One of the greatest joys in ministry is being witness to persons growing in grace, knowledge, love, faith, etc. To see a person’s life transformed into one that has a thirst for hearing and living the Word of God is truly a blessing. Surely, there are persons you have declared changed, including yourself.
Do you remember the days when you were excited about maturing physically. As a young man, growing a mustache, developing a heavier voice and developing little muscles were a few signs of physical maturity. It was a time of enthusiasm, for manhood had finally arrived. For a young lady, development in body parts and other spurts of growth sent a message that development was taking place. Physical maturity is wonderful, and it is a process all of us must go through. Just as we are excited about maturing physically, we should be more excited about maturing spiritually.
The Bible makes it very clear that spiritual maturity should be an expectation for all Christians. Just as a baby is born and then begins to grow, so we too, are born again into God’s family, and we then start maturing as a child of God. Unfortunately, too many Christians get sidetracked and lose sight of progressing in their faith.
A fundamental question we all should ask ourselves periodically is, “Am I maturing in my faith or my walk with God?” “Do I see myself becoming more like Christ while I am on this Christian journey?” After salvation, all of us should begin the process of growing spiritually, with the hope of becoming spiritually mature. The process is one that is ongoing and should never stop or end in this life.
Stop where you are today and do an analysis or assessment of your spiritual growth. None of us should feel as if we have become stagnant or satisfied with where we are on our Christian Walk. What we must not do is find ourselves drifting away from God. Too often we can find ourselves satisfied with stunted or impaired spiritual growth. In some cases, maybe it is not done intentionally, but we find ourselves more interested in impressing others than we are in progressing and becoming everything God wants us to become.
The apostle Paul in Philippians 3:12-14 says, “that he has not already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do; Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Just like the apostle Paul, we must never stop gaining a deeper desire for knowledge of God in Christ.
When thinking about spiritual maturity, 1 Corinthians 3:2 comes into my mind which says, “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”
In this verse, the apostle Paul uses a metaphor to describe the spiritual growth of the Corinthian believers. He compares the spiritual nourishment he has provided them with milk and meat. He brings to the forefront that the Corinthians are still spiritual infants, unable to digest the deeper teachings of the faith. He has been teaching them with elementary truths because they are not ready for more advanced teaching, which he compares to meat. Spiritual growth is a gradual process, and believers should be moving from the basic principles to a deeper spiritual truth as they mature in their faith.
What we must also be reminded of is that once we have the spiritual foundation, growth becomes our own responsibility. In Paul’s writing to the Corinthians, he urges them to move beyond immaturity and strive for progression.
Paul has compared the Corinthian Christians to babies. Even though they are saved, they have not matured spiritually. They are Christians but they have not taken advantage of the privilege of growing in Christ.
Listed below are some principles that may help you determine if you are maturing spiritually: (1). Spending time in prayer, (2). fasting, (3). being in fellowship with other believers, (4). learning to become a servant (5). Learning to worship God for who he is, and (6). Studying God’s holy word.
If we wish to become mature Christians and enjoy our fellowship with Christ, we should humble ourselves and walk in progression with God’s holy word. The more we learn, the more we should advance.
God’s ultimate goal is for all believers to become more like Christ. If at the end of this message you feel you are the same today spiritually as you were one year ago, there is work to be done. Get busy! This is not about anyone else’s growth, it is about yours and mine personally. The good news is that you do not have to try to impress anyone, just be what God called you to be in this world.
Just my thoughts!
Robert Earl Slade, Pastor
