GROWING PAINS

Sermon Notes, October 11, 2015

Rev. Garry McGlinchy

            Rev. McGlinchy’s sermon was titled “Growing Pains.”  He introduced his message by recalling two books that were important to him when he went back to school as an adult.  One was about being a lifelong learner.  The other was titled “How to Read a Book” and created quite a sensation with the ISS students he was supervising at a middle school.  But he learned how to get the most out of his textbooks, and to get the most out of his classes by reading the assigned readings more than once.  The same thing is true if we’re going to get the most out of our relationship with Christ: we need to spend more time with Him, and we have to become lifelong learners.  As followers of Christ we should constantly be growing in Christ.

            Hebrews 5:11-6:4 says exactly that.  The Christian-Jews were spiritually immature.  At this point they should have been teachers of the Good News.  They didn’t apply the basics of Christian living to their lives.  They became complacent.  They held on to Jewish traditions, not allowing the Gospel to permeate their lives.  They were more concerned with blending in with the culture rather than standing up against it. 

            There are a lot of similarities between these Christian-Jews and Christians in America today.  Most fail to apply the basics of Christianity to their lives.  Most are complacent, and have lost the desire to want more Jesus!  We often glorify the “good old days” of the Church, and in the process we squelch the future.  Most are concerned with blending in with our culture instead of standing up against it!  We have settled for a watered down version of the Gospel rather than thirsting for the real, true gospel!

            The hard truth is that far too many believers have succumbed to the idea that Christian living is easy.  They fail to recognize that there is more to it than simply accepting Jesus.  We must allow the Holy Spirit to complete His work in us.  Some have moved into a fuller understanding of Christian living only to plateau.  When we plateau, we fall victim to becoming spiritually unfit.  When this happens we need to start over again.

            How do we know we are growing IN Christ?  1 Corinthians 13:4-13, the love chapter, is a great gauge we can use to measure our growth in Christ.  When we grow in Christ, we grow in the LOVE that Christ first loved us.  This is the Holy Spirit working in us!  John 13:34 and 35 says “A new command I give you: Love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  It is in our growing in LOVE of God and others that we grow in Christ and are identified as one of His children.  As followers of Christ we should constantly be growing in Christ!