We Must Mature

1
We Must Mature

• Babes
• Milk
• Solid Food
• 2 Pet 318, But grow in the grace and knowledge
  of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be
  glory both now and forever! Amen.
• Is Spiritual growth really essential?
• Is their a danger involved in not progressing
  spiritually?

2
We Must Move Forward

• 1 Pet 22, Like newborn babies, crave pure
  spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in
  your salvation,
• 2 Pet 15-8, For this very reason, make every
  effort to add to your faith goodness and to
  goodness, knowledge and to knowledge,
  self-control and to self-control, perseverance
  and to perseverance, godliness and to godliness,
  brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness,
  love. For if you possess these qualities in
  increasing measure, they will keep you from being
  ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of
  our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Let us stop going over the basics of
  Christianity again and again.

3
Basic Christianity

• Turning away from evil deeds.
• Eph 21-3, As for you, you were dead in your
  transgressions and sins, in which you used to
  live when you followed the ways of this world and
  of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the
  spirit who is now at work in those who are
  disobedient. All of us also lived among them at
  one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful
  nature and following its desires and thoughts.
  Like the rest, we were by nature objects of
  wrath.
• Repent- Turn away from evil

4
Basic Christianity

• Placing our faith in God
• Heb 116, And without faith it is impossible to
  please God, because anyone who comes to him must
  believe that he exists and that he rewards those
  who earnestly seek him.
• Rom 1017, Consequently, faith comes from
  hearing the message, and the message is heard
  through the word of Christ.
• We must have faith in God. Mk 1122

5
Basic Christianity

• Instruction about baptism
• All kinds of ritual washings- pagans Jews
• Today there are many kinds of baptisms
• Acts 238, Peter replied, "Repent and be
  baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus
  Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you
  will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 2216, And now what are you waiting for?
  Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away,
  calling on his name.

6

• Rom 63-7, Or don't you know that all of us who
  were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
  into his death? We were therefore buried with him
  through baptism into death in order that, just as
  Christ was raised from the dead through the glory
  of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we
  have been united with him like this in his death,
  we will certainly also be united with him in his
  resurrection. For we know that our old self was
  crucified with him so that the body of sin might
  be done away with, that we should no longer be
  slaves to sin-- because anyone who has died has
  been freed from sin.

7
Basic Christianity

• Laying on of hands
• Healing of the sick Lk 440 Mk 168 Acts 288
• Jesus gave special blessings to others Mk 1016
  Mt 1913-15
• Impart the Spirit in miraculous ways Acts
  814-25 191-7 2 Tim 16
• Leaders to appoint different ones for service
  Acts 61-6 131-3 1 Tim 414 522
• Often accompanied with prayer, it is possible
  that the laying on of hands was an outward symbol
  of prayer.

8
Basic Christianity

• Resurrection of the Dead
• Central theme of apostolic preaching was the
  resurrection of Jesus Acts 231-32 1040 1333
• They also preached in Jesus our oun resurrection,
  which is our precious hope Acts 42 2415 1
  Cor 1512-23

9
Basic Christianity

• Eternal Judgment
• Apostolic Preaching Acts 1730-31 2424-25
• Stressed in their epistles Rom 216 1410-12 2
  Cor 510
• Understanding these concepts serves as the
  beginning of spiritual growth!
• Some who have been Christians for years still
  need someone to teach first principles again.
• Heb 512- These are babes who need milk not
  solid food.

10
Our Challenge

• 63- We will move forward to further
  understanding.
• Once the foundation is laid, we need to build on
  it.
• With out foundations of Basic Christianity how
  can we discuss more difficult topics?
• The High Priesthood of Christ- 59-11
• Work of Jesus as our King of kings and Lord of
  lords as depicted in the books of Revelation
• By comprehending the meatier parts of the Word
  of God, we are more likely to remain steadfast in
  our faith

11
Let Us Move Forward

• Heb 63, And God permitting, we will do so.
• NLT Heb 63- And so, God willing we will move
  forward to further understanding.
• Listen to Paul plea in Phil 37-41