As we grow in our faith, we can easily begin to think that we have everything under control. I guarantee you that every six month I believe that I am more of a Christian than I was before. The truth is, I was just being fed more truth. As a child, I still need to be fed. I have only been in the faith for a small amount of time. To be honest, just two months over two years. I am young; and as on fire for God as I am, I need spiritual leaders to guide me. We all do.
It can be so easy for us to grasp onto one revelation and run with it, as if we have just understood every mystery of Christianity from one Bible verse in all of the sixty-six books. The truth is, we need more than that. We need wise leaders to pour into us. When we look all over the New Testament we will see how the church is set up. Over and over again, Paul stresses the need for elders, pastors, teachers, etc. We need leaders to lead us; not just to sit on a Sunday morning and tell us what to do, but to guide us and equip us with their wisdom and knowledge. If I think that I have grown at all in two years, I should be able to appreciate how much growth a Christian who has been in the faith for forty years must have gone through. I should desire to learn from elders.
On top of that, if no one is pouring into me, how can I pour into the generation after me? I have a hand full of young men that I would consider my "disciples" to put it simply; but how can I guide them properly if I have never been guided through higher wisdom? In order to be a good teacher I must always be a student of someone. The moment I stop learning is the moment that I no longer become useful to teach. Unless I am being poured into, how can I pour into others?
I know that some of you are saying, well I learn from God. So do I. God does teach me through the Word, prayer, and life circumstances. He also teaches me through pastors, mentors, elders, and other people of the faith who share in the same body as me. To think that we can learn nothing from those who walked in the faith longer than us is to say that God has never worked in anyone older than us. If that is true, does that mean that God never worked through the apostles? We have to be humble and remember that God can use others to teach us, not just in a clear way but in a humbling way to keep us willing to obey authority, namely His authority.
If I had been hardheaded towards those who have mentored me, I would still be too stubborn and hardheaded to truly be used by God. I needed elders in my life like Jon Marshall, Minister Shantell, David Ramirez, Bryan Carver, and more who's names I will not say at this time. So, I will end with this. We need spiritual leaders; for our sake, for the next generation's sake, and for the sake of following scripture.
-D
P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYAN CARVER!!! Thank you for being such an awesome leader!
No comments:
Post a Comment