Awww, Grow Up! - Pilgrim's Regress

Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, April 10, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Chip Moody


Scripture Reference:  Hebrews 5:11-14 and Hebrews 6:1-3

“Grow Up. Baby!”                

If you never thought the Bible talked about baby food, think again:

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.      Hebrews 5:11 - 6:3 [NIV]

I learn some striking lessons from this passage.

It is possible to regress in our Christian walk with God.

I think it is probably also the case that if we are not progress and maturing in our obedience to Christ, we are, in fact, regressing.

By knowing and experiencing only the beginning stages of the Christian life, we cannot know how to live rightly in a wrong-filled world. 

The solid food that brings about maturity is for the purpose of helping us not only know right from wrong, but also how to apply the wisdom from God about right and wrong to our life, especially those areas of life that look gray rather than black and white. The spiritually grown up person is equipped to apply the God’s desires/his word, to extremely complicated situations in life that we face at home at work, at church, or with friends and family.

We are told to “leave elementary teachings.”

Well, like what? What teachings are elementary? Well, they are some surprisingly important doctrines and practices:

• Repentance of sins and dysfunctions long ago forgiven by God
• The beginnings of initial faith in God
• Instructions about baptisms and the laying on of hands
• The resurrection of the dead at the last day
• Eternal judgment; heaven and hell

     

These are by no means unimportant doctrines. Yet the writer of Hebrews is saying that these are elementary (my dear Watson), and that we are somehow supposed to move on from these to another level of maturity. There appears to be spiritual food that is “age appropriate” for one’s progress in Christ.

It further seems that this “solid food” has something to do with applying the revealed wisdom of God to actual day-to-day living situations.

But why? 

Why indeed. Does it matter that we become people of holiness and faithfulness. We have our salvation. We have the reward of eternity in the presence of God. Why bother with holiness?  Is it worth the effort?  I’m saved; that’s enough for me. Why do I need growth?

I’m glad you asked that.

The answer has little to do with how good we can be or how much progress we make. The answer to why we should grow is about God himself; about his nature and his character. This can’t be yet one more sermon, in a seemingly endless line of them in our Christian culture these days, that is merely a moralistic admonition or ethical pep talk. The answer to “why grow” is a deeply theological one.

Here goes. God is alone worthy of our praise and worship. As the sovereign Lord of glory, he is Lord of our life, our world, our universe. Our transformation into the likeness of Jesus glorifies God.  That’s why we are to grow. It pleases our creator. My growth glorifies Him.

You see, it does not matter enough to ME to grow in Christ. I am lazy, willful, and prone to letting important spiritual matters slide by me in the rush of the urgent. But my growth DOES matters to God. And because I love him, honor him, obey him, I live to please him and enjoy him.  That is the only motivation strong enough to make me seek maturity.

God is glorified when we, his people, grow to resemble his Son.

So what does this mean for us?  

What is it that God is looking for in your life and my life?  I am reminded of what Paul writes in his letter to Ephesus:

“[God desires] that the body of Christ may be built up until we all ... become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching ... Instead, ... we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” (Eph 4:12-15)

What is the growth that God is looking for?  

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son . . .” (Rom 8:29)   

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory ...”  (2 Cor 3:18)

God's goal is that we become transformed into Jesus’ likeness, attaining His fullness.  Why?   Because God is glorified when we grow to resemble his Son.

So no more swearing at other drivers in rage.  NO WAIT! Let’s not trivialize this by being so shallow minded. Let’s think of what is most important to God as he has taught us in the scriptures and grow to make these the priorites of our spiritual life:

Help alleviate suffering in others.

Do something to help serve and lift up the poor and marginalized of our world.

Seek justice! No more tolerating public officials who are corrupt, or who oppress the powerless.

Seek reconciliation. No more broken relationships due to your own pride or stubbornness

Seek responsible stewardship. No more worshipping our toys, our money, our looks, our power. No more aggrandizing ourselves at the expense of others in the world who make our living-large possible.

Choosing freedom! No more choosing prisons of addiction or compulsions, or sexual irresponsibility, or out of control anger or lying, or stealing, or gossip.   

Wow. From this angle (God’s perspective), growth looks pretty good! Solid food is sounding really nutritious.

So seek the solid food!  And by your growth you, instead of being a baby on formula forever, will by growth and maturity become an example and coach to others on the Jesus road.

Years ago, Ruth Bell Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham, saw a sign by the road and said she wouldn’t mind its words being on her headstone: "End of Construction - Thank you for your patience."

There’s some wisdom there, I think.

- - -

Here is the Drama skit about maturing in prayer, performed in the Sunday, April 10 Service by our Drama Troupe:

School is In Session

Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, April 3, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Rodger S. Loar


Scripture Reference 2Peter 1:3-9

School is in Session

“School’s out for summer, School’s out forever, Schools been blown to pieces, No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks.”  So goes the lyrics to Alice Cooper’s School’s Out song.   I, for one, definitely daydreamed about the school being blown to pieces as a kid, especially before math tests.

It’s easy for us, as adults, to think that we are done with school; so, there isn’t any more learning to be done.  As Christians, that just isn’t true!  Growth is still expected of us, and that takes learning.  It doesn’t matter whether you are 19, 49, or 99 years old.  God still has some growing for you to do.

Peter lays out a growth path for us in 2Peter 3:5-7.  He tells us to add to our faith, goodness; to our goodness, knowledge; to our knowledge, self control; to our self control, perseverance; to our perseverance, godliness; to our godliness, mutual affection; and to our mutual affection, love.

Faith is where it all starts.  When we believe in Christ, that isn’t the end of the journey, but the beginning.  This is the point where we start, ‘having escaped the corruption in the world’ (2:Peter 1:4).  Yet, this is also the point where many believers stop.  Like Lot’s wife, when the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, they can’t help looking back at the world they know and so they stay there, stuck between two worlds and not growing. 

We then add goodness or virtue to our faith.  This is the same word used to describe Christ in verse 3.  No one is good all the time, but you start to practice being like Christ. 

Then comes knowledge.  If we don’t know God, then how can we be what he wants us to be?  This knowledge comes primarily from studying the Bible.  It also comes from sermons and lessons, but only when you apply a discerning ear to compare what is taught with God’s word.

After we gain knowledge, we must learn self-control.  That’s a hard one in this society where we can have almost anything we want without waiting for it.  Hungry?  Microwave a pizza in a minute.  Thirsty? just turn on the tap.  Bored?  Flip on the TV and grab any movie you want from online.  Lonely?  Heck, you don’t need to work at a relationship with someone, just go online and you can find all sorts of ‘entertainment’.  Want to buy something, go to an ATM and get your money now.  No money in your account?  Swipe a credit card and pay it off someday. 

Self control must be cultivated.  You have to learn to save for things, to wait for things, to earn what is right and good or we are no better than toddlers who cry when they don’t get their every desire met instantly. 

Self control naturally leads to perseverance.  Learning to endure through the difficult can lead us to all sorts of good things, from losing weight to making it through pain and disease to surviving the death of those close to us.  Our lives don’t have to completely fall apart when things get hard, it just takes perseverance. 

Godliness is next, learning to be more and more like the holy people He calls us to be.  This comes from putting godly values into practice.  You don’t earn this one on the couch, you have to get out and do.  This is not the false holiness that so many people project, but the real holiness of making the right choices in our life priorities, in our time, and in our money.  Other people see this and can quickly tell if you really are living a holy life or if you are just living a holier-than-thou life.

Mutual affection.  Brotherly love.  Caring for one another.  Walking together.  That’s what the church is all about.  Many people try to do the hard stuff on their own.  Always smile at people and never let them know you are breaking inside.  That path is destructive.  We need each other and we must be intentional about it.  Get to know your neighbors, learn to love your fellow Christians.  Spend time, share, eat together, pray together, have fun.  It’s almost impossible to grow past a certain point if you don’t have people close to you helping you to grow.

Finally, we get to love.  This isn’t puppy love, brotherly love, erotic love, or the love you feel when you bite into a good cheeseburger.  No, this is the practical love, love in action.  This is serving others.  This is intentionally loving those people who are hard to love.  This is putting yourself on the line to touch someone else’s life.  This is serving the homeless, even if they aren’t thankful for it.  This is praying with the dying.  This is visiting the little old lady next door and listening to her tell you all of her medical problems.  This kind of love ain’t easy, but it is an incredibly important part of our growth. 

God calls us to keep growing, to keep learning as believers.  He doesn’t call us to be ‘Pew Potatoes,’ you know the type, the vegetable who sits rooted in the pew.  Far too many of us feel that our faith is about ourselves and our own comfort.  The problem is, you don’t learn and you don’t grow if you are comfortable.

It’s time to get back to school. It’s time to stretch ourselves and grow.

Summer break is over.

School is in session.

                                                                 Pastor Rodger

Awww, Grow Up! - Craving the Good Stuff

Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, March 27, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Chip Moody



Scripture References:
1 Peter 2:1-3

“How much farther?”

“He’s touching me.  Mom, make him stop.”

“Dad, Joey just threw up.”

“You’re a poo-poo head.”

“Stop calling me a poo-poo head!”

If you have ever taken a long road trip with children, then you have observed the phenomena firsthand.  Once the adventure of beginning the trip wears off, the whining and fighting begins.

Now answer me this:  Is this life not like a road trip, and we are all in the car together. In fact, the Bible calls our time on this planet our sojourn. Sometimes things are ok, after we’ve had a good meal and a nap.  But other times we carp and snipe at each other.  And when we are under stress it gets worse.  We become people no one wants to be around.

When the apostle Peter wrote to his Christian audience, he had a specific purpose: to bring hope and calm and healing to a hurting people. People who had, under the stress of persecution, turned their emotions on each other. Carping, sniping, gossip, slander. As often happens when a group is under stress, they forget who the enemy is and treat each other badly.

So what is Peter’s prescription?  1 Peter 2: 1-3 reads, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

He lists five destructive behaviors we commit while on the road trip called life.

Malice:  Being mean to people for whatever reason

Deceit:  Lying, misleading others, being untruthful            

Hypocrisy:  Espousing one set of values, but living another

Envy:  Jealousy over what others have in their life

Slander:  Saying reputation-destroying things about people that aren’t true

Peter says we must rid ourselves of these things.  The road trip of life is hard enough without behaviors like this ruining the journey for others. 

And once he tells us what to rid from ourselves, he asks us to crave something different. Craving—let’s look at his illustration.

When a new baby is hungry, and is first put to the breast or bottle, it doesn’t know what to do at first.  Mom has to help those first few drips into that infant’s mouth.  Once that happens, and the child learns how to gain nourishment, then there is no going back.  That child will become ravenous at the mere sight of their source of food.  All else is forgotten in the child’s yearning for milk.  The craving for nourishment is natural for growth, and that is true in our walk with God as well.  Look again at verses 2-3.

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

Now it would be very simple for Peter to tell us to simply “sit quietly and BE NICE!” during our sojourn. But he does not follow this tactic. He does something far more effective.

His following verses are an admonition: Craving spiritual milk comes from remembering WHO YOU ARE! Take a look at the verses that follow:

As you come to him, the living Stone . . .  you. . . are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.. .  you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 

 1 Peter 2:4-5: 9.  

So what does this mean for us?

We are to get rid of the cranky, whiny, meanness of spirit that stress can lead us to. We are to replace it with a CRAVING. A craving to consume the milk of Jesus’ own holiness as our spiritual milk, our nourishment, our fuel for life and growth.

The Bible says that under stress we turn to the wrong things.  We act badly and sin against our brothers and sisters.  (Ignore their needs, gossip about them, make snide comments, fail to support them in their walk with God. We get hung up on their faults and foibles and fail to see our own.)

Instead God asks us to CRAVE the pure milk of Christ, especially now that we have had a taste of it.   Why? Because that’s who we are.

The most important aspect of this whole subject of growth is one I have not mentioned yet. So far, WE have been the subject of the conversation. But I don’t want to be guilty of a self-help gospel. The growth that comes as a result of taking in the nourishment of God’s word and God’s presence in our life through the Holy Spirit –the growth is from God. Not from us.

      “He who began a good work in you will continue it until the day of Christ Jesus.”    Phil. 1.6   

Do we not have an amazing God?  Is he not awesome who longs for us to receive the maturity he is ready to hand us. We need simply be willing to deny our selfish instincts and embrace who we are as apprentices of Jesus his Son.

CRAVE PURE SPIRITUAL MILK.  CONSUME IT and GROW.

Jesus did not give his life on the cross, and rise from the dead, so that we could stay stunted and helpless.  He did so that we might live a new life.  Abundant life. And if we are mired in the junk of Malice, Deceit, Hypocrisy, Envy, Slander, then Peter has a harsh sounding exhortation to us:  GET RID OF THAT GARBAGE. 

Instead take into your lives the PURE milk of God’s truth and grow up!  The riches of God are astounding and are waiting to be claimed by his child.

Awww Grow Up! - Saying Yes to No

Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, March 20, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Don Allen


Scripture Reference:  Ephesians 4:17-24


So can you pass the marshmallow test?  You may remember this experiment from yesterday’s message. What would you do if someone placed you in a quiet room for 15 minutes with a marshmallow on the plate (or for those who share my temptations, a Bavarian Chocolate Kreme from Dunkin Donuts)? If you could do it for 15 minutes, you would be rewarded with a second helping. Could you do it?

Yesterday’s message from Ephesians 4:17-24 focused on a major tension in our journey from childhood faith to adult faith. That’s right; I’m talking about self-control. You can also call it delayed gratification. Saying ‘no’ to something we want. Or even giving to others, even if you have to do without something.

Without self-control, we find it hard to manage our time. Keep our jobs. Keep a promise. Stay married. Or single.

Or growing in Christ. So it is no surprise that one of the fruit (results) of the Holy Spirit’s work in you is self-control (see Galatians 5:22-25).

Which is why I hope you will join me in a quest to grow in Christ by saying Yes to No.
I want to get better at saying no. I think you do, too. So let’s encourage one another.

Think for a moment about an obstacle you face in your walk toward maturity in Christ. It’s obvious to you: you know you should say No.

This guilty pleasure may be that trashy TV show. Or whatever keeps you from walking or jogging. Or losing your temper. Or eating that donut. Or  [enter your self-control battle here].

Now find someone, a buddy, and challenge him or her to join you in the “Say Yes To No” effort. Invite your friend to try saying no to just one thing this week. Promise to pray for each other twice a day. Decide to touch bases by phone every other day, just for a couple of minutes: “Did you say No today? Good! Keep it up!”

If you fall down, get up and try again. Keep going until you can so No for seven days straight.
By the way, some church traditions have entered Lent season. That’s a season in which a person gives up something for Christ. So it’s a good time to Say Yes to No.
Let us know how it goes. I’m pulling for you!

Awww Grow Up! Don't Believe Everything You Hear

Click Here to Watch the Awww Grow Up Video from Sunday, March 13, 2011


Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, March 13, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Rodger S. Loar


Click Here to See the Slide Show of Urban Myth Pictures from the Sermon




Scripture References:  Ephesians 4:11-16 and 1Corinthians 13:11




Don't Believe Everything You Hear!

It’s easy for kids to believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.  Adults tell them the story as truth and so they believe it.  There has to come a time when they start growing up and not longer believe in these types of stories.  There is a time when they need to apply thought and question the things that people tell them. 

It would be nice if that were always true, but we all know it’s not.  Marketers make lots of money by convincing adults to believe things as easily as they did when they were kids.  Of course you’ll lose weight just by taking this magic pill.  Of course we’ll give you a good deal on a car if you’ll just come to our dealership.  Of course you can afford that house with no money down.

Believing these types of lies can hurt you, but there are even worse ones.  There are plenty of cults and false teachers out there who prey on those who aren’t mature in their faith.  People like Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code fame present fiction as fact.  Televangelists sell phony miracles for money.  Athiests such as Richard Dawkins repackage tired old ideas as seductive new ones to sell you on their faithless faith.  Let’s not even get started on the twisted truths and outright lies that come out of politicians on a daily basis.

As Christians, we are called to grow up.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:11-16 that we aren’t supposed to be like infants who believe anything that we are told by crafty and deceitful people.  We are supposed to be grown up.  We are supposed to be able to make the right choices.

How do we learn how to make good choices?

How do we grow up in our faith?

How do we become mature believers?

Well, first of all, you just gotta do it!  You can't just hope it will happen.  You can't sit around waiting for some one else to do it for you.  One of the first things an infant learns to do is feed themselves.  As a Christian, you can't expect the pastor to be the one feeding you.  His job is to equip you to feed yourself and others.  There is no magical message from the mountaintop, it's just a set of simple steps that you just keep doing:

Step 1:  Read, read, read, read, read.  Know your Bible.  God provided His Word to us for a reason.  Make this a part of your daily routine.  If you don’t have a copy of the liturgy book that we use at MVCC, you can purchase one in the lobby on Sunday or get one at the local bookstore.  Then, read it each day so you begin to know your Bible.

Step 2:  Ask Questions.  We are called to love our God with all of our Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength.  That third word there is ‘mind’.  Use your brain.  Ask questions.  Struggle with your faith.  Question what you are taught and study yourself.  Never stop learning.

Step 3: Apprentice Yourself.  Walk alongside more experience believers.  Learn what they do.  Visit people in the hospital, serve at a homeless shelter, volunteer to help others.  Begin applying your faith by putting it in action.

Step 4:  You gotta ask someone:  Find a friend, a mentor, an accountability partner or small group.  Begin purposely opening up and inviting them to open up to you.  Encourage each other to grow.  Ask for help in areas where you struggle.  Pray for one another and be willing to speak the truth in love to help each other in your growth.

Step 5:  Rinse, lather, and repeat.  That’s right, keep doing these things.  Growing up is a process, not an event.  Whether you were just baptized or you’ve been a believer for fifty years; keep reading, keep studying, keep questioning, and keep serving.  You still have places to grow. 

Our memory verse this month comes from 1 Corinthians:

When I was a child,
I spoke like a child,
I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child,
When I became an adult,
I put away childish ways.

It’s time to put away childish ways. 

It’s time to grow up.