Stunted Growth or Dead Plant????
You may ask what are you talking about? Well this question came up as Pastor Matt and I meet on Tuesday mornings,we are going thru the book of James. James 1 :22 speaks of being doers of the Word and not hearers only.
(James 1:22 ESV)
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
So what does that verse mean it continues verse 23,24 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
(James 1:23,24 ESV)In verse 23-24 I would call this person a Sunday Christian(Stunted growth /Dead plant)
So what am I talking about ? When we go to church ,do you go cause its what you do and you just sip in the word but don't grow much (stunted growth)or do you go and wonder what the score is in the game that your missing and your recorder isn't working (A dead plant) or are you soaking up the Word like a sponge, growing towards maturity in Christ. These are tough questions to as your self,they may be convicting and no one likes being told your priority's are wrong.
Lets take a look at some scripture and what is say's about taking action or prove yourself.
James 1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. (NASB)
Prove yourselves doers of the word : wow how many can prove they are doers ,this verse is saying show me the evidence . Would you be convicted in court if it was against the law to be a doer.Here are some other verses that speak of taking action.
(Luke 6:46-48 ESV)
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
Taking action being a doer and not just a hearer builds a solid foundation for your life.
(Matthew 7:24 ESV) “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew and Luke parallel each other.The point is being a doer of the Word you will grow into maturity and be solid . You will be less likely to fall apart during a crisis. I'm about to say something and some will take it wrong. By being a doer of the Word does the Holy Spirit's presence in you strengthen in you life ? Here is what I mean. By being doers of the Word ,putting into practice the Word our Christian life grows ,it becomes solid ,and mature. In this maturity we relinquish more and more control of our live to the Holy Spirit. (The flip side is saying look what I've done and in that case there is no maturity) so therefore by relinquishing control over to the Holy Spirit then doesn't he get stronger in us The Holy Spirit is our guide.,
(Acts 13:4 ESV)
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
It is not new Testament Teaching , being doers and not just hearers.
(Ezra 7:10 ESV)
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.
Ezra studied ,taught and lived. What is a doer? someone who study's the Word ,lives the Word ,a doer is one who's actions prove's themselves to be in the Word.
Whats meant by delude themselves?
Prove yourselves doers of the word : wow how many can prove they are doers ,this verse is saying show me the evidence . Would you be convicted in court if it was against the law to be a doer.Here are some other verses that speak of taking action.
(Luke 6:46-48 ESV)
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
Taking action being a doer and not just a hearer builds a solid foundation for your life.
(Matthew 7:24 ESV) “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew and Luke parallel each other.The point is being a doer of the Word you will grow into maturity and be solid . You will be less likely to fall apart during a crisis. I'm about to say something and some will take it wrong. By being a doer of the Word does the Holy Spirit's presence in you strengthen in you life ? Here is what I mean. By being doers of the Word ,putting into practice the Word our Christian life grows ,it becomes solid ,and mature. In this maturity we relinquish more and more control of our live to the Holy Spirit. (The flip side is saying look what I've done and in that case there is no maturity) so therefore by relinquishing control over to the Holy Spirit then doesn't he get stronger in us The Holy Spirit is our guide.,
(Acts 13:4 ESV)
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
It is not new Testament Teaching , being doers and not just hearers.
(Ezra 7:10 ESV)
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.
Ezra studied ,taught and lived. What is a doer? someone who study's the Word ,lives the Word ,a doer is one who's actions prove's themselves to be in the Word.
Whats meant by delude themselves?
The Greek word is :paralogizomai its a verb
means :to reckon wrong, miscount ,to cheat by false reckoning ,to deceive by false reasoning ,and to deceive, delude, circumvent.
That last one circumvent,is that what happens when we are not doers or as the verse says do we delude the scriptures as to water them down. By doing so do you have stunted growth or are you a dead plant.
Milk sippers
(1 Corinthians 3:1-3 ESV)
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
There are some in the body of Christ that after years of Christendom are still drinking milk they are still infants . WHY? is it because we are too busy in this world ,not enough time in the day for God, these folks have stunted growth just enough to possibly keep them out of the fire of Hell. They are still living for themselves and not for the one who sacrificed it all for you and me.
(Hebrews 5:11-14 ESV)
About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Dull in hearing or Sluggish, negligent, is this a person that is stunted growth or a dead plant . ? I think this is a dead plant , they haven't gotten past the milk they can't defend the faith ,they can't understand deep study of Gods Word for they haven't gotten past the fire insurance ( if there is such a thing) (Romans 10:9 ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.(Romans 10:13 ESV)For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” There is fire insurance. Yeah!!!! Although this is true we still have to keep it all in context .Be doers, study scripture ,teach scripture ,proclaim scripture,defend scripture.
(Ezra 7:10 ESV)
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.
Ezra had it right study ,do,teach.
Ok so I used Ezra twice ,still make's the point.
By not being doers you don't grow nor do you mature in your Christian life. Is there other reasons to be a doer? how about we are in the likeness of GOD ,CHRIST, the HOLY SPIRIT dwells in us.
(1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV)
As you come to him, a living stone ( JESUS)rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus is a living stone and we are like the living stone.
(Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV)
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
There are several other verses that show how close our likeness is to Christ, God. By not being doers of the Word we are doing a discredit to Gods ,Christ likeness.
By not being doers is our faith dead? (James 2:14 ESV) What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
I know some will say "work isn't part of salvation ,salvation is a free gift" and they would be right it is a free gift "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."(Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)
.Once you have received your fire insurance ,then there is a job to be done and by doing that job you are doing works. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.(Ephesians 2:10 ESV)
Yes grace or salvation is free ,yet there are things for us to DO, by doing these things God has already prepared for us to do then we will become doers of the Word and will grow into maturity . By not doing the works then our growth will either be stunted our as James puts it we will have an dead faith.
Ok so I used Ezra twice ,still make's the point.
By not being doers you don't grow nor do you mature in your Christian life. Is there other reasons to be a doer? how about we are in the likeness of GOD ,CHRIST, the HOLY SPIRIT dwells in us.
(1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV)
As you come to him, a living stone ( JESUS)rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus is a living stone and we are like the living stone.
(Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV)
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
There are several other verses that show how close our likeness is to Christ, God. By not being doers of the Word we are doing a discredit to Gods ,Christ likeness.
By not being doers is our faith dead? (James 2:14 ESV) What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
I know some will say "work isn't part of salvation ,salvation is a free gift" and they would be right it is a free gift "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."(Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)
.Once you have received your fire insurance ,then there is a job to be done and by doing that job you are doing works. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.(Ephesians 2:10 ESV)
Yes grace or salvation is free ,yet there are things for us to DO, by doing these things God has already prepared for us to do then we will become doers of the Word and will grow into maturity . By not doing the works then our growth will either be stunted our as James puts it we will have an dead faith.
To try and bring this to a conclusion ,as Christian we are being created into the likeness of God ,we are living stones as Christ is the living stone, We should be (as the NASB put's it) prove ourselves doers of the Word or maybe it could be stated this way , participants of the Word doing as we are instructed to study , dwell , live and share the Word .to be effective Christian we have to upgrade our fire policy to be more than fire insurance .I think if we are to continue to sip the milk of the Word and not get into the meat of the Word we will have stunted growth and eventually starve and become a dead plant..If I may use a term from J Vernon Magee "take heart my beloved" ( bet you couldn't read that without hearing his voice) God wants us to succeed in our Christian walk. We have the book in front of us ,We have the resources. Pick it up use it doe it .
God Bless
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