Freedom in Christ: Session 10 Growing in Maturity

Introduction

What are the signs that you have matured?
1. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
2. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
3. You and your teeth don't sleep together
4. Your back goes out, but you stay at home
5. When you are on holiday your energy runs out before your money does
6. You sit in a rocking chair but can't get it going
7. Your actions Creak louder than your words
8. You are warned to slow down by your doctor instead of the police
9. Getting lucky means you found your car in the multi storey car park

Over the last four months we’ve been thinking about how to grow and mature as Christians. Being a mature Christian has nothing to do with how old we are, or even how long we’ve been a Christian, it’s about the depth and quality of our relationship with God, it is about becoming more like Christ.

Made in God's image

When God originally created people He said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness.” (Genesis 1:26) God is not talking here about physical likeness, but a spiritual likeness. To be made in God’s image means to reflect God’s character. The evidence of a godly character is that we produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This includes growing in “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). This is what the image of God “looks” like, this is what as Christians we should be aiming for, because this is what it means to be a mature Christian.

The Apostle Paul encourages Christians to “grow in the Lord” (Colossians 2:7) and that God wants us to bear His likeness and character. But how do we grow?
Holy Spirit

It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that God helps us to develop character (Philippians 2:13). Paul in Colossians writes, “the mystery revealed to the saints…is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27). We do not develop Christ-likeness by imitation but by inhabitation. This means that our own efforts at becoming spiritually mature are useless unless it is Christ working in and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual growth does not happen automatically. Although God initiates the desire to grow spiritually within us and gives us the power to grow, we must be willing to accept and cooperate with His work. To grow spiritually requires intentional commitment to change our lives in order to conform to the likeness of Christ. God gives us the resources and opportunities for growth, but we must work them out. We are encouraged: “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13).

Changing thought patterns

What is the best way to grow spiritually? The first thing we need to know is that there are no short-cuts to spiritual growth. The most effective way to change your life is to change the way you think. Behind everything you do is a thought. Every behaviour is motivated by a belief, and every action is prompted by an attitude. Some people try to effect a change in their lives by sheer willpower. They will say, for example, “I’ll force myself to eat less…exercise more…quit being disorganized and late.” Whilst willpower can produce short-term change, it can also create internal stress because you haven’t dealt with the root cause of the problem. Eventually you will give up and revert to your old patterns.

There is a better and easier way to effect permanent change. The Bible says, “Let God transform you into a new person by the changing of the way you think” (Romans 12:2). Your first step in spiritual growth is to start changing the way you think. The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act. Paul said, “There must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23).

Becoming like Christ means to develop the mind of Christ, laying hold of the truth about what God says about ourselves, other people, life, our future, and everything else. Growing spiritually means to take on Christ’s outlook and perspective.

Reading, Meditating & Struggling

How then do our minds become transformed? Martin Luther expressed his method for spiritual transformation through reading, meditating and struggling. The first step is reading the Scriptures. Here we expose ourselves to the mind of God. Here in the Word of God we find truth (John 17:17) and this truth has the power to transform our lives. God’s truth uncovers the lies in our lives. Spiritual growth, then, is the process of replacing lies with truth. Jesus put it this way: “The Spirit gives life. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). God’s Word is living and active. It has power to generate life, create faith, produce change, cause miracles, heal hurts, build character, transform circumstances, impart joy, overcome adversity, defeat temptation, infuse hope, release power, cleanse our minds, bring things into being, and guarantee our future forever!

We cannot live without God’s Word. It is the spiritual nourishment you must have to fulfill your purpose in life. Therefore, your attitude towards God’s Word is the most important indicator for how you will grow spiritually. We must receive it, read it, study it, remember it, meditate it and apply it to our lives so it can change the way we think and act.

Essential to spiritual growth is reading and meditating on God’s Word. Another thing we need is to undergo struggles or temptations. The Bible says, “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17). God has a purpose behind every problem. Besides asking God to deliver us from our troubles, we are also to ask what spiritual lesson God wants us to learn from that circumstance. As any Christian can attest, no significant spiritual growth happens without struggles. God uses problems to draw you closer to Himself. The Bible says, “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

Problems don’t automatically produce what God intends. Many people become bitter, rather than better, and never grow up. Therefore, we must respond to troubles in the way God would have us. We must remember that God’s plan is good and that He knows what is best for us. Corrie ten Boom, who survived a Nazi concentration camp explains what helped her through her struggles: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest!”

Maturing spiritually also involves growing through temptations. Every temptation is an opportunity to grow spiritually. Temptation can be a stumbling block or a stepping stone to spiritual maturity. While temptation the Devil’s primary weapon to destroy you, God uses it to develop you. Every time you choose not to give in to temptation, you grow in the character of Christ; you develop the fruit of the Spirit.

Just as fruit takes time to develop and ripen, spiritual growth only happens slowly over time. God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you’re tempted to express the exact opposite quality! Character development always involves a choice, and temptation provides that opportunity.

For instance, God teaches us to love by putting some unlovely people around us. It takes no character to love people who are lovely and loving to you. Likewise, God teaches us real joy in the midst of sorrow. Happiness depends on external circumstances, but joy is based on your relationship to God. God develops real peace within us, not by making things go the way we planned, but by allowing times of chaos and confusion. Anyone can be peaceful when things are under control and running smoothly. But we learn real peace by choosing to trust God in circumstances when we are tempted to worry or be afraid. God uses the opposite situation of each spiritual fruit to allow us a choice. Every time you overcome a temptation you become more like Jesus!

Spiritual growth takes time. It takes time for us to develop a character that reflects the character of God. It happens when you expose yourself to the truth of God’s word; when you read it and meditate on it. It happens when you allow the Holy Spirit to transform your life through repentance and conforming your mind to that of Christ’s. Spiritual growth happens as you struggle with temptations and difficulties which God uses to develop your character.

The good news about spiritual growth is that God is the one who gives you the motivation and the power to grow. God has poured out His Spirit on all of you and all you need to do is to allow Him to do His work in your life. Who better to direct your life than your Creator who made you and loves you, your Redeemer who gave His life for you, and the Spirit who gives you the joy and peace that surpass all understanding? May God then bless you on your journey towards Christ-like maturity. Amen.