Grosey's Messages

Developing Your Spiritual

Maturity

Ephesians 4:¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Christian Maturity

Christian Maturity involves a number of different, yet interrelated, factors. Underline the words in Ephesians 4:11-16 that highlight Christian Maturity.

1. The Knowledge Factor:

"..until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,"

Christian Maturity involves growing in knowledge which is both true (propositionally) and relevant (personal) as brought home to us in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. There needs to be understanding, which is knowing how Biblical facts inter-relate. There needs to be the instruction in the Word of God by the Holy Spirit; making the objective truths subjective.

2Timothy 3:16,17 teaches us

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Memorise this verse.

2. The Integration Factor:

"to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ"

How does the Holy Spirit of God help us integrate what we know in our minds to become character forming, so we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit?

Galatians 5: 16-26

3. The Love Factor:

^"15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,"

Without a doubt, the value of loving and being loved is crucial to our balanced development as individual personalities, let alone in our development as mature Christians. Paul often begins his epistles by commending a church on its faith, hope and love. Gene Getz, in his book "The Measure Of A Church", states that a mature church will display qualities of faith, hope and love in an abundance. What are the qualities of love that should be evident in our lives listed in 1 Corinthians 13?

How do you know that you are loved by God?

Love is expressed in relationships

4. The Group Factor.

^"16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."

A significant finding in the realm of counselling  theory is the rediscovery of the fundamental importance of "inter-personal relationships". The groups we belong to tend to determine our attitudes,
emotional responses and our actions.

1Corinthians 15:33

Ephesians 4:7-16

Why is the small group important?             

What can close Christian friendships do?.=.....                                

Throughout the epistles, Paul and the other Biblical writers use the phrase "one another". List out (with the help of a concordance) each of the attitudes or actions we are directed to have towards one another in the Body of Christ.

5. The Self-Concept Factor : 

"¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,"

There are many factors that should be taken into account when we are determining our own concept of what we are really like. It is not Biblical to be preoccupied with our selves, nor with only one aspect of who we are, such as our sexuality. You are uniquely who God made you to be. Self is a wrong "core" or obsession for personality. Still, there are some aspects we must always bear in mind. Read these passages and list the factors we should bear in mind.

Romans 12:3       

Romans 3:10,20.

Romans 5:1,6-8.               

Ephesians 1:4,5.,              

Ephesians 2:4,5,10.       

Romans 6:13.     

What are your spiritual gifts?

What does your heart desire?

What are the abilities that you have?

What is your personality like?

Dominant

Interacting

Steadiness

Cautious Compliant

What experiences have you had?

Educational and training?

Spiritual?

Vocational?

Painful?

Profitable?

6. The Goals / Purpose Factor

"¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,"

A maturing believer will have spiritual goals.

What is our overall purpose (Eph 4:11-16)?

What are meaningful goals for you and why?

G od-given vision

O rganise
A ssess

L earn to lean

S ee Obstacles as opportunities

God intends you to become mature: How can you organise for this to happen?

Assess your strengths and weaknesses. What do you need to work on?

What are you trusting God to do in your life that only God can do?

What opportunities are before you now?

7. The Resilience Factor:

"¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."

How are we protected from being tossed backward and forward?

The maturing disciple of Christ is content to be disciplined by the Lord. He does not treat such times lightly, nor does he despond. Read Hebrews 12:4-13.

Describe one time when you were under the disciplining hand of the Lord.

Make your own paraphrase of James 1: 2-4.         

What is the object of trials? 1Peter 1:4-7.