Next Level

Paul in Hebrews 6 says that we have to be mature to understand the things that God wants us to understand, moving beyond the basic elementary things. This is very important aspect in a christian Life.


Paul teaches us that we are to be Mature: Maturity comes only when we leave the former things, when we strive to understand the mystery. Even Paul says in I Corinthians 13:11 NIV
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

If we were to still go back to the former things and do the things of the past, the sinful pasts, Paul says we put Him(Jesus) to open shame. Once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to repentance, since they again crycify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.


Then Paul warns what happens at the end of those who still are immature, Immature here is first to follow the former things of the flesh, second not obeying the word of God, which has cleansed us from those former things putting Christ Jesus to an open shame by following on the same pattern of the past. The end of this Paul gives us an analogy as to how the thorns and thistles grow among the vegetation.  For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.

Hebrews 6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

6 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do, if God permits. 4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, [d]since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often [e]falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close [f]to being cursed, and [g]it ends up being burned.

Better Things for You

9 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. 10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” 15 And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. 16 For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.17 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Sacrifice is a great act.
Some of us has to sacrifice our past in order to have a better future. Some of us have to sacrifice our fleshly things that hinder us to be spiritual. yet some of us have to sacrifice ourselves, give ourselves as a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1 NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship.

Whatever it takes us to do to what God called us to do, we can do it by the strength of the Lord. Hebrews 12:2 NIV

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Then Paul continues to say what it means to go along the plan of God, to go to the next level where he has called us to be. First of the Salvation to God's Faithfulness through which we learn how to be Patience and Hope.

Anchor of the Soul:
The anchor that stops the ship, reaching at the destiny or where the ship has to be. The Anchor of our Soul - Jesus. The God in human flesh, calls us out to take rest for our souls, he refreshes and renews our soul. Giving us the Hope for all the trials and temptations that might have set us down. This Hope in  Christ acts as an anchor of the soul. That will enable us to stop at the right point of time in our level of development. To stick to him, to hold him, to rely upon him.

Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

Matthew 5:6 NIV
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Hungry and Thirsty are natural needs, nobody teaches us to be hungry or thirsty. Its a natural phenomena. A child cries for hunger, out inner tongue gets dry when we are thirsty and if we do not have water.

Jesus tells us to have such kind of hunger and thirst for Righteousness.

Righteousness (also called rectitude) is an important theological concept in Christianity. It is an attribute that implies that a person's actions are justified, and can have the connotation that the person has been "judged" or "reckoned" as leading a life that is pleasing to God.

A life that is pleasing to God through our actions -
In Hebrews 11:6 NIV it is said that without faith it is impossible to please God - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hunger and Thirst are of the bodily needs that satisfy our momentary life that which we live with the flesh and body that God has gifted with. We suffer, we patiently wait, we do things that pleases this momentary satisfaction - the body. How much more should we hunger and thirst for Righteousness - that which is of Spirit, Heavenly, Eternal.

John 4:24 NIV
"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."

Jesus said that Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26:41 NIV
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

The willingness will be good, we can think good, we can be positive we can do everything that pleases ourselves. But it takes a cost to be holy, sinless and perfect and to be blameless at the second coming of Jesus Christ. The finished work of Cross will remind us of our hunger and thirst.  Our hunger for righteousness should be to please God and not to please men. Our love and kindness our service is to God and to other fellow beings who are also made in his image.

John 19:28 NIV

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."

Have A Blessed Week Ahead

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

Jesus after the resurrection, when he met his Disciples he told them that "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Therefore.

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:18-19New International Version (NIV)

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

It is not just understanding the word. Working all things for ourselves, living a life that we think is Godly and do nothing about the word, that which says, "Go and make disciples". If we were to be just like what we are and do nothing for our fellow being, We will be like the man told by James in James 1:22, "who saw his image in the mirror and after some time forgets what kind of a person he was".

James 1:22-24New International Version (NIV)

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Jesus said in the parable of the two sons: Matthew 21:28-32
That it is very important to do as according to the will of the Father more than anything else. That is what Jesus did on the Cross.

Jesus said that Discipleship costs:
In Luke 14:25-34 - The Cost of Being a Disciple, Jesus said that "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?"

What are we letting go off?
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, even their own life--such a person cannot be my disciple.

Are we taking our cross?
Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Therefore there are lots of aspects in being disciple of Jesus Christ. The one who truly wants to be his disciple will let know the world that though it is the Narrow Way, Though is Harder, Though there are persecutions. As Paul says:

1 Corinthians 9:26-27New International Version (NIV)

26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

In The Image Of God

Genesis 1:27 NIV
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

1 John 4:20 NIV

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

God created us in his image and he wanted us to realize that from the beginning. But due to the original sin and the mindset of some God himself through Jesus spoke in different aspects of life that matches to what God intended us to be.

Matthew 7:16 NIV
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

James 3:12 NIV
My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.


Then the Bible teaches us the way we should look ourself as being the temple of God, the dwelling place of the spirit of God.


1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV
In The Image Of God Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

This is the reason why Jesus at many times in the Bible told that our life is very precious, that we need to give respect to our fellow beings, by reconciliation, by forgiving, by honoring.

Matthew 5:24 NIV
leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Stir up the Gift of God

When Paul was training Timothy he had few thing in mind.
First: His mission has to be transferred to be carried out by Timothy - Spreading the Gospel, that is why he encourages Timothy and also says to carry out his mission even through troubles and difficulties may arise.

Secondly he always reminded of the presence of God, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: so he encouraged Timothy to be aware of the fact that we have a purpose to be pure and blameless at his appearance.

Finally we all have this urge to share God's word, there is always an urgency to reach to the unknown.

In the First chapter of Second Timothy verse 6 - Paul says to Timothy  - 6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

Dwelling in God's word is very much important, meditating in it also, but the most important is to act accordingly. To do things that are of his purpose. Knowingly and willingly.

Two verses from James that always reminds us that God's will for our life is fulfilled only when we do our part.

James 1:22 NIV
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.


James 4:17 NIV
If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.

Jesus also said in many instances,

Matthew 21:28-32New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Matthew 7:21-23Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

21 “Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter God’s kingdom. The only people who will enter are those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22 On that last Day many will call me Lord. They will say, ‘Lord, Lord, by the power of your name we spoke for God. And by your name we forced out demons and did many miracles.’ 23 Then I will tell those people clearly, ‘Get away from me, you people who do wrong. I never knew you.’

John 4:34 NIV
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.


Paul says to stir up the Faith for this reason. Not to Fear, but that we have to realize that we have power and love and sound mind. Not that we use it to be famous, but to testify Jesus.

So we have to always thing of the moment of God's second coming. Not as unbelievers who think that there is no resurrection, there is no second coming, but as Jesus constantly reminded us to be ready at all the moments of life. Thinking that Jesus will come at any moment will make us be aware of each and every decisions that we make. If we still pretend or if we procrastinate to do what God asks us to do, we may end up being a failure in God's presence, like that of Solomon who neglected God's instructions and followed other God's through the influence of his wife and concubine. Saul who neglected the gift of God and went on his own way. The Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11
reminds us of how much awareness we have in our way of life about God's presence and his second coming, his Judgment and his love.

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;