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