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When we left off we found ourselves wishing for the spiritual equivalent of the physical swim test that people take before they are ever allowed to swim in the deep end. Obviously, we need these things at camps and aquatics centers, lakes and so forth. They’ve saved thousands of lives. Think of them as the sort of ‘preemptive strike’ of swimming. If the test reveals what it’s supposed to than the child or poor adult swimmer is never placed in a situation that’s way over his head (no pun intended there).
But we don’t have this in churches. As a result we see a lot of frantic doggy paddling where deep stuff is being taught. And spiritual doggy paddling is tough to keep up for very long. Try it. It will give new meaning to the phrase, ‘sink or swim.’
Why do you think it’s so hard to keep up?
Because it’s the equivalent of ‘posing’ – trying to be something or someone that you’re not. And let’s face it, that takes a whole lot more effort than just being yourself.
Friends? You can’t fake maturity and if you attempt it, your immaturity will show through somehow…every time. Sometimes the result is just embarrassing. Often it’s a lot worse. I’ve seen people walk away from the church and even the faith because they were thrown from the kiddy pool into the deep end long before they were ready.
Now I know what some of you are thinking, “Hey, the lifeguard is there if I get into some kind of trouble. I’ll just take my chances. I’m ready to swim with the big dogs!”
No you’re not. You’re really, really, really, not.
If you don’t pass the swim test (i.e. Show some signs of growing in your relationship with Jesus—maturing) then no matter what you say or think, you are not ready for the deep stuff. Here’s another illustration that might help…
Anyone who has been a lifeguard knows the following: If someone is drowning who knows nothing about swimming then they are going to do one thing and one thing only—
FIGHT!
If the lifeguard arrives too soon to save this naive individual, who had no business being in deep waters, that individual will grab hold of the lifeguard and try to pull him down as well.
It’s nothing personal, it’s just what drowning people do. They will grab hold of anyone and everyone near them and you could end up with several drowning victims instead of one. Therefore, it is not uncommon for the lifeguard to allow the person to tire out a bit—maybe even bob under a time or two—before moving in for the rescue. I’ve even heard of lifeguards who moved in too early, cold-cocking their target in order to stop the flailing.
Hey, whatever it takes.
And, if you want to avert a disaster in the church the same rules apply. If immature swimmers somehow make it into the deep end (small group leadership, teaching classes, leading ministries or even participating in ministries before they are ready) undetected—the pastors (lifeguards) will need to move quickly and handle things just right. Here are the signs:
- An individual or several individuals begin whining for the deep stuff at an already deep church. This is a sign that you have some escapees from the kiddy-pool and you may need to check the fence around that knee deep body of water.
- The ones that manage to escape too early start treading water in the deep end—unnoticed at first.
- Then a few tire out (don’t understand what is being taught, don’t continue growing as believers, feel far from Jesus, start citisizing everything—there are a lot of signs that point to this).
- The lifeguards (pastors) hear of it or see it themselves and begin to move in.
- The newbies begin to fight.
- The pastors hang back a little (not too much—damage is done when we wait to long) and wait for the newbies to stop fighting.
- They clobber the spastic drowning victim(s) (In the church, this is called, “church discipline”) and seek to get them back on the right path toward spiritual health and growth.
Now, did you notice something about all of that? I did…
IT”S A LOT OF WORK!!!
That’s why I still say it would be better to just have some sort of spiritual ‘swim test.’ And, as I told you in the very first post of this series—there is one.
You’ll have to wait until Monday though.
Wait for it.
Wait for it.