Col. E. Koshy - Col. E. Koshy

Will a mother deny milk to her newborn babe? If she were to do this, the babe would keep wailing, and the mother would be failing in her duty. Yet many of us behave like this with the newborns in Christ.

We are quite familiar with the verse, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it’ (Pr.22:6, KJV). Some of us take this quite seriously, when it concerns our biological children. Lets see how we can apply this to the spiritual children – the newborns in Christ. In Isa.40:11, we are told that ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young’ (KJV). God often uses His people to do this.

God may choose to use you and me to do this. God calls some of us to be shepherds to His sheep. Is God calling some of us to nurture and guide His young ones? Here are some thoughts that will help you in this journey Be with them We need to be ‘among them’ (1 Thes.2:7), as a mother is among her children. We need to spend time with them, being available when they want to talk, or ask our advice or just be with us. And we need to be passionate and ‘affectionately desirous’ (1 Thes.2:7-12), of their well-being and spiritual growth. Showing the sacrificial and unselfish love of a mother, because they are ‘dear unto us’ (1 Thes.2: 7-12). Be Gentle We need to ‘be gentle’ (1 Thes.2:7), We need to be kind, caring for their well-being, and sensitive to their needs.

We need to respect them, be considerate, tolerant, compassionate, patient, tender-hearted and loyal. We need to be open. Perhaps we need to have open homes and show our open hearts. Feed with Milk Newborn babes are breast-fed by their mothers. Paul says ‘And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it’ (1 Cor.3:1-2, KJV). A newly ‘born again’ (Jn.3:3), person is just a spiritual babe.

Just as the mother weans her baby to more solid food, so also we should help the born again to a deeper search of the Word. Be a Role-Model We need to be as fathers, who can be watched and imitated (1 Thes.2:10-12). We need to be as models in our faith, our lives and our witness. Yet we need to ‘share the gospel’ to them and to ‘exhort, comfort and charge’ as we would our biological children (1 Thes.2:9,11), to the end that they ‘would walk worthy of God, who hath called them unto his kingdom and glory’ (1 Thes.2:12, KJV).

Help them to focus on God All training is to prepare for the task ahead. We need to train the children not to look to us but to look to their heavenly Father. They need to be strong enough to move from the spoon-fed milk to meat, which they will feed themselves from the Word, depending on the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth. Let us ‘train up our children in the way they should go: and when they get older they will remain firm in the Way and they will not depart from it’ (Pr. 22:6). May we be instrumental in taking the babes-in-Christ to maturity. Later, they will be the ones to provide the meat of the Word to others.