June 5 More Than Just The Basics to Review
God wants to say to us, “you grew”!!!
A Verse to Remember:
And now, just as you have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7
Todays Scripture: Hebrews 6:1-3
So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. 2 You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.
Gospel Story: Acts 2:1-4!!!! More Than Review, Going Deeper with God!
Reflection:
Growing in our connection with Jesus is what leads us into a deeper relationship with God and the people around us.
So many want to emphasize the importance of “teaching”. It is important. But like scripture, teaching lays the foundation for our relationship with Jesus. Real growth comes from doing life, walking, talking, listening to, and simply put, trusting him.
Today is pentecost Sunday. Trusting Jesus is what changed the lives of these disciples. The resurrected Jesus could teach and explain the scriptures to them along the road, so they could understand. But to mature, to grow “in Christ” you have to walk with Jesus. He told them “stay in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven”. They had to turn around. Return to where they had come from and wait… trusting Jesus. If they had simply received the teachings, they would have been very insightful, smart sounding Christians. True growth or “maturity” comes from walking with and trusting the many ways that Jesus personally leads and guides us in our daily lives.
Our faith journey isn’t about reviewing “again and again” the basics of what Jesus taught. It’s about letting those basics provide the foundation, the understanding, for how we get to live with Jesus. The growth God wants to see happen in our lives doesn’t come from reviewing the basics again and again. It comes as we learn trust Jesus doing life with, Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
Know the basics, then grow! It’s God’s heart. More than us being smart. The heart of God rejoices when He can look at you and I and proudly declare, “Look at you, you grew!”
Basic Teachings Noted in Hebrews 6:1-3
-fundamental importance of repentance from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.
-instruction about baptisms
Baptism of Moses, (Nation of Israel) 1 Cor 10:1-4
Baptism of Suffering Mark 10:38-39
Baptism of John Mark 1:4-8 baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins
Baptism of Jesus Matthew 3:13-17
Baptism of Fire Matthew Matthew 3:11-12
Baptism of the Holy Spirit Matthew 3:11-12
-instruction about laying on of hands
-instruction about the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgement
AND SO GOD WILLING, WE WILL MOVE FORWARD TO FURTHER UNDERSTANDING.
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