Learning to Live
Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide us in this new life with Him. The reason we need a guide or teacher is because we need to learn how to live in the New Covenant Jesus established with us. Jesus didn’t just come to save us so we would have a place to go when we passed from this life. He came to teach us a new way of living, a new way of being fully human. It is so foreign we need to devote time to learn how to live this new life. This page wasn’t titled ‘Becoming Smarter’ or ‘Attaining More Knowledge’, on purpose. The goal is that we would learn how to live the new life that is inside of us, not just know about it.
Learning to live requires some tools, all of which have been provided for us by God with the exception of one, our willingness to learn. You can lead a horse to water but not make him drink idea. I am assuming you are ready or are exploring the idea of becoming a learner, so let’s go.
Jim Putnam, a pastor from Idaho, was helpful when he used the human growing up process as a metaphor for how a person grows to maturity in Christ. He uses five phases to explain the process of learning to live. Here is a brief explanation:
You need to be born again. I know it is an old phrase but it is a good phrase. We were born into this world dead to God and his way of living. Through Jesus we can be born again into the family of God. Without being born again you will never learn how to live as a follower of Jesus. This is not something that can be copied. You need the life of Christ in you and then you learn how to live. To be born again you need to believe in Jesus. You will grow in what you believe about Jesus, but it starts with believing in Him. He lived, he died, he rose again. The death he died he did for us so we could have the barrier between us and God removed. He was resurrected as a first of many to come and to demonstrate he has power over death and the grave. Evil has been defeated in Jesus. Meaningless existence has been defeated in Jesus. Purpose is found in Jesus. Forgiveness is found in Jesus. Life comes from Jesus Christ. Take a moment and examine whether you are believing/trusting Jesus to be your life source. If not ask him to become your life. Ask him to forgive you. Ask him to lead you to maturity.
When we believe, we become newborns in this new way of living. As infants we need someone to hang out with. That will be true later on as well, but is especially important at this stage. Infants don’t know what they don’t know and need someone to guide them as they begin.
As newborns grow, they become infants. Infants can do more than newborns, but are not yet mature. Their needs have changed. Infants need someone to explain the truths found in the New Covenant teachings. Infants tend to be self-centered and their speech reflects this. They need someone to guide them in learning the elementary truths of this new life. Each of these truths will be expanded on as we continue to mature but there is always a starting point. Things like: What a relationship with God means; What their identity as a believer is; How to read the Bible; How to pray; How to hang out with other believers; and tagging along and learning how to serve. Some of this is taught and a lot of it is caught, as infants spend time with other believers. Care is needed at this stage to insure that we aren’t passing down an empty way of living, but one full of implementing truth into life change. Or as is written in James 1.22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” As resources God has provided: The Holy Spirit, the Word of God, God’s people and time.
Infants continue to grow into young adults if they apply what they are learning to how they actually live. Young adults continue to expand on what they have already learned. New habits like serving others on their own, sharing resources, and learning how God has gifted them. Attitudes start to shift from being a self centered infant to living an others centered life or more accurately a God centered life.
Young adults continue to mature and become parents. The focus of your life is applying yourself to learning how to train others in living this new life in Christ. Promptings from the Holy Spirit become more of a guiding force and the promptings of mentors starts to recede. Character traits are now: bearing fruit, faithfulness, selflessness, generosity, and more.