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This study is to encourage baby Christians to grow up and become leaders.
1. Doctrinal Stability
Hebrews 5:11-14
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.
12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!
13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.
14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
You ought to be a teacher. Do you know the elementary truths of God's word? Are you tossed back and forth by every wind of teaching.
Ephesians 4:14
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
2. Consistency
Philippians 3:12-16
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
"Let us live up to what we have already attained". Do not live in the past. Be consistent in your moods, joy, prayer, service, evangelism, Bible study, committment. Do you control your circumstances or do you let your circumstances control you? Are you pressing on towards the goal or do you go up and down?
3. Struggling with sin
1 Corinthians 3:1-4
1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ.
2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?
Are you struggling with the same old sins? Are you divisive?
1 Peter 2:1-3
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
We need to grow up in our salvation. Get rid of lies, hypocrisy, envy and slander.
2 Peter 1:5-9
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
It is crucial to possess godly qualities in increasing measure - things like love, faith etc. Why? Because we appreciate the grace of God (v9).
5. Making Decisions
Philippians 1:9-11
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.
Be discerning. Learn to discern what is best. Learn to distinguish good from evil on your own.
Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Practical Suggestions
1. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1=infant, 10=mature, rate yourself on each of the above five categories.
2. Ask your discipler how you can be more mature.
3. Start helping others to change their lives and ask your discipler for plenty of advice on how to do it.
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