UNDERSTANDING SPIRITUAL MATURITY
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OUTLINE
1. THOUGHTS
2. WORDS
3. ACTIONS
4. ATTITUDES
5. REACTIONS
6. DESIRES
7. RELATIONSHIPS
THE MESSAGE
UNDERSTANDING SPIRITUAL MATURITY
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1.THOUGHTS
Spiritual Maturity begins with our thoughts . When our thinking process is in line with God’s word we begin to grow into spiritual maturity. We must discipline our minds to think those things which are true , pure , just , lovely , of good report , virtuous and praiseworthy . As our minds are renewed we find that our life is getting transformed . We can never experience transformation in our lives as long as our minds are still unrenewed and unregenerate. We must meditate on the word of God and fill our minds with divine revelation .This would cause a deep transformation in our lives and enable us to be successful and fruitful in our lives.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Philippians 4 : 8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Psalms 1:2-3
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
JOHN 21:3-6
"I’m going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We’ll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, "Friends, haven’t you any fish?" "No," they answered.
He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
2.WORDS
Spiritual Maturity is revealed by the words that we speak. If we do not control our words and continue to speak words of evil and carelessness then all our spirituality becomes vain . Death and life are in the power of the tongue .Therefore a spiritually mature person will be careful to speak only life giving words . Our words are powerful and can control the direction and the destiny of our life . Our words can either bless others or cause pain and suffering to them. We must avoid speaking vain and idle words as we would have to give an account of our words on the Day of Judgement . Our prayer should be that the words of our mouth and the meditations of our hearts are found acceptable in the sight of God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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James 1:26
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
James 3:2-10
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.
Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man,
but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
Matthew 12 :34-37
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death,and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Psalms 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
3.ACTIONS
Spiritual Maturity is revealed through our actions . Our works reveal how much we have grown spiritually . Faith without works is dead . Therefore a spiritually mature person would demonstrate his faith by suitable and corresponding actions. Noah demonstrated his faith by his obedience to the command of God to build an ark even before there was any evidence of rain . Cornelius prayed constantly and was always helping the needy . Jesus told us to let our light shine by our good works . Our love should not be mere words but in deed and in truth . A spiritually mature person is not a lazy and inactive person but a person who is rich in good works living a life of usefulness and fruitfulness.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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James 2:26
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Hebrews 11 :7
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
Matthew 5 :13-16
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Mark 16 :20
Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Acts 10 :1-2
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.
He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
I John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
4.ATTITUDES
Spiritual Maturity is revealed through our attitudes . In the parable of the talents we find two servants who had a good attitude to their responsibilities and developed their talents . But the third servant had a negative attitude towards his responsibilities as well as his master . He failed to develop what was given to him and was rebuked for his slothfulness. Our spiritual maturity is also revealed through our impartiality towards the rich or poor . We should reverence and esteem the covenant blessings of God. Esau sold his birthright and despised it . We should also have a humble attitude when we approach God in prayer and not be like the pharisee who despised the publican thinking he was better than him . The two thieves who died with Jesus had two different attitudes . One thief had a negative and arrogant attitude but the other thief humbled himself when he sought the favour of the Lord and received His promise. Therefore our attitudes must reflect the spiritual maturity that we have attained .
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Matthew 25 :14-30
"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.
To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.
So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.
But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ’Master,’ he said, ’you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
"His master replied, ’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
"The man with the two talents also came. ’Master,’ he said, ’you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
"His master replied, ’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
"Then the man who had received the one talent came. ’Master,’ he said, ’I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
"His master replied, ’You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?
Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
" ’Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.
For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
James 2 :1-5
My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.
If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here’s a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet,"
have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
Genesis 25 :29-34
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished.
He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom. )
Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."
"Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"
But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.
Luke 18 :9-14
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ’God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ’God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Luke 23 :39-43
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don’t you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
5.REACTIONS
Our Spiritual Maturity is revealed through our reactions to painful experiences . Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him . Stephen prayed for mercy towards his persecutors who stoned him to death . Job bowed down and worshipped God when he heard of the sudden and total loss of all his children and wealth . These incidents reveal the spiritual maturity of these persons . Our response and reaction in the face of calamity and injury should reveal the depth of our spiritual committment. We should love those who hate us and do good to those who have harmed us . Only then we exhibit the difference between the ungodly and the spiritually mature person.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Luke 23 :34
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Acts 7 : 54-60
When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him,
dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Job 1 :13-22
One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house,
a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby,
and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house,
when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship
and said: "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
Luke 6 :27-36
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that.
And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
ROMANS 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
UNDERSTANDING
6.DESIRES
Our Spiritual Maturity is revealed through the desires and longing of our heart . Our prayers and petitions before God reveal our innermost desires. A spiritually mature person will seek those things which are above . Our prayers and requests should be in accordance with the will of God . We would not be selfish in our desires and seek earthly benefits for ourselves . We would long to know God more intimately and understand His purposes . We would seek to be endued with His power in order to serve Him effectively . We would be heavenly minded and seek spiritual blessings fervently. We have the assurance that when we seek first God’s Kindgom and His righteousness all our earthly needs would be met.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Colossians 3 :1-2
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
James 4 :1-3
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?
You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
I John 5 :14
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
Ephesians 1 :15-23
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Colossians 1 :9-12
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Psalms 106 :15
And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul.
7.RELATIONSHIPS
Our Spiritual Maturity is revealed through our relationships . We should have an intimate relationship with the Lord and walk in love towards our fellow believers . We should be careful not to develop intimate relationships with the ungodly and become part of their ungodly activities . The early church lived in close communion with the fellow believers and the apostles which were edifying them and strenghtening them in their walk with God . Our associations have a strong influence on our values and principles and decisions. Therefore spiritually mature persons would be careful in their associations and relationships . We must associate with people of wisdom and benefit from them . Therefore our spiritual maturity is revealed through our relationship with the Lord and with godly people who will influence us in the path of righteousness.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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I John 3 : 3,7
Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
Psalms 1 : 1
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
Acts 2 : 42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Proverbs 13 :20
He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
Proverbs 15 :22
Plans fail for lack of counsel,but with many advisers they succeed.
Proverbs 22 : 24-25
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man,do not associate with one easily angered,
or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.
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