Principles Of Spiritual Growth

Principles of Spiritual Growth

Hebrew 5:5-14

Intro.

* Children can be so much fun and entertaining sometimes.

* They sometimes surprise us at how quickly they grow up.

* Humor - Playing House

A little girl and a little boy were at day care. The girl approaches the boy and says, "Hey Tommy, wanna play house?"

He says, "Sure! What do you want me to do?"

The girl replies, "I want you to communicate your thoughts."

"Communicate my thoughts?" said a bewildered Tommy. "I have no idea what that means."

The little girl smirks and says, "Perfect. You can be the husband."

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Being a parent changes everything. But being a parent also changes with each baby. Here are some of the ways having a second and third child is different from having your first.

…from - http://www.basicjokes.com/djoke.php?id=710

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Preparing for the Birth

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don’t bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn’t do a thing.

3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month.

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Worries

1st baby: At the first sign of distress - a whimper, a frown-you pick up the baby.

2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.

3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

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Pacifier

1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.

2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby’s bottle.

3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

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Diapering

1st baby: You change your baby’s diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.

2nd baby: You change their diaper every 2 to 3 hours, if needed.

3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

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Going Out

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home 5 times.

2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

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At Home

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn’t squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

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Swallowing Coins

1st child: when first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.

2nd child: when 2nd child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for coin to pass.

3rd child: when 3rd child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!!

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* Children are fascinating and fun while they are children.

* But there comes a day when you expect them to grow up.

-- You stop carrying them everywhere and they begin to walk on their own.

-- You stop feeding them from a bottle, and then a spoon, and then they feed themselves.

-- You stop giving them everything and they start to work to provide for themselves.

* It is a sad fact that our churches today are full of spiritual babies (infants).

* The church of Corinth was full of spiritual babies and it was one of the most troublesome churches in the NT.

1Cor 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. (2) I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. (3) For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

* Babies get upset over the smallest things.

* They throw tantrums when they don’t get what they want.

* Basically, they are selfish and want what they want, when they want it.

-- They don’t think about others and their needs; only themselves and their own needs.

? What do we need to do to grow up spiritually?

? What does it take to become spiritually mature?

Principle number 1 ...

I. There is no such thing as instant maturity.

* The Bible describes becoming a Christian as being "born again".

* Just as physical life has a beginning, spiritual life has a beginning.

* Illus- A baby born today will not be mature 6 months or a year from today.