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As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance
of his friend. Prov. 27:17  
The Church - The
Church is here to equip the saints in much the same way that
military boot-camp equips a soldier for duty. Success in either
situation produces visible fruit.
Producing Fruit - We
cannot produce fruit directly, whether by ourselves, or by the
Spirit of Christ. Good-looking fruit is the natural and symptomatic
by-product of a mature
and healthy tree (Matt.
7:17). And so we need to be sure our tree is growing toward full
maturity. Then it will produce fruit in its season (Matt. 21:19; Lk.
13:7).
The Mature Christian - What
characterizes mature Christians?
•
They
have grown beyond the basic principles of Christ (Heb. 6:1-8; 1Cor.
3:2).
•
They
rightly divide the Word of Truth (2Tim.
2:15)
•
They
have learned to abide in Christ through personal obedience (Jn.
15:5, 10).
•
They
press on, letting go of what hinders them (Heb. 6:1; 12:1).
•
They
are not blown about by every wind of teaching (Jms.1:6).
•
They
have renewed their minds, now having the mind of Christ (Rom. 12:2;
1Cor. 2:16).
•
They
learn to love one another just as Christ loved them (Jn. 13:34).
•
They
walk by faith and not by sight (2Cor. 5:7).
•
They
learn to be content in every circumstance (Phil. 4:11).
•
They
are committed and faithful to the point of death (Rev. 2:10).
•
They
delight in God and in his Law (Ps. 119:35,70; Rom. 5:11;
7:22)
•
And
so they have become Salt and Light in the world, because that is their nature
(Matt.
5:13-16).
The lessons in Christian Boot Camp are
designed to foster these characteristics in the serious Bible
student. You may find you disagree with some of what is said here.
That's OK. But be honest enough to examine the passages that are
cited in support of a given teaching, and reconcile them in your
mind against your own beliefs. May your conviction increase as a
result of such testing.
William H.
Gross | 
