Balance + Boundaries | August 18th, 2024

When we think of development, we often think of children.  And we do everything in our power to make sure their development is healthy.  Dr. Townsend and Dr. Cloud in “Boundaries” explain how boundaries are developed in children and how it will impact them as they grow into adults.  These boundaries that are developed as children also impact us as it comes to our spiritual development as well.  Many times in church, we don’t explain how we develop as a Christ followers.  We think we get “saved” and get our "get out of hell free" cards, but don’t understand there is still a journey we must travel to live a life as a disciple.   Paul shares this passage with the church of Corinth as there is division in the church over childish things.  

1 Corinthians 3:1–3
"But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?"
 
Paul doesn’t equate spiritual maturity with how long they have been in church like we do. He says they are still spiritual babies because they are still living in the flesh.  Their lives still look like the lost world around them; they haven’t become spiritually mature.  Which means there is a process from going to just receiving spiritual milk as an infant to the solid food as a mature believer.  Just as a child develops, we, as disciples, are developing into mature followers of Jesus.  Here is one way to think about development as a Christ follower: information, imitation, and innovation.  

Information | Ephesians 4:17-20
When we first become a Christ follower, like an infant, we are soaking up everything around us.  We are collecting information of whose we are and who we are now that we are making decisions differently because of Christ.  We begin to read scripture and begin to see passages like Ephesians 4 of who we used to be but now who we are now in Christ.  This information begins to reveal the difference in those who are in the world and those who are a disciple of Christ.  

Imitation | 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
As you collect this information about Christ and begin to finds way to apply it, you begin to watch others who are further along than you.  You watch how they read scripture, pray, give, serve, and live life differently because of Jesus.  We must remember just like we aren’t perfect parents, those we are imitating aren’t perfect either.  Paul says "watch me as I follow Jesus.  You will see me confess, forgive, serve and mess up."  But we are learning from someone more experienced and showing us just what to do but how to do it.  We often forget church has always meant to be a family full of spiritual mothers and fathers.  

Innovation
As we have learned the words and ways of Jesus, we have watched others model it for us. The final piece is innovation.  This means we take what we learn and apply it to our story, gifts, and abilities.  And then we take others through the same journey as a mature believer who is making decisions differently because of Christ.  

Big Idea: The development of balance and boundaries impact all areas of our lives: physical, emotional and spiritual.