I started this website to encourage Christians to grow in the Lord. The Bible tells us that there are 7 stages of Christian growth and compares the Word of God to sustenance. This will not be a "how-to" lesson because that is not my place; it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us (John 14:26, 1 John 2:27) and He teaches us through spending time in His Word. The Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works".
The rate of growth is different for every Christian. Every human needs nourishment in order to develop and heal. If we starve ourselves, we are not able to fully function for very long. Spending time in God's Word is similar. The more time a person spends with Jesus, the quicker they heal from emotional scarring, the faster they attain knowledge, etc. However, unlike food and water in the natural, nobody can spend too much time with Jesus!
In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul admonishes the Corinthian church for living carnal lives and tells them that they are not ready for more revelations from God when they should be. Walking after the flesh is the number one way to prevent Christian growth and is a byproduct of a lack of time in the Bible. Every Christian should want to spend time reading the Bible because that is how we spend time with the One that died for our sins (John 1:1).
We all need food and water to survive both physically and spiritually. When tempted by Satan in Luke 4, Jesus responded with "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God" (4:4). God compares His Word to food and drink and these correlate to our spiritual growth.
In order to love as Christ loved, Paul compared water with the Bible in Ephesians 5:25-26. Love is the foundation of Jesus and should be the foundation of every believer. We should love our friends, family, co-workers, etc. enough to share the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4) with them because we don't want them to go to Hell. Romans 5:8 says "but God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us".
The Apostle Peter describes the Bible as milk: "as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). Just as every baby cries for milk when they are hungry, just as every baby seeks milk as comfort when they are hurt, our souls cry out for His Word and can only receive the comfort that we all seek by spending time in the Bible.
Apples are one of the healthiest foods that we can eat. They are rich with antioxidants that protect the body from developing certain cancers and blood vessel diseases. Apples are 86% water, so they help us re-hydrate. They are also a great source of fiber which helps the friendly bacteria in our intestines. Is it any wonder why God compares His Word to an apple in Proverbs 7:2?
The Apostle Paul also compares God's Word with meat in 1 Corinthians 3:2 and Hebrews 5:14. Anyone that has known Christ for a long period of time, but doesn't know His Word should be ashamed. Paul said:
"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." - Hebrews 5:12-14
Nobody in their right mind would ask a baby for advice, and yet, spiritually-speaking there are many adults that are still living as infants! Christians that easily fall prey to the teachings of man instead of relying on God Himself to guide their lives.
The Bible gives some specific names to each stage of growth that mirror physical growth. As seen in the verses above, the first stage is a baby. This would be someone that does not have a foundation in God's Word. Ideally, this would be a person that just accepted Jesus as their Savior, but as the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians and in Hebrews this term can apply to carnal Christians as well.
The second stage of growth is little children. This is the person that still looks to Jesus and has a child-like faith, but is still learning what the Bible says (1 John 2:1, 2:13, 2:18). Just like a toddler, this person has many questions and can easily fall into false doctrine if they don't spend enough time in the Bible because they won't be able to properly discern what is truth.
The third stage is children (Gal. 3:26). In Galatians chapter 3, Paul is cementing the fact that we are under faith in Christ and not the Law or works. When toddlers begin to grow up, parents can start to see the motives behind a child's actions. Sometimes children will do something nice just to get a reward (the Law), but what God wants is for children to do good works because we understand that He first loved us (Grace).
The fourth stage is young men (1 John 2:13). In this chapter, John describes these believers as "overcomers" (2:13) and "strong, and the Word of God abideth in you" (2:14). This is the Christian that knows the Bible and has sound doctrine. A person that knows how to trust in the Lord for the journey ahead.
The fifth stage is fathers (1 John 2:13). Repeatedly, John uses the phrase "because ye have known Him that is from the beginning" (2:13-14) when describing this person. This mature Christian relies on Jesus for everything because they have the unshakable faith that "for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him" (Col. 1:16). This person has been through many trials and has led others to Christ.
The sixth stage is an elder (1 Tim. 5). An elder is someone that exemplifies what Christianity should be and has influence. 1 Timothy chapter 5 describes this individual as someone that labors in Word and doctrine (5:17) and to be treated with the same respect we would give our parents (5:1-2).
The final stage in Christian growth is aged (Philemon 9). A spiritually aged Christian is as the Apostle Paul was - a prisoner unto Christ. This person has gotten to the point where the only thing they know is "Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). A person that has no care for the pleasures of this world because he or she knows that they are fleeting. This person can claim as the Apostle Paul did:
"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death." - Philippians 3:8-10
If we take a deep and honest look at ourselves, we know where we stand. We know whether or not we will be ashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28). The Bible makes it clear that all Christians will be judged by Christ for what we did while on Earth (Rom. 14:10-12, 2 Cor. 5:10). Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 that "every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire". A Christian cannot lose his/her salvation, but we can live a life where we have nothing to present to the King of Kings but ashes. That is what the Apostles John and Paul were warning us about.
Imagine standing before Jesus with tears in your eyes and telling Him that you felt bing-watching Netflix was more important than spending time with Him. Think about Jesus pointing to His nail-pierced hands and saying "I did this for you, but you couldn't find it in your heart to forgive your brother for stealing money from you?"
The Judgement Seat of Christ will be a time of joy for some and sorrow for many. Live for Jesus now! Spend time in His Word! Let the Holy Spirit reveal to you the amazing gifts that God gave you! As long as we are living, we can choose to live for Christ. We can choose to grow in Christ. We can choose to be sustained by Christ. Jesus gave His all for us and wants to have an unbreakable relationship with us.