UNDERSTANDING TRUE
GROWTH IN CHRIST (The Series) Part 1
Brother James, OIC
Heb 5:12-14 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Having a need to be fed the milk of Gods Word signifies that forward progress, growth in Christ never happened after you called on the Name of Jesus. Most likely is the fact you were being fed watered down or false doctrine which stunted your growth. The Truth has to be taught, if whoever is teaching you doesn’t have it they cannot teach it. And that doesn’t exclude those who learned the Bible through academic higher education. No matter their degree of learning many have approached the Living Word from the intellect and not from the heart. And Satan loves to produce his false ministers of righteousness from what’s acceptable in the world, that fit’s the worlds educational standards but is of no true value in, to and for Christ.
First thing to rid yourself of is the fable that Christianity is an instantaneous event. God already knows who is and will be His but from our finite perspective we must work out our salvation:
Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
This working out of our salvation is coupled, in the scripture above, with a true reverential fear of God. The Fear of God it is written is the beginning of knowledge. Knowledge is the area where the true spiritual battle begins as you will develop this either in the intellect or in spiritual understanding where faith increases. God wants to and has freely given us all things pertaining to this working out of our salvations. But this work has nothing to do with what we do, Church attendance, good works, penance or the Ten Commandments. It has everything to do with looking only to Jesus and what He wants to deliver to us through the Cross.
The first disciples questioned Jesus about this very thing:
Joh 6:27-29 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Believing on Jesus Whom God sent does not stop at the work of the cross but is the spiritual embryonic stage where by all hell now has you targeted for spiritual abortion in order to stop your growth to salvation.
To have gotten to the starting line of salvation at the Cross was not an effort of your on doing, nor did you find Jesus, it is solely the Work of God by His Grace:
Joh 6:43-44 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
But that supernatural event only brings you to the Starting Line AS JESUS AND ALL HIS BENEFITS MUST BE PLANTED, NURTURED AND GIVEN INCREASE WITHIN YOU IN TRUE SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING FOR THE LIGHT, LIFE , POWER AND LOVE OF CHRIST TO BE FORMED WITHIN, in other words for you to become the New Creation acceptable and pleasing to God:
Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
NOW FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT READ THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER:
(MATTHEW 13:1-9;18-23) Then in Part 2 we will look deeper into the New Birth.
