The idol of this age is the self; self-care, mindful living, and “choose joy”. These are phrases you see and hear every single day. Man has become his own god of wood and stone. Humanistic morality has replaced Christian/Judeo morality at all levels of society. Pseudo-religious and mystical practices have entered the church. Most evangelicals, fundamentalists, denominationalists (or whatever label you like) are going along with the world and its new religious philosophies, its new buzzwords and fads. Self-care is selfish. Mindful living is self-guided living. Choosing “joy” is choosing yourself. Jesus was selfless. Jesus let the Holy Spirit rule His mind and guide His life. Jesus’ joy was reconciling humanity to Himself by the shedding of His Blood. Joy was imputed, or put on you, because of salvation, not by choice. Joy is unspeakable, full of glory, and is different from happiness. One is of God; one is of the world. Today, the church needs to go back to the Word of God. We need to look to the Author and Finisher of our faith as the only way, the only truth, and the only life. To facilitate the Gospel of Jesus Christ going forth and for souls to be saved, we need spiritually mature Christians. God has a plan. We as Christians are blessed or suffer according to our conversation (your life or walk) with Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Maturity Definition
It is quite simple; we are selfish, and we won’t grow in God’s grace without Him. You cannot be saved without Him, and you can’t be mature without Him. In an age of selfishness, we need mature Christians. See 1 Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
We all tell people to quit acting like a baby, to grow up. We say this to our sons, daughters, spouses, friends, and loved ones. We tell them they need to be mature and act like an adult. But judgment starts at the house of God.
Is there a link between your behavior and how much of your heart the Holy Spirit has? Is there a link between your joy and your obedience to God? These are questions worth praying over and meditating on.
The physical and emotional parts: You are either ruled by the flesh or the Holy Spirit; obedience is a choice. We need to quit acting like babies spiritually. As children learn to feed and dress themselves, so the Christian needs to walk before they can run.
All spiritual growth and maturity is a work of the Holy Spirit by the believer choosing Him and then acting on it by faith. You must choose to leave childish things behind; to put them away. See 1 Corinthians 3:1-2: “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, neither yet now are ye able.”
These verses speak to Christians acting like babies spiritually. Paul is admonishing them out of love. He could not teach them in a mature manner because their hearts and minds were not prepared in obedience to receive his preaching in the proper manner. He states this to the point where he even says he taught them as children because that’s the way they act. Further, he tells them they are still not ready to receive it because their hearts are not right with God, and they wouldn’t be able to bear it.
You don’t feed a baby a 14-oz rib-eye. This is quite an illustration of why even when we are under-preaching, we may not receive what the Holy Spirit wants to give us. Why? The Christian, who earnestly prays and seeks God’s wisdom, should meditate on whether it’s their sin or their own pride standing in the way. Is God the problem? He most assuredly is not. See Isaiah 6:3: “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
See also 1 Corinthians 14:20: “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.”
Here, Paul is talking to believers (Brethren) and exhorting us not to be immature or childish in our understanding of God’s word, but to be men. Men (and by implication, women) who are baptized, men who are members of God-fearing churches, men who are being discipled, men who have strong family altars, men who are prayer warriors, men who faithfully attend church, and so on.
Being providentially hindered, as the old paths preachers used to say aside, children often find any excuse not to do what their father says. That goes double for the children of our Heavenly Father. See Galatians 4:8-10: “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.”
When you were unsaved, you served idols with your heart and mind. Now when you are saved, and God knows you, you turn back to those sinful things that kept you from God. Not only that, but you chose to turn back toward philosophies, holidays, rituals, and fads. See Galatians 4:16: “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”
These are verses about Paul loving the believers but hating him for it. Jesus must increase; we must decrease if we want to be mature Christians. We must be willing to let the men of God reprove (correct using the word of God), rebuke (a strong, but loving “Hey you are not right”), and exhort (encourage) us. Editor’s note: Amen!
Applications
Our application is simple: it’s obedience. Execution in our lives is the challenge because the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. It’s the battle of self (sin) vs. selflessness (grace), of childish believing instead of mature believing. Even after salvation, the corruptness of our flesh tempts us to sin the same as God’s Holy Spirit woos us to obedience.
As the serpent in the garden said (questioning the Word of God) in Genesis 3:1 “Yea, hath God said”, so does the modern Christian when they willingly choose selfishness, anger, pride, self-delusion, victimization, and quite literally anything willingly against what God says to do. The Bible gives us a path and tells us to:
Feed the Spirit
See Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
Sanctification
See John 17:17: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
Daily Confession and Repentance of Sin
See 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Regular Church Attendance
See Hebrews 10:25: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Baptized Member of a New Testament Church
See Acts 2:41 and Romans 6:3-4:
- Acts 2:41: “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
- Romans 6:3-4: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Daily, Frequent & Earnest Prayer
See 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without ceasing.”
Daily Bible Study
See Psalms 119:105 and Joshua 1:8:
- Psalms 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
- Joshua 1:8: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
Conclusion
Obedience is the pathway to spiritual maturity. It is a divine work of the Holy Spirit through the process of sanctification. The day needs to come when you realize that they (the unsaved) are lost, and you are not. And that, the more you love them, the more they will be your enemy. Why would you willingly return to the things, ideas, people, and places that kept you from God? Did Christ suffer for you? Would you suffer for him to see your loved ones saved? Look around, the world hates Christians.
The mature Christian has a mind, soul, and heart given to God willingly and on purpose because they know He is the way, the truth, and the life as assuredly as they know they are saved. He lives a separate and pilgrim lifestyle in the world, but is not of the world. He learns to separate the physical things of the flesh in his mind/heart from the spiritual. He realizes that God is a spirit and therefore the spiritual has total rule over the physical. He knows that it is as simple as he loves the Lord, so he will do what He says to do. If we love Him, we keep his commandments.
What he doesn’t do is grieve the Holy Spirit, as the Scripture shows us. See Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” This verse tells us to avoid actions that cause sorrow to the Holy Spirit, as believers are sealed for redemption.
See next Isaiah 63:10: “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.” This verse highlights the consequences of grieving the Holy Spirit through rebellion.
You can tell your obedience by the next Scripture. See Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
If you do not have the fruit of the Spirit in your heart, thoughts, and actions as a Christian, you need to repent and turn back to God. If you lack one of the above, you lack all. Sin is sin, and it was paid for once and for all by Jesus’ own Blood.
God knows we will stumble, we will fall, and we will suffer. But Christ, having suffered for us, is able and faithful to clean us up and put us back on our feet. He is sufficient to meet every single one of our physical and spiritual needs. Let Him have the last word. See 2 Corinthians 12:9: “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
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