A Deep Look at 1st Corinthians 16:30, Day 3

New International Version:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

Be Courageous, Be Strong

If you have read this part of 1st Cor. 16:13 in other translations, you might have been startled to see it written as "act like men."  I've read that the Greek for the first direction above is decidedly masculine, not in that it excludes women but in the sense that it is calling us to a manly action.  Like warriors: be brave, be courageous!   We are not to fear the enemy because we stand with God the Creator of all things!

The fourth command is to “be strong.” Strength here is defined as spiritual maturity.  Just as we are standing firm in faith, we are to be strong in that faith.   

When you were a baby, you enjoyed toys like rattles or something with lights.  As you grew you became interested in other toys, LEGOS or Barbies.  As a teenager, you are now interested technology, media, cars...  The point of this is we understand that a teenager still playing with rattles indicates something wrong with their maturity development.  This same principal applies to your faith. 

Why are so many Christians satisfied  with a spiritual maturity of a baby? Spiritual immaturity is what has weaken the Church.  A Barna Research Group statistic revealed that only 2% of students at Christian colleges are biblically literate, as determined by their answers to 10 basic foundational questions.  Questions like how to attain salvation, who is the Holy Spirit, does hell exist?   Only 2% could answer these correctly, and the answers are not complicated, they are laid out simply in the bible for us to read.  A child could recite these (in fact, my boys are learning this right now).  Babies can be fed with milk, you should crave spiritual steak!  Begin with the basics and move onward.  A strong and brave faith is a mature faith.  

1st Corinthians 14:20 says, "Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults."

Let's not confuse a mature faith and when we are called to have "faith like a child."  A child-like faith is a faith of wonder, and not questioning the ways and miracles of God, just accepting them.  A child-like faith is one not preoccupied with desires, dwelling on those things that tempt us. Rather, babies are preoccupied with having their needs met (as ours are met by God our Father).  A mature faith can be child-like in this way, but like a mature adult in how we study the word, and pursue God before other priorities. 

How is your faith child-like?

How is your faith spiritually mature?

What actions do you need to take to live out the directions "be brave, be strong?"