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Someone once gave this definition of a baby "A baby is a small member of the home that makes love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, the bank roll smaller, the home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten and the future worth living for."
I believe we can all agree today on two things: we all love babies and babies change lives.
In John 3, Jesus had a conversation with a man by the name of Nicodemus. In that narrative Jesus told Nicodemus that in order for one to go to heaven, they must be born the second time, to become a baby again, to start over, to begin anew, to be born into a new life.
Later, in the epistles, when referring to people who had just recently accepted Christ as their Savior, Paul refers to them as newborn Christians. Peter calls them newborn babes. But the obvious thing, the expected thing of any baby is that after you are born, you are to grow, to become more mature. The result of that maturity, or growing up, is that we are no longer supposed to act like children. The title of this article is "Quit acting like children." It is a call to grow up or to become mature. To be ever growing. In Ephesians 4:14-16, Paul speaks to those of us who are Christians and says -- don't be childish anymore, but grow up in your faith. First, The Calling is in v.14 where he writes about the immaturity we are called to leave. It is a clear call to no longer be a child.
There are some great things about being a child, but when a child gets older and retains some of those childish habits we say, grow up! Don't be such a child! Paul is saying this with love, no longer are we to be like babies or children. In I Cor. 14:20 Paul calls the Corinthian Christians childish Corinthians. What were they doing? They were fighting with each other and taking each other to court. Don't we all act like children at times? Do you remember the last time you acted like a child? Maybe you slammed a door or stomped your feet. Later, you're embarrassed. What does it mean to act like a child? Paul gives us two characteristics of childishness The first is indicated by a shallowness or being tossed here and there by waves. The picture Paul is painting is one of a young child out on a small boat being tossed about until he is finally knocked over. He is saying we are not to be like children -- tossed here and there, tossed back and forth by doctrines or the waves of life. The second is indicated by gullibility or carried about by every wind of doctrine. Someone has a new idea and you always go for it. If you give a child a choice of diet they always choose something that is not good for them. If you give a child the choice between going to bed or staying up, what do you think they would pick? Paul is saying that many of us when faced with choices will pick the wrong diet and will carried about by every doctrine. So he describes what to be on the lookout for when we choose.
Watch out for the trickery of men. It is a word taken from the dice table and gambling and refers to under the table cheating. Too many Christians are vulnerable to charlatans.
Then he adds watch out for Craftiness and deceitful schemes. It means they will stop at nothing to get you. Paul knew and was saddened by the dropout rate. Christians falling prey to charlatans. If you are inconsistent in your church attendance, devotions, prayer or fellowship with other believers you may be allowing yourself to be open to a fresh breeze to carry you off. It can happen to any of us if we are not growing. That's the call - grow up. In V.15 we have Paul's Concern and here he writes of the maturity of love we are to have. First - we are to grow up into Christ. Not just grow in attendance. Not just grow in the use of outward symbols. But, first, grow into Christ, who is the head.
We are to grow in grace - that's our manner of living and we are to grow in truth - that's what we believe in. As we grow in grace and truth our lives become more and more like Jesus. Would it not be silly to play golf and stay on the first hole? Would it not be silly to build the foundation of a house and then stop building? Is it not silly to say Yes, Christ is my Savior and then stop growing? Note the consistency that goes with growing. It is called 'truthing' it in love. Some children don't do that very well. Has your child ever embarrassed you by speaking the truth? It may be the truth but you're going Oh! No! Speaking the truth in love is more than I got the facts. It means I also got the love.
Truth without love becomes hard and militant Love without truth becomes soft and mushy. The writer of Hebrews in 5:11- 6:1 says get off the bottle and get some solid food. Paul says Come' on Grow up! Then look at the cooperation that goes with growing in v.16. First, cooperation with Christ. It is from Christ whom all the body gets its orders and its strength and causes the body to grow. The body says to the head - I'm hungry, lets eat. The head says to the hand - go get it, there's the food. The hand reaches out to the food and then reaches up and the head says open up mouth, here it comes. Ok teeth chew it up. Ready stomach - here it comes, spread it around. The body works together with the head - that is part of growing up. Ever watch a little baby eat? Hand hits their ear. They miss their mouth more then hit it. Understand, part of growing up is cooperating with the head. In the Christian faith, Christ is the head but all the body has to work together in cooperation with that head. I have a garden. I plant the seed, water it and watch the sun shines. Everything works together. But scientists say there is still a miraculous ingredient that they cannot understand. It causes life where there was no life.
It causes growth were there was no growth, In the same way - the gospel seed is planted in a new life, we are to water it with love. We are to nurture it and by the miracle of spiritual life - character is produced. But as soon as the person says I don't want any sun. I don't need any rain. They quit growing. Not only are we to cooperate with Christ but with people v.16b. A new Christian struggles to walk and all the parts are needed! In I Cor. 12 Paul tells us how much we need each other v.14-21. The whole body only works when each individual member of the body is working. A 350-pound football player can be sidelined because of a broken toe. There is cancer in the body of Christ when there is gossip. There is cancer in the body of Christ when any one organ is not functioning and growing. We are all important and essential. You say, you don't know what she or he is like. They are so difficult to get along with. One writer said "A boy becomes a man when he is able to walk around a puddle instead of through it". Why does it only take a baby approximately two years to learn to talk but 60-70 years to learn to keep his mouth shut?
Read of a fireman who survived the World Trade Center tragedy. He was suffering from Post-Traumatic stress Syndrome. He was still seeing fingers hanging from a light post or a leg dangling off a sign. It is horrible to even think of a body all torn asunder like that.
So it is with the body of Christ. It must be connected to the head. It is spiritually horrific to think of it any other way After WWII students volunteered to rebuild a cathedral in England that had been bombed. Out front was a statue of Jesus. Underneath the statue the inscription read, "Come unto me". They put it all back together. But they were unable to put back together the hands. So underneath the inscription they added another plaque, it read, "Christ has no hands but ours". I plea with you to work with the body and grow.
In the body of Christ, we work together with him, we are His hands in the world - sharing in unity and maturity.
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The Rev. Dr. James Barnes is currently the pastor of White Memorial Church in Milroy.