God´s plan:   Birth, Growth, Maturity It´s fun as parents and grandparents to watch the growth of our children!

The first smile
The first tooth
The first step
The first words

The Christian life also has such progress. After this birth, growth is natural.

We mature as Christians so that we can take responsibilities which can bring a great deal of satisfaction.

This is a very basic principle of life.
Irresponsibility may sound like freedom, but is actually ends in emptiness.
Accomplishments bring satisfaction.

What are the negatives of Christian Maturity?    Our scripture deals with five of them.

read Ephesians 4:17-25
"Walk not as other Gentiles walk." In other words "Walk not as you used to walk."
2 Corinthians 5:17  "If a man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things pass away, behold all things become new."

We are no longer to walk:

According to the World
According to Satan
According to the lusts of the flesh
Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind.

So how does the World walk?

The Bible tells us these 5 things:   Ephesians 4:17-19
In the vanity of the mind.
Having their understanding darkened.
Having blind hearts.
Giving themselves to lasciviousness.
Working uncleanness with greediness.

Let not the Sun go down upon your Wrath.

read Ephesians 4:26
Never let a day end being angry. Always strive to get the cause of anger resolved, and if this means to apologize even if it was not your fault. Get the problem cleared up before another day comes.
Some people live with anger constantly.
Anger seems to get things done for them and moves others. Do you know anybody like this?
There are some very sad situations between husbands and wife´s. They just let anger keep building up and never try to resolve their anger and confront the other over it.
How are we supposed to handle the anger? Give it to Jesus: Confess it and forsake it!
Ephesians 4:28  "Let him that stole steal no more."
That doesn´t sound like a problem a mature Christian would have! Some people are simply addicted to stealing:
Shoplifting
Taking things from friends and coworkers
Stealing from others
Stealing from God Malachi 3:8  "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In Tithes and Offerings."

The Holy calling of God is generosity and honesty

read Ephesians 4:29   "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth."
The Bible says that "By our words we are to be judged."
Psalms 19:14  "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer." Words should edify, encourage, lift up.

"Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God."

read Ephesians 4:30
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, He comes and life´s in our Hearts, then our bodies become the Temple of God after we accept Him as Savior.
So when we do things of the old nature, we make the Spirit of Christ within our hearts sad, we let Him down by going back to our old ways.
So we should confess this sin to Him, forsake it and look to Him for help in the future when something else comes into our lives to start to make us go back to our old nature.
We have discussed the body as the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
We should be very careful with this awesome responsibility. This should help us to mature. We are not to grieve the Lord in word, thought or deed.

What can we do about these things?

Bible says:  1 John 1:9  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

CONFESS IT!

And as Romans 12:1 says: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God´s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship.

GROW UP!

Bible Studies Home

Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.
18. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.
19. Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20. But ye have not so learned Christ.
21. If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.
22. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.
23. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
24. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
25. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ´s sake hath forgiven you.
back

































Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.
18. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.
19. Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20. But ye have not so learned Christ.
21. If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.
22. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.
23. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
24. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
25. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
back





















Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.
18. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.
19. Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
back

































Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
back







































Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
back



































Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
back
































Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
back


































2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
back

































Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
back































Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
back

































Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
back



























1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
back

Last updated June 05, 2005