Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #2

Defining Spiritual Maturity

Before we go any further, we should all be on the same page in understanding spiritual maturity. Not knowing what a mature Christian looks like will cause us to make the same mistakes when choosing leaders.

Is it possible to be a faithful church attender, serve in the ministry for years, teach others about the Bible, be a leader within our church community, be a pastor, and still be a babe? The answer, unfortunately, is yes. 

One of the reasons the Church is in a weakened state is because we have developed some un-biblical ideas about what defines a mature Christian. Because of these twisted beliefs, we have fallen into the trap of “thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought” (Romans 12:3).

Have you noticed that young children always think they are more “grown-up” than they are? Boys compare themselves with other boys to see who is bigger, faster, and stronger. Girls compare each other to see who has the most grown-up stuff in their purse, who gets their ears pierced first, who gets to wear make-up first, etc. This thought process produces a belief system that makes them think they are more than they are, and they can carry that into adulthood. It is not a healthy thing. It lacks humility and darkens the perspective about their maturity, as well as their identity.

It is time for the body of Christ to humble themselves and acknowledge their immaturity. It is the only way to move forward and grow spiritually. If a person thinks they are more mature than they are, it hinders their spiritual development because they are trying to start from a place they are not.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Before we learn algebra, we must first have a clear understanding of basic math. Without a solid foundation of basic math, algebra will remain a mystery. Specific rules and laws of math must be understood clearly before we can advance into algebra. Growing up spiritually is the same way. We must understand a few things about ourselves before becoming mature believers.

Spiritual maturity is much like physical maturity; just like physical, spiritual maturity can be measured by stages of growth. We see three stages represented in the New Testament—babes, children, and mature. Let’s look at what causes Christians to remain a babe.

Defining Spiritual Immaturity

Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Notice the phrase “unskilled in the word of righteousness.” A clear understanding of righteousness will help us to grow beyond being a baby Christian. Our imputed righteousness is at the core of the gospel message.

The word unskilled here means to be ignorant. It means without knowledge of, unaware of, unconscious of, oblivious to, incognizant of, unfamiliar with, unacquainted with, uninformed about, unenlightened about, inexperienced with, or naïve. Do you get the picture?

Being ignorant of our righteousness is one of the greatest tragedies in Christianity. Not knowing who we are because of what Jesus did prevents us from becoming what He paid for. If we never understand we are righteous children, we will serve God FOR approval instead of serving God from a place OF approval.

In verse 14, we see that solid food belongs to the mature, who by reason of use have their “senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” This means to be trained in righteous judgments. We cannot consistently operate with righteous judgment without saturating ourselves in God’s word.

Galatians 4:1-2 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, ² but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.

Many claim our rightful inheritance of healing, blessing, prosperity, favor, etc. But we will not mature enough to receive much of our inheritance until we embrace our righteousness and establish our identity as sons and daughters. We will remain under guardians and stewards and remain a servant, a slave, a babe.

We often don’t grow up because the “guardians and stewards” (pastors, teachers, and leaders) we are under don’t have this revelation themselves, so they can’t teach it. This produces a lot of frustration and discouragement in the body of Christ.

We will never grow beyond the understanding of our righteousness.

We have a tremendous inheritance through Christ, but our inheritance won’t come to us in fullness until we catch this revelation. We will live a life no different from a slave because, in many ways, we will still be a slave to sin. The revelation of righteousness sets us free from sin and legalism, which wars against Christ’s transforming work in us.

Living without a revelation of righteousness is living a life of bondage and slavery to sin. It keeps us from the freedom of intimacy in our relationship with the Father. This is why it is such a big deal. We can be zealous and hungry for God and miss the whole point of the Gospel. Listen to Paul’s heart for his fellow Jews.

Romans 10:1-4 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. ² For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. ³ For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. ⁴ For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

What is Paul saying here? The Jews are zealous for God! They prayed and fasted more than anyone. They kept the law and traditions and observed all the holy days and feasts, but they were ignorant that righteousness had been provided for them through Christ. Ignorance is not bliss! Ignorance can get us destroyed. Ignorance can keep us from receiving God’s promises. Ignorance can stunt our spiritual growth and keep us from developing beyond a babe in Christ.

We must submit to righteousness. This means that we must agree with what God has said about us. We will never be able to agree with it if we don’t immerse ourselves in His word. We must stop talking about sin, weakness, and death and begin speaking life, truth, and righteousness. We will never be free from a sin consciousness and keep it in our language. We submit to the gift of righteousness by agreeing with what God has said and fulfilled in Christ.

God sees us sinless. When we begin to believe that righteous and holy is the only way He sees us, we will also start to see ourselves that way. This opens the door for His grace to flood our lives and transform us so that we begin to produce righteous and holy fruit. If we try to live righteous and holy in our own strength, we have already set ourselves up for failure. That is what the Jews were and still are doing. We can’t make ourselves righteous, so we must agree with God that He has already made us that way, and His grace will empower us to live that way.

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Christ started the work by giving us the gift of righteousness. Believing what He said is the truth releases grace to perfect His work in us.
          When we finally believe we are righteous, we leave little room for the enemy to touch our lives. Being settled in our identity will cause our motives, thoughts, intentions, and even our actions to be pure. Submitting to righteousness is a vital key to spiritual maturity and transformation. Righteousness isn’t just who we are in His sight. It is also a promise to transform us, by the grace of God, into a person who lives a righteous life. We must believe what God has said about us is true.

Why is it so hard for us to believe that we are righteous? Because we know us!

Let the weak say, “I am strong!” (Joel 3:10). Let the Christian who struggles with sin say, “I am righteous!”
          Righteousness is not a lesson we learn and move on to something else. This must be focused on, cultivated, and taught constantly. It’s something we continue to grow into. When we develop a hunger and thirst for this revelation, we will be filled with all the fullness of God and set ourselves up for healthy, balanced, spiritual growth.

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Our great commission is to make disciples of Christ, not disciples of our church, our religious ideas, or denominational beliefs. No denomination on the planet has it right, yet they all believe they do. Denominations were man’s idea; they were all born from a place of disagreement and disunity. Paul addressed this issue with the Corinthian Church.

1 Corinthians 1:10-13 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. ¹¹ For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. ¹² Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

When Christians take pride in their denomination and say things like, “I am a Baptist,” “I am a Pentecostal,” or “I am a Catholic,” or I am a Presbyterian,” they are doing the very same thing Paul corrected the Corinthians for. He went even further and made this powerful statement.

1 Corinthians 3:1-4 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. ² I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; ³ for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? ⁴ For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Paul could not speak to the Corinthian Church as spiritual people but as carnal babes in Christ, as “mere men.” We see in His writings that Paul acknowledges they came behind in no gifts, but they were carnal Christians because they were divided and in disagreement.

End-time leaders cannot live like mere carnal men. We must be mature, yielded vessels that live life on a supernatural level.

Identifying strongly with any denomination labels us as carnal Christians. We must be mindful of the company we keep and not be too quick to adopt their beliefs or practices. As we get closer to the end of this age, denominational beliefs will increasingly have no place. I refuse to identify with any denomination. I understand that we need each other, and I fellowship with many denominations. But I am a believer, and that is all I want to be accused of when I stand before the Lord.

It will take courageous, mature leaders in the last days to restore the Church to the faith first delivered to the Apostles.

Jude 3-4 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴ For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Question: Do you consider yourself to be a mature Christian?

Question: What are some things that would identify us as immature?

Question: What is righteousness, and why are Christians considered righteous?

Question: What denomination are you affiliated with, and what makes them unique?

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