MPC, 10th February 2002.Hebrews 5:11-6:12 - "Get Up and Grow"
Phil Campbell MPC, 10th February 2002.
Have you ever thought of hiring a LIFE COACH? For a price, a personal LIFE COACH can help you achieve EVERY GOAL. Anything. Your financial goals. Your career. Your creative goals. Your relationship goals. Your fitness goals. David Rock is the CEO of RESULTS LIFE COACHING. And he says, "It's all about TAKING ACTION". Doing the things you KNOW YOU SHOULD BE DOING. He says it's only when you TAKE ACTION … that you GET RESULTS.
Which in a way is stating the blatantly obvious, isn't it? But if you want to part with $600 a month, they can help you. That works out at $150 a week for a one hour ENCOURAGEMENT PHONE CALL. And before you know it you'll be fitter and faster and richer and wiser.
Now there's some merit in what they're saying. Like for instance, David Rock said for most people, the most encouragement they get from anyone else would be about 10 minutes worth per month. They're giving an hour a week. And the fact that you've got to TAKE ACTION… to GET RESULTS. Which we know is right. Because the trouble is, in just about anything, it's so easy to be LAZY. To procrastinate.
Which seems it's exactly how it was with a group of Christians nearly 2000 years ago. Who you meet in the book of Hebrews. Read through Hebrews and you'll see they're JEWISH CHRISTIANS… who are in danger of turning back. Who – without being to rude about it – who have become sluggish. Lazy. And because of that, they're in danger of falling away altogether.
Have a look where we started. Hebrews 5 verses 11 and 12. Here are Christians who SHOULD KNOW THE SCRIPTURES backwards. Here are Christians who have been Christians long enough that they should be experts. Here are Christians who should be acting like GROWNUPS. And instead of that, they're babies. And it's all because they're LAZY. The idea's obscured a bit in the English translation. But look what it says. Verse 10, there's a reference back to a part of the old testament that's maybe a little bit complicated. But instead of explaining it, look at verse 11.
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 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!
There's more to say. But there's no point. Because you're such SLOW LEARNERS. But here's the point. When we talk about SLOW LEARNERS you're probably thinking about the sort of kids with learning difficulties who really struggle at school. But the original word there isn't about that at all. It's not talking about LEARNING ABILITY. It's talking about LEARNING ATTITUDE. The Greek word there literally means SLUGGISH LEARNERS. Exactly the same word that gets translated LAZY a few verses later in chapter 6 verse 11.
I'd like to say more about this. But I can't. Because you're such LAZY LEARNERS.
I'd like to say more about this. But I'd be wasting my time. Because you're still back at the basics.
I'd like to say more about this. Because you should be BIBLE TEACHERS BY NOW. But you're still thinking like Sunday School kids. You're still at the milk stage. Not even on solids.
And that means there's something badly wrong. I knew one family, their kid just wouldn't eat. He was two years old, he was spoiled – if you're allowed to use that term these days – and all he'd eat for dinner was CHOCOLATE. It's kind of obvious, isn't it; I mean, for babies, milk's great. But there comes a time when you should be GROWING OUT OF THAT STUFF. And if you're not, it's like there's something wrong.
And the biggest evidence with these Hebrews that something's wrong isn't just in their baby-food eating habits. It's in their childish way of living. For a Christian right thinking should always lead to right living. No point knowing all the stuff in the world if it's not bearing fruit in the way you live.
Take a look. See if you can pick the problem. Read from verse 13.
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
They're trouble is, just like babies, they don't even know the difference between GOOD AND EVIL. They haven't CHANGED from how they were before they were Christians. In fact, it's like they have to keep coming back to square one over and over again. Which isn't the way it should be. Mature Christians are passionate about RIGHTEOUSNESS. Which is the thing that seems to be missing in the way these LAZY CHRISTIANS are living.
Let me take you to the little analogy in chapter 6, see if you can get the picture. Here's what they're like. They're like a field that's been watered and fertilized; they've been taught and encouraged over and over again. But what happens? Here are the two options. And the bad news is, these LAZY LEARNERS are heading very close to option 2. Pick it up in verse 7.
Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
The question is, what sort of stuff are they growing in their lives? Because lazy learning leads to lazy living.
Which is the point of verses 1 to 6. Not that there's anything wrong with getting the CHRISTIAN BASICS right. It's ESSENTIAL. But it's like that old line, I ENJOYED FIRST GRADE… it was THREE OF THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE.
So their biggest problem is, and it's number one on the list, they have to keep coming back and REPENTING all the time. First grade over and over again. REPENTANCE. Turning away from a life of rebellion; turning back to God. It's meant to be A ONE OFF. You repent, you put your faith in God, you're baptized. DO IT AND IT'S DONE. And then you get on with GROWING. You plant the seed, you water it, THEN IT PRODUCES THE CROP. Except with these LAZY CHRISTIANS, it just isn't happening. Pick up in chapter 6 verse 1.
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,[1] 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.
And can I say, what they're doing, it's NO SMALL THING. If you've made a public profession of faith as a Christian, from that point on you're being watched by the world. And I could tell you enough tragic stories to make your face pale when it comes to this. When you've made a public profession of faith and then you TURN BACK, you're bringing the name of SON OF GOD into public disgrace. The sort of ridicule he faced on the cross all over again. Which is no small thing. Verse 4. Here in very strong words is what NOT TO DO.
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because[2] to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
Now at this point there might be some of you who want to say, well, yeah, that's EXACTLY WHY I just want to slink quietly off in a corner somewhere. And be a SECRET CHRISTIAN. Because I know I'm going to blow it.
Which isn't at all the advice the passage goes on to give. The advice the passage goes on to give is exactly the opposite. And that is, it's time to GROW UP. There's a note of confidence in it, isn't there? Pick up verse 9. And you'll see it. We're CONFIDENT OF BETTER THINGS FROM YOU. Things that ACCOMPANY SALVATION. The RIGHT LIVING that comes from RIGHT UNDERSTANDING. The sort of things you've done in the past. The LOVE you've show. The way you've HELPED PEOPLE. The FAITH and the PATIENCE.
So verse 12, we DON'T WANT YOU TO BECOME LAZY but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised
Now I want to ask you this morning, which way is it going to be for you? Being lazy is easy. You just sit back and do nothing. And nothing changes. But this morning we're introducing something a little bit different. And that is, our church THEME FOR THE YEAR. It's a simple phrase. It's GET UP… AND GROW.
And what we're going to do is put the challenge. To take a step forward. From where you are now. Here's how it's going to work. And it's all about making progress in the two areas we've just seen. Lazy learning. And lazy living. Because we need to work on BOTH.
Might be for you, though, you know you haven't even got the basics together. Which is fine. There was a guy hiking through a village in Switzerland, he said to one of locals, HOW MANY GREAT MEN were born here? To which the old local said, NO GREAT MEN. Only babies.
Starting out as a beginner is FINE. Starting with the foundation is where you've GOT TO START. But if you see a building site and it's still just foundations after a year or two, you know something's badly wrong. Build the foundation first. Then build ON IT.
Maybe for you though, you're NOT A BEGINNER at all. And you know the passage we've looked at applies very well. Still on the MILK DIET when you know you should have been TEACHING PEOPLE BY NOW. Grade One, over and over again. Without ever stretching.
Maybe you're someone who KNOWS ALMOST EVERYTHING. But does almost nothing with it.
Well, here's the GET UP AND GROW challenge. And it's not meant to be scary. It's more like LIFE COACHING, without the price tag. What we're going to be doing, and our small groups are going to be a key part of this, is trying to WORK TOGETHER on some CHALLENGES. And there's a whole range of them. The idea is, PICK ONE. Or maybe TWO. That will take you from WHERE YOU ARE NOW… to ONE STEP AHEAD.
We're talking PRACTICAL STUFF here. And it might be for some of you, you see them, you think THIS IS TOO EASY. Well, that's FINE. Work out a challenge for where YOU'RE AT. Maybe you'll say the opposite. TOO HARD. TOO SCARY. TOO INTRUSIVE. Too whatever other word you can think of. Well, it's not compulsory. And if you like, you can choose your own personal challenge and keep it quiet. Tell no-one. Which is fine.
The other option, though, is if you take a look at the little tear off slip on your service sheet, there's a list. Where you can PICK AND TICK. Pick a challenge. Tick it on the list. And if you're part of a growth group, write down your name, and your group leader's name, and we'll organize it so your GROWTH GROUP LEADER is actually helping you grow. Encouraging you to MAKE YOUR GOAL.
So let's have a look at the list. These are just some starters. We sat around and dreamed them up at our staff meeting and our Growthgroup Leaders Meeting. As a starting point. Some ways to avoid LAZY CHRISTIAN LEARNING, some ways to avoid LAZY CHRISTIAN LIVING. Some for absolute beginners. Some if you want to go beyond that. They're arranged in no particular order. And the idea is, PICK ONE. And TICK IT ON THE TEAR OFF SLIP. And hand it in at the end. As a way to say YOU'RE GOING TO BE SERIOUS. And give it a go. Doesn't have to go any further than that. But it CAN if you want to be kept accountable through the year. Take a look through the list. And with every goal, there are PRACTICAL STEPS and resources we'll be suggesting along the way. That we can help you with.
First of all,
Join a "starters group" to make sure you clearly understand the gospel message.
That is, if you REALLY ARE A BEGINNER, that's fine. Let's get the basics clear. And we've got some great resources for doing that. Just tick the box. And we'll get in touch.
Sign up for a training course like TNT (Tuesday Night Training) or a WoW group.
We're running something new this year. And that's TRAINING GROUPS. TUESDAY NIGHT TRAINING. With four terms, each term working on practical skills you can develop as a Christian. In maybe, knowing how to share your faith. Learning how to SERVE or ENCOURAGE better. Hands on. Tick the box if you want to know more.
If you are, commit yourself to attending regularly.
I think we've got about 130 people signed up in growth groups for the year. Including quite a few people who've taken the plunge for the first time ever. Which is great. Because it's a way to get to know a smaller bunch of people, and study the bible together and ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER. If you've never been part of one, WHY NOT TICK THE BOX? And Maurie or I'll have a chat to you and work out the group that's in the best time and place. And if you ARE PART OF A GROWTH GROUP, why not work at making it a TOP PRIORITY in your week.
Funny how priorities work. My friend Craig Tucker was saying the other day he had to miss his MA graduation ceremony. Because he had a prior commitment. It was on the same night as his BIBLE STUDY GROUP. Which he said was WAY MORE IMPORTANT than getting a rolled up piece of paper in front of a crowd of people he didn't know.
Choose a short book. Read it twice a week. Read a commentary about it. Give a 5 minute presentation on your book at growth group.
Now here's a challenge that's a bit more advanced. They say with PhD degrees at Uni you get to know more and more about LESS AND LESS until in the end you know EVERYTHING about NOTHING. Well, it's something like that. You mightn't think you know much. But why couldn't someone like YOU – if you were serious - be an EXPERT on one small bit of the Bible? One book. Maybe a gospel. Maybe one of the letters. Something short. And so you read it over and over again through the year til you just about know it backwards, and you read a commentary on it, and you search the internet for information about it, and you… well, whatever. And the in the end, you work out a time with your growth group leader and you present a five minute presentation on it to your group. There's a challenge.
Read "Hospitality Evangelism" by Kel Richards, make it a target to explain your faith to a friend. Pray for the people you're speaking to day by day.
Maybe you'd rather lie in a bathtub full of worms or walk on a plank between two speeding trucks than be an IMITATION BILLY GRAHAM. Maybe for you there's a FEAR BARRIER when it comes to talking about the gospel. There is for me. But you don't GROW if you don't have a go at the occasional PERSONAL CHALLENGE. So how about overcoming the FEAR BARRIER in sharing your faith? Not necessarily from up the front to thousands of people. One on one. The person you work with. Or live with. You could read a book, like HOSPITALITY EVANGELISM by Kel Richards, you could commit to praying for the right opportunities. Tick the box if you want to know more.
Now here's a challenge. If you really want to stretch your thinking, how about READING A GOOD CHRISTIAN BOOK EVERY MONTH. We're going to help. Andrew and Andrea Tuck are organizing a monthly BOOK TABLE. We've worked out a reading list with some great Christian books. And once a month, they'll have a bunch of copies on sale. Now if you reckon you're up to this one, TICK IT ON THE LIST. Because it's going to be a great help knowing about how many to order. It doesn't commit you to buying. We can order on SALE OR RETURN. But tick it to give the Tucks a starting point for their order.
Use your weekly bible studies as a basis for daily bible reading. Prepare part of your study each day. Or, subscribe to The Briefing, which has useful daily reading notes.
I don't know a single Christian who doesn't find it hard to find time for regular bible reading and prayer. We all do. So if you want to make it YOUR CHALLENGE to do something about it, tick the box. And we'll work on some ideas.
We support the Queensland Youth Convention, Brisbane Christian Women's Retreat and The Mens Training Event. Choose one, and plan your year around it so that you don't miss it.
You know, just about everyone who went to the QYC youth convention a couple of weeks ago came back really encouraged. We're actively involved with QYC and the Brisbane Christian Womens Retreat and the November MEN'S WEEKEND. And if you go, you GROW. Trouble is, if you don't PLAN TO GO, something else always gets in the way. Here's the GROWTH GOAL you can tick on the list. PICK ONE. And show you're serious by planning OTHER STUFF around it. And not the other way round.
Like what I said about Craig and his commitment to his bible study group before. Your PRIORITIES decide what you fit in your calendar and what you don't. PICK A CONVENTION. And PROGRAM IT IN AT THE TOP.
Get to know three new people at church and look for ways to welcome and encourage them. Make contact through the week, have lunch or supper after church. Pray regularly for the person you're caring for.
Here's some stuff for your HANDS AND HEARTS, rather than just your head. Like why not commit yourself to GETTING TO KNOW THREE NEW PEOPLE this year. And actively working out ways you can ENCOURAGE THEM. Small ways you can help. A phone call maybe. Drop in a meal. There are always new people at church. So look around, and be a ONE PERSON WELCOME TEAM. Three in a year might push your limits. Or maybe it's too easy. You decide. But tick the box if you're going to give it a go.
Look for someone in our church family with a need and do something about it. Discuss ideas for bigger projects with your Growth Group. Pray specifically for the person or people you're caring for.
Next. Funny how easy it is to say THE CHURCH SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. Whatever THAT you're thinking of. And forget that THE CHURCH is just YOU. And the other people just LIKE YOU who you're sitting with. So maybe your challenge is to look for a hands-on PRACTICAL WAY to help someone who needs it. Sick and needs a meal. Lawn needs a mow. Needs a lift to the shops. Who knows. But if you haven't grown to the point where your faith is showing itself in PRACTICAL CARING, you need to GET UP AND GROW. If you're going to give that one a go, tick the box. Bigger projects, maybe your GROWTH GROUP can work on it together. And make something happen that wouldn't have.
Or buy a RICKSHAW for an Indian family.
Here's a final one. Just a thought. You might like to make this the year you do something like SPONSOR A CHILD. Easy to get hung up about ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS or whatever else. But maybe you're in a position to do something rather than nothing. Another neat idea came in the church mail last week. Where you can BUY A RICKSHAW for an Indian family. And bring them out of poverty. Want to find out more, tick the box. And we'll give you a copy of the brochure.
Now maybe NONE OF THOSE are for you. That's okay. But what we're aiming to do is make 2002 GET UP AND GROW year. It's not about GROWING THE NUMBER WHO COME TO CHURCH. But growing the PEOPLE who make up our church family. Same sort of thing you'd get from a $600 a month life coach, and we'll do it FREE. Encouraging one another to grow beyond the baby Christian stage. And not be lazy. Listen again to verse 11 and 12.
We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to BECOME LAZY, but to imitate those who through FAITH and PATIENCE inherit what has been promised.