September 3 “Put Away Childish Things!” 1 Corinthians 13:11
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11)
In every situation, in every generation, the Church has experienced “immaturity” in the body and, consequently, strife, unrest, hurt feelings, chaos, discontent and a host of other issues, as a result of immaturity in the body of believers! Emotions are a huge part of the on-going struggle, and immature believers, that succumb to the emotions of human interactions, and do not grow in maturity in the Spirit of God! When one operates on emotions, feelings and superficial holiness, getting hurt, offended, and having feelings of betrayal are inevitable! That’s when the “Preacher” comes in! “Do you know what she did?” “What are you going to do about this situation?” “How can you tolerate this kind of stuff?” “When are you going to step up and make this stop?” “We pay you to make these decisions; do we need to reconsider your job?” “You need to do something about her mouth! She is a terrible witness!” (These are just a few of the actual questions and comments that have been presented over the years…) Mature Living is not the responsibility of the “Preacher” alone! Every Believer has the duty to grow, mature and to represent the Cause of Christ to this lost and dying world! Colossians 1:10 provides a clear message on what to do… “so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…” Are you bearing fruit? Are you filtering your words through the Grace of God? Are you driven by emotions and your own attitudes and prejudices? Is it possible that you might be a part of the problem in strife and broken relationships? On every occasion, in every situation, immaturity in the Spirit contributes to the intensity of the struggle! Is it possible that we need to GROW in HIS GRACE AND GLORY MORE? Is it possible that we need to PRAY MORE, READ HIS WORD, MORE, and SHARE the GOOD NEWS MORE? When we are focused on HIM, growing in HIM, sharing HIS MESSAGE OF HOPE, then we are going to be FOCUSED on HIS WILL, not our own narrow, human emotions and “knee-jerk” human reactions to others! James 1:19 tells us what to do… “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…!” Everyone of us, in every situation, needs to follow this advice… “LISTEN, PRAY, FOCUS, PRAY, RESIST RESPONDING out of EMOTION, PRAY to AVIOD ANGER, SPEAK FROM A HEART OF HIS LOVE, NOT HUMAN EMOTIONS… Wow! What a difference this simple practice would make in the lives of Believers, and what a witness for Jesus to a world that is ready to point a finger of condemnation at believers and proclaim hypocrisy and to proclaim the message of Satan! Just last month, after a sermon, as I was greeting those who were exiting through the main entrance, a lady (she is one of the best examples of anger first, then to be offended, and bout) declared to me that “You really told them today, Preacher!” Sadly, Satan has blinded the eyes of so many to think that their emotional reactions are righteous, yet others are in violation of the Biblical Code of Conduct! If your words, actions, attitudes and your lifestyle are not bringing people closer to Christ and is actually pushing them away from the Good News, then it is time to CHANGE!! REPENTANCE is REQUIRED to Serve HIM in HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and HIS HOLINESS! Stay Strong, Stay Focused … THE BEST IS YET TO BE!
Perspective: Recently, in a conversation with a young pastor, he asked me why professing believers have a tendency to “fuss” and “quarrel” with one another! My answer was a bit simplistic, and wasn’t the monumental, earth moving response that he expected. I simply said, “IMMATURITY!” Immaturity in Prayer, Immaturity in Bible Reading and Study, Immaturity in Applying God’s Word into Living Reality! “What can I do to stop this strife?” PREACH HIS WORD, PREACH HIS WORD, LIVE HIS WORD, PRAY FOR EACH ONE BY NAME, STUDY THE SCRIPTURES, PRAY FOR EACH ONE, PREACH HIS WORD, PRAY FOR EACH ONE BY NAME… The Pattern is clear and the Process is apparent! It is God’s Power that changes people, not the preacher, not the Sunday School Teacher, not the Deacons or any member of Leadership! CHANGE is UP TO YOU! God has Provided the means and the method, we MUST submit, claim, receive and live His Amazing Grace! Strife, Chaos, Discontent will subside when we are more interested in His Will versus our own narrow emotional and human reaction and response!