Spiritual Maturity and Growth

God wants to bring us all to a place of spiritual maturity; which involves our thoughts, emotions, actions, intentions, and all other aspects of our lives.  This spiritual maturity is based entirely in relationship with God, for when we spend time with God, He shapes us to think, look, and feel as He Himself does.  A spiritual mature person will have ever increasing good character traits (2 Peter 1:5-9).  Perspective on self, God, and life, is in continual change.  A spiritual mature person has positioned themselves in a place for God, the sculptor, to mold them as He pleases (Romans 9:20-21).  In other words, a spiritual mature person has become vulnerable before others as well as with the Lord; being honest about insecurity, sin struggles, weaknesses as well as strengths, joys, and dreams.  This vulnerability only comes with faith in Jesus; faith that He has forgiven and established them, that He has reconciled them to the Father.  It is no longer up to them to sort out their own spirituality but to be with God and allow Him to work salvation in and through them (Philippians 2:13).  This faith allows one to no longer seek to establish themselves by performance and/or self-righteousness.  The belief that justification, redemption, and even sanctification is a free gift from God takes away the mentality of striving and comparison that comes from the World.  These people are completely comfortable with admitting insecurities and personal lack; because their confidence is not in themselves but in the Lord (Philippians 3:3). It is clear, that spiritual mature people are very comfortable in their own skin and free to enjoy life in all its goodness.  This freedom also allows them to look beyond themselves to encourage, uplift, teach, and care for those around the, while at the same time taking care of themselves.  "Do not look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 3:4)."

Sadly many Christians  under the guise of spiritual maturity, neglect and even abuse themselves in an attempt to become a selfless beneficiary.  This is not God's desire.  God has placed in each of us needs and desires that are Godly; but if we reject them or neglect them we will begin to feed them in an unhealthy manner.  For instance, for a long time I rejected the idea that I needed other people; I was steadfast in my pursuit of becoming completely independently dependent on God.  I didn't think I needed any encouragement, counsel,  or fellowship, and so I prevented myself from ever stepping into full intimacy with those around me. I still had those needs, but they went unrecognized and even despised by me.  Because I was unable to recognize how to love myself in the areas that I needed it, I began (subconsciously) to meet those needs in unhealthy ways.  However, once I recognized that I needed encouragement, and people to walk with me and lift me up, I was able to take care of myself in a healthy way.  It was only then that I was truly freed to begin to think about and care for those around me.  That is why we are instructed to 'love our neighbors as ourselves.'

God is not in the business of toleration but of transformation.  Unfortunately, many people use Christianity as a way to justify, tolerate, and ignore problems, insecurities, and struggles.  Many times these individuals and groups appear to be vulnerable, weak, and even humble; but this body is a pitiful representation of the mighty army that God intends to raise up. These people are like those in 2 Peter.  Peter writes on the characteristics of a spiritual mature person then writes,  "For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins (2 Peter 1:9)."  These groups tend to grovel in self-pity, mediocrity, and self-abasement; talking much more about their inadequacy than God's adequacy.  This is the epitome of false humility and runs to different degrees in different bodies.  This false-humility is actually pride in disguise; people seem open, but little to no change and/or empowerment ever comes.  True humility is far different because it is rooted in faith in God's ability and God's intention in every situation.  Humility comes from the Latin root humus, which means grounding.  In other words, humility is not thinking poorly about yourself, it is acknowledging where you come from! Humility is accepting the identity God has given you in your re-birth and letting go of the identity that was formed by sin when you were separated from God. False humility has perverted the church and causes us to misrepresent where we come from.  This false humility, rather than glorifying God, actually debases Him.  Feeling bad about ourselves after we have been saved is an abomination to God that blasphemies the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Jesus died to allow us to be with, from, and of God; by which have been given freedom, authority, and purpose in His kingdom.  This was done so that we could leave behind the old self and put on the new.  False humility is unbelief in what Jesus accomplished on the cross, and our pride prevents us from being transformed.  Unfortunately unbelief feels a lot like humility, while true faith and humility can look like pride to the insecure.

We see the Apostle Paul boasting in His weakness; but I am not sure that these weaknesses are always manifesting.  He boasted in them, because he wanted people to know that his success, strength, confidence, and freedom did not originate with himself but with God.  "Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10)." He is weak, but he is actually manifesting strength because of God in Him. "Now whenever he boasts he boasts in the Lord. (2 Cor. 10:17)."  Paul also exhorts the church in Corinth to remember where they came from.  "For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, sot hat no many may boast before God."  If we stop reading here, the church is left in a state of helplessness, insecurity, and weakness, but that was never God's intent.  He goes on to say, "But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification  and redemption, so that, just as it is written, 'Let Him who boasts, boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)."  It is most interesting that Paul calls them to 'remember' where they came from; because they probably were no longer manifesting the same weaknesses as before; for now they were 'in Christ'.  They were spiritually mature in some areas and so God was doing in them what they could not do on their own.  It wasn't a proclamation of continual struggle and insecurity but a revelation that those had been fulfilled in Christ! Paul wanted to make sure that they weren't claiming something that didn't belong to them in the first place.

People looked at the church in Corinth and saw maturity, passion and purpose.  The important factor however, is the source of this maturity and prosperity.  "Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God (2 Cor. 3:5)." Now, don't get me wrong, God does 'work despite us', and He promises to bring good out of every situation; but ultimately He wants to transform our insecurities and weaknesses by giving us the gift of faith.  Faith in Gold's ability, power, and intention, reshapes the way we view our problems, relationships, and situations.  We start seeing through a different lens; what was impossible before is now possible, and what was abnormal is normal.  God's ability becomes our ability, His strength our strength, and His stability our stability.  "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20)."  Alleluia!!

Another clear sign of spiritual maturity, is faith and trust in the Holy Spirit's guidance and counsel.  A spiritual mature person will not be thrown off by false teaching, even if it contradicts or messes with what they understand to be true, they will have their security rooted in their relationship with God Himself.  They know that the Holy Spirit will 'teach them all things and remind them of everything that was taught to them (John 14:26).  "As a result, they are no longer children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, they will grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ (Ephesians 4:14-15)."  If there is disagreement about things in the Lord, a mature person isn't offended or thrown off, instead they take the attitude of Paul and say; 'if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained (Philippians 3:15-16).'  Those who are spiritually mature are rooted in their trust in God himself.  They are not trusting in their own ability to reason, or too afraid of their ability to believe a lie. They are also not trusting a concept, practice, or a tradition; they are simply trusting in God Himself and His ability to lead, guide, and protect.  Because they don't take control over their own spirituality, God has room to do as He pleases. In this state one will often times feel 'out of control', but it is only there that you can find yourself 'under His control.' As in all cases of spiritual maturity, faith brings peace and freedom, while unbelief brings about insecurity and fear.

Spiritual mature people will also walk in holiness manifesting from their faith in what God has done on their behalf.  They are not straining to change the way God views them, they are not attempting to become righteous but believing that Jesus fulfilled the full righteous requirement of the law in them (Romans 8:4).  They believe in the finished work of Jesus and now live from a place of rest, naturally producing what they had strained to previously attain.  "They have been found by Christ, not having a righteousness of their own that comes from the law, but that which comes by faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes by God through faith (Philippians 3:9)."  Faith in Jesus will always manifest in a Holy lifestyle.  Jesus told the disciples that those who believed in Him would do the works that He had done (John 14:12).  In John 6 the disciples asked Jesus what they must do to work the works of God.  He simply told them to believe in the one that was sent.  As we have faith in what Jesus has done, our minds our renewed and our lives transformed.  Faith will always produce fruit that striving cannot.  We live from what He has done, not what we can do.

Knowing all of this now, while looking at the church, it is clear to see that the greatest problem and hindrance that we have, is lack of faith.  We just flat out don't believe in the fullness of Christ's work; and therefore do not experience the fullness of our relationship with God.  We know this to be true by the fruit that is produced (Matthew 7:16).  Fear, insecurity  anxiety, comparison, and pride are all indicators of unbelief, but the "fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23)." It is important that we recognize what fruit we are producing, because if we do not know the problem, we will not look for a solution.  Thankfully, faith, which we lack, is not a work; it is not something we receive or increase on our own effort. So recognizing our lack of faith does not mean we have to feel bad about ourselves, because it's not about our performance.  What it does, is it allows us to position ourselves for transformation; to have an ear to hear. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (1 Cor. 10:17)." Who is the word? Jesus (John 1:1). As we hear the fullness of the Gospel in a vulnerable, open, and honest place, the Holy Spirit has permission to come and inspire faith in us; so that we can 'know the truth.' For it is in 'knowing the truth that we are set free (John 8:32).'  When we are vulnerable we can receive empowerment, it is then that we will start to actually manifest and experience the fruit of Christ's work.

There is a difference in the way we experience things and the way they actually are. We have the capacity to believe a lie; and Satan, being the father of lies (John 8:44), throws them at us from all sides. All insecurity, unbelief shame, fear, compromise, laziness, performance, and comparison are the result of a lie that we believe.  But they are 'lies', they are insubstantial, not true, they have no place in reality.  Our belief is what gives a lie substance.  God however, is not affected by these lies, and sees us quite differently than we do ourselves.  The way God sees us is the way we actually are in reality.  For He sees in truth what may be shrouded to us because of believed lies. This is why we need to 'know the truth', to be 'transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).' We are whole, we are children of God, we have been set free from sin and the shame that it brings.  In fact we don't ever have to sin again! We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3), and have been granted magnificent promises by which we have access to the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).  We have confidence to be with God all the time because we have been sprinkled clean by the blood of the lamb (Romans 5:2).  He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14).  However this is not always our experience, but it is true nonetheless.

There are many believers who go through deliverance, counseling, and or inner healing programs. I do not necessarily have a problem with this sort of intentional ministry, since it is really just teaching and discipleship; but there is danger in relying too heavily upon them for transformation. Many people experience transformation from these intentional prayer and counseling times; which is great, but I have also seen how many people come to depend on these programs to validate their faith and identity in God. They render the work of Jesus to an ongoing process rather than a finished work. I don't have a problem with the programs themselves, I believe that they are good, but our understanding about what goes on in these sessions, needs to change. We are not people who are 'becoming who we are supposed to be', we are not adding on to who God has already made us; rather, we are 'realizing' who we already are.  These programs help to identify a lie and speak the truth, which isn't a process of change but of moving from unbelief to belief!  Inner healing and deliverance seem to be the same thing as teaching and discipleship; they were just created because we aren't normally very intentional with our discipleship or teaching. God has made us whole, He has made us complete.  Do not fall into the deception that you need to go through rituals and practices to become whole, you already are, you might not realize that yet, but claim the truth anyway.  "Jesus has become our salvation  redemption, and sanctification (1 Cor. 1:30)."  We now have the glorious opportunity to continually grow in our understanding of who God is and who we are.  Just like at Christmas, we completely posses and own the presents under the tree, but we begin to realize what they are upon opening them up.

The reason why this distinction is important is because 'inner healing', as we understand it, can easily become a form of works based righteousness; where people think that they must put effort forth to become more whole and/or holy. If however, we recognize that our experience may be different then reality, and that reality is still reality whether we believe it or not, we are able to proclaim and accept our full identity without needing experience to prove it. If we speak the truth over ourselves, and each other, despite our experience, we will move from revelation to revelation more quickly, and therefore experience the fullness of the truth in greater degrees.  The process of renewing our minds will not be hindered by a works based mentality.

Experience, emotion, and thoughts do not dictate who we are.  We are not defined by the way we see ourselves but by the way God sees us, the way we actually are.  We literally are who He says we are, even if our experience don't seem to reveal that.  "We live by faith not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7)."  Note that it doesn't say we will not see, but that our lives are defined by something outside of our realm of experience.  When we are given the gift of faith, after hearing the truth, our experience will follow.  "Faith without works is dead (James 2:17)."  Therefore, faith without experience isn't faith, but we also don't define our faith by our experience.  If we try to validate, qualify, or perfect ourselves, we have failed to have faith in what was already accomplished for us by Jesus.  We do not try and please God anymore, because without faith it is impossible (Hebrews 11:6).  Faith in what? Faith that He is already pleased with us because of the cross.  This gives us freedom to stop striving and to be completely vulnerable, allowing Him to be the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  Because of Jesus we live from a place of fullness, of wholeness, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).  Faith is powerful, it is evidence of a renewed mind, of a gift from God, it completely changes us and in turn changes everything around us.

We are all at different places in our faith and therefore at different levels of spiritual maturity; this is true in that some believe less lies and others more (Romans 12:3).  However there is still no ultimate distinction among us because we all have the same blessings, the same forgiveness, the same spirit, and the same wholeness. "For the love of God controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.  Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer (2 Cor. 5:14-16)."

We need people who are more mature than we are, so that we can submit under them to learn and grow; to be discipled and taught.  "For God wants all people to be saved and come to a full knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4)."  "And he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ  until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13)."  As leaders and as those who are mature, we have the wonderful joy of speaking truth over one another, allowing people to hear the truth that they might believe it and experience the freedom that is already paid for. We can co-labor with God in 'calling things that aren't as though they are (Romans 4:17).'  It is easy to be humble in these situations when we know that we did not attain on our own merit the place where we now stand.  It is a gift from God so that no one may boast.  We just move from glory to glory, from revelation to revelation, from experience to experience; we come to 'comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled up to all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18-19).'

So be vulnerable, be honest with yourself.  Find your edification, fulfillment, and qualification in Christ's work alone.  As we behold Him in His glory we, like a mirror, reflect that glory as we are transformed to look like Him (2 Cor. 3).  Love one another, love yourselves, eagerly expect the Holy Spirit to manifest in and through you.  Don't worry, don't take yourself too seriously, pursue the spiritual gifts, BE WITH GOD.  It is a glorious ride of growing into who we are, holy, humble, encouraging, and loving.  God is good and is faithful to complete the good work He started in you (Philippians 1:6).