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As we read through the book of The Acts of The Apostles we find there a portrayal of Christians who were dynamically alive in their faith and their walk with the Lord. They were on fire in their strong commitment to continually spread the gospel message so as to reach as many people as they possibly could. They were men and women who were most powerfully used by the Holy Spirit to bring in a most fruitful harvest of souls for the glory of their Lord.

Then, as we study the history of the Christian Church since New Testament times, we discover other periods in the Church's history when similar striking developments also took place. God was able to raise up leaders whose lives were marked by the fact that they too were dynamically alive in both their faith and their walk with the Lord. Also, they were on fire in their strong commitment to spread the gospel message to every person they could possibly reach. There is unmistakable evidence that they were also powerfully used by the Holy Spirit to bring to the Lord Jesus large numbers of new converts.

But then there have been long periods of time when it appears as though the fire of spiritual power and effectiveness has not only abated, but been completely lost. Periods of time when Christians and Churches were desperately struggling to maintain what little they had left of their people and their vitality. It would appear that apathy and indifference had become the normal state of affairs.

In this present day there are some bright spots in areas around the world where there is evidence that the fire of the Holy Spirit is burning strongly, and by the enabling of the Holy Spirit Christians are living victorious and fruitful lives for the glory of the Lord Jesus. But in most cases these radiant examples are the rare exception, and not the general rule.

In so many ways it would appear that the vast majority of Christians have lost, if they ever had, the vital spark of true New Testament Christian experience. This has inevitably resulted in such Christians actually becoming a part of this most serious problem, when they should be a part of God's glorious and dynamic answer to the desperate needs of this modern age.

In this next series of studies we are going to make a sincere attempt to continue to search the Scriptures, with the objective of finding God's direction for us to live as victorious and fruitful Transfigured Christians! That path will show us the way by which we can personally experience an increase in the intensity of the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our service. If we humbly approach and apply the teaching of the Word of God the results will include that increase in the harvest that brings greater glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is the prayer of the writer that we all will come to these studies humbly, being willing and eager to learn together, desiring only that the Holy Spirit will be given greater opportunity to bring glory to the Lord Jesus.

As we begin this new series, “Let us go on to perfection,” our overall theme is taken from Hebrews 6: 1. It is as we examine the context of this statement that the Holy Spirit reveals to us excellent reasons for encouraging us and others to press on to perfection.

In Hebrews chapter 5 the Lord introduces the theme of the Lord Jesus as our great High Priest: “So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He (God) who said to Him (the Son): You are My Son, today I have begotten You. As He also says in another place: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (5: 5, 6).

But then the writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, felt compelled to add, “Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing” (verse 11).

It was quite difficult to explain to them vital truth about the Lord Jesus as their great High Priest, Who “became the Author of eternal salvation” (verse 9). These statements were being made to those who professed to be Christians, truth which they needed to understand was beyond their ability to comprehend.

Even today there continues to be a very serious hindrance to the life and witness of so many people who profess to be Christians. There are many things which they urgently need to know about the Lord Jesus whom they claim to love and serve, but it remains so hard to explain these crucial truths to them.

Why was there this difficulty? Is the problem in the fact that these truths about the Lord Jesus are essentially quite difficult in themselves to explain? No, that is not what this verse is saying. It is certainly not because of any difficulty in the truth itself, but because of problems within the Christians. The truth is difficult to explain because those to whom it needs to be explained are “dull of hearing.” They see no real reason to concentrate on such teaching!

The Lord Jesus quoted Isaiah 6: 9, 10 as He spoke about the people to whom He was attempting to reveal the truth about Himself and His ministry. “Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed.”(Matthew 13: 14, 15)

It was not that they could not hear. Rather, when it came to the truth as it related to the Lord Jesus, His life and ministry, they deliberately chose not to hear! They were too smugly self-satisfied with what “they knew!” - they had absolutely no desire to go beyond it.

Do we today really want to hear what our Lord is seeking to say to us about Himself? About His life as He seeks to live His life in and through us? Are we really eager and excited about what we are hearing Him say? Or are we so preoccupied with other things that when it comes to these crucial aspects relating to His Person and His presence, our ears are equally “dull of hearing”?

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food” (verse 12).

Christians who had both the time and the opportunity to personally enter into a deeper, fuller, richer relationship with the Lord Jesus, the kind of relationship with Him in which their service for Him should have been bearing much fruit for His glory. But He found Christians far too immature to be effective in His service!

They had failed to enter into the relationship into which He was seeking to draw them. They had failed to grasp the opportunity that He had given to them by which they would be fully trained and equipped to serve Him most effectively. He sought for that fruit that He had every right to be able to find, but He was disappointed!

It is quite obvious that the writer held the Christians themselves accountable for this tragic failure. For whatever reason they had chosen to remain immature in their relationship with their Lord. They wanted to go on enjoying the benefits of being saved, while they continually rejected the need for them to grow and develop in that salvation.

Today there are still so many Christians who remain quite immature in their relationship with their Lord because they have been denied those opportunities to grow that some other Christians enjoy but ignore. Too many do not have any access to the loving nurture and training that their Lord uses to help His people to grow. There are those who have little, or no, opportunity to attend worship services and Bible studies where the Word of life is systematically shared.

Yet even many Christians who find themselves in that situation have applied themselves quite diligently to their study of the Word and prayer, and have continued to grow in both faith and fruitfulness.

It is a tragedy of incredible proportions that confronts us today in the fact that there are so many who have been Christians for many years, yet they have made little, or no, effort to continue to seek that spiritual food and nurture by which the Holy Spirit seeks to enable them to grow to maturity. There are many who have excellent helps and teaching available to them, but they are too busy with other interests.

“For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.”(verse 13). Notice that it says that “everyone” who is in this condition remains “unskilled in the Word.” Therefore it should not surprise us that there are so many Christians today who are so obviously “unskilled in the Word.”

If you are beginning to realize that you may be among that number, the Lord is bringing this Word to you as a wake-up call. It is a challenge to begin to apply yourself in the diligent study of the Word of God, and in humble and sincere prayer, seeking that you will become better equipped. The effectiveness of both your growth and your service for the Lord is directly related to this genuine motivation to be transfigured in His image and likeness.

“But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”(verse 14).

This reminder is crucial: “By reason of use!” The athlete knows that daily exercise is so very vital if he is to stay at the peak of his performance. How much more should the Christian be committed to “exercise” in the spiritual realities, so that we reach and remain at the highest possible level of spiritual performance for the glory of the Lord Jesus!

This statement is not suggesting that “the elementary principles” are no longer important. The fact has been clearly established that “the elementary principles” are of the most vital importance - when they are faithfully applied at the right time, and in dealing with the right people.

For example, in proclaiming the gospel to the unsaved, emphasis on “repentance” and saving “faith” are crucial. Those who are still held in bondage to sin need to be called to repentance, to the renunciation of their life of sin; while at the same time they are called to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin.

Even when dealing with new converts, those who are still quite immature in the faith, it is so very important that they do receive a good grounding in “the elementary principles.”

But in this passage of Scripture that is before us, the focus is neither on the unsaved sinner nor on the new convert. It is on the person who has been a Christian for an extended period of time, so much time, in fact, that they “ought to be teachers” of those who are less experienced.

Such Christians should have become thoroughly grounded in “the elementary principles” to the extent that they do have a strong desire and commitment to move on to “the solid food” by which they can enter more fully into the life of spiritual maturity and fruitfulness.

So, when such Christians are encouraged by the call, “leaving the discussion of the elementary principles, . . . let us go on to perfection,” they respond with a definite and eager desire to do so. They are motivated by the promise of being more fully transfigured into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus!

History reveals some very significant examples that we would do well to emulate. Some of the most fruitful evangelistic leaders of the Christian Church have been men who have not only been greatly used by the Holy Spirit to win a great many people to personal faith in the Lord Jesus.

They were also people who fully understood that once you have won the person to the Lord Jesus, then you must accept the challenge and the responsibility of faithfully teaching and nurturing them. They knew that they must encourage them to press on “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3: 14).

Those who have studied the methods of John Wesley will see ample evidence of this kind of commitment. He gathered the converts into societies, to then put them into smaller “classes” for “class meetings” where they would be taught, encouraged and nurtured. He trained leaders in effective methods which were aimed at providing every means possible to inspire in the converts the personal commitment to be filled with the Holy Spirit and wholly sanctified; and thus to be equipped to live an effective and fruitful Christian life. He also encouraged the people by making available to them inspiring and challenging literature that would also aid them in their growth.

William Booth was another strikingly effective evangelistic preacher who was used by the Holy Spirit to win multiplied thousands. He also organized the converts according to a deliberately planned scheme to attempt to make sure that they continued to go on in their growth in the Lord.

There was the “Salvation Meeting,” which was aimed at reaching and sharing the Gospel with those who needed the Savior. They also had the “Holiness Meeting,” focusing on the Christians to bring them to a deeper fuller experience of the Christian life through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and emphasizing the need to grow in the Spirit. He also included “Soldiers' Meetings”, also aimed at motivating, inspiring, an encouraging those who were Christians.

Like John Wesley, William Booth placed great emphasis on providing for Christians suitable literature which would also encourage them to press on in the growth and development in the Lord.

By contrast, today, most groups have only one service, which is made up mainly, and in many cases, entirely of Christians; yet all too often these services will place much greater emphasis on “the elementary principles” to the exclusion of the kind of preaching/teaching that would inspire greater commitment to Christian growth. Often such services have little if any real Biblical teaching, not even the elementary kind.

There are those congregations where they are almost continually subjected to an emphasis on one issue, to the neglect of equally, or far more, important matters. For example, some preachers have quite a reputation for “prophetic interpretation”, while others concentrate on the issues of “external standards.” We are not suggesting that these things do not have their place - at the appropriate time, but not as a sole diet for Christians who need to continue to grow in the Lord.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His Kingdom: Preach the Word, be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4: 1, 2).

“Preach the WORD!” “The whole counsel of God!” When we fail to faithfully do so, we rob those who hear us of the opportunity of receiving so much that is so vital to their continuing growth in the Lord Jesus. Remember, “at His appearing and His Kingdom,” the Lord will hold us accountable for those He has entrusted to our care.

As God enables us, we will do everything we can to continue to go on to perfection ourselves, and to encourage everyone else we possibly can reach with the Word of God to do likewise.

For ourselves we will continue to prayerfully and systematically search the Word, wanting to discover everything that the Lord is seeking to use to enable us to be all that He wants us to be. We realize that this will involve a determined and diligent study of the Scriptures - all of the Scriptures! We will not receive the help and guidance we need if all we continue to just read are our favorite passages, while we neglect the rest.

We need to read all of the Word of God so that the Holy Spirit can use the Word to point out to us those specific areas in our lives and service that we need to give closer attention to. There will be those passages which He will use to correct and reprove us, and we should be deeply thankful for bringing such passages and needs to our attention. His correction and reproof, even chastisement, has the goal of making us more fully transfigured into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus.

There will be those areas to which, until He directs us, we have given little or no thought to; but the Holy Spirit will use the Word to enable us to see the need for us to closely examine our faithfulness to the Lord and His Word on these particular issues.

And what about the responsibility of those whose service for the Lord includes bringing the Word of the Lord to others? For far too many there is the problem of the fear of man. The fear that if we faithfully press home the truth as it is clearly taught in the Word, someone may get upset with us!

We have only one consideration, which is to please the Lord Jesus. This means that no matter what anyone else thinks, says, or does, we will faithfully present the Word of the Lord. “At His appearing and His Kingdom” we will stand before Him and be judged by Him for our faithfulness to the mission which He has entrusted to us, or our lack of it.

The reason the Epistle to the Hebrews emphasizes that we need to identify those things which may be hindering our effective growth to Christian maturity is to enable us to establish and maintain the right spiritual priorities. Even things which in the right place are good, if allowed to dominate our lives and service in other areas, can become real hindrances to us being able to press on to that which is the best.

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12: 1, 2).

In this verse “the weight” is not “the sin!” “The weight” can in fact be anything that so preoccupies our attention that it distracts us from continually “looking unto Jesus!” There is involved here a reality which many Christians have real difficulty in acknowledging: As Christians we can become so totally preoccupied with ensuring that our life-style is free from entanglements, or even what others may interpret as the slightest suggestion of worldliness, that we are so focusing on ourselves that we lose the only valid motive for keeping ourselves pure: “looking unto Jesus!” Wanting to always please Him, to be transfigured into His image and likeness!

Whenever any “good” thing becomes an end in itself, it has become a dangerous “weight” that will inevitably hinder us from continuing to run our race with endurance, “looking unto Jesus.”

“Let us go on.” Yes, having both learned and faithfully applied in our lives “the elementary principles,” let us go on to apply ourselves to learn more and more of Jesus, and what it means for us to increasingly live “in Christ,” and, to “walk in the Spirit.”

The teaching of the Lord Jesus makes it unmistakable that all true growth to maturity is to be measured by the harvest that the life brings to Him.

“For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God.”

Every day our lives are being enriched by the showers of blessing that God so freely gives to all. He gives these blessings so that we in our lives will respond to Him by demonstrating a positive and fruitful response to the One who has so richly blessed us. We will honor the One who is constantly seeking to cultivate our lives so that they will bring forth the harvest that is positive evidence of our personal likeness to the Lord Jesus.

This is a theme that the Bible expresses in a variety of different ways. Another example is found in Paul's word, “For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.”(1 Corinthians 3: 9, 10).

We are all “fellow workers with God!” What are we producing as the result of this great and awesome privilege? “Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is” (verses 12, 13).

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5: 10).

Thankfully there are many of those who are fully yielded to the Lord and who are pressing on in devoted loyalty to His will and His Word, who rejoice in their knowledge that He is continuing to bless them and enrich their lives and service for His glory. “If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward” (1 Corinthians 3: 14). He “receives blessings from God!”

But we must be honest in presenting the other side of this picture. “But if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned” (Hebrews 6: 8). “If anyone's work is burned he shall suffer loss” (1 Corinthians 3: 15).

The Christian who humbly and faithfully presses on for the glory of the Lord will be living the life that will be continually enriched and used by the Holy Spirit. That life will bring forth the harvest that will result in joy and bring glory to the Lord Jesus, the life that is to be blessed and rewarded. The life that is transfigured into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus.

Those who are genuinely interested in living the life of the transfigured Christian have both the desire and the motivation that will be used by the Holy Spirit to so continue to work in their lives that they can and will be “presented perfect in Christ!”

To have such a desire and motivation will lead to the diligent study of all that the Word of God reveals concerning being the called according to His purpose! Their study will continually motivate them to “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3: 14).

“Let us go on to perfection!” - being committed to faithfully hold to the course. Meeting all of the various difficulties and distractions with the firm, unshakable resolve to keep looking to Jesus.

“Let us go on to perfection!” Knowing that it is the clearly stated purpose of God to “present every man perfect in Christ”(Colossians 1: 28). “To present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24).