WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.879
Day 348, or December the 14th. Stop being a baby.

00:00:06.820 --> 00:00:09.900
Our thoughts today are from Hebrews chapter 6,

00:00:10.019 --> 00:00:13.820
verse 1. Therefore let us move beyond the elementary

00:00:13.820 --> 00:00:17.320
teachings about Christ, and be taken forward

00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:20.679
to maturity, not laying again the foundation

00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:24.559
of repentance from acts that lead to death, and

00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:28.579
of faith in God. And now the big picture surrounding

00:00:28.579 --> 00:00:32.039
this verse. The letter to the Hebrews continues

00:00:32.039 --> 00:00:35.259
challenging its readers to find a better alternative.

00:00:35.780 --> 00:00:39.320
One by one, the Holy Spirit knocks down the apparently

00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:43.520
viable options by logic as well as by the Spirit's

00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:47.479
help. The key to believing is maturing in the

00:00:47.479 --> 00:00:52.039
faith. This helps to resolve our doubts and dilemmas

00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:56.520
and makes us stand firm in the faith. Remember,

00:00:56.700 --> 00:01:00.240
God has given us a brain to use as well as faith

00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:05.340
to believe. And now, our action step for today.

00:01:06.260 --> 00:01:09.400
In his great paraphrased version of the Bible,

00:01:09.459 --> 00:01:12.780
which is called The Message, Eugene H. Peterson

00:01:12.780 --> 00:01:16.640
is so helpful with our verse today. He wraps

00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:19.439
it together with the two following verses and

00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:23.870
renders them like this. So come on, let's leave

00:01:23.870 --> 00:01:27.409
the preschool finger -painting exercises on Christ

00:01:27.409 --> 00:01:31.430
and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up

00:01:31.430 --> 00:01:34.969
in Christ. The basic foundational truths are

00:01:34.969 --> 00:01:39.290
in place. Turning your back on salvation by self

00:01:39.290 --> 00:01:43.890
-help and turning in trust towards God. Baptismal

00:01:43.890 --> 00:01:47.250
instructions, laying on of hands, resurrection

00:01:47.250 --> 00:01:51.540
of the dead, eternal judgment. God helping us,

00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:55.299
we'll stay true to all that. But there's so much

00:01:55.299 --> 00:01:59.980
more. Let's get on with it. It's all a matter

00:01:59.980 --> 00:02:03.120
of priorities, really. Are we simply going to

00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:05.859
cover the same old ground over and over again,

00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:09.840
or as a parody of that lovely old hymn, Onward

00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:13.259
Christian Soldiers might put it, like a mighty

00:02:13.259 --> 00:02:17.419
tortoise moves the church of God? Brothers, we

00:02:17.419 --> 00:02:21.479
are treading where we've always trod. And don't

00:02:21.479 --> 00:02:23.539
blame the church either, because the church is

00:02:23.539 --> 00:02:27.319
you and me. So are we going to grow up and move

00:02:27.319 --> 00:02:31.159
on now, or mark time for a while longer as the

00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:35.240
world wallows in its lostness? It seems to me

00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:37.819
that so many churches are filled with babies,

00:02:37.900 --> 00:02:41.500
it's no wonder adults don't want to join.