There are things that militate against your growth as a believer in Christ; things you must deal with else they’d deal a fatal blow on your walk in Christ. It’s God’s will that we make progress in the faith, but you cannot run as you ought without freeing yourself from the following things.
False Teachings
Christ emphatically states that the traditions and commandments of men make God’s word of no effect in the lives of people. Mark 7:13; “making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” The religious leaders of His day had invented several traditions and commandments that had nothing to do with the word of God. This results in vain worship because we aren’t to serve God as we feel or think but as we are taught in His word. Mark 7:7; “And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ They worshipped in vain because they heeded the commandments of men as doctrine. The truth of the word, as potent as it is, cannot effect any change in the hearers the moment it is replaced by other things. Rather than becoming zealous for the Lord, people become zealous for men against God’s word.
In fact, one of the reasons why Paul was misled was his zeal for the traditions of his fathers. Galatians 1:14; “And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” The traditions of his fathers made him zealous against God’s word! The bible sternly warns us against human traditions and commandments that are opposed to the scriptures. Colossians 2:8; “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”
It’s either we’re preaching human traditions or philosophies or Christ. Paul had stated that Christ is the embodiment of all the treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:1-3). Following the warning against the traditions of men, he quickly says, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” That is, this Christ is God’s fullness and in Him we are complete. We must learn of Him if we are to comprehend God’s fullness and our completeness in Him. The believer who yields to human traditions and philosophy will never grow in Christ.
Mixed Teachings
This sounds like the first one but the only difference is that mixed teachings combines both human traditions and philosophies with SOUND DOCTRINE. It’s the most subtle kind of deception. There are people who agree with everyone and everything in the name of being at peace. Endorsing contradictory teachings is a sign of immaturity. The bible speaks about every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14), various and strange doctrines (Hebrews 13:8-9). The problem of the Galatian churches was mixed teachings. They had received the message of the gospel, which Paul calls the grace of God but they yielded to ‘another gospel’; a perversion of the truth (Galatians 1:6-9). They began by hearing the message of faith but were taught by others to attain maturity through the law of Moses (Galatians 3:1-3). Such a deadly mix. Paul then asks them, ‘You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?’ (Galatians 5:7). That’s exactly what mixed teachings do to people. It hinders them from obeying the truth! You can’t mix the law of Moses (legalism) with the gospel. You also cannot mix the gospel of money (materialism) with the gospel of Christ. You can’t mix culture with the gospel. You also cannot mix asceticism with the gospel. Any emphasis that takes your attention off Christ and what He has done and what He intends to do through you in the gospel will hinder you from growing. All the instructions given to us in the epistles concerning different aspects of our lives are Christ-centered. Stability never comes with mixed teachings!
Wrong Company
We have stern warnings in the bible to avoid the wrong company. Now, don’t miss the point. We are not to avoid people because we hate them or feel they are too bad to change, but so they don’t corrupt us! First, we are warned to avoid peddlers of false doctrines.
Romans 16:17; “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, AND AVOID THEM.”
1 Corinthians 15:33-34; “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.”
1 Timothy 6:3-5; “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. FROM SUCH WITHDRAW YOURSELF.”
Second, we are to avoid those who are rebellious against Apostolic instructions.
2 Thessalonians 3:6; “But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.”
2 Thessalonians 3:14-15; “And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.”
Notice, we are not to count them as enemies, but we must not let them influence us.
Third, we are to avoid believers who are publicly licentious and immoral. There are believers who in the name of being real or ‘woke’ talk dirty and are very lustful. We are not to company with them as though all is well. If they resist corrections, we are to stay away lest they influence us.
1 Corinthians 5:9-11; “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; not even to eat with such a person.“
Sometimes these kinds of men have a FORM OF GODLINESS according to 2 Timothy 3:1-5. They sing spiritual songs, attend church meetings, talk ‘christianese’ but their beliefs and lifestyles negate the word totally and they are unwilling to repent. Shun, avoid, withdraw from such people!
Lack of Interest
Whether you are in a sound local church or not, if the interest to grow is missing, you will not grow. I’ve seen people pass through sound local assemblies without growing. Sometimes, interest is what is needed to even get out from the wrong company or stop yielding to the wrong people. Interest will drive you to seek answers, ask questions, read your bible, search for study materials, burn the midnight oil, just to know the truth and grow! See this:
Colossians 3:1-2; “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
I looked up the phrase, ‘set your affection on’ and I discovered it means to INTENSIVELY INTEREST ONESELF in something, to direct one’s mind to a thing, to strive for. This means you aren’t born with this interest, it is something to cultivate. You are not to wait till you are interested, you are to be interested in it!
Lack of Continuity
If you’ve found sound doctrine, and have stayed away from falsehood, wrong company, developed interest for spiritual things, continuing in the same is a different ball game entirely. Some have never been consistent for one month, let alone one year. We are to continue in the things that make for growth! It’s continuity that makes us rooted and built up and established in the faith. Colossians 2:6-7; “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
The Apostles went everywhere strengthening the disciples by exhorting them to continue in these things. They instructed men to continue with the Lord (Acts 11:23); continue in the grace of God (Acts 13:43); continue in the faith (Acts 14:22). That is, we must continue to give ourselves to the activities in our faith! We must continue to receive the word (1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 3:14); continue earnestly in prayer (Romans 12:12; Colossians 4:2); continue to walk in love (Hebrews 13:1). Continuity is about building godly habits that eventually build us up. So then, I say to you, continue in the truth!
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