Taking it to the Next Level - Christian Maturity
We know it, it is natural. So natural that we often don’t even pay attention – unless it dawns on us that growth, maturity has been stunted. When it happens to our children, it is time for immediate action!
For those who belong to Jesus, growth to spiritual maturity is also natural. You can grasp Jesus’ expectations as you listen to him in the Gospels. His men write about it in their letters to the churches. Reaching maturity is an integral part of our walk with our Lord.
Unfortunately, in our times, many believers are lagging behind on their path to maturity. Some are embarrassingly underdeveloped. If I may be bold here: from what I have observed, Christ’s church seems to have set the bar exceptionally low; failing to challenge Christians to truly live a life that would please our Lord.
The apostle John, while writing his first letter, pauses to address those on his heart as he writes. He divides them into levels of maturity. It is a unique passage; in my sixty plus years of paying attention at church, I have never heard a message on this (excepting my presentations). Please note, I did not say no one has touched them; just that I didn’t notice. (1 John 2:12-14)
As you read, you will recognize two things quickly; John addresses three groups and he repeats himself. The apostle is growing old; however, he is inspired by the Holy Spirit. I don’t believe the repetition is a slip; rather, it is intentionally underlining this path to growth.
So you know up front, we are going to spend the bulk of our time in the middle category – young men (Or your translation may say something like, “you who are young in the faith”).
Let’s look briefly at children and the mature ones. New believers should have a ready grasp that our sins were forgiven, after all that’s why we come to the Lord, isn’t it? They learn that they can trust and lean on the Heavenly Father. This is our spiritual foundation.
The ultimate level of growth is a simple statement, repeated by John, “… you know him who is from the beginning.” Ponder this: the sign of deep maturity in Christ comes from years and years of learning from him, walking with him, talking to him, and experiencing his presence. It is summed up in the line, “I know him.” It is confidence in a relationship that is developed through quality and quantity time. And never lose sight of this, it is our prime target!
Focus with me on the mid-level of maturity. I am sad to tell you that I grew up in church and honestly wasn’t challenged to stretch to this level of spiritual advancement. Rather, we were reminded that our sins are forgiven, that God is our Father, and encouraged to remember Bible stories. Spiritual conflict was not in the syllabus.
Here it is, front and center – 1 John 2:13. What makes a person move from out of childhood spiritually? Conflict with the evil one … and victory (overcoming – the Greek word here is nike` - victory. That would make a good name for a sporting goods company, wouldn’t it?) The second half of verse 14 answers our question, “How do I win battles with Satan?” “… because you are strong, God’s word lives in you…”
Here's what they never got around to teaching me at church: when you take Jesus seriously, you automatically draw the attention of our spiritual enemy and his hordes. The devil will work to distract you, tangle you up in sin, intimidate you, persecute you, and cause heartache in your life – often by setting up trouble in your relationships with other believers (these are particularly discouraging). The more you pursue Christ, the stronger these counterattacks grow.
Does this correlate with your experience? Often, when faced with spiritual opposition, believers choose to shelter in place, or retreat. It is simpler, and less painful, to develop a holding pattern as a “child in Christ” than it is to square off with the forces of evil. Sometimes the selection is to fold and walk away from the Lord.
Yet, when we carefully and faithfully follow Jesus, we can’t help but encounter the forces of evil – have you noticed how often our Lord dealt with them? If we set our hearts to overcome a sinful habit or develop a spiritual discipline, we can expect opposition sponsored by our invisible adversary. As we endeavor to take back territory, in the lives of others, whom Satan has deceived, we become a present threat to his cause. When we strive to reach those in darkness with true light, the dominion of darkness will counterattack.
We live in a time when evil is surging! We are God’s people. Conscientious objector status in this war is not an option for those who belong to Jesus. He calls us to run to the battle!
Our step of maturity is not to cut and run, but to stand and fight. I found a remarkable passage of scripture at the end of Judges 2 and the opening verses of chapter 3. It explains why God did not drive out the immoral enemies of Israel all at one time: He wanted the younger generations to learn warfare. I can see a parallel as we follow Christ today. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Ephesians 6 lists our true enemy, our valuable armor – notice, they are character virtues, and our weaponry.
The sword of the Spirit is … the word of God. A key to victory against the evil one … the word of God lives in you. We are not talking about some out of date, religious relic that needs to be set aside so that the church can be relevant. No way! The words of the Bible are living and active because its Author is living and active. The better you know them, recite them, and obey them the more firepower that you have against our enemy.
Please hear me here: a great disappointment of my ministry career is the number of long-term Christians I’ve encountered who have little practical knowledge of the word of God. Satisfied with being spoon fed (or bottle fed), they don’t learn the word to obey it and use it as it was designed – an offensive weapon against a spiritual enemy. One verse memes (or less), shared on social media, and intended to be motivational, aren’t the full use of what God intends, either.
I have had the opportunity to learn the Bible throughout my whole life. As a teen, my incentive was to win arguments about doctrine in school and to win in a National Bible Knowledge competition (Bible Bowl). Our Lord took what was in me and increased it (a modern paraphrase helped that process). My cumulative knowledge lit the fuse of obedience which touched off vital experience. I discovered Jesus’ use of scripture to ward off temptation, imitated him and realized the power of God’s word. That whetted my appetite for more! And more!
The continuum for me has been, learn the word, ponder, obey, experience Jesus’ present power and activity, and then, I find that God’s word is truly living in me. We have been sorely persecuted, yet we have experienced the Holy One again and again.
What about you? Where are you on the path to maturity? Where do you want to be? Our Lord calls us to maturity and to join him in the battle. His glory is at stake.