Are you too distracted to be distinctive?
If you’re reading this five-minute, beginning-of-the-week memo, you’re probably not one of the self-focused entitled crowd who are watching the Breaking News for the next announcement of debt forgiveness and extended unemployment benefits. That growing segment of the population may never grow up; what’s the point?
In your journey of personal faith, the free stuff is just the starting point. Life replaced death; forgiveness redacted your guilt in the courtroom of Heaven; those gifts were free to you, but cost the Giver His life to make possible. Entitled? No way. Chosen? No question. What now?
God paints the picture of your new spiritual life in human terms. The convert – whether 5 or 55 at the time of their redemption – is now “born-again,” and your spiritual progression will mirror that of a newborn child. What does God want – and, expect – of the adopted members of His family?
Early on, He patiently waits for us to move through the infant and toddler stages. Diapers and pacifiers – playpens and strained peas – are all part of the earliest days of life; it’s just part of the deal. But, once through the adolescent phase of spiritual growth… what’s next?
A newborn in diapers is cute; a toddler on a trike poses for pictures; a kindergartner citing ABCs may be outperforming their classmates. But… what if those are the persona of a young adult? We’d be worried about developmental impairment, not asking them to host a mid-week small group.
What is the profile for a spiritual grown-up who can now find the place reserved for them in God’s Kingdom? What does maturity look like?
Here are God’s developmental standards for the grown-ups who can fill the prime spots in His Kingdom: “Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” (I Timothy 3:1-7).
You can be a follower and underperform, but if you want to be considered for promotion – by God – in His ranks, it takes proof that you’re Living the Life He died to make possible…
Birth is awesome… but no one wants their newborn kids to just survive. Any great parent wants their kids to thrive. Is God a great parent?
Here’s what Jesus made really clear: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10).
It takes more than knowing that verse by heart; it’s about taking the truth to heart and living it out. Next stop: LifeMastery!!
Your local church community is organized to get lost people saved, and new believers caught-up with what they missed in the early-stages of Sunday School. But the current status of American church-goers has been surveyed to our chagrin: the majority of churched born-agains lack the maturity detailed by Paul to model the “life to the full” that Jesus came to make available.
For the folks who are ready for more… will they get caught at church in the traffic circle of the Path of Life waiting for the immature to catch up? Or, will they find the mentoring needed to accelerate forward?
My disclosure is necessary here: that’s what we do, for high-potential but under-served Christians like you. It’s all we do: we help followers of Jesus become fully-ready for the Calling that God is withholding until you prove yourself worthy.
Are you taking full advantage of what we have to offer you? Is it worth ten minutes to explore our new website and consider your options?
Bob Shank