Growing spiritually is a lot like maturing emotionally. It’s a choice that each believer has to make. Part of the maturation process comes from accepting responsibility. And a great part of the spiritual growth process comes from accepting the responsibility of it. Spiritual growth doesn’t happen by accident any more than emotional maturity.
Now, here I was, still a babe in Christ, just starting to grow spiritually. Stationed in England with the United States Air Force, I was attending Temple Southern Baptist Church right outside the main gate. (I didn’t have a lot of choices in England so Southern Baptist had to do.) Floyd, my future husband, hadn’t been on base very long and he also joined Temple.
On one particular Sunday morning, Danny (our preacher) brought his message on Matthew chapter 25 about the ten virgins; five were wise and five were foolish. He explained that the five wise virgins represented five wise Christians who were walking with the Lord. And when the Lord comes for the church, they’re going in the rapture. Then he explained that the five foolish virgins represented five foolish Christians who were out of fellowship with God. And when Jesus comes, because of their disobedience, they’ll be left behind to go through the tribulation.
I left church that morning a little baffled. That just didn’t sound right. The funny part was that no one else from the church caught his creative interpretation. Other church members told me, “Oh, that’s not what he said. You must have misunderstood.” But I knew I didn’t misunderstand.
So I sought out Floyd, who was very knowledgeable on Scripture, and I asked him, “Did I misunderstand Danny, or did he say that if a Christian is not walking with the Lord at the time of the rapture that he will be made to go through the tribulation?”
Floyd replied, “You didn’t misunderstand him. That’s what he preached.”
I said, “That doesn’t sound right.”
“It’s not.”
Floyd decided to talk to Danny about it, and he invited me to go with him. The next day, we stopped by his house to talk to him in private. Floyd asked him about his Sunday morning message, and Danny verified that the way we understood him was exactly how he interpreted Scripture. And he wasn’t the least interested in what other Scripture verses said (rightly dividing the Word of God). Finally, he said to Floyd, “Look, I’ve got the schooling.” To which, Floyd replied, “Yes, but we’ve got the Holy Spirit.” That’s when he threw us out of his house.
I have never been one to follow anyone blindly; not even the preacher. And as I’ve grown in the Lord, I’ve learned that the Holy Spirit of God is my teacher, guiding me into all truth. I listen carefully to what my preacher teaches, and God is good about warning me of false teaching or confirming the truth of His Word. But it’s still my responsibility to listen. If I do my part and God does His part (which He always does), I will grow spiritually.