Faith like a child. That’s what Christians are supposed to aspire to, right? Well, yes and no. It’s true that God’s Word encourages us to receive the Kingdom of God like a child (Mark 10:15). And Jesus encourages adults to humble themselves like children (Matthew 18:4). However, God’s Word also exhorts us to grow and mature. Peter encourages those he writes to “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18). Paul says that the ministry he and other conducted included “warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,” that they might “present everyone mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28).
This new series of resources which we call Into Maturity we are offering to you now was put together with that very truth in mind – God wants us to grow and mature in wisdom, in knowledge, and in Christ. That’s something that all of God’s children can and should strive for, and so these bible studies can be used by Christians of various ages.
However, these studies were especially created for those seeking to train in the faith young people who are familiar with Luther’s Small Catechism but want to grow in their thinking, especially as it relates to the world’s influence on one’s thinking in comparison to how God’s Word shapes our thinking and faith.
These resources can be used in any order or even individually, but it is recommended that the series be done in the following order: 1) Our Questions; 2) God’s Answers; 3) Words Matter; 4) Living Planted. If this order is followed, participants will see how questions that are quite common among people are answered by God’s Truth. Then they will further consider God’s Truth compared to the confusing messages and definitions that our world gives today. Lastly, they will explore how the truth of God not only shapes and informs one’s thinking, but also what we say and do each day.
We pray that this series will be a blessing for you and your family, for you and the members of your youth group, or for you as you study with other Christians, seeking to grow “Into Maturity” in Christ Jesus our Lord.
While the entire series is available now to download individually on our resources page, or here as one large zip file, we plan to blog over the comings weeks about each part of this resource so you understand them better.
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