SPIRITUAL MATURITY (II)

Pr. Geoffrey Kibombo

Hebrews 11:24 (AMP)

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter”

Mature people make good decisions!

The above scripture is a short verse with a bountiful revelation. Moses who was Jewish had been brought up in the palace and nurtured and brought up according to Egyptian culture, norms and beliefs; but when he was of age, he declined to be referred to as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses’s brothers were in captivity and had he decided to remain a royal, he would have had to afflict them. However there was a word that his generation would be taken into captivity but God will redeem them (Gen 15:13-14).

When Moses became of age, he made a good decision – for spiritual maturity empowers you to make right and godly decisions. Many born again people still make bad decisions. Why? They are spiritually immature (1Cor 13:11). You may come across a person who has been saved for a couple of years but speaks, reasons, decides and acts ignorantly immature and when such a person is faced with problems, he or she decides poorly or keeps threatening to quit salvation; this happens because such is still spiritually immature irrespective of the years one has been saved. Such a person only wants to live a life that is stress and problem free, and cannot bear walking in the narrow road; but Moses decided to forsake the luxurious palace life and chose to suffer with God’s people for a greater cause beyond his understanding – he chose divine purpose over worldly pleasures. Hebrews 11:25-26 (NLT) explains; “He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.”

Significance of the Five-fold Ministry

The main role of the five-fold ministry is to nurture us so that we spiritually grow to a level where our character is likened to that of Christ, and when we aim to attain that, we are in position not to make bad decisions or be taken up by false teachings or doctrines. You may not be aware of this, but God has a plan and He put in place the five-fold ministry in order to implement this plan; so when Christ ascended to heaven, he acquired for us the five-fold ministries - pastors, evangelists, prophets, apostles and teachers. The responsibility of these ministries is to prepare God’s people for service and to help them grow in Christ. Our role therefore as Christians is to prepare ourselves to be fulfilled and equipped because there is work to do. Ephesians 4:11-15 (NLT) says;

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ….”

One of the weapons against the false prophets is the revelation and knowledge of God’s plan towards us; for nothing is able to derail us if we are spiritually mature and wise (wisdom is seeing things from God’s perspective). At this level, you can make good decisions because you have an understanding and revelation of what the word of God says. People join various cults because they are ignorant of the word of God and His ways; however, if you have understanding of  the word of God, then you know that the bible warns in Matthew 7:15-17 (ESV) that; “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.” 

You can know servants of God by their fruits, however false prophets will only show you their gifts because they bear ungodly fruit, but some believers are ignorant about the difference. It is therefore important for Christians to desire to grow in the Lord so that we are not tossed about by any kind of doctrine as stated in Ephesians 4:14 above. 

Maturity changes your perception

If you are in salvation and you have been taught the word, the most important task thereafter is to apply the word in your life and use it to fight the tricks of the devil. Every time you get a revelation about the word that you have received (Rhema) or been taught in the church, that revelation will enable you to grow and stand firmly - maturity is not about how much you know but how much you apply that which you know.

When Moses declined to be a royal – grandson of Pharaoh and preferred to be treated as the people of God, he declined the short-term rewards involved. Many people in this generation are chasing after the passing pleasures of the world that last a short while; they make such decisions because they are immature spiritually and ignorant of the word. Besides making good decisions, maturity enables one to see things differently. When Moses grew up, he could see that his brothers were being oppressed (Exodus 2:11); maturity gave him a different perspective. We are encouraged to have a mindset and character like that of Christ who leaves the ninety-nine to go and look for the one who is lost. Philippians 2:5 (AMPC) says; “Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus”

We need to be capable of imitating Christ in character (attitude and humility) and purpose - that is the significance of Christianity. The most important measure of spiritual maturity is character. Christ-like character is the ultimate goal of all Christians, and to settle for anything less is to miss the point of spiritual growth. Ephesians 4:13 (NLT) says; “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” Developing the character of Christ is life’s most important task because it is the only thing we will take with us into eternity.

On his way to deliver a letter demanding the persecution of Christians, Saul encountered God and was blinded by the light of God (Acts 9). God sent Ananias to him but he was afraid because of Paul’s history of persecuting believers; Ananias questioned how God could send him to a person like Paul who had done a lot of evil things to Christians (Acts 9:13). Many of us have the Ananias mindset or attitude, but we should know that however bad the previous sins and deeds of a person, as long as God has forgiven and chosen that person to be his vessel (Acts 9:15), we should just abide as well; there are people (with a dark and sinful past) we judge, but God has a different perception about them.

Consider Peter, the devil wanted to use him to sabotage God’s plan for redemption of humanity but Jesus being spiritually mature, was able to discern that it was the devil using Peter (Matthew 16:23) – spiritual maturity looks beyond the physical into the spiritual because whatever manifests in the physical is birthed in the spiritual 

Through Trials we grow

James 1:2-4 (AMP)

"Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. 3 Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing."

When you grow, you see things according to the plan of God. There are things you consider as challenges in your life, but when you grow, you realise they were lessons preparing you for the work ahead. Paul said the trials benefited him and were a great boost in dissemination of the gospel (Philippians 1:12). For where others saw suffering, he saw an opportunity to spread the gospel of Christ. God uses various life trials like lack, disappointment, delays, temptation and challenges to develop our character; He does so by allowing us to experience situations where we are tempted to do the reverse of the right character; for character growth always involves making a choice, and when we make the right one, our character grows more like that of Christ. Jesus too suffered as well – he was criticized, discouraged, betrayed, tempted and hurt, and that is why God wants to take us through what Jesus went through so that we can grow spiritually.

Look at the things you consider hardships, thorns or problems in your life; as long as God enables you to get past them, at a later time you shall see that they were spiritual growth lessons. For example lack teaches one to trust God, to be contented and to learn how to utilize scarce resources; living with a bitter or quarrelsome person teaches us humility by learning to tolerate and accommodate people of contrary behavior and some problems teach us how to pray and to fully trust God – there is a godly lesson in every trial or challenge. You have got to yearn to grow from one level to another because when the devil is looking for people to devour, he looks for those that have failed to grow or those who are spiritually retarded. Many people have backslid after spending so many years in salvation because they have never taken time to personally know the God of salvation; because every time a trial, problem or challenge kicks in, they think of going back to Egypt (to their old way of life). 

Followers to Disciples

We read in the bible that Jesus had followers - the one hundred twenty (Acts1:15); and the seventy (Luke 10:1), and the twelve disciples (Mark 3); but one crowd of followers left (John 6:66). Those followers are a representation of some believers in this generation. The seventy wanted to be ordered and instructed to do certain things in the name of Jesus. They boasted in Luke 10:17 (NKJV); “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” But Jesus corrected them in Luke 10:20 (NKJV) that; “do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Such people like the seventy mentioned above only want to serve God so that they can be seen as if they are in show business and when they feel like they are not noticed, they will either leave church or ministry.

After a group of followers forsook Jesus, the bible says in John 6:67 (NLT) that; “Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” But Simon Peter responded in John 6:68-69 (NLT) saying; “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” The twelve had matured in knowing Christ and had grown from being followers of Christ to His disciples – they didn’t leave because they had a vivid revelation of who Christ was. Many people know about God, few people know him and fewer people know him and do his will. In which category are you? We need to help ourselves grow from just being followers to disciples. You have to grow to a level where you can make wise decisions and godly confessions. We have a common scripture in Habakkuk 3:17-18 (AMP) that says; “Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive fails And the fields produce no food, Though the flock is cut off from the fold And there are no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord; I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation!” When one grows to that level of discipleship even amidst challenges, trials or persecution, they remain unshaken in their faith.

A person who is spiritually immature only wants to hear and do what pleases him or her; the bible says in 2 Timothy 4:3 (NLT) that; “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” That is the behavior of a follower; they only want to hear certain things like; take that, receive that; for they hate sound and wholesome teaching. When one grows he must be able to seek God and wait upon him in prayer like Habakkuk 2:1 (TLB) says; “I will climb my watchtower now and wait to see what answer God will give to my complaint.” 

Spiritual Home and Father

Hebrews 13:17 (AMP) - “Obey your [spiritual] leaders and submit to them [recognizing their authority over you], for they are keeping watch over your souls and continually guarding your spiritual welfare as those who will give an account [of their stewardship of you]. Let them do this with joy and not with grief and groans, for this would be of no benefit to you.”

Being pastored and having a spiritual home is a fundamental spiritual growth principle in Salvation. As Christians we need to have a local church or Spiritual home where we belong. You can find a believer who has been born again for quite a long time but spiritually immature and ignorant of the mysteries of God’s kingdom. Not having a spiritual home and spiritual father to whom you submit is one of the things that can lead to spiritual immaturity. Today in church we have a lot of spiritual vagabonds who do not belong anywhere because every month they belong to a different church.

Some believers do not grow because they do not have a spiritual home and father who can nurture and protect them spiritually - in order to grow spiritually, you need to belong somewhere. Just like earthly fathers, you cannot have more than one spiritual father, and very few people know what it means to have a spiritual father. When you are pastored, you have a covering upon you i.e. problems and afflictions don’t hit you directly because you are under protection. A Christian who will grow and bear fruit needs to be pastored. You need a spiritual father, who will nurture you to growth; who will be able to hold your hand when you fall, edify and counsel you. 

Maturity Produces Endurance

Some Christians are still immature to the point that they only love those who love them. But the bible says in Luke 6:32 (NLT) that; “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them” That is another area where we need to grow – learning to love the way Christ loved. Forgiveness is another key area in which we need to grow into the likeness of Christ. When God was not happy with the world, he descended down and came to be with us on earth. We need to grow and learn from Christ. Do not wait for those who have wronged you to come to you – that’s carnal and not for the spiritually mature Christian. The grace of God - divine enablement is what can help you to act maturely in particular scenarios, and you can only get if you seek God in Spirit and truth.

A mature person will endure a lengthy challenging situation and, their faith and trust in God will not be tainted. Such a person has the ability to be in a difficult or challenging situation either at work or even in marriage but those around are not able to know what he or she going through - they are able to cover up for Christ and look up to God for redemption. In good and in bad, God remains their Lord and Saviour!

There are times you will pray and God will wipe away your problems, however, not all problems will be removed by prayer; there are times when God will not necessarily remove the problem (because of his own will), but will give you the grace and strength to be able to go through it. Jesus also went through this. He cried out when the pain was too much at the cross. He cried out in Matthew 26:39 (NLT); “…..My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”  But God didn’t remove the cup of suffering and pain; and if Christ was able to endure and overcome, then we can also do the same. God gave him the grace to go through the crucifixion though he did not want it. And amidst the pain, he was able to forgive those who persecuted him (Luke 23:34) – that’s an act for only the mature in Spirit

There are some blessings we have not received because we are still immature spiritually. God will not release these blessings till we have grown to be able to possess them. We are all aware that you can only drive a vehicle according to the class of your permit otherwise you will have committed an offense. There are blessings that God will not give you until you have grown spiritually. God is holding back some things from you because he knows that once you receive them, you can be destroyed by them, misuse them or turn back to your former ways because you haven’t grown to be able to handle them. God takes us step by step as he molds our character by life circumstances until we can grow to ably possess that which he has in stock for us.

Maturity helps us to make good decisions and to go through difficult situations even if God has not yet shown himself; we do not quit but hold fast with faith and hope knowing and believing that He is present. When you grow spiritually, your character is calibrated to be able to endure difficult situations, make good decisions and confess positively. God’s desire is for us to grow in knowing Him and in getting a revelation of His word, which will eventually enable us to grow spiritually and be able to make wise and godly decisions.

May you grow in being more like Christ!

SPIRITUAL MATURITY (I)

Pr. Geoffrey Kibombo

Luke 2:52 (MSG)  

”And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people.”

It is often said that; salvation is a journey - a walk not race; knowledge is power and that the truth you know is directly proportional to the freedom and power you have. The scripture says in John 8:32 (NLT) that; “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” This means that if you lack understanding in a particular area, then you are bound in that area; likewise if you are knowledgeable in an area, you will be delivered in that area. Besides deliverance from demons, the truth also sets one free. Therefore, if someone possesses the truth, it is easier for that person to be delivered from demons. Whenever the devil wants to afflict you, he will attack the areas in which you are ignorant, that is why we pray for the truth to be revealed by the Holy Spirit as written in 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 (NKJV) that; “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”

Salvation Means Life

In salvation there is growth and maturity; we are expected to grow – spiritual growth. Jesus said in John 10:10 (NKJV) that; “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Salvation means everlasting life, and that life begins here on earth; going to heaven means you will increasingly move into it. The bible talks about eternal life in John 17:3 (TLB) and says; “And this is the way to have eternal life—by knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” Eternal life starts with knowing the one true God and His Son – accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour, and following him obediently; and once you have embarked on that journey, you swiftly continue into it even when you depart this world. 

From the scripture above we have seen that salvation is eternal life, and we very well know that everything with life has the ability to grow. There are Christians who do not grow spiritually; they become stunted; when the devil wants to bring confusion, he will look for those who are not growing and he will cause muddle and conflicts in their lives, and such a people will be constantly grumbling before God. Therefore, we need to desire to grow in Salvation. Your level of growth is not necessarily equivalent to the time you have spent in salvation. You need to learn the things that lead to spiritual maturity, and then yearn for spiritual growth. Once anyone confesses Christ, it does not matter what age he or she is, whether adult or young, because once we become born again, we all start a journey of growth in salvation.

What makes people grow spiritually?

1 Peter 2:2 (GW)

“Desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation.” 

Just as we grow physically, we also grow spiritually, and in order for a one to grow spiritually, you need to feed on spiritual food – word of God.  Just like we have daily food which helps one to grow physically, we also need spiritual food for our spiritual lives. Our spirits don’t feed on cassava and beans but on the word of God. Just as you cannot grow properly without eating a balanced diet, so is your spirit, and there is spiritual food needed at every level; this is why it is essential for churches to have classes or services for new believers or converts so as to equip them with truth of the word, be introduced to the foundations of the Christian life, know who Jesus is and, teach them how to pray and apply the word of God in their lives. It helps them to get a revelation of the mysteries of God’s kingdom. Hebrews 5:11-14 (NLT) says;

“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. 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.”

The spiritual food you partake of on the different days you go to church differs but it is the balanced diet essential for proper growth so that you are not malnourished. We have got to feed our inner man on the word of God, for it is the only food essential for its health and strength.  

Why don’t people grow? Because they feed poorly; they a have meal once a week, thus their spiritual lives are stunted and weak such that when life throws at them problems, they make bad decisions or run back to Egypt. The spiritual food nurtures your spiritual life and is essential for growth in Salvation. When we go to church, we get more understanding and revelation of the word of God through what is preached and taught. A person who is spiritually mature knows how to; conduct him or herself right, think wisely and make rightful godly decisions so as to firmly walk the Salvation journey irrespective of the challenges. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 (NLT) that; “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” When you partake of God’s word, you learn to speak, think and reason maturely.

Maturity unlocks Blessings

Growth means graduating from one level to another and a number of changes happen when you grow - you make good decisions, desist from acting like a child and become privy to the things that God has in store for his children. As is in the world concerning responsibility and inheritance, same applies to some heavenly blessings; there are some blessings or promises you cannot get from the hand of God until you have matured. Galatians 4:1-2 (TLB) teaches; “But remember this, that if a father dies and leaves  great wealth for his little son, that child is not much better off than a slave until he grows up, even though he actually owns everything his father had. 2 He has to do what his guardians and managers tell him to until he reaches whatever age his father set” There is a level of maturity you must attain in order to receive your inheritance. In Salvation, there are some blessings that belong to us, but God will not put them into our hands until we have grown to the level at which we are ready to receive them.

Do not be contented with the level you are at currently, but yearn to grow. Many believers mistakenly think it is only those in active ministry that need to grow spiritually which isn’t right; every born again Christian should make it a fundamental factor to grow spiritually, because maturity helps you to become a better Christian who is obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit. 

Growing in Wisdom and Revelation

With teaching of the word of God, you get a revelation and with each revelation, you move to another level of growth. If there is something you have not yet got a revelation about, you have not yet graduated from that class. The devil takes advantage of the areas in which you have not yet got a revelation; and that is where his attacks are aimed at most. The bible says in Deuteronomy 29:29 (NLT) that; “The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions." 

There are some secrets that God has kept from us, but there are things you must know by a certain level, lest you remain young in that area. A young person does not speak well and there are some kinds of prayers we make because we are immature. We threaten God and even give him terms and a timeline; yet sometimes God is planning something to happen at the right time and place, but by the time something happens you have already made an unwise decision simply because you were young, and thus you miss God.

Maturity Toughens Us

Job is one of the people in the bible who was spiritually mature. For when he met challenges and destruction, his faith and trust in God was neither shaken nor lost. And even when his wife provoked him in Job 2:9 (NKJV) that; “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” She wanted him to sin against God but because of Job’s spiritual maturity and robust faith in God, he didn’t not forsake or curse God; he knew and had matured to the level that irrespective of the situation – good or bad, our faith and belief in God should be untainted. Job was aware that once you embark on the salvation journey, such misfortune can happen along the way but the end is victory; that is why when you face problems and trials along the way, you need not make unwise decisions, but that can only happen if you have grown in knowing God and his word. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding Job’s life, his love, hope, trust and faith in God was unquenched, and thus replied in Job 2:10 (AMP) that; “You speak as one of the [spiritually] foolish women speaks [ignorant and oblivious to God’s will]. Shall we indeed accept [only] good from God and not [also] accept adversity and disaster?” In [spite of] all this Job did not sin with [words from] his lips.” This is the response of a spiritually mature Christian; we do not only praise God when life is rosy and comfortable, then curse and forsake him when we meet problems.

What Job went through was for his own good, such that when he went through the trials, the end was victory - he received twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10). Job was a mature believer and had gotten a revelation that every good and bad is permitted by God and knew the mystery of not sinning against God irrespective of the situation – he was able to stand firm and strong because of his spiritual maturity.

When we go to church, our spiritual lives grow healthy and mature by feeding on the word that is taught and the revelations we receive from the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the challenges we meet or the problems life throws at us help us to grow; God uses these as fire to refine our trust, hope and faith in him – trying situations, problems and challenges are spiritual growth boosters – sour but important; they help in nurturing our faith and trust in God by turning tests in to testimonies – faith that has been tested is faith that can be trusted.

Yearn to grow in Christ