MATURING AS A CHILD OF GOD

Main Readings: 1 John 3:1-10, Matthew 5:43-45

Repentance and faith in Jesus Christ does not only bring us forgiveness of sins from God: It also grants us the status of being children of God, and results in our nature being transformed to carry His image. We are therefore new creation with the capacity to grow in character to become like God in holiness. In the view of Apostle John who wrote the Gospel according to St. John and the three Epistles of John, if a person fails to show the signs of maturing as a child of God, he may altogether be considered a child of the devil (1 John 3:10). This sermon explores the Biblical concept of the Christian’s growth using the natural analogy of learning to RESPOND TO PARENTAL CARE, RELATING EFFECTIVELY WITH MEMBERS OF ONE’S FAMILY and extending the RIGHT COURTESIES TO THE LARGER COMMUNITY of those who are not YET members of one’s family.

THE NEW BIRTH AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

The unique phenomenon that marks the Christian faith is that the one who truly converts to it receives a spiritual experience called the new birth (John 1:12; 3:3-5). The Spirit of God gives the believer a new nature to desire and be capable of holiness even as God the Father is holy. The endowment of this transforming power has the following significance:

·         Direct Access to God as Father (Eph. 2:18-19)

·         New Nature with Power over Sin and Death (Rom. 6:11,2 Co. 5:17, Eph. 4: 22-24, 1 John 3:9)

·         Ability to do the Work of Christ in the Spirit of Christ (Ac. 1:8, Gal. 5:22-23)

RESPONDING TO PARENTAL CARE:

A child is a potential adult, and its tiny frame that requires it to be carried and led around would eventually gather the necessary muscle and poise of an independent adult. This development comes through constant feeding and exercise.

·         Feeding on the Food of the Spirit – Studying and Living by the Word of God:

Learn to enjoy the Word of God, which is the food of our new nature (Mt. 4:4, 1 Pe. 2:2-3) God our Father who is unseen has given us sufficient record of Himself in both the things He has made and the people He has interacted with. From the ancients to our contemporaries who accept to submit to Him, we have a body of revealed information called the Scriptures that guide us in our understanding of Him and in our relationship with Him. He has also given us His Spirit to clarify this record to us as we consume it. Those who fail to build their lives with the word eventually become dependent on others, and they are given to falling away and chasing other people to help them get around like children! (see Eph. 4:14)

·         Maintaining a Direct Communion with God – Prayer:

Learn to prioritize your personal prayer over being prayed for. The ancient requirement of communicating with God through human and other mediators such as prophets and sacrificed animals is no longer tenable in Christ. This is because by His eternal atoning sacrifice, Jesus has made those who believe in Him forever worthy to talk directly to God at any place and at all times, as children have the capacity to access their father. We can bring Him thanksgiving, just come and be lost in His wonder (worship), make our requests (supplications), or petition Him for the welfare of others just as Christ did for us (intercession). We must harbor no anxiety without sharing it with Him. This requires that we converse with Him constantly. Unless we pray directly to God, we would not have the assurance and boldness to relate well with even other children of God, and we may feel trapped in human fears that we were used to before we came to Christ. (Php. 4:4-6, Heb. 4: 16, 1 Thes. 5:17)

·         Accepting Godly Discipline:

Learn to repent promptly, ask for forgiveness and do the right thing always. When we stray, the Spirit of God convicts us and our consciences prick us. Also, one or two things may go wrong with us to warn us that we are not walking right with God. If our error involves offending others, we need to apologize and even make restitution where possible.

RELATING TO THE FAMILY OF GOD

Those who believe in Jesus Christ, that He has taken away their sin, planted them in God as His children and has commissioned them to spread this effect among humanity constitute the Church. They are the family of God, the household of God. Members of this body are divinely resourced and guaranteed by God Himself to be of good character and are to be loved, trusted and respected.

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       Constantly Fellowship with Agape (Unconditional) Love and Respect:

 Learn to mercifully forgive those who offend you and graciously accept the forgiveness of those you offend. Such love, trust and respect are to be given regardless of the fact that the varied levels of maturity may cause an occasional fault to show up in one or two. The body of Christ remains the most refined group of people on earth – the salt and the light of the world. A maturing Christian is one who relates to other Christians in this spirit and helps them to outgrow their old nature of faults even as he or she is also outgrowing it. (Mt. 5:13-14, Col. 3:12-15)

·         Always Treat Them with Respect to their New Nature and Status:

This is also to say, learn to never treat a Christian like an unrepentant sinner who has no direct and unlimited access to the resources (wealth, health, help, protection and guidance) of God. Such mistreatment will be contempt of God Himself. No matter how feeble and vulnerable they appear, always prop them up on their faith in Jesus Christ. So long as they remain in the faith, handle them as one privileged to share with God the role of parenting His children. Never humiliate them! (1 Co. 11:22, 27-30)

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     Use Spiritual Gifts to Build Others Up:

 Learn to be a co-builder with God, and you will experience the great joy of His approval, and the true meaning of lacking nothing. Within the family of God, we are given different and complimentary gifts. None of the gifts is given for personal profit per se. As another’s gift would be used to help build you up, so must your gift also be used to build others up – FREE OF CHARGE! (Mt. 10:8, 1 Co. 3:9; 12:6-11)

RIGHT COURTESIES TO THE HUMAN FAMILY

How you treat unbelievers is what really shows that you are a child of God. Prayer and spiritual gifts may be imitated, and the reciprocal relationships within a family system may come naturally, but grace and generosity towards outsiders, some of whom we may have a history of contention with, is unquestionably Divine (Mt. 5:43-45, 1 Co. 13:1-3). We learn from the Word of God that He created all humanity and we have fallen into sin and gone our diverse ways. Nevertheless, He still loves all of us and has made great sacrifices to reconcile us unto Himself. Those of us with the privilege to have found our way back to peace with Him must agonize over our and do all we can to save our yet-to-come-home ‘cousins’.

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      Announcement of the Gospel:

We must learn encourage those who do not yet believe to repent as we have. We need to be both ready and urgent in our announcement of the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ to them, since the eternal loss of their souls is at stake. Their present unbelief, though inexcusable, may be due to misunderstanding, past experiences with other faith systems, and passions, grudges or fears that they find difficult to give up. We must never excuse them in their sin. Our continuous explanation of the Gospel to them along with assurances from our personal testimonies of freedom from sin and fruits of our hope of eternal life will serve them greatly. No mature Christian denies the unbeliever insight into the treasury of faith in Jesus Christ.

      Loving them as God has Loved Us:

We must learn to promptly forgive and rather pray for and help the unbeliever who offends us, just as God has done for us in our Lord Jesus.  This is especially required for those we are in close contact with as fellow students, co-tenants, co-workers, passengers in a vehicle, etc. They must experience the reality of God’s love through us. Yes, they are aware that they breathe His air free of charge, but they will be greatly moved to learn that His transformation power makes other humans to also make great sacrifices for them FREE OF CHARGE. As a people who look forward to eternal life, we must not demonstrate any tendency to hold too dear any earthly possession to the point of unhealthily struggling over them.

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