Am I maturing?
by Robert Krumrey
Most Christians would agree that every follower of Jesus should be maturing. The Bible is full of verses that support this kind of thinking. Here are just a couple:
“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
“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, ”
These scriptures and many more point to the expectation that truly converted Christians grow up in their relationship with Christ and the proof of this is spiritual maturation. All that said, how do I know if I’m maturing? The short answer is a growing love for God and people. This is the great commandment that Jesus points to in the gospels (see Matthew 22:34-40). We grow in our valuation of who God is and what he does AND express that by loving the human beings around us who are all bearing his image. While that is helpful, still we can struggle to know if that is really happening.
A couple of years ago, our staff read a book called Transforming Discipleship that was written by Greg Ogden who also writes the material we use for discipleship groups. In the book, he dedicates an entire chapter to how one might assess Christian maturity. The following questions are an augmented version of what he suggests when thinking about evidence of Christian maturity. Notice that there is a spectrum to consider in each category. For example in the area of spiritual disciplines the spectrum is from 1 (Casual) to 10 (Disciplined). So think of how you approach spiritual disciplines. Do you have a plan in place for them and do you usually execute that plan on most days? If that’s true of you, then you are probably on the disciplined side of things. If you don’t have a plan for spiritual disciplines and rarely get around to them then you are on the casual side of the spectrum.
Take some time to reflect on these questions and prayerfully consider where you’ve grown and where you think you need the most growth. This should be a time for celebrating what God has done by his grace in your life and a time to confess sin and ask for grace to mature in new ways. We NEVER outgrow the need for this kind of thankfulness about what God has done and watchfulness regarding what he wants to do.
Spiritual Disciplines: Casual vs. Disciplined (1-10)
How committed am I to the daily disciplines of prayer and bible study? (Psalm 1)
Bible Knowledge: Illiterate vs. Informed (1-10)
How well do I know my Bible such that I can apply its truths to everyday living? (2Timothy 2:15)
Life Change: Conformed vs. Transformed (1-10)
What seems to be the greater shaping agent in my life as a whole – cultural influences or the renewing of my mind by the word of God? (Romans 12:2)
Church Life: Optional vs. Essential (1-10)
How much do I value the community of MERCYhouse and in what ways am I showing this? (Hebrews 10:25)
Church Ministry: Passive vs. Proactive (1-10)
How aware am I of my spiritual gifts and how engaged am I in employing those gifts in the ministry of the church? (Romans 12:3-8)
Disciple Making: Inactive vs. Active (1-10)
How active am I in praying for, engaging with, and evangelizing non-Christians? (Colossians 4:2-4)
How active am I in praying for, engaging with other Christians for the purpose of facilitating their spiritual growth? (Matthew 28:16-20)
Again, once you look over these, celebrate areas of your life that God has worked in and then consider ONE area that you think is in need of growth. Then pray and think through what you could do to grow in this area. As you do this, always place the gospel at the center of your perspective on growth. Remind yourself that you repent and obey because you are saved by the gospel AND that you repent and obey by the transforming grace that’s been given to you in the gospel.