When I Grow Up – I Will…

Ephesians 4:13

until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

A phrase I often use – goes like this – when I grow up… For instance – when a friend hits a nice drive or approach shot in golf – I might say – when I grow up – I hope I can hit shots like that… When someone hits a shot in basketball – like my long-time friend Gary (Foots) often did – an amazing one that is very hard – I might pull out my phrase – when I grow up – I want to be able to do that… I have a hard time growing facial hair. TMI (too much information) right? When my brother or nephew grow a beard – I pull out my phrase – when I grow up – maybe I’ll be able to grow facial hair too…

Do you have dreams or thoughts about when you grow up? What is that old jingle – I’m a Toys r Us kid – I don’t want to grow up – or something like that. I hope I never fully grow up (in some ways). I once asked my dad if he felt – from the inside – like an older person or as the same person he always felt inside. He said – he always feels like the same person. I hope there is always something more to accomplish and to move toward (even to hope for in the future).

What are your dreams or plans for when you grow up? Some of our younger friends are dreaming about their careers – their marriages – their children – their homes – etc. Some of us might be dreaming about retirement and enjoying our senior years (when we grow up). Maybe we’re hoping to make ends meet – when we grow up. What are your dreams or plans for when you grow up?

Here’s today’s passage in partial context. Paul is urging us to grow up in the Lord – to grow our faith – and telling us that God has given us what we need to mature in the faith. Ephesians 4:11–16 – ¹¹So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. ¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

The teaching here is that God gives us all we need to grow up – to mature in the faith. He has gifted persons to come alongside us – pastors – teachers – parents – mentors in the faith – to help mold us into the men and women of God – the mature men and women of God – God calls us to become.

Something that some will say when young people first stretch their wings – and often when they have hit a snag – how do you like adulting? Adulting is part of growing up – maturing in life and in the faith. We cannot remain infants in life or in our the faith. If we are still living at home – living off mom and dad – when we are in our late 20’s and into our 30’s and beyond (unless there are extenuating circumstances like our health or the health of our parents or we’re saving for a home of our own) something is wrong – we are not adulting – we are still infants (unless we are modern day Waltons). The same can be said about our faith.

The author of Hebrews puts it this way – talking about deep teachings and understandings in the faith – Hebrews 5:12–14 – 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! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Like adulting requires us to provide for ourselves in life – so maturing in the faith has a time when we must grow up and dig into the deeper things of the faith (the meat and potatoes of the faith rather than simply the milk). My youngest grandchild will be on mike and formula (starting to eat solid food months from now) – but soon she will grow up some and start into more solid food. Have we grown up in the Spirit?

I’m praying about a revival in our church – even if we don’t do it several days in a row. A revival is a time to come together and dig a little deeper. Bible studies are times to dig a little deeper. Sunday school classes are times to dig a little deeper. Personal devotions each day are times to grow up in the faith. We cannot walk with Jesus because our parents do – we MUST have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ – and that is called maturing in the Lord.

Just something for us to think about today as we go on our way.