GROWING UP IN CHRIST
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
Galatians 4: finds Paul dealing with the subject of attitude and rights of an heir while they are still under age or immature. Paul noted that as long as that heir was a child he was considered no different than a slave even though he owned the whole estate. The child was subject to guardians and trustees until the time that had been set by the father.
We can throw customs around all day by saying that they are no longer applicable to today's social structure, but I don't believe that God our Father has put anything within His word that cannot be used in helping us to grow. That is the reason that I want for us to look a little closer at this concept. I have long wanted the church to regain some of the power that was seen in the book of Acts concerning the power of the Holy Spirit being felt during the time that the people gathered. Just like then when God moves within a body of believers it can easily be felt and we can be moved to great links with miracles being unleashed that cannot be denied but all for the glory of God. I would love to see that kind of power once more within the church, but we just cannot find it in this country much today. I don't deny that there are times and places still where that feeling is found among the people of God, but for the great majority of people who say they follow Christ it is hard to find.
I believe the reason for that is in exactly what we read in this first verse of Galatians 4: God has never denied our ownership; but He has put us under the guardianship and the the trustee of the Holy Spirit until we grow up. As men and women of God we are still walking around and acting like babies, and that is why God treats us like babies. For some reason our churches have been there only as day care centers, but not as families where we can find role models to use to grow up in Christ. One of the greatest works of the Holy Spirit within us is to help us to grow into maturity in the Kingdom of Heaven and yet it it seems to be an untapped resource to most Christians.
Paul tells us in this passage that when we are children we are in a kind of slavery under the basic principals of the world. The idea is for us to grow up and become mature in the Spirit of God so that we might enjoy the full inheritance that should be ours. In many ways we continue to enslave ourselves by not growing up spiritually. That keeps us in a state of constant supervision in every thing that we do...God simply cannot trust us. We might let a 3 year old play in the yard, but we wouldn't let them cross a busy street alone, and it is the same with God. When and if we show God signs of maturity in the Spirit of God He will show signs of trust in us. "Oh ye of little faith" Jesus often said to His disciples, and in many ways He is saying the same thing to us today. It is my constant prayer that we will begin to seek that kind of maturity in Christ so that God will allow us to deal with His true power in this world...I am pretty sure that is His hearts desire as well. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
Galatians 4: finds Paul dealing with the subject of attitude and rights of an heir while they are still under age or immature. Paul noted that as long as that heir was a child he was considered no different than a slave even though he owned the whole estate. The child was subject to guardians and trustees until the time that had been set by the father.
We can throw customs around all day by saying that they are no longer applicable to today's social structure, but I don't believe that God our Father has put anything within His word that cannot be used in helping us to grow. That is the reason that I want for us to look a little closer at this concept. I have long wanted the church to regain some of the power that was seen in the book of Acts concerning the power of the Holy Spirit being felt during the time that the people gathered. Just like then when God moves within a body of believers it can easily be felt and we can be moved to great links with miracles being unleashed that cannot be denied but all for the glory of God. I would love to see that kind of power once more within the church, but we just cannot find it in this country much today. I don't deny that there are times and places still where that feeling is found among the people of God, but for the great majority of people who say they follow Christ it is hard to find.
I believe the reason for that is in exactly what we read in this first verse of Galatians 4: God has never denied our ownership; but He has put us under the guardianship and the the trustee of the Holy Spirit until we grow up. As men and women of God we are still walking around and acting like babies, and that is why God treats us like babies. For some reason our churches have been there only as day care centers, but not as families where we can find role models to use to grow up in Christ. One of the greatest works of the Holy Spirit within us is to help us to grow into maturity in the Kingdom of Heaven and yet it it seems to be an untapped resource to most Christians.
Paul tells us in this passage that when we are children we are in a kind of slavery under the basic principals of the world. The idea is for us to grow up and become mature in the Spirit of God so that we might enjoy the full inheritance that should be ours. In many ways we continue to enslave ourselves by not growing up spiritually. That keeps us in a state of constant supervision in every thing that we do...God simply cannot trust us. We might let a 3 year old play in the yard, but we wouldn't let them cross a busy street alone, and it is the same with God. When and if we show God signs of maturity in the Spirit of God He will show signs of trust in us. "Oh ye of little faith" Jesus often said to His disciples, and in many ways He is saying the same thing to us today. It is my constant prayer that we will begin to seek that kind of maturity in Christ so that God will allow us to deal with His true power in this world...I am pretty sure that is His hearts desire as well. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
Comments
Post a Comment