"FIVE STAGES OF GROWTH"

June 3            “Five Stages of Growth”         Mark 4:26-29

Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But, when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29

We know that the Bible teaches us that, in somethings, we should become as little children (Matthew 18:3), but it also teaches us in 1 Corinthians 13:11 that we should grow up and put away childish things. Some of these “childish” things we, as Christians, should put away are rudeness, playing all the time, fussing, pouting, being a tattle tale, etc… I would like to explore the stages of life that we go through, physically and Spiritually! The very first thing is that we must be BORN.  In John 3:3, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God!”  Jesus has vowed that we will not see the Kingdom of God unless we are born, PHYSICALLY and SPIRITUALLY!  The next stage is INFANCY.  This is the stage, after birth, when the child realizes that he is totally dependent upon his parents.  There is nothing more helpless that a new born baby.  It is totally at the mercy of others.  New Christians also realize, or should, that they are also, totally dependent on God.  We have to be careful with God’s infants.  They are helpless, vulnerable and are at the mercy of others.  This is the age where they need to be coddled and made over and pacified and loved.  Next, comes Spiritual ADOLESCENSE.  OH boy, this is the stage of adventure.  Each stage allows the child to discover a little more, about himself and with that awareness, can experience even greater things.  The Bible tells us who we are when we have been “born again,”---“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”  At this age, if the child is asked who he is, he should be able to tell his name.  This is also an age when caution must be fully exercised.  We have to be careful about our associations.  I remember this stage well, in my physical development.  This is when Mama instilled in me the “Barbara Brock Rules of a Long and Happy Life!”  Mama told me that “you are known by the company that you keep!”  “You need to avoid even the appearance of evil!”  The one that I remember the most: “It don’t look good!”  During Spiritual Adolescence, it is easy to take on the world’s filth, if you do not study your Bible.  Again, “Barbara’s Rules:” You WILL read your Bible and you WILL pray!  Now, I was a difficult child, admittedly.  I absolutely did not see the virtue of a daily bath.  Why?  I am only going to get dirty again tomorrow.  This is the age where I was introduced to “Soap and Water!”  Spiritually, I was also introduced to the “need to daily cleanse.”  Mama would say that “cleanliness is next to Godliness,” as she would be cleaning me from top to bottom.  I quickly realized that if I would wash myself, I could save a layer of skin!  Physically, she made sure that I was clean and “polished.”  Spiritually, she was equally diligent.  “Barbara’s Rules:”  “Watch your language, watch who you associate with, clean yourself daily, read your Bible, say your prayers!!”  I guess that Mama realized that this is also the age of selfishness and she was immediately on it.  “Be considerate, others live here too.”   Here comes the next stage:  SPIRITUAL YOUTH—HALF CHILD, HALF ADULT.  This is what Mama would call the “Know it All” stage.  It has been said that at four you know all the questions; at fourteen you know all the answers.  It has also been said: “Youth is the time when you have the Hoof and Mouth disease.”  When we are in this stage, spiritually, we often have a hard time adjusting to the Heavenly Father’s teaching.  We feel that He is too strict, but if we will continue to eat and digest His word, we will continue to grow to the next stage and then we will understand.  Finally, we reach the ADULT stage.  I don’t know about you, but when I became an adult, my parents seemed to “get educated” overnight!  When I moved into the ADULT stage, Spiritually, I also recognized that my Heavenly Father was right.  Amazingly, God’s plan of growth and the experiences along the way, combine to make us, focused, strong, aware, sensitive and prepared to serve.  I like to think that Mama did a reasonable job in guiding me through my stages of physical growth and that she did a decent job of instructing me to follow God’s teachings and to grow in His Grace.  We have talked about the different stages of physical and spiritual growth:  BIRTH, INFANCY, ADOLESCENCE, YOUTH, and ADULTHOOD, but it all began with the “NEW BIRTH.”  Growth came as a result of eating physical food and “Spiritual Food---God’s Holy Word. We can’t truly explain exactly how a plant grows from a seed, neither can we explain Spiritual growth, but it will come as we study God’s word and as we grow!  Unfortunately, there are many that get “stuck” in a stage and, either, enjoy being a “childish” person or refuses to learn enough to move on and keep growing.  Please stay in God’s word; please continue to grow, so that you will reach maturity and the blessings that God has ordained for those who follow His commands.  Stay Strong, Stay Focused… Remember…”THE BEST IS YET TO BE!”