As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the
countenance of his friend. Prov. 27:17
The Church - The Church is here to equip the saints in
much the same way that military boot-camp equips a soldier for duty.
Success in either situation produces visible fruit.
Producing Fruit - We cannot produce fruit directly, whether
by ourselves, or by the Spirit of Christ. Good-looking fruit is the
natural and symptomatic by-product of a mature and healthy tree (Matt. 7:17). And so we need to be
sure our tree is growing toward full maturity. Then it will produce
fruit in its season (Matt. 21:19; Lk. 13:7).
The Mature Christian - What
characterizes mature Christians?
•
They
have grown beyond the basic principles of Christ (Heb. 6:1-8; 1Cor.
3:2).
•
They
rightly divide the Word of Truth (2Tim. 2:15)
•
They
have learned to abide in Christ through personal obedience (Jn. 15:5,
10).
•
They
press on, letting go of what hinders them (Heb. 6:1; 12:1).
•
They
are not blown about by every wind of teaching (Jms.1:6).
•
They
have renewed their minds, now having the mind of Christ (Rom. 12:2;
1Cor. 2:16).
•
They
learn to love one another just as Christ loved them (Jn. 13:34).
•
They
walk by faith and not by sight (2Cor. 5:7).
•
They
learn to be content in every circumstance (Phil. 4:11).
•
They
are committed and faithful to the point of death (Rev. 2:10).
•
They
delight in God and in his Law (Ps. 119:35,70; Rom. 5:11; 7:22)
•
And
so they have become Salt and Light in the world, because that
is their nature (Matt. 5:13-16).
The lessons in Christian Boot Camp
are designed to foster these characteristics in the serious Bible
student. You may find you disagree with some of what is said here.
That's OK. But be honest enough to examine the passages that are cited
in support of a given teaching, and reconcile them in your mind against
your own beliefs. May your conviction increase as a result of such
testing.
William H.
Gross
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