Spiritual Maturity
Filed Under: General
What does spiritual maturity look like? We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that here at the Church of the Resurrection as we look for ways to help our members and visitors grow in their faith. This weekend my sermon will focus on this question. I’ll share with you the teachings of scripture, my experience in meeting with Billy Graham, and thoughts and reflections from others pursuing the Christian life. In the process I hope to help you see why “gray” may be an appropriate way of speaking about certain dimensions of Christian maturity and why black and white doesn’t always work in the spiritual life. I’d like to invite you to share your response to these questions: Describe someone you personally know who you feel is (was) spiritually mature or advanced. What about that person did you admire or caused you to believe that they were maturing in their faith? What do you see as the defining characteristics of a mature Christian? Remember, brevity is helpful.
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wpolese | Jan 23, 2008 | Reply
Spiritual maturity is characterized by three C’s: clarity about their relationship with God and Jesus Christ: confidence in that relationship to share it with others in an open and loving way; caring abiut the total welfare of others in a totally unselfish and guenine manner.
Will
afriend | Jan 23, 2008 | Reply
I remember my mom saying about her great aunt, “She was the best Christian I’ve ever known.” Someone commented, “I thought you either are a Christian or you’re not. How could someone be best?” I thought later, You’re either a doctor or you’re not, but I want a good doctor to operate on me, or a good lawyer to represent me, etc. Our aim as Christians is to practice what we believe, to live out what it means to belong to Jesus. The mature Christians I’ve known are people of prayer; they know what they believe; there’s often a gentleness about them while they are also bold to share their faith; they are consistent: their inner life and their outer actions increasingly match up. Finally, they know they have a lot more growing to do.
Canopus | Jan 23, 2008 | Reply
Maybe when they have quit chasing certain of the things we tend to look for in this life when we are young. Social position, financial success, physical beauty, fame, acclaim, influence, even relationships in a way.
Also, I think someone is spiritually mature when they don’t care what someone else thinks about them. They will stand up for what they think is right even in a crowd where it might mean they were counted as less hip and intelligent or edgy.
Here’s one thing I really enjoy about church. The Jumbotron focuses on the choir and I see joyful looks of involvement on the faces of old people. I NEVER see that at work!!!!!! All I see at work are pinched frightened “please-don’t-lay-me-off” faces because the corporation is trying to get rid of the old people. And you certainly don’t see old people having a role, participating, much less joyfully, on TV. The Jumbotron at church is about the only place I see happy looks on old people’s faces that is not a faked up commercial for some prescription. I am glad the choir tends to older people and so do some of the soloists. I figure it’s because the older people have the time to come to choir practice. But it sure gives me something to look forward to, a place with a joyful role for old people, because out there in the quest for success that is the secular world, I don’t see happy old people with real looks of joy on their faces. Did I digress, I don’t know.
kari | Jan 24, 2008 | Reply
There were many joys and growth opportunities in my time as a teacher, but, there were hard times too. One day in April an unexpected snow storm arrived catching motorists off guard including a mother transporting several of her children to an appointment. There was an accident, the mother was severely injured and her eldest and youngest daughters were both killed. The mother was so severely injured that she could not attend the funerals. The tragedy hung over our small town like a heavy blanket. Several weeks later a public thank you note went out from the family thanking everyone for their kindness through the difficult time. In it, the family praised God that through this devastating loss God was omnipresent and that hearts were turned to God and lives were transformed as people sought comfort in God. This to them was a blessing and they had a thankful spirit that their girls’ lives and deaths were a powerful ministry. I remember thinking this was a whole higher level of spiritual maturity that I needed to pray to grow into- not how could I grow but how could all of my life bring others to know God more and to desire God more.
afriend | Jan 24, 2008 | Reply
Kari, that’s a great insight. Spiritual maturity is not about self-improvement (though it does improve us). One of the best definitions of spiritual formation I’ve seen says that it is “a process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others” (M. Robert Mulholland, Jr., Invitation to a Journey, 12).
kansasbob | Jan 26, 2008 | Reply
I think that Life is in the Middle. Unfortunately many in (Christian) America are uncomfortable with gray.. we like the B&W in our religion and our politics so we can live our lives from our heads and not from our hearts.. to live in the gray you have to live life from your heart.
Tom | Jan 26, 2008 | Reply
The question was defining mature spirituality.I would define it in the context of a song. There is a country song by Aaron Tippin that was out a few years ago by the title of “If you stand on something, you will fall for anything”. To me I think that song sort of describes spirituality. The more “mature” the Christian the more firmly based they are in their beliefs. The theology cause of the month doesn’t move them off of what they know is right. They aren’t shaken by trials of life or polls which indicate that their beliefs aren’t in vogue.
These people have learned how to moderate their behavior in modern times. Certain things are worth getting excited about, certain things aren’t. John Calvin said it best when he said,”Doctrinal matters are not all of equal importance. Some are essential to true faith; for instance, that God is one, that Christ is God and the Son of god, that our salvation depends on God’s mercy and so on. There are other matters which can be controversial, but do not destroy the unity of the faith.”
Many have sacrificed their believes in the name of inclusion, tolerance, and multiculturalism. If you believe in whatever it should be important to you. You should have had made a decision about it over some other option including non-believe. If all beliefs are equal then no beliefs are valid. That means truth isn’t included or isn’t important in the decision to believe. Not all ways to God are equal. (John 14:6)
One of the things that has struck the European church is the God of inclusion over all else. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams recently called the Christmas story a “legend”.He has also called into question the resurrection. Some in the world council of churches and denominational bureaucracy are endorsing, embracing and infusing weird ancient ideas from paganism, wica, ancient worship of Diana into church teachings all in the name of inclusion. The Pope has made several references about this plague in his statements.
You might say the Church in Europe has paid the price of inclusion. Church attendance in European countries has dropped incredibly. In some countries like Sweden regular church attendance has dropped to like 8-10%. The number of people who indicated that they NEVER attend church in European countries has reached new record highs. The percentage in countries like France, Britain, or the Netherlands reaches over half of the country. The church has ceased influencing society at all.
If the US church wishes to remain viable and not a memory like in Europe it must walk this inclusion trail very, very, carefully. The church fathers did disagree about some things in the early days. However they remained united against certain principles in the pagan world. That dedication helped preserve the religion from many ideas that would have destroyed the church like the gnosticism.
John | Jan 28, 2008 | Reply
I would say that the defining characteristics of a mature believer are love and humility.
CerTain | Jan 30, 2008 | Reply
I’m certain of my faith and relationship with God. What I am in doubt of is all the gray in this world. We as Americans, are not the only ones that carry this belief of this faith. Just as the first movie theather that you wanted, turned you down when you offered a sold out theather and all of the money it would bring in. They choose white. That kept the door open. This movie was a movie produced to make money, why make the entertainment people more wealthy when I could give the same amount out of my pocket to someone that is homeless. With my belief of God, I can see black and white clearly. We have created our own gray with the way we think christains should think. That is what has happened to government and religion today. God created us in color with his sprit implanted in our soul. Gave us guide lines on how to live, but because of needing someone to tell us what we need to do, we have created our governments and the churchs we have today with the idea they can take care of us, what happened to have less frills and more I belive with the help of my faith I can do what is right. I wonder which church he would have Jesus visit. I have a feeling it would be a poor one and not the mega churchs we need to keep us entertained and in comfort while are seated ( or would he wait outside where it was first started for us to follow back on the path.
Clif Guy | Feb 9, 2008 | Reply
Rick Warren was quoted in a recent blog post as saying some things very similar to this sermon and this whole series. Read it here:
http://mondaymorninginsight.com/index.php/site/comments/rick_warren_we_need_to_be_on_the_same_team/