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Our last article was about
MATURE CHRISTIANS. This is more of the message.
Our verse is from Hebrews 5:14: “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.” Or, from the NIV: “But
solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained
themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Or, from the NASB: “But
solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their
senses trained to discern good and evil.” Or, from the
Amplified Bible: “full grown men
… are trained by practice.”
In other words, being a Mature
Christian is not going to be a matter of simply “knowing” the teaching
about righteousness, but the Christian who “practices”
applying this knowledge to their lives and circumstances. It takes time.
That is part of the reason for the warning that an overseer of the church is
“Not a novice, lest being lifted up with
pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. {a novice: or,
one newly come to the faith}”. It takes time to become a MATURE CHRISTIAN.
Just the passing of time will not
make a Mature Christian; it takes practice. Practice of what? They
have the habitual practice of bringing this knowledge of the teaching about
righteousness into their experience as a Christian. The margin of the KJV
has the word “habit”. There are many people who claim to have been
converted a number of years ago that show no signs of maturity.
“Bodily
exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things,
having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”
God even “exercises” us by the problems He brings into our lives: “No
discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it
produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have
been trained by it.”
How do you bring the knowledge of
your being the “righteousness of God in
Christ Jesus” into your own personal experience? How is this
“exercise” or “habit” applied to your every day life? Let me give you just
a couple of examples:
- You have disappointed yourself and made a
poor decision or allowed yourself to operate beneath what you believe to
be the Biblical standard you subscribe to as a Christian. Now what do you
usually do? Let’s say that you usually bear a lot of guilt. Let’s say
that you feel grieved and disappointed. Let’s say that you don’t feel
worthy to pray or do anything GODWARD. Let ‘s say that you go on this way
until it just gradually “gets better” and you “get over it.”
- The answer is that you recognize you have
just disappointed yourself (since you cannot disappoint God if your God is
truly the Sovereign, All-knowing God) by a foolish choice that was
anything but Christ-like. Instead of wallowing in the guilt and
disappointment in yourself, you say to yourself, to the Accuser, and to
the Lord, “I did not “mind the things of
the Spirit.” I was acting on my own or in my flesh. This is
not who I am and I confess that it was a sin. I am “the
righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” so I refuse to remain in
my failure. I now step back into the knowledge and experience of who I am
in Christ and come boldly and confidently to the “Throne
of Grace” asking for mercy, grace and wisdom. I believe God’s
Word and I will set my mind upon “things
above”, not on things of the flesh and of the world. I am “accepted
in the Beloved” and that is who I am.” Then you just pick up
where you left off and continue in the Lord.
Here is an example that involves
another person or persons:
- You have just sinned involving another person or
persons. You have the added guilt of knowing it was your weakness by
just going along with them and being intimidated by them, or you were the
leader of it and they followed your poor example.
- The answer is the same as the last example
with the addition of asking Father to show you what He wants you to do
about the others involved. It will be His leading you by His Spirit
through the Word, a counselor, pastor and/or another Christian. There is
no “external law” by which you must abide. It will be the internal
leading of the Spirit of Christ as the “peace
of God rules your heart and mind” in the matter. After you
have “stepped back into who you really are”, you will follow His leading
in correcting the matter between you and the other person or persons.
The point is that you will always,
all through each day of your life, be stepping back into being the person
you really are in Christ immediately after each time you act out of “step
with the Spirit.” “Since we live
by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians
5:25
The more you do this, the easier it
is to do it, until it becomes the “habit” of your life through such
“exercise” as this. In time, it will be so commonplace for you to respond
this way in these situations that you will find yourself being one of those
“who by constant use have trained
themselves to distinguish good from evil”
You do not enter the Christian life
“full grown.” There three necessary things for you to grow and become a
MATURE, TRAINED CHRISTIAN:
- Enter into the regular worship of God with other
believers on a regular basis (“Let us not
give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”)
- and to “pray
continually”
- and “As newborn
babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby”
As Paul says to Timothy, “train
yourself to be godly.”
After a time, you will be a
MATURE CHRISTIAN WHO HAS TRAINED YOURSELF BY CONSTANT EXERCISE TO BE WHO YOU
REALLY ARE.
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