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Published: 20 May 2022

“Stunted Growth”

I wanted to drink coffee long before my parents would allow it.  When I asked why I was not allowed, I remember my dad saying, “It will stunt your growth.”  Every parent should want their children to grow.  Most kids want to grow.  God wants His kids to grow too.  He made people in His image but our sin and self-will have tarnished His likeness.  Because of the obedience of Jesus we can be saved, sanctified and be restored to God’s intentions.  We have the Holy Spirit to help us with the fruit of the Spirit.  We have the Word of God to show us what the image of Jesus looks like.  Growing up in Him certainly requires knowledge but there are people who have a lot of Bible knowledge that do not resemble Jesus.  Getting on with God’s intentions for us requires more than a knowledge of the Bible; it requires the application of truth so that our disposition is affected.  In recent years we have referred to this change as spiritual formation.  It has also been referred to as progressive sanctification or simply, holiness.  Someone once said, “All growth requires change but not all change is growth.” In other words, we might be changing in the wrong direction!  I don’t think coffee stunts our spiritual growth, I sure hope not!  But, there are things that do stunt our growth in Christ.  The writer of Hebrews mentioned a few of them in the passage we’ll be studying on Sunday.  If your growth in Christ is slowing down or stagnant, the Word has the way forward.  “Let us be carried on to maturity.”

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Published: 13 May 2022

“Need A Priest?”

I have a friend who says, “The only time some people want their priest is when they are hatched, matched or dispatched.”  In other words, people appreciate the priest’s service at births, weddings and funerals.  Those might be the times people appreciate priestly service but we need a priest far more often than that!  One could argue that we never have a day without a need for the Priest.  Priests are common in religion.  The desire for a priest is a reminder that we are wired to recognize the gap between ourselves and deity.  We see the priest as the one who can get us in good favor with the “other.”  The priest prays, offers sacrifices and declares absolution for our failures.  The Jewish priesthood was appointed by God.  God was reminding the Jews that there was a distance between Him and them and that sacrifices were needed to close the gap.  Obviously the gap never stayed closed because sacrifices needed to be repeated.  The words of John the Baptist, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world,” were epic!  Jesus Christ cancelled the need for any future sacrifices when He declared on the cross, “It is finished.”  The final Lamb had been offered, the final sacrifice was made and the debt was paid in full.  We are so blessed.  We have a Great High Priest who paid the price for our redemption and since He was raised from the dead, He is able to secure that redemption at the right hand of the Father.  He is our Priest forever!  So, do you need a priest?  Yes!  And you can have one in Jesus Christ the Lord.