|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHRISTIAN
MATURITY -
Pastor Sunny
George |
| |
A.W. Towzer in his “Born After Midnight'
has titled a chapter “the Wasp and the Church member.”
His opening statement is rather amusing and at the same
time pungent. “There are two things that are larger at
birth than at adulthood, the wasp and the Church
member.” What Tozer hints at is that a Church member
scarcely attains maturity or growth, but rather the
reverse.
Today a terrible misunderstanding is prevalent among
Christians about perfection or with perfection. Wherever
there happens to be a group discussion on such topics as
this, we often hear people making negative statements or
rendering it as impossible thing. Some say that even
Paul the Apostle could not attain perfection be it far
for us frail beings.
Unfortunately, an average person who gets introduced to
the Church gets acquainted with a number of things that
are not Christ's teachings or in other words those
important experiences that a believer must go through.
In the light of the New Testament teachings of the
Church, a person must gradually have two aspects such as
negatives and positives. First of all, there is a list
of things that a person must put off and likewise
another list of things he must put on. In Paul's
Epistles we find it enumerated in many chapters (for
example see Colossians 3:5-10; Ephesians 4:17-32). In
such passages we are exhorted to put off all carnal
things and put on Christ and His nature.
In the book of Romans chapter 6 Paul explains about a
new believer's life after having asked a question, “Well
then, should we keep on sinning… of course not! Since we
have died to sin, how can we continuous to live in it?
(Rom. 6:1). Watch man Nee in his book “Normal Christian
Life” writes about four conditions to normal Christian
life. First is KNOWING “Know ye not, that so many of us
as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death? (6:3) Second is RECKONING. “Likewise reckon
ye also yourselves to be dead indeed into sin, but alive
unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (6:11). Third is
PRESENTING. “ As ye have yielded your members servants
to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so
now yield your members servants to righteousness unto
holiness” (6:19). Fourth is WALKING IN THE SPIRIT. “For
if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye
through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye
shall live.” (8:13) .These are the characteristics of a
normal believer. But what happens in the present Church?
Commonly, a new believer has a testimony of being
delivered from bad habits such as drug addiction,
alcoholism, and perhaps immorality. He has trusted
Christ to give him victory over these things that harm
his body. After baptism, the person is assimilated into
the assembly and there ends it all. That Church member
is less likely to have any further growth in Christian
life. Most of the believers in the present congregations
live unsatisfied lives being subject to the works of the
flesh (most of the items listed in Gala. 5:19-21 though
not all). They are not taught to gain victory over the
passions and the lusts that harm or defile the Spirit
and body alike.
If the Church functions as what it is meant to be, there
is still hope. The five fold offices in the Church such
as “Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and
teachers” are appointed to equip the saints for the work
of the ministry and edification of the body of Christ
(Eph. 4:8:11-12). However, the present malady of the
Church is lamentable. The once live Sunday worship that
rejuvenated believers and alleviated the fatigue of the
weary members has disappeared. Today, Sunday has become
'fun day' for many. Most of the congregations in the
cities have deprived the Lord's Day of its solemnity and
blessedness by cutting worship time for other youth
programs. In most places some members absent themselves
from the Church on those Sundays or Fridays (Gulf). Even
if they are present, they leave the Church abruptly. In
many Churches today if most people are active, they are
active on competitions, food preparations and several
other activities that scarcely allow the Word of God and
the Spirit of God to touch them. It is good to have
Church programs for all wings such as youth children and
sisters, but they all must be planned and fixed so as
not to affect the spiritual Sunday worship.
Then one of the things that must be stressed in
connection with the 'equipping ministry' is the lack of
strong teaching. In Sunday worship services enough time
must be taken to teach the body of believers and nothing
must take the place of the Word of God. What happens
practically is that all are under a pressure of time
because of too many programs. If a worthy relevant
ministry of the Word is absent, there is no wonder that
Church members think of some alternatives. Deplorably,
the ministry of the Word is boring to many because of
various reasons which the ministers must evaluate. Some
ministers think that if they can hold the congregation
spell bound and are held in high esteem, it suffices.
But even if the congregation is happy, care must be
taken that the quality and the content of the message is
not wanting. One of the objectives that the minister of
the Word must have while delivering a sermon according
to Homiletics' principle is to ensure first what he
wants to drive home to the listeners. Anyone can bluff
the audience for 30 minutes or 1 hour with any stuff.
But the quality of the message is determined at the
touchstone of the criterion whether the impact it leaves
on hearers is in conformity to the whole intent of the
Scriptures. The profit that the Scripture gives us must
not be anything less than “for doctrine, reproof,
correction, and instruction in righteo-usness”. The
outcome must not be anything less than “a perfect man
thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”(2 Tim. 3:16,
17).
There is another peril in which most congregations are
caught today; it is the common preference, by preachers,
of the Old Testament to the New Testament. If the
congregation is overfed by stuff from the Old and should
they be deprived of such important things as Christ's
teachings, Apostolic doctrines and the great principles
of the Kingdom of God, one should doubt whether Christ
will appreciate such a preacher exclaiming at last “Well
done, you good and faithful servant!” Some are good
experts of Kings and Judges of Israel and the chronology
of the books etc., but sadly enough, they brush aside
the prayers of Paul in the Epistles and ignore Epaphras
the prayer warrior and Tabitha of Joppa. If through all
our preaching and teaching our congregations are not
well equipped to the work of the ministry and not worthy
of being conformed to the image of Christ (Rom.8:29), we
won't be able ministers of the New Testament but
lamentable ministers (2Cor.3:6).
Let me conclude this with another serious thing that has
infected the Body of Christ in the present. It is
nothing but moral declension that has gripped almost
all. Recently, I happened to look at Hebrews 13:5 in the
Amplified Bible. Let me put it here: “Let your character
or moral disposition be free from love of
money[including] greed, avarice, lust, and craving for
earthly possessionsand be satisfied with your present
[circumstances and with what you have]; for He (God)
Himself has said, I will not in anyway fail you nor give
you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I
will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you
helpless, nor forsake nor let you down, [relax My hold
on you]. -- Assuredly not!”
Oh my! What a revelation! In the light of this
Scripture, we can account the present worldliness in the
Church and moral declension for the lack of faith in
God's Word and His Promises that He reiterates, “I will
not, I will not, I will not” leave you nor forsake you.
|
|
|
This page
is updated on April 1, 2009 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
10 YEARS CELEBRATION
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
