” if you will, without helping new converts grow in righteousness, as Paul said.)

Just as a child eventually grows to eating solid food, so we must grow to be able to discuss the deeper things of our faith, such as prayer, service, and even miracles. The biggest reason we do not see as many miracles today is not because they are no longer used by God. Rather it is because the Western Church largely has abandoned the rites and practices that help us grow deeper in our faith and that position us to be used by God in miraculous ways.

There have been strides as of late to correct this within the Church. This is evidenced by the rise in social reform, but it is only one way God wants us to grow. We must also focus on theological and spiritual needs within ourselves and for others.

The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.
Proverbs 10:21

Something happens with most of us as we grow: we fall in love, and we procreate – we make babies! All of a sudden we have to help these little ones survive and then learn and grow into adulthood. This requires using all we have learned and experienced to help them, but sometimes we need help.

Likewise, as followers of Jesus Christ we are commanded to make more followers. We are told that we are to take the knowledge of salvation to bring others to new life. We are then to help them grow in their walk with Christ, as we should have been doing. And we need help, which is why we have priests and pastors and each other who meet each week for communal worship and learning.

A warning, though, is that, as Paul again said, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3)

This has happened multiple times throughout Church history, but it is certainly prevalent today. It used to be that most churches would start with the basic milk of doctrine: faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ. That is no longer a requirement for some churches. In either event, the teachings can range from “Be a better person by thinking this way or doing these things,” to full on cult-ish ideas and practices that are at best morally and cognitively dangerous and at worst physically dangerous. All of these are spiritually bankrupt!

Therefore, we must remember the milk of our faith – believing in the facts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Son of God for the forgiveness of sins; that we must grow to understand more of our walk with God and of who God is as well as love others through word and action; and that we must learn to teach others of this knowledge, understanding, and service in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2013
06/25
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