Watchtower Study, Week 10-16 June 2024, “Let us advance toward maturity,” Underlined Responses.

Watchtower Study, June 10-16, 2024, “Let us advance toward maturity,” Underlined Responses.

Yellow: Direct Response

Light Yellow: Additional Response

Light Blue: Additional Points

“Let us advance toward maturity” (HEB. 6:1).

1. What does Jehovah expect from us?

 ONE of the happiest moments in the life of a married couple is when  their baby is born . Naturally, they feel great love for the newborn. But they obviously don't want him to be a baby forever. In fact, if she didn't grow up, they would worry a lot.  Similarly, Jehovah is very happy to see us take our first spiritual steps, but he does not want us to always be “little children” (1 Cor. 3:1).  Rather, he expects all Christians to “become adults” (1 Cor. 14:20).

2. What questions will we answer in this article?

2 In this article we are going to answer the following questions:  what does it mean to be an adult Christian? What do we have to do to achieve Christian maturity? Why is solid spiritual food so important? and why shouldn't we trust ourselves?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AN ADULT CHRISTIAN?

3. What does it mean to be a Christian adult?

3  In the Bible, the idea of being an adult Christian does not necessarily have to do with age.  In fact, the Greek word translated “adult” can also mean “mature,” “perfect,” and “complete” (1 Cor. 2:6).  So we become adult or mature Christians when in a spiritual sense we grow and stop being like children.  Does that mean that when someone reaches spiritual maturity they no longer have to do anything else? No. It is expected to always continue to progress (1 Tim. 4:15).  But how do you know if a Christian—whether young or old—is spiritually mature?

4. What are mature Christians like?

4 What are mature Christians like?  They obey all of Jehovah's rules, not just those that suit them.  Of course, although they are imperfect and will make mistakes,  they show by their way of life that they strive to think and act as Jehovah expects of his servants.  They wear the new personality and do everything possible to make their thinking more like God's every day (Eph. 4:22-24).  They have learned to make good decisions based on Jehovah's laws and principles, and so they do not need a long list of rules to tell them what to do.  Furthermore, when they make a decision, they do their best to carry it out (1 Cor. 9:26, 27).

5. What can happen to Christians who are immature? (Ephesians 4:14, 15).

5 On the other hand, Christians who remain immature  can be easily deceived by people “who resort to tricks and deceive others by cunning.”  Conspiracy theories and apostates may be believed (read Ephesians 4:14, 15).They may tend to be envious or confrontational, quick to take offense, or easily tempted (1 Cor. 3:3).

6. What example helps us understand the process of becoming a mature Christian? (See also images).

6 As we have already seen,  the Bible teaches that the process of becoming a mature Christian is similar to the process of becoming an adult. There are many things that a child does not know. That is why he needs the protection and supervision of an adult.  For example, when crossing a street,  a mother may  ask her little daughter  to look.   As her daughter grows, her mother may let her cross alone but continue to remind her to look on both sides before doing so.  When  the daughter finally becomes an  adult, she is already able to avoid those types of dangers on her own.  In  a spiritual sense  the same thing happens:  immature Christians often need mature Christians to help them avoid spiritual dangers and make good decisions.  On the other hand,  mature Christians are able to meditate on biblical principles to know what Jehovah thinks about a matter and thus make a good decision.

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. A young sister listening to her parents. She has a tablet with an article on the screen, and they have their Bibles open. 2. The same young woman does her personal study with a tablet, the Bible and a notebook. Images inside circles: 1. A woman holds her little daughter by the hand and reminds her that before crossing the street she should look both ways. 2. The little daughter is already a teenager and appears crossing the same street alone. Christians who are not yet mature have to learn to apply biblical principles to make good decisions. (See paragraph 6).

7. Do mature Christians need others to help them?

7 Does that mean that mature Christians never need anyone's help? No.  There are times when they also need to ask for help.The difference is that an immature Christian may expect others to decide for him or tell him what to do,  while  a mature Christian draws on the wisdom and advice of more experienced brothers but knows that he has to carry “his own burden.” responsibility” (Gal. 6:5).

8. Why do we say that not all mature Christians are the same?

8  Jus as not adults have the same physical characteristics not all mature Christians have the same spiritual qualities.For example, some stand out for their wisdom, others for their courage, others for their generosity, and others for their empathy.  Furthermore, it is possible for two mature Christians to reach different conclusions on the same issue—especially issues of conscience—and for both conclusions to be valid from a biblical point of view.  Therefore, neither will criticize what the other decides, but both will strive to maintain unity (Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 1:10).

WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO TO BECOME MATURE CHRISTIANS?

9. Why do we say that no one automatically becomes a mature Christian?

9  A child grows into an adult naturally over time, but no one automatically becomes a mature Christian over the years.  A child gows into an adult naturally over tme, but no one automatically becomes a mature Christian over the years. For example, the brothers in Corinth accepted the good news, were baptized, received the holy spirit, and learned much from the apostle Paul Acts 18:8-11.   However, a few years after their baptism, many remaind immature 1 cor. 3:2. What can wedo so that doesnt happen to us?

10. What do we have to do to become mature Christians? (Jude 20).

10  To become mature Cristians, the first thing is have the desire to mature.Those who prefer to be like inexperienced children will never progress spiritually (Prov. 1:22). We dont want to be like some adults, who run away from responsibilities and expect their parents to cintinue deciding  for them.  On the contrary, we want to take responsibility for our own spiritual growth read Jude 20. if you feel that you have not yet reached spiritual marturity, ask Jehovah to give you «both the desire and the strength to act» Philipp 2:13.

11. What helps does Jehovah give us so that we can become mature Christians? (Ephesians 4:11-13).

11  Jehovah does not expect us to reach maturity on our own. On the one hand, he gives us pastors and teachers in the congregation who help us «so that we may have the maturity of a full-grow man an reach the full stature of Christ» (read Ephesians 4:11-13). He also gives us his holy spirit, which helps us have «the mind of Christ 1 Cor. 2:14-16. In addition, he had the four Gospels written, which allow us to know in depth what Jesus did when he was on Earth. If we copy his way of thinking, and acting, we will become mature Christians.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOLID SPIRITUAL FOOD

12. What are “the basic teachings about the Christ”?

12 To advance toward maturity, we must go beyond «the basic teachings about the Christ». Some of these fundamental teachings have to do with repentance, faith, baptism,and resurrection Heb. 6:1,2.  All true Christians have to know them. That's why the apostle Peter mentioned them when he preached to a crowd at Pentecost (Acts 2:32-35, 38). Tobecome disciples of Christ, it is essential to accept these teachings. in fact, Paul said that not believing in the resurrection is the same as rejecting the entire Christian faith 1 Cor 15:12-14. Now, we should not be satisfied with having only that basic knowledge.

13. What should we do to take advantage of the solid spiritual food spoken of in Hebrews 5:14? (See also images).

13 Apart from the basic teachings, we have solid spiritua food. That food not only includes Jehovah's laws, but also his principles, which help us understand his way of thinking. To benefit from it, we must study the bible, meditade on it, and strive to apply what we learn. This teaches us to make decisions that plese Jehovah Read Hebrews 5:14.

ILLUSTRATION

A brother doing his personal study. Image inside a circle: The same brother chooses to watch a report about the sea on his television. Solid spiritual food teaches us to make decisions that please Jehovah. (See paragraph 13). 

14. How did Paul help the Corinthians mature?

14  Immature Christians have a hard time making good decisions when they dont find a specific rule in the ible that them what to do.  In those cases, some may think they can do whatever they want. Others may ask for a standard to be set when in fact it is not necessary. For example, the Corinthian Christians appear to have asked Paul to estabilish a rule regarding whether they could esat food that had been offered to idols. Instead of telling them what todo, Paul explained that each person has the «right to choose» acording to his concience.He mentioned several biblical principles that would help them make a decision that would leave them at ease and not cause anyone to stumble 1 Cor. 8:4,7-9.  Thus he was teaching them to mature so that they used their capacity for discernment instead of depending on others or looking for rules. 

15. How did Paul help the Hebrew Christians continue to grow spiritually?

15 We find another valuable lesson in the words Paul wrote to the Hebrew Christians. Some had stopped growing spiritually, and so  he told them: «you need ,ilk again instead of solid food» Heb 5:12. The did not keep up with the new things that Jehova was teaching them through the congregation. For exaple, many Jewish Christians continued to insist that the Law of Moses had to be obeyed even though some 30 years had passed since Christs sacrifice had annulled it.(Rom. 10:4; Titus 1:10).No doubt they had had plenty of time to assimilate the change. Therefore, Paul wanted to help them accep the deep truths that he was teaching them in that letter by inspiration. This solid spiritual food was just what those Christians needed to understand that the new way of worshiping Jehovah was much better, and to be courageous and continue preaching despite the opposition of the Jews. (Heb. 10:19-23 ).

WHY WE SHOULD NOT TRUST

16. In addition to reaching maturity, what should we do?

16  We must strive not only to achieve maturity, but also to maintain it. So we should not become complacent (1 Cor. 10:12). IIt is very important that we constantly examine ourselves to make sure we continue to progress(2 Cor. 13:5).

17. What does the Letter to the Colossians teach us about Christian maturity?

17  In the Letter to the Colossians, Paul also talks about the importance of achieving maturity and not losing it.  Although those Christians were already mature, he told them to be very careful not to be deceived by the ideas of the world (Col. 2: 6-10). And Epaphras, who undoubtedly knew them very well, always prayed that they would remain “firm as complete” or “mature” people (Col. 4:12; note). What  does that teach us That both Paul and Epaphars knew very well that, to maintain maturity, one must make an effort and Jehovahs help. They wanted the Colossians to remain mature Cristians despite the dificulties they faced.

18. What could happen to a mature Christian? (See also the image).

18 Paul warned the Hebrews that a mature Christian could end up losing Gods aproval forever. If his heart becomes hardened, he may stray so far from Jehovah that he will no longer be able to repent and receive forgiveness from him  Fortunately, the Hebrews had not fallen so low (Heb. 6:4-9). What happens today to those who become inactive or are expelled but later repent? By being humble and repenting, they show that they are not like the people Paul spoke about. Of course, when they are not like the people Paul spoke about. Of course, when they return to Jehovah, they need the help that he offers them (Ezek. 34:15, 16). Therefore, the elders elders may ask a mature brother to help them rebuild their friendship with Jehovah.

ILLUSTRATION

An elderly brother is at another brother's house encouraging him with the Bible. Jehovah offers help to those who need to rebuild his friendship with him. (See paragraph 18).

19. What should be our goal?

19  If you are moving toward maturity, Keep going until you reach your goal. Continue to nourish youself with solid spiritual food and learn more each day to think as Jehovah thinks. And, if you have already reachead maturity as Christian, do everything posible to never los it.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What does it mean to be an adult or mature Christian?

The fact of having many years in the congregation or being physically of adult age does not mean that the person is spiritually mature, it may be the opposite.

Mature Christians have learned to make good decisions based on Jehovah's laws and principles.

They are not envious or conflictive, nor do they take offense quickly or fall easily into temptations.

They try to be like Jesus in words and actions.

What do we have to do to achieve Christian maturity?

The first thing is to have the desire to mature. Those who prefer to be like inexperienced children will never progress spiritually.

We don't want to be like some adults, who run away from responsibilities and expect their parents to continue deciding for them. On the contrary, we want to take responsibility for our own spiritual growth.

Be responsible for our actions.

Why shouldn't we trust ourselves?

Because when we feel least we can fall, we should not trust ourselves. It is very important that we constantly examine ourselves to ensure that we continue to progress.