Walk Worthy of God

Dear Brethren,

Many Church brethren are being asked to make the biggest decision of their lives, for which some are very little prepared.  When we raise our children, little by little we entrust them with more and more responsibility so that as they grow up they will learn to make wise and prudent decisions.  But, all too frequently members in God’s Church have been treated as though they were continually babes in Christ.  Some brethren were more than willing to let their minister make all their decisions for them.  Those who do not learn to make their own moral and ethical decisions and judgments do not mature spiritually as they should.  A serious problem arises when there are disputing ministers vying for the endorsement of the ill prepared members.

The brethren should be better equipped than they are to handle the great spiritual battle that is now being waged for their heart, mind, and pocket-book.  At some point in our lives, God will hold us responsible for the choices we’ve made and the actions we’ve taken.  God says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.”  (Hosea 4:6)

How can we gain the kind of Godly knowledge and spiritual maturity that will allow us to walk worthy of God?  How do we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ and the apostles?  [We] are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.”  (Ephesians 2:20)  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”  (1Corinthians 3:11)

How do we mature?  How do we grow?  How do we build?  Knowing the Bible – the Word of God – is where we begin to learn to build – and, not only knowing the Bible, but also knowing how to apply its principles, examples, and standards in our lives.  In the New Testament we find letters written to the early Christian congregations.  Those epistles contain the values and judgments that each of us must come to master.  The Church brethren are to build and grow (2 Peter 3:18).  Parents make decisions for a child when he is not able to make them for himself.  But adults must learn to take ownership of their faith and be spiritually mature enough to make Godly decisions they can stand by, and walk worthy of God.

In 1 Corinthians 5 for example, Paul instructed the entire congregation to handle a particular problem.  If Paul had done like so many congregations today and handled the situation himself, or just let the local minister handle it – the brethren would not have learned to discern spiritual concepts.  The Corinthian brethren would have remained babes in the faith.  Remaining babes in the faith is not what God expects of us.  When each member of that Corinthian congregation had to decide for himself what the sin was, they then realized that their sinning brother was in danger of losing his salvation.  They then knew that they had to present the sinner with an ultimatum to stop sinning or leave the congregation.  At that point, they had ownership, not only of the problem, but they began to have ownership of their own faith.

The sinning brother was saved, and we’ve been given the case history so that we can learn how the process worked.  But Paul is not always going to be available to give us the guidelines to handle every offense that occurs.  That is why we've been given the Scriptures.  They contain a wealth of instruction that must be internalized so that we are able to make Godly, mature decisions, and walk worthy of God.  You know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto His Kingdom and glory.” 
(1 Thessalonians 2:11-12)

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Sermon:  "Walk Worthy of God"