No Longer Children

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No Longer Children

Michael Pickford

The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting...” (Eph. 4:14). When a small baby comes into the world, he is a helpless infant. He’s got a lot of growing to do. If he doesn’t grow, he dies. The same is true until he is full grown. Babies weren’t born to remain babies. Children aren’t meant to remain children. The same is true with a babe in Christ. God expects them to grow up in the Lord. This is why Peter wrote, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).

If God expects us to grow up, how is that done? One way is by coming to the services and hearing the gospel preached on a regular basis. Earlier, in Ephesians chapter 4, we are told that God gave some to be evangelists in the church (Eph. 4:11). The purpose for these in the church is given in the passage quoted above (Eph. 4:14). The work of an evangelist serves to cause babes in Christ to grow up and mature. When hearing sermons, one is being fed spiritual food. He is being nourished spiritually. Missing services regularly is as damaging to the soul as missing meals regularly is to the physical body. Come to the services so you can grow up! (Heb. 10:25).

Another way to grow up is to do personal study of the word of God every day. You should delight in God’s saving message. Paul wrote, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God...” (2 Tim. 2:15). As babes, we can only handle the milk at first. But we should drink enough of it until we can begin to handle some meat and then grow further from there. This is the entire point of Hebrews 5:12-6:8. How much time do you spend reading and studying God’s word every day? The church has too many “old children.” It’s time we got busy with the word of God!

Another way we grow is by practicing the word of God. It doesn’t do any good to read and study God’s word when we don’t put it into practice. Jesus compared the one who only hears the word without doing it to a foolish man who built his house on the sand (Matt. 7:24-27). James wrote, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (Jms. 1:22). Those who mature are able to discern between good and evil. They do so by use of “the word of righteousness” (Heb. 5:13,14). Do you put God’s word into practice in your life? If not, Get busy!

There are too many Christians and too many churches who are like ships in troubled waters being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. This can be cured if people would faithfully attend services, study the word regularly, and practice the word in their lives more frequently. What about you? Are you progressing to the state that you are no longer a child?



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