Has anybody ever tell you “oh please grow up!” Have you never acted as somebody under your age? Many times we have been told to be as children; in innocence, the capability of acceptance and simplicity in life. It is a comparison towards the positive aspects of being a child.
But we are not supposed to behave as children in every stage of our lives. Part of being a child is being irresponsible, part of being a child is being misbehaved, part of being a child is to be fighting with other for nothing Part of being a child is being wrong and don’t accept it and to grow up and stop being a child we have to be corrected.
God’s Word warns us about the consequences of us not wanting to change our childish mind. Consequences like if some 30 year old man decided to act as a 15 year old teenager. Just imagine a 7 months old baby, who eats porridge y drinks bottle, now imagine the same guy but 13 years later eating the same, and now at 27 years…
Growing up is natural, you would have probably studied it in the first, second or third grade: Living creatures are born, grow, they multiply and then die. It’s our design. It would be against our design to say, living creatures: are born, grow up a little, stay like that, and die. You may have some friends or know somebody who don’t grow up… you have seen this silly films of adults who want to be “living the dream” and be young again… they are funny, because it’s ridiculous.
Paul in the first letter to the Corinthians, tells them that immaturity is a serious problem, because if they don’t mature spiritually they wouldn’t be able to understand spiritual matters.
It says:
1 of Corinthians 3:1-4 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?”
It is interesting how Paul warns them about the mistake they are committing. Because he is basically telling them that if they don’t mature, they are going to be as the ones without the Spirit of God; uncapable of understanding what the Word of god says.
1 de Corintios 2:14 “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
It has serious implications, it means that those who have decided to follow Christ, but don’t want to grow up, and mature (equivalent to not obeying) are going to remain carnal, without the capacity of discerning. The ones who are new to the Gospel and to Christ’s Grace carry around many questions and doubts. If they may or may not drink alcohol, ori f they may or not smoke, or dance, or hear secular music or movies… It’s normal; in fact it’s good to answer those questions and to explain what the bible says about all those subjects. But it would be irrational keep explaining and explaining this kind of answers to those who know Christ and his word for decades.
There are 3 main characteristics that are mentioned in these verses, perhaps the most common ones among those who haven’t yet fully understood God’s message: envy, strife, and divisions.
In the world this characteristics are part of daily living… how?
- Envy: Apple Inc the multibillionaire company with the highest capital and profit in the world. It has taken the quest of suing every company, which seems to have any similar product to its brand. (Even micro-companies)
- Strife: Apple fans and the ones from the other brands remain in an eternal conflict about which device is better, they white articles about it, make videos, fight around it without winning or losing a thing.
- Divisions: I am 100% Apple, I am 100% Microsoft… why, well just because.
These kind of senseless debates are present in today’s church. Tags, Pentecostals, Baptist, Catholic, Methodists, Calvinists, we do raise our hands when we pray, we don’t… “My Theology is better”, “I don’t speak with that denomination because…”
You know what… if we are like that, we are the same as the world.
If somebody talks about Jesus, the King and Messiah, why would i be envious of him? Shouldn’t I be happy, because he knows Him and praise Him?.
I am form Paul, I am form Apollo, aren’t we all of Christ if we follow his commandments? Why then strife and divisions?
The problem is that we are kids just for the wrong things, not for good.
Let’s grow up! Because of a long time of being mature, we are going to rotten.
See you soon
Pingback: Just like Children | Practical Reflections | Scoop.it