The Goal of Maturity.
A Call to Spiritual Growth
Hebrews 5:11 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word.[fn] You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
There are times that the best counsel some one can be give involves just two words – “grow up.”
We live in a day and time when immaturity seems to be ever on the increase. People church hop today often due to hitting a speed bump with people or things that are totally insignificant and trivial. We see this immaturity also in many marriage breakdowns. The cause of the split often identified as “irreconcilable differences”!
The Apostle Paul even named two people in the church at Philippi who were being immature and at loggerheads with one another – Phl 4:2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.
Paul did not call for a big showdown he basically asked the two ladies to “grow up!”
How, then, do Christians mature? Col 1:28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Paul gives us the answer in Colossians, it is through the proclamation of Christ. If Christian maturity is maturity in our relation to Jesus Christ, then the clearer vision of Jesus we have, the more convinced we are that He is worthy of our commitment and obedience to Him.
When we are immature we are self indulgent, wanting our own way and living and acting our lives in total ignorance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
When we remove the veil from our own self indulgent lives and behaviours, we will see Jesus as our Saviour and the one who suffered and died for our sin, our place is on our face, prostrate before Him and we see ourselves as only worthy of judgment and undeserving of His great grace!
How do you see God tonight, today? If you are immature then we are as Dr J.I. Packer wrote in his classic book “Knowing God”, pygmy Christians because we are living as if we have a pygmy God.
Let us always remember our God is Holy and worthy of all praise and honour – He is the Creator and Almighty God!
There are times and seasons when we all just need to “grow up!”