The Path to Spiritual Maturity

Colossians 1Verses 9 to 11 and 28b-29 Colossians 4 Verses 2 to 4 Ephesians 4 verses 11-16 James 1 verse 2-4 The Path to Spiritual Maturity November 16, 2025 Lesson 7 Making Disciples Class Presentation Notes AAAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Philippians 1:1–9 (NASB95)

Thanksgiving

   1     Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:

   2     Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

   3     I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

   4     always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,

   5     in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.

   6     For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

   7     For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.

   8     For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

   9     And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,

· 1 Peter 2:1–2 (NASB95) As Newborn Babes

   1     Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,

   2     like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

Main Idea:

· While advancing toward maturity is a supernatural activity, specific experiences and environments determine the rate and direction of spiritual growth development.

Study Aim:

· To understand how specific experiences and environments influence an individual’s spiritual growth and development.

Create Interest:

· Spiritual growth is not automatic but requires intentional seeking of God's will through prayer and discernment. It's a call to actively engage with God to cultivate a deeper faith and understanding of His purpose in our lives.

Lesson in Historical Context:

· In this passage, Paul prays for the Colossians, asking that they be filled with the knowledge of God's will, spiritual wisdom, and understanding. His prayer highlights the importance of divine guidance in nurturing faith and character amid diverse circumstances.

· The main teaching of this lesson is that spiritual maturity does not happen in isolation but through community engagement, service, and ministry. The text calls believers to move beyond infancy in faith to a place of growth, stability, and love.

· In this passage, Christ is presented as the foundation of growth and unity in the church. He equips believers with gifts and calls them to mature in faith, reflecting His character and fulfilling His mission in the world. 

Bible Study:                         

Prayer for Spiritual Growth

Colossians 1:9–11 (NASB95) 

   9     For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

10     so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11     strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously

· It may well be said that this passage teaches us more about the essence of prayer’s request than almost any other in the New Testament. From it we learn, as C. F. D. Moule has said, that prayer makes two great requests. It asks for the discernment of God’s will and then asks for the power to perform that will.

· Vs. 9:  Petitioning for Divine Knowledge

o Prayer begins by asking that we may be filled with an ever-growing knowledge of the will of God. Its great object is to know the will of God.

§ We are trying not so much to make God listen to us as to make ourselves listen to him.

§ We are trying not to persuade God to do what we want, but to find out what he wants us to do. It so often happens that in prayer we are really saying, “Thy will be changed,” when we ought to be saying, “Thy will be done.”

The first object of prayer is not so much to speak to God as to listen to him.

· Vs. 10: Purposeful Walking in Wisdom    

o “so that you will walk” (aorist infinitive) calls for a fixed purpose in conduct. Righteousness comes from the infilling spoken of in the previous verse. “Worthy of the Lord” provides the inspirationfor the believer’s conduct. This same note is struck in three other places: 2:6; 3:17; and 3:23. To walk worthy(worthily) of the Lord is the highest aspiration. In 1 Thess. 2:12, Paul uses the phrase “worthy of God,” and Moule points out in this connection that “the Father and the Son are Persons of the same Order of Being.” “To please Him in all respects” is “fully pleasing” (RSV), not to men, but to God (2 Cor. 5:9; Col. 3:22; 1 Thess. 4:1). Here Paul states the objective of the Christian life. “Bering fruit in every good work”shows the quality of the conduct. The walk is ethical righteousness; it is to be consistent, and to involve the whole of life.[1]

o This knowledge of God must be translated into our human situation. We pray for spiritual wisdom and understanding. Spiritual wisdom is sophia, which we could describe as knowledge of first principles. Understanding is sunesis, which is what the Greeks sometimes described as critical knowledge, meaning the ability to apply first principles to any given situation which may arise in life.

§ So, when Paul prays that his friends may have wisdom and understanding, he is praying that they may understand the great truths of Christianity and may be able to apply them to the tasks and decisions which meet them in everyday living.

§ A person may quite easily be a Master of Theology and a failure in living; able to write and talk about the eternal truths and yet helpless to apply them to the things which meet him every day.

§ The Christian must know what Christianity means, not in a vacuum but in the business of living.

o This knowledge of God’s will, and this wisdom and understanding, must issue in right conduct. Paul prays that his friends may conduct themselves in such a way as to please God. There is nothing in this world so practical as prayer. It is not escape from reality. Prayer and action go hand in hand. We pray not to escape life but in order to be better able to meet it.

· Vs. 11:  Power in Prayer for Perseverance

o To do this we need power. Therefore, Paul prays that his friends may be strengthened with the power of God.

§ The great problem in life is not to know what to do but to do it. For the most part, we are aware in any given situation what we ought to do; our problem is to put that knowledge into action.

§ What we need is power; and that we receive in prayer. If God merely told us what his will was, that might well be a frustrating situation; but he not only tells us his will, but He also enables us to perform it.

o Through prayer we reach the greatest gift in all the world—knowledge plus power[2]

A thought to soak on:

· In the New Testament, James emphasizes the power of prayer in seeking wisdom, stating, 'If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God' (James 1:5). This call to intentional prayer is crucial, particularly in testing times. The early church thrived by actively seeking God’s guidance through prayer, illustrating that spiritual growth is often born from a deep desire for understanding amid trials. The apostle's encouragement remains a vital principle for today's believers.

Effective Proclamation of the Gospel

Colossians 4:2–4 (NASB95)

   2     Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude ofthanksgiving;

   3     praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;

   4     that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

· Vs. 2: Focused Prayer

o Our praying must be faithful. “Devote yourselves to prayer” means, “Be steadfast in your prayer life; be devoted; don’t quit.” This is the way the early church prayed (Acts 1:14; 2:46). “Pray without ceasing” is God’s command to us (1 Thes. 5:17). It means we should be constantly in fellowship with God so that prayer is as normal to us as breathing.

§ God enjoys answering our prayers. But He sometimes delays the answer to increase our faith and devotion and to accomplish His purposes at the right time. As we continue in prayer, our own hearts are prepared for the answer God will give.

o Our prayer is a battle. ‘Continue steadfastly in prayer”(MSG). Mental, emotional and physical effort is involved in prayer, and one can feel exhausted by it all. This is because it has to do with the whole person. Thus, when we pray the mind is engaged (1 Cor. 14:15), the will is involved (Acts 12:5) and the heart is burdened (James 5:16). This is illustrated both by our Savior in Gethsemane, where he was ‘exceedingly sorrowful, even to death’ (Matt. 26:38–44), and by Jacob, when he wrestled in prayer at Peniel and would not let Jehovah go until he was blessed by him (Gen. 32:24–31).[3]

o Our praying must also be watchful.We must be awake and “keeping alert” as we pray. The phrase “Watch and pray!” is used often in the Bible. It had its beginning in Bible history when Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem: “Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God and set a watch against them [the enemy] day and night” (Neh. 4:9). Jesus used the phrase (Mark 13:33; 14:38); Paul used it too (Eph. 6:18).

o Our praying should also be thankful:  ‘with thanksgiving’. Prayer brings victory when it is full of thanksgiving. Paul adds the element of thanksgiving deliberately, because praise of this sort ‘imparts spiritual freshness to prayer’ (Carson). Let every Christian be grateful for grace, happy about holiness and delighted with so great a salvation (1 Thes. 5:18). The Fatherhood of God is evident here, and the mystical spiritual relationship which believers have with Christ is emphasized. The best types of prayers are those ‘according to his will’ (1 John 5:14–15). Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer to say ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matt. 6:10). Faith tells us that God’s good pleasure is best for us because his wisdom is to be preferred to ours. We need therefore to submit to his will with meekness, while putting away self-will and pride. Sincere gratitude to God is one of the best ways to put fervor into our praying.

· Vs. 3: Purposeful Prayer

o Our prayer should be purposeful: “Praying at the same time for us” Too often our prayers are vague and general. “Lord, bless the missionaries!” How much better it would be if we prayed for specific needs. By doing so, we would know when God answered and we could praise Him for it. Perhaps it is our lack of faith that causes us to pray generally instead of specifically.

o It has well been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth. Prayer is not telling God what to do or what to give. Prayer is asking God for that which He wants to do and give, according to His will(1 John 5:14–15).

· Vs. 3b-4: Proclaiming the Word

o Paul did not ask for the prison doors to be opened, but that doors of ministry might be opened (1 Cor. 16:9; Acts 14:27). It was more important to Paul that he be a faithful minister than a free man. It is worth noting that in all of Paul’s prison prayers, his concern was not for personal safety or material help, but for spiritual character and blessing.

o The proclamation of the Gospel is empowered by prayer. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God as we come to the throne of grace and ask God for His blessing. We must never separate the Word of God from prayer because God has joined them together (Acts 6:4).

o The proclaiming of the Word of God is a great privilege and a tremendous responsibility. You do not have to be an ordained preacher or a missionary to share God’s Word. Even in your daily conversation you can drop the seed of the Word into hearts and then pray that God will water that seed and bring forth fruit.[4]

Thoughts to soak on from church history:

· In the 19th century, Charles Spurgeon, known as the 'Prince of Preachers', firmly believed in the power of prayer. He would often start his sermons with fervent prayer meetings with his congregation, seeking God’s presence to fill their gathering. Spurgeon’s ministry witnessed thousands coming to Christ because he emphasized prayer as the foundation of his preaching. This historical figure reminds us that a life devoted to prayer is crucial for effectively proclaiming the truth of the gospel, allowing God to work through us.

· In the 18th century, John Wesley’s ministry transformed England. Wesley was known for his disciplined prayer life which laid the foundation for his massive evangelistic efforts. He believed prayer was crucial in maintaining his spiritual fervor and effectiveness in ministering the gospel. Wherever he traveled, he called upon the power of prayer, and his influence led to the conversion of thousands. Wesley’s life exemplified that a genuine prayer life equips a person to boldly proclaim the gospel with unwavering strength and clarity.

· In the time leading up to the Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards relied heavily on prayer to undergird his preaching. As he prepared sermons, he would spend hours in prayer, seeking God’s guidance and power. Edwards’ dedication to prayer was evident during his famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," which sparked a revival. This illustrates how an unwavering commitment to prayer can open the doors for the Spirit’s movement in powerful ways, reinforcing that the effective proclamation of the gospel stems from deep spiritual roots.

Preparation

Ephesians 4:11–16 (NASB95)

11     And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

12     for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of 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 a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

14     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;

15     but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

16     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.

· Vs. 11-12: Equipped for Service

o Christ has endowed the church with leaders to equip the saints for ministry.

§ “And He gave some, apostles”. The object here is to show that He has made ample provision for the extension and edification of his church.[5] Apostolos denotes a ministry and an office that was instituted by Jesus himself: “And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles” (Luke 6:13). Here, as in Matthew 10:2 and Mark 6:30, we encounter the Greek word apostoloswithout any further explanation as to what the word means.[6]

o These verses show that pastors, teachers, and other leaders serve a purpose: to prepare believers for works of service. Christ's gift ensures that no one is left unequipped. Through community and dedicated leadership, we grow in faith and maturity, recognizing that we each have a role to play in the Body of Christ.

o Some aspects of Christian maturity do take time, but there are many ways in which, once someone has come to believe in Jesus as the risen Lord and discovered His presence and power in their life, maturity can follow swiftly.

o Verse 12 indicates clearly that the point of God calling people to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers is so that everyChristian can serve in the way they are called to do, for the building up of the whole body.

o The list of offices in verse 11 is not exhaustive. Elsewhere Paul adds others. But these five were crucial to the establishment of the first generation of the church. Apostles were witnesses to the resurrection; since the resurrection is the foundation of the church, the testimony of those who had seen the risen Jesus was the first Christian preaching.

§ Early Christian prophets spoke in the name of the Lord, guiding and directing the church especially in the time before the New Testament was written.

§ Evangelists announced to the surprised world that the crucified Jesus was risen from the dead and was both Israel’s Messiah and the world’s true Lord.

§ Pastors looked after the young churches; teachers developed and trained their understanding.

They did this not least by setting out the many ways in which believing allegiance to Jesus linked Christians into the whole story and life of Israel, building on the promises of the Old Testament.

· Vs. 13:   Aim for Unity

o The first great objective, is the perfecting of the saints. Verse 13 says, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a mature man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” God does not want, in His churches, children to remain children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and their cunning craftiness.

o God wants eachmember of His body, which is the church, to grow daily in His knowledge, and in the unity of the faith, until they are what God calls a perfect, fully developed, fully rounded Christian, who has reached the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.[7]

· Vs. 14: Anchored in Truth

o Paul brings together three ideas: babies, a boat being tossed about on a stormy sea, and cunning tricksters gambling with loaded dice. It’s a bit hard to picture them all together, but we can see what he’s driving at—and if we know today’s world we’ll see that new Christians are every bit as vulnerable now as they were then.

o Note that maturity brings stability and discernment, reducing susceptibility to deceit. As believers grow in understanding and in Christ, they are less likely to be 'tossed by the waves,' instead anchored firmly in truth.

· Vs.  15:  Speaking in Love

o We should learn to speak the truth, not just about anything and everything (though that is important, too), but about matters of Christian teaching and doctrine. Faced with clever but off-beam teaching, young Christians must learn how to state the truth without lapsing into rudeness or sneering. The truth of the God of love can’t be commended by loveless speech.

o Paul envisages this body as growing up ‘into Christ, who is the head’. This seems an odd way to put it, since a human body doesn’t grow into a head, but gets its lifeand direction from its head. It may be that, as with the babies in the boat, Paul is mixing two pictures together at this point; or it may be that he means the way in which the body takes orders from the head and must be brought into line with what the head intends.

· Vs. 16:  Together in Love

o Paul points out the mutual need and concern of the different members of the body. Every Christian, equipped by God to play his or her part within the whole community, has a role in enabling the body to function as the complex and interdependent entity that it is.

§ And all, we note once more, must be done in love.

· So what provision has God made for all this? Once we realize that the passage is all about the whole body of Christ, and each member of it, coming to maturity, we are in a better position to understand the list of ministries in verse 11.[8]

Perseverance

James 1:2–4 (NASB95)

   2     Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

   3     knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

   4     And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

· Vs. 2: Choose joy in trials:

o Joy is not about denying the pain but recognizing the purpose behind the pain. Joy comes from trusting God's process and sovereignty in the midst of hardships. With Christ as our example, embracing challenges as opportunities can lead us to deeper faith and reliance on Him.

o James tells us that trials are never out of God’s control. Every trial we go through is under God’s control, and He accomplishes His purposes through trials.

o When James says to “consider it all joy,” this is a command, an imperative, and it’s a verb that addresses how we think, which is important. This is not about feeling. Trials don’t necessarily bring a smile to our faces. When life comes crashing down on someone, James doesn’t intend for us to say flippantly, “Consider it all joy, brother.”

o “Various” includes small trials, big trials, minor trials, and major trials. Sometimes we wonder why the little trials are there, and then when the big trials come, the tragedies and the difficulties that make the everyday trials seem so small, we wonder what James is thinking when he tells us to count all of these things as “great joy.” How can the Bible be serious about this?

§ We need to realize that trials are not joyful in and of themselves, but they are joyful when we realize they are under the authority of a sovereign God who is accomplishing His purposes through them. And what is He accomplishing? See vs. 3.[9]

· Vs. 3: Produce endurance through testing

o A James 1:3 kind of lifestyle, the kind that endures because of testing, requires a radically God-centered perspective on life. Think of a trial in your own life (whether it’s big or small): if the goal is just to fix your circumstances, then you are setting yourself up for constant frustration because often the circumstance won’t get fixed like you want it to, and sometimes it won’t get fixed at all. Even when it is fixed like you want it, something else will come up. You will live in constant anxiety.

o But if your ultimate goal is not just to fix your circumstances but to know God and to grow in God, then rejoice because no matter what your circumstances, you will achieve your goal. God has designed trials for your growth in godliness. Trials are joy when God is our goal. I love what Malcolm Muggeridge said on this topic:

§ Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that at the time seemed especially desolating and painful with particular satisfaction. Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in my seventy-eight years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness, whether pursued or attained. (Muggeridge, Tesimony, n.p.)[10]

· Vs. 4:  Pursue completeness in Christ:

o The perseverance of faith is a virtue in and of itself. Indeed, perseverance characterizes genuine faith. Faith, one of the “good and perfect” gifts of God (v. 17), grows up to produce perseverance in the believer; indeed, it makes the believer a perfect (teleios; “mature,” NIV) work. Believers have been birthed by God (v. 18), and they grow up to full maturity in him.

o What James said about persecution must be balanced with what he said in 3:2 about all of us stumbling in many ways. Immediately following, James spoke of someone who is “perfect” in speech. Completeness of faith is meant here whereby profession and behavior are inseparable—this is the maturity of faith James wanted for them.

o “Perfect” (teleios) was an extremely important word for James, occurring in 1:4 twice (cf. KJV, “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect”) and in 1:17, 25; 3:2.

§ The use of holoklēros(“complete”) along with teleios(“perfect”) implies a gradual process of adding virtue upon virtue until one is “not lacking anything.”

§  Thus faith becomes complete in the fullest sense, ready to stand before God in the judgment, which is faith’s goal[11]

Grace and peace to you for reading and sharing this teaching.

[1]John B. Nielson, “The Epistle to the Colossians,” in Galatians through Philemon, Beacon Bible Commentary (Beacon Hill Press, 2020), Col 1:10a.

[2]William Barclay, ed., The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, electronic ed., The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1975), 108–109.

[3]Ian S McNaughton, Opening up Colossians and Philemon, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2006), 83.

[4]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 146–147.

[5]Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 79.

[6]Thoralf Gilbrant, “Ἀπόστολος,”in The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1991).

[7]R. E. Neighbour, Wells of Living Water: New Testament, vol. 12, Wells of Living Water (Union Gospel Press, 1940), 154–155.

[8]Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon(London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 46–49.

[9]Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on James, 1 & 2 Peter, vol. 13, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentar (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2014), 25–26.

[10]David Platt, Exalting Jesus in James (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2014), 7.

[11]Kurt A. Richardson, James, vol. 36, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997), 62–63.