How many of us in the room “grew up” in church?
How many of us came to Christ later in life?
Can you/did you identify in any way with the below quote from Karen Armstrong?
Karen Armstrong, “The Case For God”
“Many of us have been left stranded with an incoherent concept of God. We learned about God at about the same time as we were told about Santa Claus. BUT, while our understanding of Santa Claus evolved and matured, our theology remained somewhat infantile. Not surprisingly, when we attained intellectual maturity, many of us rejected the God we had inherited, and denied that He existed.”
Has that been your experience at all?
What are some of the “Gods of the No Testament” that you may have been taught about earlier in your life?
- Bodyguard God
- On-Demand God
- Boyfriend God
- Guilt God
- Anti-Science God
- Gap God
What responsibility do you think the church has to clearly and effectively equip followers of Jesus? How does that responsibility work alongside a person’s own initiative?
Paul the Apostle expressed a little frustration with that himself. While he was in Corinth, he tried to bring those baby believers along and help them grow, but there were apparently some problems. So, Paul had some pretty stern words for them:
1 Corinthians 3:1–2 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready…
Why does Paul call them “infants?”
I can sort of relate to Paul’s frustration. A couple of times each year, we offer “deeper” classes; Core Beliefs and Systematic Theology. Both are GREAT and hugely deepening classes. I teach the Core Beliefs class, and Susan Farnham teaches the Systematic Theology. But, only a handful of people chose to take part in these each time. It seems at times as though there is little appetite among us for deeper. What do you think about that?
What kinds of things keep us from being “ready for anything stronger?”
I remember a time (years ago now) that my wife was talking about asking a certain lady in our Orlando church to disciple her. This was a deeply spiritual woman that both of us had a lot of respect for. While I always think it is a good idea to be discipled by someone farther along, my question to Sherry was, “when are you going to disciple someone? Shouldn’t you be making disciples by now?” Of course, this didn’t go over very well. I would have been a lot better off if someone had discipled me in how to talk to my wife.
Hebrews 5:11–6:3 (NLT)
There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.
Okay, let’s see if this causes some controversy in your group. I’ve always heard that we should always have a “childlike faith.” I have heard Bible teachers say that we are God’s children, and that he just wants us to curl up in his lap and let him love on us.
While I like that imagery, and need that comfort now and then, I have to think of my own children. They’re in their twenties now. They haven’t lived in my house for years. And trust me, I do NOT want my 26 year old son to crawl up in my lap. In fact, if you were to see him do that one day, what would you think? Wouldn’t you assume that, at 26 years old, his curling up in my lap demonstrates that there is some sort of problem? Some sort of deficiency?
Don’t you want your adult children to be just that…? Adults? Don’t you hope that you did love them and nurture them and grow them well when they needed to curl up in your lap, but that now they have learned and grown, and live their lives well?
How is that like or unlike God’s will for us?
Discuss.
Paul’s words to Timothy about this:
2 Timothy 3:14–17 (NLT)
But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
Ephesians 4:15-16 (ESV)
Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
How active are you right now in pursuing spiritual growth?
How do you need to change? What ideas to you need to leave behind? What habits do you need to develop? How can our group help in this area?