Grownups

September 5

Song of Solomon 3-4

Psalm 102:12-14

Proverbs 22:1-2

Ephesians 4:1-16

Grownups

“So that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ, from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”  Ephesians 4:14-16 LSB

Paul is very clear in this passage that believers have a responsibility to grow and mature in their faith.  Salvation is only the beginning.  It must be followed by an intentional process by which we grow up in our faith and knowledge.  Through Bible study, prayer, and fellowshipping with other believers we delve into spiritual truth and progressively learn and mature. Technology has greatly enhanced our ability to research and search for truth on our own.  We have access to countless resources that allow us to find answers that those in prior generations had no way of obtaining.  What took scholars years to research and compile, we now have available at our fingertips.  It is worth acknowledging that there is also a lot of false teaching available so it is important to make sure your resources are reputable.  If something you read seems questionable, you should ask your pastor or a trusted mentor to help you discern whether it is spiritually sound.  The more we grow in our faith, the less likely we are to be swayed by false doctrine or deceitful schemes.    When we know what God’s Word says, we are able to recognize falsehood immediately.  And as we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, He is able to help us discern truth and dismiss the lies. 

As we grow we are able to digest more complicated spiritual principles.  The author of Hebrews explained this, “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.”  Hebrews 5:12-14 LSB  Spiritual growth does not happen automatically.  It takes effort and intentionality but is a necessary part of the life of the believer.  We also have a responsibility as part of the body of believers that we work together to build each other up in love and spur each other on to growth.  As we each grow individually we are able to function within the body and maintain healthy relationships so that we are joined together in love and unity.