Jan 05 2008
Leaving Elementary
I don’t remember much about leaving elementary school. Sixth grade was the last year of elementary school for me. I remember feeling different at the fact that I was a 7th grader in junior high. I do know one thing for certain, I didn’t want to go back to elementary school. I have really be struggling through the topic of “leaving the elementary teachings” of Hebrews 6:1. I am still working out in my mind what the elementary teachings are and why I remain in them. The main thing I have at this point is the idea that elementary is all talk and not much doing. It is, for me, carrying the responsibility of following Christ on my shoulders and not in faith. Elementary action is trying to hold on to God and myself at the same time, not letting him do it all. Let’s see where this goes.
One Response to “Leaving Elementary”
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It’s funny how many of us are stuck on these elementary principles. I just now figured out something…it doesn’t matter if we are out of it or not. Truly mature Christians don’t care that much about it, because they are already out of it. To grow up in this way to to have the focus described in Phillipians 3:12-21, especially in verses 17-21. Read it with me now…
“12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained. 17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
Notice that Paul says in verse 18, “…and now [I] say again even with tears, …” Paul has already explained to the Phillipians that the lost are headed for destruction, yet he says it again. Why? Well…why not? You can never emphasize it too much. Paul also says it with tears…read through verse 19 again. “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.” It sounds as if he is bashing the lost people and condemning them, but he is really emphasizing their destruction so that we may see the misery and be inspired out of conviction, concern, and sincerity to stop the cycle of destruction and win people to heaven. It’s like the book of Revelation…those things are not made known to use to make us feel bad, but to make us get up and do something. John 3:17 - “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
So I guess the point of what I am trying to say is this: don’t worry about your status with God as much as you should worry about eternity. Both your eternity and others’ eternity, though most importantly others. To me, that is graduating from elementary school. Let your concern for other people rule you. Everything changes when you have an eternal perspective. I pray that more and more people would take on the perspective of Paul described in the passage and so further on other people and themselves. Amen.