Growth is Essential

As parents we do everything we can to ensure that our children grow up as healthy individuals.  We give them milk when they are infants, and that is all their rapidly growing and changing bodies need.  As they get older, we start to introduce solid food.  My seven-month-old still doesn't know what he thinks of the mushy stuff we put on the spoon.  He tolerates these new food experiences now, but we know that this stage won’t last forever.  As he grows older, his nutritional needs will change and his motor skills will improve.  He will get better at eating solid food, and will move from the puree to soft foods and beyond and in much greater quantities.  (I believe my husband is looking forward to introducing him to steak and bacon!)  In the same way, we should be growing in our spiritual life, and growth means change.

New Christans are babies in the faith.  They must start with milk.  They need to focus on understanding the basics of the gospel and what it means to live that each day.  They are learning to “put off the old self with its practices” and to “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:9-10).  If you try to disciple someone new to the faith and throw them huge doctrinal ideas and theological debate, they are likely to become discouraged and frustrated in their learning, just like a baby without teeth trying to eat meat.  Everyone learns at a different pace, if you are a new Christian, be patient and faithful in reading God’s Word.  Seek out older Christains that can patiently guide you through the basics.  Older Christians, seek out new believers.  They need to hear the gospel continually, and learn how to read and study their Bible.  The other “solid food” will come later.

People who have been Christians for several years should have a mentor who is discipling them and helping them with more advanced “foods”.  As you grow in Christ, you learn more about your sinfulness and your need for Christ.  As you hear the gospel regularly, the Holy Spirit will reveal more areas that need to change.  You need to go beyond just reading the Bible every day, and really study what is being said.  Read small passages of Scripture and go deep.  Look at the historical context and authorship of the book and consider what is being said in light of those facts.  As a growing Christian, it can be helpful to read books that will teach you how to study the Bible, or that teach doctrines from the Bible.  While it is good to read other authors, it is equally as helpful to talk with other Christians.  We can talk about what we have read and learn from others as well.  Older, more mature Christians, can help us become more discerning so that we know how to spot false teaching.  Though we are still learning, we must seek to teach others what we already know.  We can be talking to non-Christians and sharing the gospel with them.  We can share our testimony and how God has saved us, showing them their need for Christ as well.   Find a new Christian who could use your help and discipleship as they learn to read the Scriptures for themselves.  While this is a good stage full of “nutritious food”, we shouldn’t become complacent here.  I have seen numerous Christians who stay in this “Christian childhood” for the rest of their lives.  They enjoy reading books that tell them what the Bible says and avoid any kind of serious talk or debate about Biblical doctrines.  While this may keep you away from divisive discussions, it also doesn’t challenge your faith or help you to grow.

Eventually, every Christains should reach a maturity in which they desire the “meat” of the word.  Maturity doesn’t mean you know everything.  On the contrary, a mature Christian understands just how much they don’t know and the impotence of reading and studying the Scriptures for themselves.  They need to search the Scriptures and talk them over with fellow Christians.  They can still read good books on theology and commentaries on passages of Scripture.  However, they should not grow complacent and keep all they have learned to themselves.  The writer of Hebrews gives this warning in Hebrews 5:12-14, “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.”  If we do not continually spend time reading and studying God’s Word, if we do not talk with others and share what we are learning, we are in danger of falling backward into our old habits.  We will be drinking milk when we should be eating steak!  An adult cannot live on just milk; it will not be enough nutrition to meet the demands of their life and activity.  They need a balanced diet of a variety of food.  So also, a mature Christian needs to study the Scriptures for themselves, read theological books, and have discussions with other mature Christians.  They are also called to teach younger Christians.  Those that are newer to the faith need someone who can help them learn how to study and be discerning.  We must preach the gospel to those who are unsaved, to help them see their need for Christ.  We must also preach the gospel to the Church, to remind them of their need for Christ and to help them grow.

We should love our time in God’s Word.  We should always seek opportunities to talk about what we are learning and to share with others.  We should have those difficult discussions that challenge our beliefs and cause us to look back at the Scriptures to ensure that we have a right understanding of what we have believed.  As we hear sermons or lectures, or as we read something new, we should be like the church at Berea who, when they heard the Apostle Paul preach, “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11)  I have enjoyed being a part of and leading Bible studies as we look at a topic or book of the Bible.  These more formal sessions keep me on a continual reading plan and give me a purpose in my study.  Equally as helpful are just natural conversations that occur when we gather with friends.  Topics that come up can all come back to the Scripture and what God says about a given topic or idea.  Sometimes we talk about things that are specific doctrines, other times it’s discussions about morality, politics, economics or life in general.  All of these conversations can cause me to look more closely in God’s Word, edify me in my walk with Christ, present the gospel to someone who is not a Christian, and/or instruct others and build them up in Christ also.  I exhort you not to be complacent.  Always strive to grow in Christ, seek opportunities and people that will help you grow more, and be ready to share what you have learned with others!