An Open Letter to the Growing Believer
You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. — John 15:16 (NASB) The command of fruitfulness comes with a promise, that whatever we ask of the Father in the name of Jesus will be granted to us. We also see this in Matthew 7: Ask, Seek, Knock. However, we often fixate on the promise while forgetting the command. All creation carries “seed” within it, i.e. the capacity for fruitfulness. However, seeds must undergo a growth process that matures them into plants and unlocks their capacity to bear fruit. As God’s apex creation, we are not exempt from this principle. If we do not undergo the transformation offered by the seed of God’s Word, we remain babies — and a baby cannot produce anything. Yes, babies enjoy many benefits — they are carried, cuddled, given prompt attention, gifts etc., but it is never a good thing to remain an infant. Little children are unmanifested potential. Imagine a kid that doesn’t grow teeth or isn’t walking or talking when expected. It’s no longer cutesy, it’s a cause for alarm. We expect children to become adults and contribute to the development of society. In the same way, God expects us to grow spiritually, He is not pleased when we remain immature. It is true that “each individual differs in their journey of spiritual growth,” but there must at least be positive development, no matter how little. A lack of growth is the first sign of spiritual trouble. Concerning Him 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 have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. — Hebrews 5:11–14 (NASB) Look at this! A person who partakes ONLY of milk (i.e. the elementary principles of the oracles of God), is an infant who lacks the senses to discern good and evil because they have no practice! Do you see what Apostle Paul is saying? Babies who only know milk attempt to eat everything they see. To them, a biro is no different from a carrot. Their only tool is the mouth because their senses of sight, smell and sound are not well developed to distinguish good from evil. This dangerous lack of discernment means they are seriously prone to harming themselves, particularly with things that are normally harmless to adults. Every two seconds someone must ensure they haven’t gone off and put something in their mouth they cannot handle. Even if you shout, STOP THAT, they won’t. You have to go there and help them out. Spiritually, this is the equivalent of being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). Apostle Paul realised that what he desired to share required discernment to receive it. If given to infants, that word would be unprofitable (not fruitful) because they could misunderstand/misinterpret it as evil, heresy or false doctrine since their senses were untrained. Therefore, he was careful not to share it with them. There is a lesson here for those called to teach, but lest I digress — he who has an ear, let him hear. Training Practice = Expertise (aka Maturity) Through regular practice, we train our senses to understand when something is safe for consumption or must be spat out. This word “practice” is key — it is the process by which we train our senses at the granular level (i.e. daily grind). Pause, and ask yourself — what are my daily practices? Are they bringing me closer to fruitfulness or not?
