Our Journey to the Cross

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. 11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:7-14 (ESV)

So what does all of this mean as we go along the journey of life as a disciple of Christ? What does that even mean, to be a disciple of Christ? To be a disciple of Christ is to be someone who is focused, someone who is eager to learn. Someone eager to learn from the lives of those who were in the Bible, someone who is eager to learn from those around them, and eager to seek and actively respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We are told to move off the milk and onto solid food as we go along this Christian journey. And as a disciple, that means we don't do things casually. We're not just casual Christians along for the ride. We cannot simply attend church, listen to something online, or watch TV sermons. That's not what a true disciple is.

A true disciple is active. A true disciple is trying to reflect and change their actions personally as they move forward to be more and more Christ-like. They are intentionally working on their attitude and looking forward to what God has in store for them. They are engaged in conversations with people and living an active life for Christ. So what does it mean to mature? What is Christian maturity? What does that look like for a disciple? I've asked myself that many times over the years, especially early on as a Christian.

What does Christian maturity mean? At first I thought it meant that the journey is a set of stairs. Possibly a ladder that I need to climb to become mature. It was something that could be measured by myself and others to show that I am more mature than my fellow believer in comparison. The Holy Spirit quickly showed me that I was way off-base and wrong. That's not what it is, not at all. The discipleship journey is not one that needs to be compared to others. Another thought was to simply follow what someone else has done, copying their movements and mimicking their path. That doesn't work either because the Holy Spirit has a unique path, a distinct journey for only you. As I've already said, sailing the open waters of life is not something that can be predicted. It's not something that can be expected. It must be actively lived out experientially.

Are you still uncertain about maturity? Many years ago, a term that came to mind I really believe the Holy Spirit put in me so that I can picture it. It's this highly technical term called the wobble factor. If you've been in any of my small groups, you know this term. The wobble factor is how I look at maturity and my growth as a disciple. The image that you see at the beginning of this chapter depicts the wobble factor. We know where the cross is. We know what the cross is. If we just drew a straight line to it and stayed on a straight and narrow path that Christ has for us, man, that would be fantastic. But we're human, so that doesn't happen. We wobble to and fro, but we always come back to that central path if we're trying to follow Christ. The problem is, when we get back on path, we keep going in the other direction. This is why I call it the wobble factor – we wobble to and fro. What we should be looking for in our maturity is that the amplitude of that wobble decreases as we grow as a disciple, not compared to anyone else or something that someone else has defined, but how the Holy Spirit guides us. It may be a time when you're going off the track a little bit and you read something in your Bible that reminds you to correct that area of your life. Whether it be a sin or something you said or did to someone. God can use many avenues to highlight problem area to us. It may be prayer. Another time it may be a teaching. Another time it may be a word from a fellow disciple. Whatever it is, we recognize our problem, correct it, and we continue to decrease the amplitude of our wobble factor..

It doesn't matter how big our wobble is compared to the next person. It doesn't matter if you're a brand new believer or a 75-year-old who has been following Christ intently for 60 years. It didn't matter to the thief on the cross who didn't get the chance to experience wobble factor yet he is in heaven today. As believers in Jesus, we should be secure in our salvation. We need to focus on our own journey and take full responsibility for who we are in Christ, not compare ourself to others. We can't control anything else, as we've already been talking about. We have to focus on and take responsibility for our wobble factor. The only way to do that is to do the things that I've already been talking about, which is looking at our actions and attitudes and correcting them along the way to become more and more focused disciples of Christ. We need to read the Word. We need to pray. We need to be in community - in true relationship - with a group of fellow believers. We need to be in a true relationship with Christ, not just say we know Him or read our Bible every now and then but never apply it to our lives and never discuss it with anyone. Reading the Bible but never applying it to our lives is futile in the long run. It doesn't get us anywhere. Bible knowledge is not the goal in Christian maturity.

The goal to maturity is to have a relationship with Christ and use the Bible as an active guidebook for our life. When our mindset bumps up against it, we change. The only way to do that is if we take responsibility for our behavior. It's not about knowledge. It's about behavior. Behaviors are what matter, not knowledge. We have to embrace the unique journey He has for us. We have to engage in our journey as disciples of Christ to be focused, to be intentional, to be in a relationship with Him. And above all, we have to take responsibility. We have to take personal responsibility, therefore, I Am Responsible is the name of this book. It's all about taking responsibility for who you are, for who you are in Christ, and accepting that responsibility enough to do something about it. Be empowered on your journey. Be a true disciple of Christ.