The Heidelberg Catechism - The Foundations Of Our Faith

Developing Your Spiritual Maturity   Ephesians 4: 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, 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. 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.       Christian Maturity Christian Maturity involves a number of different, yet interrelated, factors. Underline the words in Ephesians 4:11-16

Piaget, Kohlberg, etc. Kant: Autonomy. Erikson's stages of psychosocial development Stage             Issue         Age Trust vs. Mistrust    Hope       0 - 1½ Autonomy vs. Shame    Will    1½ - 3. Initiative vs. Guilt    Purpose   3 - 5. Industry vs. Inferiority    Competency  5 - 12. Identity vs. Role Confusion   Fidelity   12 - 18. Intimacy vs. Isolation     Love    18 - 40. Generativity vs. Stagnation   Care  40 - 65. Ego Integrity vs. Despair  Wisdom  65+ Dr. W.E. Andersen, "Persons are whole beings who develop, in their multi-faceted ways, whenever and wherever they are caught up in new relations either with aspects of themselves or the reality around them. Persons are also needy human beings whose nature is to be both active and responsive to the actions of others, and hence who were fashioned for participation in personal relationships with God and with fellow-humans. Further, they are inescapably orientated beings: that is, designed to become focussed about some cen

Ephesians 4:1-16 Spiritual Maturity Factors Contributing To Christian Maturity The definition of maturity is one that has been largely determined within several worldviews prevalent in what some have declared to be out post-christian society.  Some have described "Maturity" from the findings and descriptions of modern psychological theories. Emmanuel Kant described maturity in terms of individual autonomy.   According to Kant, "immaturity is self-imposed when its cause lies not in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolve and courage to use it without guidance from another." Maturity, then, is to be free from the laziness of dependence upon moral guides and through individual rationality self-determine one's own morality. In the field of education there has been an obsession with developmental psychology, that every child grows to maturity through several specified stages. Kant's concept of individual autonomy is embedded in some modern psycho-social dev

I was going through the checkin barrier at Will Rogers International Airport Oklahoma some years ago. I placed my bags on the conveyer belt and joined the line of people going through the electronic detection gate when an older man rushed up to my bag and placed a 30mm pipe bomb in my bag in the X-ray machine. I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off his feet (he was about 5'2"). He said "No no it's ok" as I raised my fist to clean his dial. " I am airport security, we have a new girl working today and we are testing whether she can read the X-ray machine!" I let him back onto his feet. I walked with him round the back. Nope she didn't detect the pipebomb.

  ECCLESIASTES 8: 1-9:6  1 Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. 2 I say: Keep the king's command, because of God's oath to him. 3 Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, "What are you doing?" 5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. 6 For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him. 7 For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? 8 No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 9 All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power