Waswe, Iu “Full-Grown” Christian?
“TAEM mi wanfala baby, mi savve toktok olsem baby, tingting olsem baby, ting raonem samting olsem baby.” Hem nao wanem aposol Paul raetem. Tru nao, wantaem iumi evriwan baby nomoa. Bat, iumi no stap olsem olowe. Paul hem sei: “From distaem mi kamap wanfala man, mi lusim olketa wei bilong wanfala baby.”—1 Corinthians 13:11.
Long sem wei, evri Christian start olsem baby long spiritual wei. Bat gogo, evriwan savve “kamap wanfala nomoa insaed long faith and insaed long stretfala savve bilong Son bilong God, olsem wanfala full-grown man, and kasem full size wea fitim Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13) Long 1 Corinthians 14:20, iumi kasem disfala kaonsel: “Olketa brata, no kamap young pikinini long paoa for minim samting . . . Kamap full-grown man long paoa for minim samting.”
Wei wea olketa mature, full-grown Christian stap witim iumi hem wanfala blessing long pipol bilong God distaem, especially bikos staka niu wan stap. Olketa full-grown Christian help for mekem kongregeson stap stedy. Olketa affectim long gudfala wei, spirit bilong eni kongregeson wea olketa attendim.
Nomata wei for grow long body hem go ahed seleva nomoa, spiritual wei for grow savve kamap thru long taem and hard waka nomoa. Iumi no sapraes hao, long taem bilong Paul, samfala Christian fail for “muv ahed for kamap mature” nomata olketa servem God for planti year finis. (Hebrews 5:12; 6:1) Waswe long iu? Nomata iu servem God for planti year finis or for shortfala taem nomoa, hem fitim for iu lukluk gud long iuseleva long honest wei. (2 Corinthians 13:5) Waswe, iu tu midolwan long olketa wea fitim for iumi kolem olketa mature, or full-grown, Christian? Sapos nomoa, hao nao bae iu savve kamap olsem olketa?
“Full-Grown Long Paoa for Minim Samting”
Wanfala spiritual baby hem isi for “seksek olabaot olsem wave long sea karem go and kam from evri kaen teaching wea olsem wind wea kamaot from giaman wei bilong olketa man, from olketa kleva for duim rong samting.” Dastawe Paul encouragem iumi: “Letem iumi thru long love growap long evri samting long datwan wea hed, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:14, 15) Hao nao man savve kamap olsem? Hebrews 5:14 hem sei: “Strong kaikai hem for mature pipol, for olketa wea thru long wei for iusim, trainim paoa bilong olketa for luksavve long olketa samting wea stret and rong.”
Lukim hao mature pipol trainim paoa bilong olketa for luksavve thru long wei for iusim, or garem experience long wei for strong for followim olketa Bible principle. So, luk olsem for man kamap mature hem no samting wea happen kwiktaem; hem tek taem for growap long spiritual wei. Nomata olsem, iu savve duim samting for helpem iu grow long spiritual wei taem iu duim study seleva—especially long olketa deep samting bilong Word bilong God. No longtaem go nomoa Wastaoa hem storyim planti deep subject. Olketa mature wan no trae for missim olketa article hia bikos olketa garem “samfala samting wea hem hard for minim.” (2 Peter 3:16) Nomoa, bat olketa barava laek kaikaim olketa strongfala kaikai olsem!
Olketa wea Strong for Preach and Teach
Jesus talem olketa disaepol bilong hem: “Dastawe go and mek disaepol long pipol bilong evri nation, baptaesim olketa long nem bilong Dadi and bilong Son and bilong holy spirit, teachim olketa for duim evri samting wea mi komandim long iufala.” (Matthew 28:19, 20) Wei for strong for share long preaching waka tu savve mekem iu grow kwiktaem long spiritual wei. Sapos living bilong iu letem, waswe, iu laek traem for share evribit insaed diswan?—Matthew 13:23.
Samtaem, olketa hevi bilong laef savve mekem hem hard for faendem taem for preach. Nomata olsem, taem iu “barava trae hard” olsem man for preach, iu showimaot iu tinghae long “gud nius.” (Luke 13:24; Romans 1:16) Olketa bae ting long iu olsem “example long olketa faithful wan.”—1 Timothy 4:12.
Pipol wea Keepim Faithful Fasin
Insaed wei for grow for kamap mature hem for traem best for keepim faithful fasin bilong iu. Olsem hem talem long Psalm 26:1, David hem sei: “Judgem mi, O Jehovah, from miseleva wakabaot long faithful fasin bilong mi.” Faithful fasin hem fasin wea balance, wea no hafhaf. Bat hem no minim wei for perfect. David seleva duim samfala bigfala sin. Bat bikos hem acceptim repruv and stretem bak wei bilong hem, hem showimaot hem still garem trufala love for Jehovah God long heart bilong hem. (Psalm 26:2, 3, 6, 8, 11) Insaed faithful fasin hem worship from full heart, wea evribit. David talem son bilong hem Solomon: “Savve long God bilong dadi bilong iu and servem hem witim full heart.”—1 Chronicles 28:9.
Insaed wei for keepim faithful fasin hem wei for “no part bilong world,” for stap klia from olketa politik bilong world and olketa war bilong olketa. (John 17:16) Iu mas stap klia from olketa nogud fasin tu, olsem fornication, adultery, and wei for iusim drug long rongfala wei. (Galatians 5:19-21) Bat, wei for keepim faithful fasin hem minim moa samting winim wei for stap klia from olketa samting hia. Solomon givim warning olsem: “Olketa flae wea dae hem kosim datfala oil bilong man wea mekem ointment for smel, for kamaot. So lelebet krangge fasin savve duim olsem long wan wea hem garem spesol wisdom and glory.” (Ecclesiastes 10:1) Yes, nomata “lelebet krangge fasin,” olsem wei for fani wea no fitim or for enikaen long opposite sex, savve spoelem gud nem bilong man wea “garem spesol wisdom.” (Job 31:1) Dastawe, showimaot iu mature taem iu aftarem wei for kamap gudfala example long evri fasin bilong iu, and stap klia nomata long “enikaen lukluk bilong nogud fasin.”—1 Thessalonians 5:22, King James Version.
Olketa Loyal Wan
Wanfala full-grown Christian hem loyal tu. Olsem iumi readim long Ephesians 4:24, aposol Paul encouragem olketa Christian: “Werem niufala fasin wea God wakem fitim will bilong Hem long trufala raeteous fasin and loyal fasin.” Insaed long olketa Greek Scripture, datfala first word for “loyal fasin” garem mining olsem holy fasin, raeteous fasin, wei for showimaot respect long God. Man wea loyal hem strong long worship, hem holy; hem barava careful for duim evri waka bilong hem front long God.
Wanem nao samfala wei wea maet iu savve mekem grow loyal fasin olsem? Wanfala wei hem for waka tugeta witim olketa elder long kongregeson bilong iu. (Hebrews 13:17) Taem olketa luksavve hao God markem Christ olsem Hed bilong Christian kongregeson, olketa mature Christian kamap loyal long olketa wea kasem mark “for shepherdim kongregeson bilong God.” (Acts 20:28) Hem barava no fitim for kwestinim or daonem paoa bilong olketa elder wea olketa appointim! Iu shud garem tu loyal fasin long “faithful and wise slave” and olketa wei wea hem iusim for givimaot spiritual “kaikai long barava taem.” (Matthew 24:45) Mas kwiktaem readim and followim information wea stap insaed Wastaoa and olketa nara buk wea olsem hem.
Showimaot Love Thru Akson Bilong Iu
Paul hem raet olsem long olketa Christian long Thessalonica: “Love bilong iufala evriwan for narawan hem go ahed for kamap big.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3) Wei for grow long love hem wanfala barava important part bilong wei for grow long spiritual wei. Jesus hem sei, olsem record long John 13:35 talem: “From diswan evriwan bae savve iufala nao olketa disaepol bilong mi, sapos iufala garem love midolwan long iufala seleva.” Diskaen love for olketa brata hem no just strongfala feeling nomoa. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words hem sei: “Only wei for savve long love hem thru long akson wea hem mekem kamap.” Tru nao, iu savve muv ahed for kamap mature taem iu mekem love garem akson!
Olsem example, long Romans 15:7, iumi read: “Welkamim narawan.” Wanfala wei for showimaot love hem for greetim olketa wea garem sem biliv witim iumi and pipol wea hem firstaem bilong olketa for kam long olketa kongregeson meeting—witim interest and wei for hapi! Savve gud long olketa wanwan. Showimaot “interest” long olketa narawan. (Philippians 2:4) Maet iu savve showimaot fasin for welkam and invaetem olketa difren wan long haos bilong iu. (Acts 16:14, 15) Wei wea pipol no perfect samtaem savve testim hao deep nao love bilong iu, bat taem iu lane for “patient witim narawan long love,” iu showimaot iu start for kamap full-grown.—Ephesians 4:2.
Iusim Olketa Gudfala Samting Bilong Iumi for Apim Klinfala Worship
Long taem bifor, no evri pipol bilong God fulfillim responsibility bilong olketa for saportim temple bilong Jehovah. So God sendem olketa profet, olsem Haggai and Malachi, for muvim feeling bilong pipol bilong Hem long disfala samting. (Haggai 1:2-6; Malachi 3:10) Olketa mature Christian distaem hapi for iusim gudfala samting bilong olketa for saportim worship bilong Jehovah. Followim olketa man olsem taem iu obeyim disfala principle long 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2, for evritaem “putim samfala selen” for givim long kongregeson and long waka bilong olketa Jehovah’s Witness raonem world. Word bilong God hem promis olsem: “Man wea plantim staka samting bae harvestim staka samting tu.”—2 Corinthians 9:6.
No forgetim olketa nara gudfala samting wea iu garem, olsem taem and strong bilong iu. Trae for “baem taem” from olketa waka wea no important tumas. (Ephesians 5:15, 16; Philippians 1:10) Lane for kamap moabeta long wei for iusim taem bilong iu. Sapos iu duim olsem bae iu fit for share long olketa waka for fixim Kingdom Hall and olketa waka olsem wea apim worship bilong Jehovah. Wei for iusim olketa gudfala samting bilong iu long disfala wei hem showimaot iu start for kamap wanfala full-grown Christian.
Muv Ahed for Kamap Mature!
Olketa man and woman wea willing for lane and garem savve, wea strong for preach, wea stret evribit long faithful fasin bilong olketa, wea loyal and loving, and wea willing for givim physical and material saport long Kingdom waka olketa wanfala barava bigfala blessing. Dastawe, aposol Paul givim disfala kaonsel: “From iumi lusim finis olketa firstfala teaching abaotem Christ, letem iumi muv ahed for kamap mature”!—Hebrews 6:1.
Waswe, iu wanfala full-grown, mature Christian? Or, waswe, iu long samfala wei, still olsem wanfala spiritual baby? (Hebrews 5:13) Long tufala wei hia, iuseleva mas disaed strong for duim study seleva, for duim preaching, and for showimaot love for olketa brata bilong iu. Acceptim eni kaonsel and discipline wea olketa mature wan offerim long iu. (Proverbs 8:33) Karem full hevi bilong Christian responsibility bilong iu. Witim taem and hard waka, iu tu savve “kasem taem wea iumi evriwan kamap wanfala nomoa insaed long faith and insaed long stretfala savve bilong Son bilong God, olsem wanfala full-grown man, and kasem full size wea fitim Christ.”—Ephesians 4:13.
[Blurb long page 27]
Olketa full-grown Christian help for mekem kongregeson stap stedy. Olketa affectim long gudfala wei, spirit bilong hem
[Piksa long page 29]
Olketa mature wan savve strongim spirit bilong kongregeson taem olketa showimaot interest long nara pipol