SPIRITUAL MATURITY EPHESIANS 4:1-16
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 is not only an individual goal, it is a corporate goal as well. Christian Maturity involves a number of different, yet interrelated, factors. Underline the words in Ephesians 4:11-16 that highlight Christian Maturity.
Who is responsible, and for what, to achieve the goal of spiritual maturity?
The Knowledge Factor:
"..until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,"
"The members of a congregation are equipped "for the work of service" (4:12). Unfortunately, the way we often do ministry in our churches is to hire staff people to do all the real work. The congregation sits back, arms folded, and observes or supervises while the hired hands do the heavy lifting related to the ministry. Then if something isn't getting done, they hire more professional heavy lifters! What a betrayal of Ephesians 4:12! The "professionals" aren't paid to do the work of the ministry; they're paid to train others to do the work of the ministry!"
Does our church suffer from professionalism?
What training opportunities should a church provide for its members?
2. The Goals / Purpose Factor
"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,"
A maturing believer will have spiritual goals.
What is our overall purpose together (Eph 4:11-16)?
What are meaningful goals for you and why?
G od-given vision
O rganise
A ssess
L earn to lean
S ee Obstacles as opportunities
God intends you to become mature: How can you organise for this to happen?
Assess your strengths and weaknesses. What do you need to work on?
What are you trusting God to do in your life that only God can do?
What opportunities are before you now?
3. The Self-Concept Factor :
"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,"
There are many factors that should be taken into account when we are determining our own concept of what we are really like. It is not Biblical to be preoccupied with our selves, nor with only one aspect of who we are, such as our sexuality. You are uniquely who God made you to be. Self is a wrong "core" or obsession for personality. Still, there are some aspects we must always bear in mind. Read these passages and list the factors we should bear in mind.
Romans 12:3
Romans 3:10,20.
Romans 5:1,6-8.
Ephesians 1:4,5.,
Ephesians 2:4,5,10.
Romans 6:13.
What are your spiritual gifts?
What does your heart desire?
What are the abilities that you have?
What is your personality like?
Dominant
Interacting
Steadiness
Cautious Compliant
What experiences have you had?
Educational and training?
Spiritual?
Vocational?
Painful?
Profitable?
4. The Love Factor:
"15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,"
Without a doubt, the value of loving and being loved is crucial to our balanced development as individual personalities, let alone in our development as mature Christians. Paul often begins his epistles by commending a church on its faith, hope and love. Gene Getz, in his book "The Measure Of A Church", states that a mature church will display qualities of faith, hope and love in an abundance. What are the qualities of love that should be evident in our lives listed in 1 Corinthians 13?
How do you know that you are loved by God?
5. The Relationality Factor
Love is expressed in relationships. What is the difference between love and relationships?
Are you a relational person?
What are the benefits of close Christian friendships?.=.....
Prov 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity
6. The Group Factor.
"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."
A significant finding in the realm of counselling theory is the rediscovery of the fundamental importance of "inter-personal relationships". The groups we belong to tend to determine our attitudes,
emotional responses and our actions.
Why is the small group important?
7. The Resilience Factor:
"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."
How are we protected from being tossed backward and forward?
The maturing disciple of Christ is content to be disciplined by the Lord. He does not treat such times lightly, nor does he despond. Read Hebrews 12:4-13.
Describe one time when you were under the disciplining hand of the Lord.
Make your own paraphrase of James 1: 2-4.
What is the object of trials? 1Peter 1:4-7.
BUILDING THE BODY OF CHRIST
SPIRITUAL MATURITY EPHESIANS 4:1-16
The local church could sometimes be like a bus, where the only work being done is by the driver, and the only movement is on and off by the passengers. 1906 Papal Encyclical Vehmenter Nos: "As for the masses, they have no other right than of letting themselves be led, and of following their pastors as a docile flock."
But Swindoll writes "The members of a congregation are equipped "for the work of service" (4:12). Unfortunately, the way we often do ministry in our churches is to hire staff people to do all the real work. The congregation sits back, arms folded, and observes or supervises while the hired hands do the heavy lifting related to the ministry. Then if something isn't getting done, they hire more professional heavy lifters! What a betrayal of Ephesians 4:12! The "professionals" aren't paid to do the work of the ministry; they're paid to train others to do the work of the ministry! Just imagine what churches would have to strike out from their pastor's job description if they took that mandate seriously!
Dr. Howard Hendricks, used to say, "The church is too much like a football game —fifty thousand people in the stands, desperately in need of exercise, watching twenty-two people on the field desperately in need of rest." Yes, the Bible speaks of paid ministers who are expected to lead, preach, and teach (1 Tim. 5:17). Yet their primary purpose is to equip the rest of the church to engage in meeting the needs of the flock, exercising their individual spiritual gifts for the benefit of all."
In these verses Paul speaks of maturity once and of building up or growing up four times more. It means that for Paul God's chief purpose for the church is that it might become full-grown and that each of its members might contribute to that maturity by becoming spiritual adults.
Spiritual gifts are given by Jesus, then they are to be used for the purposes for which he gave them, namely, the service and edification of the church. They are not to be used for selfish ends, above all not for drawing attention to the personality or programs of the one using them.
Second, the gifts are given to each Christian—that is, everyone has at least one gift—and for that reason, the church is only fully vigorous and healthy when all are ministering. It has been a failure to see this truth which more than anything else has led in church history to what John Stott calls "the clerical denomination of the laity."
Ray Stedman "We easily forget that the church is a body. We have tried to operate the church as an institution, a corporation, a business. But the reality Paul wants us to grasp in Ephesians is that the church is a body, made up of "cells" —and the cells are individual believers, you and me and our other brothers and sisters in Christ. Each cell has a unique role to play in keeping the entire body healthy." And each unique cell can only work in unity with the rest of the body!
The list of gifts here emphasises the specialised gifts of teaching and preaching. But These gifts are given for a purpose: 12 πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων εἰς ἔργον διακονίας, εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ,
Why? Because the primary focus here is not on the gifts themselves but on the end goal. The end goal is spiritual maturity!
μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ,
The corporate nature of the church is emphasised. And the end goal of that corporate cooperative nature of the church isUnity of faith, Knowledge of the Son of God, a (single) mature man (as opposed to individual children in vs 14), into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We are corporately His body! Vs 16. Corporate = is Latin for body! "Incorporated" means being made part of a body a corporate unity! You are Hope CCC Incorporated!
The Bible doesn't believe in Lone Ranger Christians!
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 centre, Though distinctive as individuals, and needing to develop a self-concept which is serviceable in all their relations, they flourish only within the solidarity of a family, or a family-like community. As they discern between persons and things, they become responsible for acting morally. that individual maturity does not have the goal of individual autonomy, but rather the ultimate goal — restoration of wholeness, the restoration of the image of God in man.
Biblical Christian Maturity 11-16 Knowledge, Purpose, Self-concept, Love, Relationship, Small group, Resilience.
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO CHRISTIAN MATURITY
- KNOWLEDGE
"Doctrinal unity requires a strong "knowledge of the Son of God" (Eph. 4:13). In fact, the core doctrines of the Christian faith center upon the person and work of Jesus Christ in His first and second coming. Helping believers know Him both factually and relationally, both theologically and intimately, is a goal of the preaching and teaching ministries of the church. Paul himself desired this kind of ever-increasing knowledge of Christ: "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (Phil. 3:10). This true knowledge touches not only the head but also the heart, resulting in a life of devotion and dedication.
Boice "Children are delightful little creatures to have around, but they do have their limitations. They are often unstable and naive. Children are notoriously fickle. They will be interested in one thing for five minutes; then they change their minds and focus on something else entirely, and five minutes later they move on to a third concern. Again, children may be easily fooled. It is easy to deceive them. That is why parents have a special responsibility for the sound education and careful guidance of children; it is part of what it means to be a child. However, it is an unfortunate thing when those same characteristics hang on into adult life, weakening a person's character and limiting his or her usefulness. It is particularly unfortunate when the same marks of immaturity mar a Christian's development. Neither individual Christians nor the church as a whole are to be so weakened. If the church is not to be weakened, it must grow in the truth of God. This is why Paul began by speaking of teaching gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. It is not that these are the only gifts; they are not. Paul lists others elsewhere. But he lists these since they are the ways the church is to grow out of spiritual infancy to maturity. One of the tragedies of our day is that the church is so immature in this area. Consequently, it is always being carried along by the world's fads or being led astray by false theology. The only real cure is teaching followed by teaching and then still more teaching."
2Peter 3: 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
"'to equip God's people' turns on a noun καταρτισμός which occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, although the cognate verb is found frequently. The latter has several related meanings, including 'repairing' (Matt. 4:19; Mark 1:19), 'equipping, preparing', 'completing', and 'training, disciplining'. The notion of equipping or preparing, in the sense of making someone adequate or sufficient for something, best suits the context. However, it does require an object: people are prepared for some purpose. That purpose is 'for the work of ministry', an activity of the saints for which the leaders are to prepare and equip them. Christ has given 'special' ministers so that they will 'make God's people fully qualified', thus enabling them to serve their Lord by serving one another." Peter O'Brien.
2. PURPOSEFUL GOALS 13
We perceive ourselves as able to give order and direction to their lives through their ability to evaluate and make choices which are in keeping with their moral desires and orientation. Fullness as the goal to which humans are to attain. This fullness is found in self-forgetfulness in compassionate loving relationships, rather than self-actualisation through performance in a vocation. By recognising maturity as the goal that develops a sense of fullness, rather than autonomy or vocation, spirituality becomes incorporated into purposeful living. "The goal is maturity and knowledge of the Son of God. καταντάω occurs thirteen times in the New Testament, eight of which are in the literal sense of arriving at a place. The place God wants us to arrive at is Unity of faith, knowledge and maturity. Is there something that speaks of a goalishness n your life? Viktor Frankl psychologist and survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp, quoted Nitzche saying "Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'." What is your purpose in life? God expects you to attain to spiritual maturity. Resilience is found in a Purpose Beyond This Life
As God has given us a purpose, by giving us gifts to minister to one another, and as that overall purpose of the spiritual maturity of the whole body, so we are to think corporately about spiritual maturity. Your personal growth in spiritual maturity has the goal of allowing others to grow in their spiritual maturity. And so the local church as a whole grows on spiritual maturity. How are you going in growing yourself and others in spiritual maturity? Do you have goals in your life? Are you a purposeful person? I like the way Jay Strack organises the word GOALS.
God-given vision Our God given vision is spiritual maturity for the whole body here at Hope CCC.
Organise. We need to organise bible studies, preaching and teaching, training opportunities, all we do in instruction in order to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to enable our church to be spiritually mature.
Assess. We need to assess where we are corporately and individually to see where we lack or where we are going ok. Guess what! If you are still alive after this sermon God has work for you to do here! There is no getting out of God's work. One of the most effective youth workers I have ever met was a man aged 84 years.
Learn to Lean on God. He gifted you for your ministry. The greatest model of spiritual maturity is the Lord Jesus. He expects you to lean on Him to do what He has given you to do.
See Obstacles as Opportunities
3. SELF-CONCEPT, 13
"What am I referring to when I say the word "I"? … Where does my sense of self come from? … Was it made for me or did it arise spontaneously? … Am I different when I present myself in different ways to my boss, my family, my friends, social security, someone I'm in love with or a stranger in the street? Do I really know myself?" one's sense of self depends on seeing one's self reflected in interactions with others. The 'looking-glass self' refers to the notion that the self develops through our perception of others' evaluations and appraisals of us.For us as Christians it incorporates fallenness, and our redemption in Christ. It takes into account our Sanctification, that God has a purpose for our lives to conform us to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29). It is a renewal into the image of God lost in the fall.
"you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all." (Col 3:9,10). Spiritual gifts, our Heart, our Abilities, our Personalities and our Experiences.
Christlikeness on the personal level does involve each individual member of the church, and this is important. It is how the church matures. Yet it is also true that in this great passage of Ephesians, dealing with maturity, Paul is thinking not so much of individual believers as of the church as a whole. He is saying that just as there is a growth in maturity for the individual, so also there is a growth in maturity for the church corporately.
We can only mature together! No one can say "I am mature as a Christian in my self!" if you think like that you are displaying the essence of immaturity. A Baby is only interested in itself and its immediate needs! It is unstable because there is no fixed point outside of it it is midelled upon. We have our goal as the fullness of Christ.
Growing in maturity means for getting about ourselves and ..Loving others!
LOVE 15 Jesus' model of self-sacrificial behavior bringing fulfillment in community. The other in reciprocal relationship. outward focused and self forgetful in our love towards God and others in the community of believers.
Hence the greatest commandment is You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.38 This is the great and first commandment.39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
"Love (agape) is or vital importance in maturity. It is the Christian value that is central to the whole process of "upbuilding." "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth." self-transcendence." Sacrificial, serving, self-forgetful love. Jn13;34
RELATIONALITY 16
Prov 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity
There is a growing crisis of depersonalization in modern westernized society where our primary mode of communication is technologically based and characterized by the depersonalization of human relations Depersonalization defines the extent to which human relationships have substituted face - to - face human interchange in preference for technologically mediated communication. forms of social disconnection and alienation, resulting in loneliness, depression, social isolation and a rise in uncivil behaviours based upon frustration, hopelessness and the devaluation of human life are becoming increasingly evident in our communities. There is an urgent need for people to find a personal sense of purpose, develop deep and sustainable personal relationships by immersing ourselves in high-contact personal environments.. Acts 2: 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, Think of your favourite teacher at school. A personal manner of teaching involves teaching with a measure of feeling, rather than a style that lacks any trace of warmth. A "cold " or "detached" manner, doesn't cut it anywhere. Love can make an impact, even though it cannot be taught.
SMALL GROUP 16 Humanity is relational. We are embedded in "swarms of relationships". We have biological relationships, familiar relationships, shallow relationships, deep relationships; "one cannot be a self on one's own. I am a self only in relation to certain interlocutors: in one way in relation to those conversation partners who were essential to my achieving self-definition Methodism's class groups, Sunday school classes youth groups are very necessary.
RESILIENCE 14 Victor Frankl an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, quoting Nietzsche, after considering the differences between those who did or didn't survive the German concentration camps of World War 2, noted that "Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'." Resilience is found in a Purpose Beyond This Life
An Assessment Guide For Maturity (wholeness, Fullness)
Knowledge Purposeful Self-Identity
Love Relationality Small Group
Resilience through Trust
In the Local Church Do we express
A Biblical knowledge
An Atmosphere of loving service to one another
A focus on Small Group relationality
A Purposefulness (training opportunities)
Gospel associations, affirmations, articulations
Stretching opportunities (missions)
Dependence upon God
Denominationally are we Organising around Ephesians 4
Servant Leadership (modelled and taught)
Multiplying leadership and resources TEAMS
Delegation and Supervision Every member ministry
Assisting others with coping with pressures
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