Signs of Christian Maturity

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 (NASB)

Today’s message is going to be centered on verse 13:

Until we all attain 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. 

More specifically, this message is going to focus on the signs and indicators that we can look at to determine if we are maturing spiritually.

As a teenage boy I remember some of my outward physical signs that indicated to me (and others) that I was indeed maturing.  I was getting hair on my cheeks and chin and on my upper lip, my voice began to change and I was getting noticeably physically stronger and taller.  One thing I lacked, however: sideburns.  This was not obvious to most people because I let my hair grow down to my shoulders.  However, those closest to me knew and would often harass me by picking up my hair and making some discouraging comment about my lack of sideburns.  Eventually my sideburns began to grow and the harassment stopped. In the same way, teenage girls go through outward transformations that are leading indicators that they too are indeed maturing and becoming young women.

It is interesting that all teenagers seem to be in a hurry to mature physically regardless of their gender.  But what about spiritual maturity?  In verses 11 and 12, Paul communicates to the church in Philippi that God is concerned about our spiritual maturity and that is why He gave some as apostles and some as evangelist and some as pastor and teachers so that they would equip the saints for the work of service. As pastors and teachers, it is part of our job description to equip you for the work of service.

As a result, we are no longer to be 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, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.—Ephesians 4:14-16 (NASB)

Paul also writes to the Galatians:

But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires. If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit].  –Galatians 5:22-25 (Amplified Bible)

Just as our physical bodies go through a dramatic transformation as we mature physically, so too, our spiritual behavior goes through a transformation because as we walk by the Holy Spirit we grow and mature spiritually.

Peter writes about this transformation as well:

To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.—II Peter 1:b1-8 (NASB)

What are some of the outward signs indicating spiritual maturity?  From these verses we see the following:

     --Moral Excellence (You maintain the highest moral standards; you guard your eyes, your heart and avoid any resemblance of evil in your thoughts and your actions.)

     --Knowledge (You continue to be devoted to study of God’s Word and help others do the same and you study church history and you read other spiritual material.)

     --Self-control (You avoid temptation and forsake the things that you were enslaved by in the past.)

     --Perseverance (You persevere rather than jumping ship when the storms of life come up. You don’t go looking for a new church when you are convicted by a message,)

     --Godliness (You maintain a spirit of holiness both in your mind and in your heart and your speech.)

     --Brotherly Kindness (You perform acts of kindness to help others in need.)

     --Love (You start having a heart of compassion for those who don’t know Jesus who will suffer eternal judgement if they don’t put their trust in Him.)

Here are a few more signs of Christian maturity:

     --Your prayer life takes on a new course (You start praying for the needs of others more than your own needs.)

     --Witnessing (You start sharing the Gospel with every stranger and everyone that you know especially those who you are not sure are saved.)

     --Serving (You start asking the Lord Jesus daily what He wants you to do.  Note that this is different than asking yourself “What Would Jesus Do?”)

     --Giving (You give cheerfully not under compulsion and not just your money but also your time and your God given talents.)

A sign that envelopes many of these signs is:

     --Standing firm in the faith (You cease to stumble.)

For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.—II Peter 1:9-11(NASB)

And one last sign:

     --Always be ready to remind other believers of the truth (You take every opportunity to remind other believers of God’s promises.)

Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.—II Peter 1:12-15 (NASB)

When someone is going through a hard time they have a hard time remembering the truth.  That is where the mature Christian can be most helpful by reminding them of what they already know.

The final true sign of a mature Christian is displayed after you’re gone, when people that you have helped and shared the gospel with easily recall the things that you said to them and did for them in regards to Jesus and His Kingdom.  They may not remember your name, but they won’t be able to forget His name nor will they forget the actions that you performed for Him during your life.

So let us honestly examine ourselves and look for these signs of maturity in our life:

     --Moral Excellence

     --Knowledge

     --Self-control

     --Perseverance

     --Godliness

     --Brotherly Kindness

     --Love

     --Praying for the needs of others more than our own needs.

     --Witnessing

     --Serving

     --Giving cheerfully

     --Standing firm in the faith

     --Always being ready to remind other believers of the truth

As I said earlier, when I was a teenager those closest to me used to tease me because my hair was down to my shoulders but I had no sideburns.  In the Air Force, they shaved off everybody’s hair and sideburns so it was not as evident that I lacked sideburns, but I knew.  In the same way, immature Christians can surround themselves with other immature Christians and it won’t be as evident to them that they are not growing in spiritual maturity.  Many even join churches that are not totally committed to following Jesus and reaching the world with the Gospel.  I urge you to avoid following this immature behavior.  Instead, I urge you to stir one another up by reminding each other of the truth and helping each other grow in maturity in the spiritual area that you and/or they are weak in.

If you don’t see one or more of these signs in your life or are weak in an area don’t be downtrodden.  Team up with one of the saints who shows signs of spiritual maturity in that area and ask them to help you mature in it too.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.—Philippians 1:3-6 

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. – Philippians 3:13-16 

If you have not accepted Christ’s death on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins and have not made Him Lord of your life but have been thinking more and more about spiritual things, then you are like the seed just before the root sprouts out to drink of the soil and the nutrients there.   Before you can grow spiritually you must have the Holy Spirit in you.  Come find me and I will be glad to help you take the first step toward spiritual maturity. Let’s pray.