Moving On To Maturity

• The need for regular prayer, 1Thes5: 17

• The need for fellowship, Heb 10: 25

• The need for witnessing, Mk 16:15

We all know these and we can all recite them from our memory. Now let us go to the advanced level of How we can move on to maturity.

• Have desire/hunger to grow and not to die,

The first part of our text gives a clue on how we can do this:

Heb 5: 7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

We can see here that Jesus had the desire and hunger for him not to die, death is the opposite of life. Living things grow but dead things do not. Therefore Jesus Christ had the desire to grow.

He offered not only prayers but petitions. He did not only offer these with loud cries but also with tears.

Remember, when we DESIRE something from the Lord, we not only pray, but we also fast, join these with vigil and also remember to be regular in attendance in the church and also pay our over due tithes. And once we get that thing, we slide back.

The Bible did not say during “some days” of Jesus ‘life on earth, but it says during the “days”

Our desire for growth therefore must be continuous and increasing and not diminishing.

• Submit to growth or create time for growth, Heb 5: 7, Eccl 3: 1-2

Not only did Jesus desired to grow, but He also reverently submitted to growth

Heb 5: 7. During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

Jesus Christ our senior brother submitted for growth through efficient management of His time.

There was a time He set for work, a time He set for the Word, a time He set for prayer, a time He set for rest and a time He set for socials.

Eccl 3: 1.There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

2.a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

Brethren, let us organize our time effectively. Just as we are creating time to bath our physical body and nourishing it with appropriate diet, let us also create time and nourish our spiritual body.

We do not only have to nourish our spiritual bodies with His Word, but also through what Phil 4: 8 says;

As we study, meditate and do the Word, which is part of the elementary teachings, then as part of the advanced teaching you should be thinking of:

Phil 4: 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

When you are thinking about all these and you have the desire to grow in your thinking of them, then you will be growing on to maturity.

Note that there are times God wants to speak with us or reveal things, or respond to our requests, but when we don’t give him part of our time, He keeps quiet until we are ready for Him.