Steps to Christian Maturity

Many times the truth is not spoken in love. Hard things are said even harder. Feelings are hurt. Korean adult women have a knack for telling the truth to your face. “Honey, why so fat? What about the bumps on your face?”

Paul here outlines how the church is supposed to be and how the world is. There should be a marked difference.

Christian unity and maturity go hand-in-hand.

Ephesians 4:1-16 addresses unity in the church.

Ephesians 4:1-3 instructs us...

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Then, Paul gives the reason for this unity and lists a series of “ones”.

One body;

One Spirit;

One hope;

One calling;

One Lord

One faith;

One baptism;

One God and Father.

This should not surprise us. The church is a family. And families share a series of “ones.”

One house;

One name;

One bank account;

One dinner;

One behavior. “You’re a ____________; and __________ don’t do that… .”

etc.

But like the Latin phrase that exists on your dollar bill: “E Pluribus, Unum,” the church is “From many, one.”

And God has designed a way in which the church is equipped for maturity and ministry. It is found in verse 11.

Ephesians 4:11–13 ESV

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,

Notice that the goal is the unity of the faith.

The first two offices are foundational- reserved for the first century. The last three are ongoing.

If these offices were not in place and the Holy Spirit was not active, there would be no Christian maturity. And it would be the death of the church. But because these offices are in place and the Spirit is active, spiritual maturity and growth is a reality for the church. (Parable of the mustard seed.)

Ephesians 4:14 ESV

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.

The opposite is childlike immaturity, and vulnerability to lies, deception and false teaching.

Speaking the truth in love is a sign of Christian maturity.

The church is the group of people who operate differently. Ephesians 4:15-16 tell us.

Ephesians 4:15–16 ESV

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.

Unlike the political climate, George Harpur defines this as: “Maintaining the true doctrine in a compatible spirit and manner of life, not as a weapon for fighting but to secure a balanced growth in Christ.” (“The Letter to the Ephesians,” A New Testament Commentary, 466.

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Truth is relational and has its goal in maturity.

Nevertheless, in recent years, there has been a shift in preaching. Rick McDaniel writes:

“Over the last thirty years or so our society has changed from a Christian mind-set to a secular mind-set. This change means that a preacher cannot expect that the people to whom he or she preaches will have an understanding of the basic beliefs of Christianity, knowledge of biblical stories, or even a belief in absolutes of right or wrong. This of course assumes that the preacher is trying to reach the unchurched person.” (Rick McDaniel, “Understanding the Contemporary Preaching Model,” found at www.preaching.com. Accessed 4 February 2024).

Beginning in Ephesians 4:17, Paul outlines the life of the new man in Christ.

Harpur states: “As always, Paul proceeds from the dogmatic to the pragmatic, for the fulness of Christ can only at present be seen to operate in the Church in the spheres of character and service.” (Harpur, 466.)

Ephesians 4:17–19 ESV

17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

Here is a reprise of how Paul described us before we knew Christ. Ephesians 2:1-4

Ephesians 2:1–4 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

There are sad and hideous things taking place in the minds of the unbelieving. They are spiritually dead and dying. See 2 Corinthians 4:3-5

2 Corinthians 4:3–5 ESV

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Notice in Ephesians 4:19 , they have given themselves over.

Ephesians 4:19 ESV

19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

This is coupled with what Paul says in Romans 1, that God gave them over to their desires. But here, they given themselves over.

The same is evident in Exodus, where God hardens Pharoah’s heart, and Pharoah hardens his own heart.

In Ephesians 4, there are two images here. One of wardrobe and one of walking.

Verse 17: “That you no longer walk… .”

Verse 22: “That you put off (the old man)...”

Verse 23: “… and be renewed.” Ephesians 4:23 “23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,”

This is very similar to what Paul states in Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Change comes to the heart (seedbed of the personality, will and emotions) through the mind. Jonathan Edwards said that this is how God chiefly works: in the heart, through the mind.

But are we too busy for God to work in us?

We live in a day when people are busy doing nothing and their minds are starved.

There is a quote from the Dutch Catholic priest Henri Nouwen: “People can be so busy that they cannot hear the voice of God through silence.” (Genesee Diary). I would amend that and say “People can be so busy that they cannot hear the voice of God in Scripture.”

Our busyness is invented. And we are being tempted to forget God on a daily basis. Which only has one outcome- a starved soul.

Related to this, Scottish Baptist Evangelist Oswald Chambers (d. 1917) wrote:

“Starvation of the mind, caused by neglect, is one of the chief sources of exhaustion and weakness in a servant’s life. If you have never used your mind to place yourself before God, begin to do it now. There is no reason to wait for God to come to you. You must turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of idols and look to Him and be saved (see Isaiah 45:22).

Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together. When you have thoughts and ideas that are worthy of credit to God, learn to compare and associate them with all that happens in nature— the rising and the setting of the sun, the shining of the moon and the stars, and the changing of the seasons. You will begin to see that your thoughts are from God as well, and your mind will no longer be at the mercy of your impulsive thinking, but will always be used in service to God.” (Is Your Mind Stayed on God? | My Utmost For His Highest, accessed 30 January 2024).

People spend on the average 3 to five hours per day on their mobile phone. And it is increasing each year. For as much good as technology does, it can and often distracts us from the simple action of sitting at the Lord’s feet.

Martin Luther said: “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.”

Luther also said: “The less I pray, the harder it gets; the more I pray, the better it goes.”

My mentor, who taught me how to pray, said that if he started his day off with prayer, it tended to go much better. If he did not, there was a marked difference.

English Baptist pastor Francis Dixon offers the following guidance:

1. Have daily, regular times of prayer.

2. Begin each session of prayer by reading a short portion from the Bible.

3. Pray through the problems of the day as they arise.

4. Do not be formal in the matter of prayer. Cultivate the habit of talking with God.

5. Study all that the Bible has to say on the subject of prayer. Get into the very atmosphere of the prayers of Abraham, of Samuel, of Nehemiah, of Daniel, and of the early Church.

6. Start a prayer list and tabulate for your own guidance some of the people for whom you are going to pray regularly.

7. Keep on keeping on!

What are some answered prayers in your life?

Truth and Christian unity and maturity are found in Jesus.

Paul states: “just as truth is in Jesus,” Jesus called himself the truth in John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

And John 1:9-10, Jesus is compared to the “true light,” coming into the world.

John 1:9–10 ESV

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

And Hebrews 1:2-4, Jesus is God’s voice.

Hebrews 1:2–4 ESV

2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.