Bye - Bye Grade School...

Hebrews 6:1-2, "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgement."

What's left to say? "Bye-Bye Grade School!"

I have said it before, and I will say it again: The church is still running around in the discussion of the elementary principles of the faith. All of these areas...all of them...stand as disagreements between the denominations. What is truly frustrating (other than the division) is that we should have moved on a long time ago.

Consider what the writer of Hebrews is saying:
Repentance = elementary principle
Faith toward God = elementary principle
Baptisms = elementary principle
Laying on of Hands = elementary principle
Resurrection from the dead = elementary principle
Eternal Judgement = elementary principle

He calls them all a part of the elementary principles of Christ and we continue to hold them as the difficult aspects of Christianity. He basically calls them all a part of Christianity 101 and we handle these topics as advanced learning. Is it any wonder that we haven't seen greater growth in the kingdom of God? Eventually we have to move beyond the building blocks of faith and go on to maturity.

Now...I will pause for a moment and allow you to collect your thoughts because I realize that this list may not be considered "elementary." If your school of learning (church background) was anything like mine, then you probably didn't receive all of this is your "Basics of the Faith" outline. Think about it...baptisms...most of us only received information on 1 form of baptism (water) but what about the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Most of us have never received teaching on the laying on of hands which involves Impartation and Healing. Like I said earlier, we consider these topics as advanced learning. But here we are faced with some serious Scripture that says we need to move forward.

How do we move forward? We move forward by embracing all of the gifts and workings of the Holy Spirit. We continue to taste the good word of God and His ability in our lives. We continue in the unconditional love of God. We embrace the fullness of God and walk in the unity of the Spirit. The Word of God was given to us to lay a foundation, give us an understanding, and to catapult us forward into Kingdom expansion. Are you ready for that?

If we aren't ready to move into a realm of experience then the Bible will be nothing less than a book. God means for us to encounter His Word not just read it. He longs for us to continue allowing His story to unfold in the world. But this will never happen if we keep knocking down the building blocks and starting all over again. The time has come to move forward. "And this we will do if God permits." (Hebrews 6:3)