By Deolu Akinyemi
I found that this was true for me, but what about you?
According to 2 Timothy 3:7, we are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
This is a phrase from the description of the nature of men in the last days. Can you imagine what it will be like if you enrolled into a school, and you were told to keep attending, no curriculum, no tests, no examination, no graduation, no end? How do you think you would fair in that type of school? How will you know what courses to take? How will you know which courses to give more weight and concentration than others? The truth is, in a school like this, the chances are high that you will be ever learning, and never coming to the knowledge of truth.
This is exactly the school we find ourselves in, when we believe we are saved and have no end in mind. Jesus did not leave his disciples without a clear picture of their end, I don’t know where we got our gospel from. What are we working towards as followers of Jesus? What is the course we are into, what is our curriculum and what stature of graduate do I become as I follow Christ? We need to begin with the end clearly in mind. Our End is Christ, our message for making it happen is Christ. The moment you mix that message with anything else, it will not produce Christ. No matter how earthly relevant and exciting the message, if the message is mixed, it will not produce the desired end. Christ is a journey we can only embark on, after we have kissed everything we desire goodbye.
Colossians 1:26-29 (MSG)
“This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That’s what I’m working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.”
This is not the goal of Pastors and Apostles, this is the goal of every believer. Our end is that we would be found in Him, and He would be fully formed in us. Is this your labour as well? Are you a disciple? Are you discipling others? Are you baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? This is not an endless school, it’s a school that goes on till we all come to the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-13(MSG)
“He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.”
May Christ be fully formed in you? May you transform from Children into Sons.