When I was small, I made some dumb choices. One Christmas, an aunt gave me my choice of either of two presents. One gift was a rather expensive item that had lasting value. She thought I would choose this gift and tried to persuade me to take it. But I chose a cheap, plastic game that had a ball and moving parts. Of course it was broken by the end of the day and I was left with nothing. I had made an immature, childish decision.
When Bill is in a crowd, he is the loud mouth and wants to be the center of attention. He tries to be the clown at every gathering. He speaks before engaging his brain. He is a disaster at handling money and regularly goes on impulsive spending sprees that put him hopelessly in debt. Bill is 52 but he acts more like an eight-year-old. He is immature.
There are two kinds of immaturity. We expect immaturity from children. We know they have not lived long enough to learn how to handle life wisely. Immaturity in children is normal. However, we are shocked when we see immaturity in a 52-year-old. Adult immaturity is prolonged childishness and often turns out to be a family embarrassment, a relational catastrophe or a financial disaster.
I’ve observed the same two kinds of immaturity among Christians.
There’s the immaturity of a new believer, regardless of chronological age. Amid the enthusiasm of new faith, choices are often made that reflect a lack of spiritual maturity. Sometimes he uses vocabulary that people in the church no longer use or do things that seasoned believers would question. I find this kind of immaturity exciting and stimulating. It’s a sign of new life and spiritual vitality.
But then there is the spiritual immaturity of people who have been in the church for many years. Mary has been in the church for 20 years, but has all the marks of spiritual immaturity. She is unable to discern spiritual truth and see the error in the religious drivel that flows her way. She vacillates between serving God and looking for experiences that titillate her emotions. This kind of immaturity disturbs and frustrates a pastor. Surely after being exposed to biblical teaching and the influence of others in the church for 20 years, there would be some evidence of spiritual maturity. But inconsistency and gullibility mark her life.
The New Testament talks about both kinds of immaturity, the immaturity of new believers and the immaturity of people who have been part of the community of faith for a long time.
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! (Hebrews 5:11-12).
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly–mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)
My concern is not so much about the immaturity of the new Christian. The discipling process and the application of biblical truth can take care of that. However, after many years of pastoring, I am deeply concerned about believers who have been around the church for many years but who still demonstrate spiritual immaturity. Their initial spiritual growth plateaued and settled into arrested maturity.
FAKE MATURITY
When Tom was a new believer, he quickly learned how others in the church acted. He learned the vocabulary and what was appropriate to do and not do. He learned the lingo of the church and was smart enough to imitate others and copy their ways. He had the appearance of maturity, but it was all external with little or no internal spiritual development. Internal spiritual growth was arrested.
What Tom learned was that it’s easy to fake maturity before others. What he didn’t appreciate was that it is impossible to fake it before the Lord
Other people drift into spiritual middle age. They lose their sense of spiritual wonder and awe, taking God and everything else for granted. You reach spiritual middle age when you become satisfied with your current understanding of spiritual issues. You have the smug attitude that you know the politically correct way to interact with others in the church and are content to live the safe Christian life so that you are respected. However, you become complacent and satisfied to appear spiritual rather than experience vital spirituality. Spiritual intensity is missing.
God’s plan for his children does not allow for middle-aged coasting. God’s will does not allow us to draw a line and say, “There, I’ve experienced all I need of God and I know enough about the Bible to get me through life and into heaven.”
The apostle Paul never became middle-aged. He was enthusiastic about his faith until the day he was martyred.
The faith of Caleb, one of the 12 spies, was never middle-aged. At age 85, he said, “I am as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out now as I was then.” (Joshua 14:11).
Spiritual middle age is characterized by having our external lives in order while being bankrupt of internal spiritual reality. Spiritual middle age is marked by stagnation, plateauing and a loss of spiritual passion. It’s the feeling that you have heard it all, experienced it all, and there is nothing new to learn or experience. The excitement and thrill of following Jesus is missing.
It takes no effort to become spiritually middle-aged. Our church culture often pushes us in that direction. Instead of sharpening our spiritual focus, the routine of church life can dull our senses to true spiritual vitality.
Middle-aged Christianity develops when we tend to explain away the more challenging instructions of Jesus and make him fit into our comfort zones. It grows when we become familiar with the ways of the church. The mindset creeps in, “Been there, done that. Seen that, heard that and tried that.” Anything new or different is considered suspect rather than the possibility that God is speaking to you in a fresh way.
Middle-aged Christians see every sermon as intended for someone else. “He really needs that. This is for the young people.” There is a distinct refusal to take spiritual admonitions personally. Others demonstrate spiritual apathy.
FIVE MARKS OF TRUE SPIRITUAL MATURITY
Spiritually mature people make wise decisions. They have a continual desire to grow, have healthy perspectives and priorities and their lives are marked by steadiness of behavior. Their lifestyle is characterized by authentic Christ-likeness. Here are five marks of spiritual maturity.
1. CONTINUAL GROWTH
My father was a student of Scripture and a preacher all his life. He died a few months after his 100th birthday. I remember visiting him when he was 95. He greeted me with these words: “Cal, I got a new sermon this morning.” What he meant was that he had seen a new truth and it had stirred his heart. He was still growing.
Though it is 48 years since I graduated from Bible college, I still get excited at growing in my understanding of the Bible. I never want to stop growing.
I’ve observed that people who have been around the church for many years become set in their ways and less open to fresh insights into biblical truth. Spiritually mature never stop growing. They constantly hunger for a clearer understanding of biblical truth.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18).
Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. (1 Corinthians 14:20).
2. BIBLICAL DISCERNMENT
The church scene today is littered with a smorgasbord of teachings and emphases. There is cheap grace, love with no backbone, an extreme emphasis on financial prosperity and all sorts of distortions of what the Holy Spirit wants to do in and through his people.
Spiritually mature people go beyond a superficial understanding of the Bible. They have a systematic knowledge of truth and doctrine.
Spiritually mature believers have a balanced understanding of Scripture. They guard against extremism. They know how to filter new or unusual teachings through the whole of Scripture. They recognize when a person takes a text out of its context to make a pretext, teaching something that is not the intended meaning.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. (Ephesians 4:14).
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14).
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. (1 Peter 2:2).
3. FRUITFULNESS
A number of years ago, our family moved into a new home. One of the first things we did was plant several cherry trees beside the house. They looked like frail sticks of wood about eight feet high. There were no branches. It was hard to imagine that these spindly trees would ever produce cherries.
But with my wife’s pruning, care and patience, these plants grew to be full-grown mature trees. Each year we enjoyed a bountiful crop of tasty cherries. Each summer the branches were loaded with fruit.
Immaturity does not produce fruit. Fruitfulness is a mark of maturity.
Mature believers develop the fruit of character development. There is patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control. There is a teachable spirit.
Mature believers become productive in their service. Mature believers are not merely observers, they are participants in the Christian community. They don’t just warm a pew in church, they get involved in serving in and through the church, reaching out to the world.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. (John 15:16).
4. STEADINESS
One of the characteristics of childhood and even adolescence is the dramatic mood swings that can quickly take place. One moment they are laughing, the next they are crying. They can be happily participating in a family discussion and then stomp off to their room to sulk. Massive emotional mood swings are a sign of immaturity.
Sadly, I’ve seen such immaturity among Christians who have been in the church many years. I’ve watched head ushers get upset when asked to do something differently. I’ve watched the leaders of the women’s ministry program get out of sorts when told their ideas didn’t fit the mission of the church. There have been people who stopped coming to church because they didn’t get the music or teaching or programs that fit their personal tastes.
Unsteadiness is everywhere around the church. Too many people are emotionally driven and too easily influenced by TV preachers, other people or circumstances.
The Bible uses terms like “built up” (Acts 20:32), “being established” (Romans 16:25) and “growing” (Ephesians 4:15). These terms indicate spiritual stability and depth.
Spiritually mature people are not always in a flap over unexpected circumstances – things like a sudden illness, the death of a partner, or personal financial issues. Mature Christians are not shaken by the unexpected. Their faith is anchored to the Rock.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. (1 Corinthians 13:11).
5. CHRISTLIKENESS
Christlikeness has increasingly become part of my vocabulary. It’s what I pray for. It’s a key measuring stick I use to evaluate people. Flamboyant ministry performance without Christlikeness is hollow or at best superficial.
There are many things that indicate Christlikeness. There is love for all kinds of people. There’s a rejection of injustice. There is gentleness yet firmness. Forgiveness is practiced quickly, whether it is asked for or not. There is a commitment to unity in the church. Mature people don’t get caught up in petty disputes. They will have convictions about the principles of Scripture but won’t squabble about personal preferences.
Mature believers, like the Apostle Paul, have learned contentment. They live with a satisfaction that the Lord will provide all their needs. That doesn’t mean they don’t have dreams, but it does mean that they are not constantly craving more and more of the comforts and possessions of this life.
Paul said the result of spiritual maturity would be that … we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 4:13-15).
A complete directory of articles can be found at http://calsinsights.com/
You can receive this material regularly by email – just fill in your email address at the bottom left side of the home page under subscription options and you will receive a copy of each new article as it is posted.
To forward the material to someone else, press the “share this” button and fill in an email address.
I appreciate all your comments and suggestions.