As someone who has been a follower of Christ for most of my life, I’ve seen a lot of different approaches churches use to mature/educate individuals along in their Christian walk. Some use Lordship, some use Discipleship, and some use Servanthood, to name a few. Nothing is wrong with this unless they are used to manipulate people into obedience. Obedience is an Old Testament term where the focus of change is on us. In the New Testament, a shift has been introduced from obedience to belief. Your beliefs will influence your actions! If we are going to live like New Testament believers, then we need to stop thinking in Old Testament ways. 

So, how can we help new and old Christians mature in their walk with Christ? After careful consideration, I have concluded that it boils down to three essential components.

  • The Love of God
  • Being rooted and established in Grace
  • Using faith to obtain what Grace has made available 

Please understand that I am summarizing these components. So much more can be said in great detail.  

The Love of God

I’ve said this before and will continue to say it; The New Testament is more about how much God loves us rather than how much we love God. Every new Christian should spend at least the first years studying and learning to experience the Love of God. 

Paul says this about God’s love…

Ephesians 3:17-19 – NLT

Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

When you catch hold of how much God loves you, it will revolutionize your life! You will never be the same again. God’s love is transformative! The things you used to do you will not want to do anymore. For example, In my marriage relationship with my Wife, there are things and situations I avoid because of our love for each other. Ultimately the Love of God leads you to an intimate relationship with Him. Developing a personal and intimate relationship with God is a crucial aspect of a Christian’s life. I cannot stress this enough, without it, you will be prone to wavering and having doubts during the tough times of life.

Being rooted and established in Grace

Hebrews 13:9 (NKJ), it says For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace. We could spend years on this topic of Grace! The first thing we need to understand about Grace is that Grace is not a curriculum, Grace is a person, and that person is Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Secondly, we need to understand that God has given us everything we need to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3 NLT). 

Here are just a few examples of areas covered by Grace

  • Ephesians 1:7-8 – We are forgiven of Sin
  • Romans 5:1 – We are made righteous
  • John 3:36 – We have eternal life
  • Isaiah 53:5  – We have access to complete healing
  • Philippians 4:19 – Our daily needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter, are provided
  • John 14:27 – Jesus gave us His peace to walk in
  • James 1:5-8 – We can access His Wisdom
  • Romans 15:13 – Hope for the future

The list could go on and on. An interesting point I want to mention is, None of these areas require participation on our part, God has provided this through His grace.  Once you have been born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, God deals with you through His grace, not just in this life but throughout all eternity. It’s a subject that deserves more focus, but I hope you get the point for now. 

Using faith to obtain what Grace has made available

Each of us has been given a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). The purpose of this faith is to be used to access the provisions of Grace. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. I like to say; faith is another way of saying I depend on God. Teaching Christians to depend on God will help us avoid the pitfalls of stress and worry we face in this life. For example, there have been times in my life I have stressed out over certain situations, and the Holy Spirit has to remind me, saying that’s not your burden to bear. So from that point, I have to use my faith, knowing God will take care of the situation. 

To sum up, It’s has been my experience that most Churches focus on the external behavior of an individual, such as spending time in prayer, attending church, serving, and reading your Bible. None of these are wrong, however, I think it’s more effective if we focus our attention on How much God loves us, being rooted and establishing His grace, and how to access the provisions of grace using our Faith. Once these internal values have been established, the external behavior will come naturally. 

Some other Blog posts you may be interested in:

Dependence or Independence? 
Thoughts regarding God’s Love – Part 1
Thoughts regarding God’s Love – Part 2

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