Growing Up

Our sweet Isabelle had her 1^st birthday recently; Ella and Cable will soon celebrate 5^th and 3^rd.  Birthdays represent years, but they also come with new stages.  Isabelle is beginning to take steps, Ella no longer wears her floaties in the small pool, and Caleb now sleeps in a big-boy bed. 

 

Paul begins Chapter 4 of Ephesians writing about the unifying aspects of the Body of Christ (known as the Church).  He lists characteristics of humility, gentleness, longsufferng, love, peace as part of Christians’ calling.  Why so?  Because “There is one body and one Spirit … one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all … Grace was given to each one of us, according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” (V.4-7).  I hear the Grands’ parents groan at their children growing older – it’s not so much the number of years as it is the progression of moving from baby to toddler to adolescent.  Although those memories of my little boys are treasures, as best I recall, I looked forward to the days when my buggy wasn’t filled with diapers and baby food!  In Verses 9-16, Paul affirms God’s gifts to the Church – apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, teachers – “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather … we are to grow up in every way into Him Who is the head into Christ.”  As Church attendance has declined in America, so has Biblical literacy – so has faithfulness to Godly principles – so has Godly leaders – so has the belief in “one nation under God.”  I fear the Church  has lost its voice and its effectiveness because It is made up of spiritual babies, who have become content with the milk of the Gospel.  There are many good Biblical reasons why Mr. Bill and I are faithful church-goers but relative to this passage, let me give you this reason: we go because we need to hear the Truth of God’s Word preached and taught to us.  We [too] are vulnerable to being tossed to-and-fro, the winds-of-doctrine, the human cunning, the crafty deceits and schemes.  We’re not interested in being senior saints who are spiritual babies!  Have you considered your progression toward maturity as a Christian?  Let us never stop growing up in Christ!