27th August, 2019
SPIRITUAL MATURITY
David Abankwah
READ: 1 Corinthians 3:1-23
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
-Hebrews 5:14 | NIV
For a baby to become an adult, it takes several human developments. A baby who is born today does not become an adult tomorrow. It takes time. That applies to spiritual maturity too. You can’t be born again today and expect to lead a congregation of millions. Before you do so, you have to go through many processes. So when I see baby Christians who wants God to use him now but he is not ready to go through the processes of spiritual growth, I pity him. You have to go through the painful and hardworking processes of 30%, 60% in order to become a mature Christian of 100%.
Would you describe yourself as a mature Christian? Honestly, that term feels sort of subjective. What one person considers mature, another might not. However, the Bible does give us some guidelines for spiritual maturity. First, God calls us to spiritual maturity in Ephesians 4:13. Next, our maturity is so important to God that is why He allows trials into our lives to grow our faith in James 1:3-4. If our maturity is this important to God, perhaps we should take it more seriously. But how can we know if we’re growing spiritually? Below are some of the signs of a matured Christian.
1. Recognition of the difference between right and wrong then doing what is right (Hebrews 5:14)
2. Not easily swayed by false teaching (Ephesians 4:13-16) – So grounded in the truth of God’s Word, you must quickly recognize falsehood.
3. If you are rooted in love, thus your words and actions flow from love for people (Ephesians 4:13-16)
4. If you are able to serve the church well (Ephesians 4:13-16) – A Christian cannot grow to his full potential apart from a vital connection to a local church. You must find your place of mutual service and encouragement.
5. If you have a daily eternal perspective in view (Philippians 3:13-15) – The reality of the spiritual and eternal drives your life. You purposefully strive in continuance with spiritual growth because you know this life is temporal.
6. When you are able to control your tongue (James 3:2) – If a Christian has good control of his speech, you know he is on a path to maturity!
7. If you are able to reflect on God’s character to the world (Matthew 5:48) – God wants us to grow in spiritual maturity in order to reflect the character of Jesus to a watching world.
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David Abankwah 