BUILDING ON THE BASICS (9 OF 29)
by Bob Ingle
Scripture: Hebrews 6:1-3
This content is part of a series.
Building On the Basics (9 of 29)
Series: Once and For All
Bob Ingle
Hebrews 6:1-3
Open your bibles to Hebrews 6. Do you remember when you were a kid, your mom or your dad would lean you against a closet wall or door frame and mark your height? Remember that? Remember how exciting it was to see how much you’d grown from the last time they measured you? Remember the disappointment you felt when there was little to no progress? The fact is growth is exciting. Stagnancy is not. Let me ask you, if we were able to lean you up against God’s door frame and measure your spiritual growth over the last year or two what would the result be? Would there be excitement because of growth, or would there be disappointment because of stagnancy?
I heard about a little boy who fell out of bed in the middle of the night. When his mother rushed to his room to ask him what happened, he said, ‘‘I don’t know. I guess I stayed too close to where I got in.’’ That’s the problem with many us Christians, isn’t it? We’ve stayed too close to where we got in. We haven’t progressed or moved forward much in our relationship with God.
I think one hindrance for many Christians from true, observable spiritual growth is the thought that ‘growing up is just showing up’. They think that if a person comes to church on Sunday, maybe attends a Bible study group, or serves in some capacity that makes for a mature Christian. Well, I don’t intend to be mean or point fingers, but some of the most immature Christians I have ever pastored never missed a Sunday service, or bible study, or a business meeting. Some of the most immature Christians I know have held important positions in the church. The fact is those things don’t automatically produce spiritual growth or indicate that a person is mature in their faith. Growing up isn’t just showing up. Spiritual growth isn’t accidental; it’s intentional. It takes some effort. It requires some work.
Another mistake some Christians make is thinking lo ...
Series: Once and For All
Bob Ingle
Hebrews 6:1-3
Open your bibles to Hebrews 6. Do you remember when you were a kid, your mom or your dad would lean you against a closet wall or door frame and mark your height? Remember that? Remember how exciting it was to see how much you’d grown from the last time they measured you? Remember the disappointment you felt when there was little to no progress? The fact is growth is exciting. Stagnancy is not. Let me ask you, if we were able to lean you up against God’s door frame and measure your spiritual growth over the last year or two what would the result be? Would there be excitement because of growth, or would there be disappointment because of stagnancy?
I heard about a little boy who fell out of bed in the middle of the night. When his mother rushed to his room to ask him what happened, he said, ‘‘I don’t know. I guess I stayed too close to where I got in.’’ That’s the problem with many us Christians, isn’t it? We’ve stayed too close to where we got in. We haven’t progressed or moved forward much in our relationship with God.
I think one hindrance for many Christians from true, observable spiritual growth is the thought that ‘growing up is just showing up’. They think that if a person comes to church on Sunday, maybe attends a Bible study group, or serves in some capacity that makes for a mature Christian. Well, I don’t intend to be mean or point fingers, but some of the most immature Christians I have ever pastored never missed a Sunday service, or bible study, or a business meeting. Some of the most immature Christians I know have held important positions in the church. The fact is those things don’t automatically produce spiritual growth or indicate that a person is mature in their faith. Growing up isn’t just showing up. Spiritual growth isn’t accidental; it’s intentional. It takes some effort. It requires some work.
Another mistake some Christians make is thinking lo ...
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